Morocco Desert Tour                                                 (7 Days – 6 Nights) – Departs Daily Year- round

With Lonely Morocco you are not just taking a Morocco desert tour, you are taking part in an experience that will stay with you for a lifetime. The desert silence is very meditating, calming experience that will clear your mind of any worries, you will not care what day of the week or time it is. There is nothing around you only miles and miles of sand. How wonderful it would be to join a caravan crossing the Sahara desert, wandering through dunes where you can hear nothing but the harmonious footsteps of your camels …Stop in a oasis to breathe fresh air and to sip Saharan tea with nomads around their camp fire and have an opportunity to experience the mystical traditional weekly markets where Berbers come together to purchase and trade and where you will get to know the country people and veiled famous for their hospitality. At night prepare for the hypnotic beat of Berber drums and songs while enjoying the ritual pouring of mint tea in the vast sky lit by a million stars.

Day 1: Marrakech

Arrival in Marrakech - a warm welcome awaiting you by your driver / guide at the Menara airport. Transfer to your hotel or Riad - a traditional former private residence designed in the unique Moroccan style, where you will be given time to settle in and freshen up.
In the evening take an orientation tour with your driver and local guide, and witness the carnivalesque public square Djemaa el-Fna come alive at sunset and be amazed by the dancers, snake-charmers, jugglers and narrators.

Overnight

Day 2: Marrakech

After breakfast, you will have full-day tour of the city. Historic visit of Marrakech will include the Menara gardens, a magnificent pool surrounded by flowers, reflecting the image of a beautiful Moorish construction built in 1866 for the dignitaries. See glorious sunsets with the Atlas Mountains as a backdrop. Later will enjoy several impressive sights such as the Koutoubia Minaret (the twin tower of la Giralda in Sevilla, Spain), the Saadian tombs demonstrating Moorish architecture in its perfection. The tombs, consisting of splendid mausoleums built in the sixteenth century. Other sites include: the museum of Dar Si Said with the best display of Berber arts and crafts to be found; the remains of the Badii Palace, a historical monument chosen to host the annual National Festival of Popular Art. The Bahia Palace still hosts dignitaries in the heart of the Mellah (Jewish quarter) today. Lunch will be in local restaurant, then a walk through the colourful souks of Marrakech in the afternoon. Conclude the day with a sunset drink overlooking the exciting Jamaa El Fna Square.

Overnight

Day 3: Marrakech ▬ Ait Ben Haddou ▬ Ouarzazate

Depart for Ouarzazate located at the gateway of the desert, the city wich fascinates its visitors with its absolute quietness, security and silence reign night and day. We cross the Tizi n'Tichka pass at an elevation of 2206 m, this is an impressive site dividing these Mountains in two distinct aspects - one side acting as a shield to protect the hinterland from the Atlantic Ocean. The valleys and mountains are alive with the daily life of the Berber dwellers, continue through gorgeous scenery to the Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou Morocco’s largest Kasbah, this site registered on the list of the world heritage of Unesco since 1987 and where many films were made like: Lawrence of Arabia, the Mummy, Gladiator…

Overnight

Day 4: Ouarzazate ▬ Todra Gorges ▬ Erfoud ▬ Merzouga Dunes

After breakfast brief city tour including Taourirt Kasbah one of the city’s main attractions, former palace of Glaoui, Pasha of Marrakech in the 19th century. Its wonderful construction considered as one of the most beautiful in Morocco, with its adobe walls. Continuing to Tinghir and Todra Gorges one of the most beautiful oases of Morocco, you will enjoy the Valley of one Thousand Kasbahs that are scattered in a surreal fashion and seem as if they are sand castles standing erect in the shadow of time., continue to visit the Todra Gorges The Lunch will be in a restaurant under 600 feet high red cliff of the gorges where many of rock climbers come to enjoy their preferred sport. Later we continue our journey, following the ancient Bedouin trading routes parallel with the Middle Atlas, passing a series of the fortified villages with outstanding pre-Saharian architecture. The route to Erfoud is one of the most pleasing of all the Southern routes. The town is in a dry red built of desert and was built by the French as a central administration town. It is known for its rich black fossils marble. The stone is sculpted to bring the fossils into relief on everything from ashtrays to washbasins and more. An experience not to be missed is to watch the sunset from the spectacular Merzouga dunes, an energizing location in the midst of the huge every-changing golden dunes.

Overnight (under tent)

Day 5: Erfoud ▬ Midelt ▬ Ifran ▬ Fez

After an early breakfast you will leave the desert and venture into the Atlas Mountains heading a different part of Morocco. We cross the verdant oasis of Ziz River and passing rows of sky-scraping palm trees and fortified villages characterized by fascinating southern architecture. We stop for lunch in the small town of Midelt, a sleepy village flanked by the verdant beauty of both the Middle and the snow-covered High Atlas Mountains, bursting with colorful minerals that mottle the mountainside in a blaze of ruby, emerald and topaz. Continue through the Middle Atlas mountain range and great forests of cedar trees, terraced farms and sienna mud-brick Berber villages via Ifran a charming ski resort and Azrou an important handicraft centre specialised in the work of cedar wood. Reach Fez in the evening.

Overnight

Day 6: Fez

After breakfast, full-day sightseeing of the city of Fes The, the oldest of the Imperial Cities 1200 year old, which is well known for its spiritual and educational contributions to the Moroccan culture. explore the medieval Medina with it’s winding alleys of Arabic-Moorish architecture, savor the scent of spices, orange blossoms, and sizzling lamb kabobs, and watch scenes unchanged for centuries, from donkeys laden with goods to children carrying boards of bread dough to communal ovens. visit the famous souks where craftsmen still work in the age-old oriental tradition , the sites of ancient Koranic schools and old working tanneries, you will feel that you have stepped back into another era. Optional lunch in one of our suggested traditional Moroccan restaurants before continuing to discover the hidden treasures of this old town.

Overnight

Day 7: Fez ▬ Airport

Private transfer to airport and assistance with return flight formalities.


Accommodation Information

Night	City	Class	Hotels & Riads
2 Nights	Marrakech	3* / 4* / 5*/ 5*L	Please specify your desired hotel category The list will be provided upon request
1 Night	Ouarzazate	3* / 4* / 5*/ 5*L
1 Night	Merzouga	3* / 4* / 5*/ 5*L
2 Nights	Fez	3* / 4* / 5*/ 5*L

• Single supplements & Group discount are available upon request
• Children fare ( please see our terms & conditions )

Notes

• You can modify the itinerary according to your specific budget, dates, interests or cities of arrival or departure
• The tour can be shortened, extended or modified to end wherever as the guests wish

Included Services

• Private air-conditioned vehicle
• Private English speaking driver for the entire trip
• First class accommodation at 3* / 4* / 5*/ 5*L Hotel / Riad
• Daily breakfasts & some dinners
• Certified tour guide in Marrakech, Fez
• 4 wheels drive to Merzouga dunes
• Camel trek
• Entrance fees to historical sites / museums
• Departure transfer

Excluded Services

• International air fare
• Travel Insurance
• Lunches / drinks
• Personal spending

Please contact us for more information