Tours: Mountain Villages, Desert Sands

10 days, 9 nights

Day 1: Marrakech

Arrival in Marrakech, transfer to hotel. Spend the rest of the day at leisure in Marrakech.

Day 2: Marrakech – Imilchil

The first stage of your tour begins with a visit to the beautiful Ouzoud Waterfalls, 100m high. After lunch, view Ben El Ouidane lake in its wonderful High Atlas setting. Travel through Afourer, a small town located high in the Atlas Mountains, and on to Beni Mellal, a town set among groves of oranges, olives, figs, pomegranates, apricots and peaches. Continue on through the splendours of the Atlas Mountains to arrive at Lake Tislit (the lake of the bride) in Imilchil, where you will spend the first night in an auberge at the edge of the lake.

Day 3: Imilchil – Amellago Gorge

Explore Imilchil, a famous Berber village set in the heart of the High Atlas, where the young women of the Ait Hadidou tribe traditionally choose their own husbands. Lunch in the remote village of Tamtattouchte. Continue on through the unspoiled Berber villages of Agdal and Ait Hani to Amellago, to spend the night in nomad tents in the Gorge.

Day 4: Amellago Gorge – Merzouga

Travel off-road through the little village of Tadirhoust to Goulmima. Visit one of the oldest ksars (large kasbah inhabited by several families) in the South of Morocco. Rejoin the tarmac road to cross a wild landscape dotted with oases and villages, passing through Outorog and Mlaab. At Erfoud, set amid tamarisk and palm trees, the road ends and we take the sand track into the desert to reach the magnificent gold and rose-coloured dunes of Erg Chebbi near Merzouga. Overnight in an auberge at the foot of the dunes.

Day 5: Excursion into the Erg Chebbi dunes

After breakfast, the 4x4 takes you into the dunes to see the oases of Merzouga, the village of Khamlia, the mines at Mfis, desert plateaus, Berber nomads, and the oasis at Tissardmine. Return to the auberge mid-afternoon. Later, mount camels to trek into the dunes for the sunset. After 3 hours by camel, camp at a wild oasis in the heart of the desert.

Day 6: Merzouga – Dades Valley

Visit the city of Rissani, economic capital of Morocco and its first imperial city. Tour its large market (‘souk’) under red arcades, and its many ksars. Then take the road to the village of Alnif for lunch. From here, travel off-road through the Jebel Ougnat to Tinerhir and the spectacular Todhra Gorge, where kasbahs stand guard at the foot of the cliffs. The highway takes you on to the Dades Valley, to spend the night in a small hotel.

Day 7: Excursion to M’goun Gorges and the Valley of the Roses

A wonderful day, mainly off-road, in one of the most beautiful areas of the High Atlas. 1½ hour walk in each of the valleys, with a lovely open air picnic by the riverside. Splendid mountain scenery and traditional Berber villages, returning to the Dades Valley for views of its dramatic rock formations in the sunset. Stay at the same hotel for the night.

Day 8 : Dades Valley – Marrakech

Leave the Dades Valley off-road to visit the the hilltop village of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with some of the best-preserved kasbahs in Morocco. It has been the setting for 20 films, including Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator. Lunch at Ait Ben Haddou. Cross the High Atlas by road over the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass (2200m) through lovely mountain scenery. Arrive in Marrakech at sunset, and stay in a riad.

Day 9: Sightseeing in Marrakech

Explore Marrakech, the heart of Morocco, with its ancient walled town (the ‘Medina’), its colourful souks (markets), its famous Place Djema El Fnaa and its lively activities by day and by night. Visit wonderful heritage sites: the Medersa Ben Youssef, the Bahia and El Badi palaces, the Saadian Tombs, or get away from the heat and bustle of the city with a stroll through the Menara Gardens or the Majorelle Garden (formerly owned by the famous fashion designer Yves St Laurent). Final night at your riad.

Day 10: Marrakech

At leisure in Marrakech until your transfer to the airport.