Morocco in a week - camels in the desert

A Taste of Morocco

Route: Marrakech - Kasbah Aït Benhaddou – Camel trek and desert bivouac – Ouarzazate – Marrakech

Get a taste of all the ingredients of Morocco in a week. You’ll travel from magical Marrakech across the Atlas mountains to the famous kasbah of Aït Benhaddou. Driving through an immense oasis with millions of palm trees you’ll make your way to the edge of the Sahara where you’ll ride into the sand dunes on camel back and sleep under the stars in the desert. Finally you’ll visit the beautiful ‘movie-set’ town Ouarzazate before returning to Marrakech.

How about extending your trip with a stay on the coast?
You can choose to extend your itinerary with a couple of days in one of Morocco's beach resort. You'll stay overnight in Taroudant on the way to the coast before sinking your feet in the sand in the blue and white fishing village of Essaouira.

Duration	8 days / 7 nights departs daily from Marrakech	Accommodation	Charming hotels, stylish riads and bedouin tents. Comfort level 2 - 4 (see accommodation).
Price	Please see our Contact Us page for more details	Includes	6 nights accommodation with breakfast, 1 night in the desert with breakfast and dinner, car hire (A-class), transfers
Transport	Hire car, camel	Excludes	Return flights UK - Morocco, insurance, other meals, cooking workshop Marrakech

Day 1: Marrakech

On arrival at the airport you'll be met by our driver and transferred to your hotel in Marrakech where your Morocco in a week itinerary will begin. We've selected a friendly little hotel round the corner from the famous Djemaa el Fna square. If you'd prefer to stay in a real Moroccan riad, just let us know and we'll arrange it for you.

Once you’ve settled into your hotel and freshened up, it’s time to immerse yourself in the city and the moment you set foot out of your hotel door, you’ll be greeted by the intoxicating smells and colours. Marrakech has surprisingly few tourist attractions in the form of museums or historic buildings (though the tropical gardens and the bizarre baby blue house of the Jardin Majorelle make for a worthwhile visit). Its main attraction is actually the atmosphere and it’s something you have to experience rather than see.

Morocco in a week - Snake charmers in Djemaa el Fna

The Djemaa el Fna and the surrounding souks form the beating heart of the city and it’s probably where you’ll spend most of your time in Marrakech. During the day the area is quiet except for the odd storyteller, snake charmer or group of musicians catering to the tourists. Bordering the square are the souks, a warren of little streets lined with stalls and shops selling everything from Moroccan rugs to live tortoises. You can wander amongst the stalls and shop till you drop, soaking up the atmosphere. You can spend the rest of the afternoon as you wish. You could visit the hammam, a traditional Moroccan bathhouse.

As the sun begins to set,you can stroll back to the Djemaa el Fna. As if by magic, the square will have transformed into a huge open-air restaurant with groups of acrobats, musicians and storytellers entertaining the crowds. The stalls are numbered an each has its own speciality. For fresh fish go to Number 14, for kebabs and grilled vegetables try Number 55, and Number 5 does a great Harira, the national Moroccan soup of tomatoes, chickpeas, vermicelli and green lentils.

Day 2: Marrakech

The second day of your short Morocco itinerary is free for you to spend as you wish. If you want to get a taste of the everyday life of Marrakech, then join our Marrakech City Tour (please ask about additional costs). You'll be picked up at your hotel around 11am by Gemma, a Dutch lady who's lived in Marrakech for quite some time. She’ll take your into the souks to buy ingredients for tonight’s meal and as you follow Gemma through the dark alleys you’ll see Marrakech like a local. When you’ve filled your bags with ingredients it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get cooking in Gemma’s Moroccan cooking workshop. Ghita and Khadija will show you the ropes and teach you how to prepare a traditional tajine - a stew prepared and steamed in a triangular clay pot. You’ll also learn how to make proper couscous and Moroccan salads.

Morocco in a week - In the souks with Gemma

Day 3: Marrakech - Aït Benhaddou

Travel time: 5 hours

After breakfast, your hire car will be delivered to your accommodation. Driving in a busy city like Marrakech takes a bit of getting used to, but basically it’s no different (if a little more frenzied) than at home, and it's the best way to see Morocco in a week. Click on our driving in Morocco page for some useful tips.

As soon as you leave Marrakech, you’ll follow a well-maintained road into the High Atlas Mountains. After about an hour the road becomes one of the most scenic routes in Morocco, with terraced wheat fields, cacti, waving palm trees and endless views. You’ll pass through tiny villages, see old men on donkeys slowly lumbering uphill and watch excited school children waving as you drive by. In the distance you'll soon make out the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas on the horizon.

As the road descends, the scenery changes and you'll find yourself entering a desert-like area, the second phase of your Morocco in a week itinerary. Shortly after the exit, kasbah Aït Benhaddou will loom up like a mirage, fringed by lush palm trees and a shallow river. A kasbah is a kind of citadel, made up of high-walled buildings of clay mixed with straw. The kasbahs gave shelter to entire village communities, though these days many of them are no longer inhabited.

Your first stop in Aït Benhaddou is your stylish kasbah-style palace hotel. This small oasis has a couple of tastefully decorated rooms, a lovely pool surrounded by shaded bedouin tents and a terrace overlooking the kasbah where they serve wonderful food in the evenings.

In the afternoon, you'll make your way across the river. At the gate to the kasbah you’ll small entrance fee (approx £1) and step into a medieval warren of narrow lanes leading deep into the kasbah. At the top of the kasbah, there’s a fantastic view across the citadel and the surrounding countryside. From here, it’s a short walk back to the hotel. You can also book a camel ride or rent mountain bikes here.

Morocco in a week - all roads lead to...

Day 4: Aït Benhaddou - Ouarzazate - Zagora - M'Hamid

Travel time: approx 5 hours

After breakfast you'll hit the road again to really make the most of Morocco in a week. It’s about an hour’s drive to Ouarzazate, a small town built in kasbah-style. You can stop here to fill up, use the cash machine and stock up on snacks for on the way.

As you leave Ouarzazate, the barren landscape opens up as you drive across a huge wide expanse. After an hour you’ll reach Agdz at the edge of one of Morocco’s fertile Draa Valley. Just before Zagora the road is lined with date sellers, their sweet, sticky delicacies temptingly laid out in pretty orange boxes. As the road begins to climb you’ll pass millions of palm trees stretching out as far as the eye can see. Then, the majestic gates of Zagora will come into view and you'll enter the city across a wide, dusty street. If you turn right at the roundabout at the end of the main street you can take the obligatory picture at the famous sign: 52 days to Timbuktu (by camel).

After this, it's not far to your hotel, a little oasis surrounded by rustling palm trees run by a friendly French lady called Brigitte. Once you’ve checked in, prepare a small overnight backpack (don’t forget a warm jumper) for your night in the desert. After you’ve received a small briefing there’s time for a refreshing dip in the pool before you drive to the edge of the desert. It’s a 2 hour drive along dusty roads across a wide expanse of barren mountains and a lunar-like landscape. Once you’ve passed the small town of Tamegroute you’ll spot a solitary giant orange sand dune on the horizon, your first glimpse of what lies ahead…

You'll clamber onto the back of the camel like a true desert nomad and gently plod into the sand dunes. Not long afterwards, you'll arrive at your bivouac, a small camp of camel-hair tents nestled between the sand dunes. As the sun begins to set, take a walk along the rim of the sand dunes to see the colours of the desert change. Later that evening, you’ll tuck into a traditional meal prepared by the camel boys. After dinner, simply lie back and stare up at clearest starry sky.

Day 5: M'Hamid - Zagora

Travel time: 2 hours

You’ll be woken before dawn to see the sunrise. For the best view, climb to the top of one of the sand dunes around the camp. As the sun slowly rises, the desert changes from deep purple to red and finally golden orange and you savour the immense peace and silence of the desert. Once the sun is high in the sky and the temperature begins to climb, you’ll get back on your camel and ride back to M’Hamid.

Here you’ll exchange your camel for your hire car. A camel trek into the desert is quite exhausting, which is why we’ve arranged an extra night in the French hotel in Zagora. In the evening, you can enjoy dinner under the palm trees beside the beautifully lit pool.

Day 6: Zagora - Ouarzazate

Travel time: 4 hours

This morning you'll head back to the north to the scenic town of Ouarzazate where all the buildings have been designed in kasbah style. Along the way, you'll travel through a vast landscape and a series of small villages each with its own palm oasis. After about four hours, you'll reach the Ouarzazate, where we've chosen a lovely hotel with a refreshing pool. In the evening, you can dine in your hotel or try one of the many restaurants in town.

Day 7: Ouarzazate - Marrakech

Travel time: approx 5.5 hours

After breakfast, you'll drive back across the desert-like plains to the Atlas mountains on the horizon. Then, you'll descend through fertile valleys and vast plains back to Marrakech, where you began your Morocco trip a week ago.

You'll stay in our friendly little hotel close to the Djemaa el Fna again, but, if you'd prefer to stay in a traditional riad, just let us know. This is the last night of your whirlwind trip through Morocco in a week, so treat yourselves to a great meal and watch the snakecharmers work their magic.

Morocco in a week - storytellers in Djemaa el Fna

Short Morocco itinerary - goodbye to Morocco

Day 8: Marrakech - End of itinerary

Today it's time to bid farewell to Morocco. We'll arrange your airport transfer for you and once you're back home we'd love to hear about your everything you've seen during your week in Morocco.

Extension idea: Essaouira sea breeze

Why not extend your trip by a few days to enjoy some sea air in the artistic town of Essaouira, a small authentic fishing village between Casablanca and Agadir where the wind always blows. It's a wonderful place to soak up some sun, a paradise for wind and kite surfers and a great spot to enjoy fresh fish. You'll stay in one of our selected traditional riads, making Essaouira a brilliant way to end your Morocco trip.

Travel tip: Special stay

During this tour you'll stay in small, centrally located hotels. If you would like a few really special nights you opt for our traditional riads, which (though not luxurious) are full of authentic Moroccan atmosphere. Riads are small palaces where wealthy merchants once lived, set in the heart of the medina, within walking distance of all the major sights. They're a great place to unwind after shopping in the crowded in the bazaars, as they have shady courtyards and roof terraces.