Marrakech & the Merzouga Dunes
$0.00
Unavailable
per item
Highlights:
For those with a limited amount of time, this suggested itinerary gives you a chance to experience the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Marrakech plus the desert and the rugged passes of the country’s south.
You will cross the High Atlas Mountains and visit the locations where Gladiator and Laurence of Arabia were filmed. A night spent in a luxury tented desert camp will be a highlight.
For those with a limited amount of time, this suggested itinerary gives you a chance to experience the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Marrakech plus the desert and the rugged passes of the country’s south.
You will cross the High Atlas Mountains and visit the locations where Gladiator and Laurence of Arabia were filmed. A night spent in a luxury tented desert camp will be a highlight.
SKU:
Explore: MARRAKECH & THE MERZOUGA DUNES
Customizable Itinerary - 9 Days (from $3,543 / person)
Day 1: Depart USA
In the evening you will board an aicraft that will either take you to Casablanca or several European cities where you connect to Marrakesh.
Day 2: Arrival in Marrakech
Upon arrival you will be met and taken to your intimate and elegant Riad. Enjoy a cocktail on the roof top terrace as the sun sets over the medina. Have a quiet dinner at the Riad before turning in to catch up on the overnight trip.
Day 3: A guided exploration of Marrakech
Have breakfast on the rooftop terrace as the call to prayer comes from the minarets in the Medina. After breakfast you meet your guide and start your tour of the old part of the city including the Saadian Tombs built in the 16th Century to hold the remains of Saadian Rulers and their families and only re-discovered by the French in 1917. The Koutoubia Mosque was built in a classic style in the 12th Century copied in many other Islamic countries. The minaret stands 231 feet high and is visible from almost any point in the city. An ordinance forbids any building to surpass the minaret in height. Stop for lunch in a local restaurant and then enter the medina to explore the souks which are a true labyrinth of stalls and artisan workshops try your hand at bargaining keeping in mind that you are dealing with pros. In the evening you may want to visit the “modern” section of town with its wide boulevards. Makes an interesting contrast.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 4: Day at Leisure, Night on the Town
We have left the day open to let you explore this charming city at your own pace. We highly recommend taking a horse-drawn carriage ride that would include a ride through the Majorelle Gardens which were brought back to life through the funds of Yves Saint-Laurent whose vacation home, Villa Oasis, adjoins the gardens. In the evening your guide will take you on an exploration of Djemaa El-Fna, the main square which is thought to be as old as the town itself. It was a place for public executions during the day, and the meeting point of musicians, mystics, food sellers, pickpockets, acrobats, snake charmers, storytellers, dancers, fortune tellers and other exotic characters. Not much has changed (except for the executions). Watching sunset from one of its terraces when the call to prayer from the Koutoubia minaret fills the air is one of those ‘Zen’ moments that Morocco offers.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 5: Crossing the High Atlas Mountains
After breakfast you meet your driver for the journey south which involves crossing the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi Tichka pass, the highest mountain passage in the whole of North Africa. On arrival in the southern town of Skoura you will explore the breadth of its immense palm grove dotted with hundreds of Kasbahs, many of them regrettably in ruins. This palm grove was laid out in the 12th Century by the Amohad sultan Yacoub el-Mansour, and named after its original inhabitants, the Berbers of the Haskourene tribe. The most beautiful Kasbahs in southern Morocco can be found here and many of them are still inhabited. Check in to your hotel and enjoy a swim before dinner.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 6: Erfoud and the Merzouga Dunes
After breakfast (which you may wish served in the groves) you will transfer to Erfoud on the edge of the Sahara Desert. Here you will continue by 4x4WD to the massive dunes of Erg Chebbi, a strikingly strange natural foundation. Rising from a totally flat area is a high mountain of sand. In the late afternoon you will take a camel ride on the dunes to observe the sunset and the changing desert colors. Return to your luxury tented camp for dinner.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Highlights of the Gorges of Todra
Arise early to the smell of freshly brewed coffee as you watch the sun rise over the dunes. Today you will drive though some stunning scenery as you drive through gorges with walls up to 1,000 feet high. They loom over a lush narrow valley dotted with oasis-like date palmeries and irrigated fields of grain. Return to your Kasbah for some relaxation including time at the spa.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: The Movies Come to Morocco
Stop in the town of Ouarzazate and enjoy a sightseeing tour including the Palace of Giaoui, Kasbah Ait Ourirt and the local movie studios. Continue to the fortified village of Ait Ben Haddou, one of Morocco’s World heritage sites in Morocco. Built on the left side of a salty valley on a hill it has been used as the location for famous films such as Lawrence of Arabia and Jesus of Nazareth. Return to Marrakech where you enjoy a special dinner in the Medina.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 9: Return to USA
After breakfast you are transferred to the airport for the return flight to the USA.
Breakfast
In the evening you will board an aicraft that will either take you to Casablanca or several European cities where you connect to Marrakesh.
Day 2: Arrival in Marrakech
Upon arrival you will be met and taken to your intimate and elegant Riad. Enjoy a cocktail on the roof top terrace as the sun sets over the medina. Have a quiet dinner at the Riad before turning in to catch up on the overnight trip.
Day 3: A guided exploration of Marrakech
Have breakfast on the rooftop terrace as the call to prayer comes from the minarets in the Medina. After breakfast you meet your guide and start your tour of the old part of the city including the Saadian Tombs built in the 16th Century to hold the remains of Saadian Rulers and their families and only re-discovered by the French in 1917. The Koutoubia Mosque was built in a classic style in the 12th Century copied in many other Islamic countries. The minaret stands 231 feet high and is visible from almost any point in the city. An ordinance forbids any building to surpass the minaret in height. Stop for lunch in a local restaurant and then enter the medina to explore the souks which are a true labyrinth of stalls and artisan workshops try your hand at bargaining keeping in mind that you are dealing with pros. In the evening you may want to visit the “modern” section of town with its wide boulevards. Makes an interesting contrast.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 4: Day at Leisure, Night on the Town
We have left the day open to let you explore this charming city at your own pace. We highly recommend taking a horse-drawn carriage ride that would include a ride through the Majorelle Gardens which were brought back to life through the funds of Yves Saint-Laurent whose vacation home, Villa Oasis, adjoins the gardens. In the evening your guide will take you on an exploration of Djemaa El-Fna, the main square which is thought to be as old as the town itself. It was a place for public executions during the day, and the meeting point of musicians, mystics, food sellers, pickpockets, acrobats, snake charmers, storytellers, dancers, fortune tellers and other exotic characters. Not much has changed (except for the executions). Watching sunset from one of its terraces when the call to prayer from the Koutoubia minaret fills the air is one of those ‘Zen’ moments that Morocco offers.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 5: Crossing the High Atlas Mountains
After breakfast you meet your driver for the journey south which involves crossing the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi Tichka pass, the highest mountain passage in the whole of North Africa. On arrival in the southern town of Skoura you will explore the breadth of its immense palm grove dotted with hundreds of Kasbahs, many of them regrettably in ruins. This palm grove was laid out in the 12th Century by the Amohad sultan Yacoub el-Mansour, and named after its original inhabitants, the Berbers of the Haskourene tribe. The most beautiful Kasbahs in southern Morocco can be found here and many of them are still inhabited. Check in to your hotel and enjoy a swim before dinner.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 6: Erfoud and the Merzouga Dunes
After breakfast (which you may wish served in the groves) you will transfer to Erfoud on the edge of the Sahara Desert. Here you will continue by 4x4WD to the massive dunes of Erg Chebbi, a strikingly strange natural foundation. Rising from a totally flat area is a high mountain of sand. In the late afternoon you will take a camel ride on the dunes to observe the sunset and the changing desert colors. Return to your luxury tented camp for dinner.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Highlights of the Gorges of Todra
Arise early to the smell of freshly brewed coffee as you watch the sun rise over the dunes. Today you will drive though some stunning scenery as you drive through gorges with walls up to 1,000 feet high. They loom over a lush narrow valley dotted with oasis-like date palmeries and irrigated fields of grain. Return to your Kasbah for some relaxation including time at the spa.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: The Movies Come to Morocco
Stop in the town of Ouarzazate and enjoy a sightseeing tour including the Palace of Giaoui, Kasbah Ait Ourirt and the local movie studios. Continue to the fortified village of Ait Ben Haddou, one of Morocco’s World heritage sites in Morocco. Built on the left side of a salty valley on a hill it has been used as the location for famous films such as Lawrence of Arabia and Jesus of Nazareth. Return to Marrakech where you enjoy a special dinner in the Medina.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 9: Return to USA
After breakfast you are transferred to the airport for the return flight to the USA.
Breakfast