Morocco by Heart
Kasbahs, Sahara & Atlantic Grand Journey
Fifteen days through the south — mountain passes, earthen kasbahs, the great dunes and the Atlantic wind
- Time on the ground
- 15 days / 14 nights
- Route
- Marrakech · Ait Benhaddou · Skoura · Dades · Todra · Merzouga · Nkob · Taroudant · Taghazout · Essaouira · Marrakech
- Airports
- Arrive and depart Marrakech (RAK)
- Pace
- Unhurried: three nights in Marrakech at the start, one desert camp, two nights on the Atlantic
Our southern grand loop, and the journey for travelers who fly into Marrakech. It opens with three slow days in the Red City, then climbs the Tizi n'Tichka pass into a landscape of earthen villages: the kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, the rose valley of Skoura, the red walls of the Dades, the thousand-foot cliffs of the Todra Gorges. You sleep one night deep in the dunes of Erg Chebbi, come back west along the Draa palm groves, cross the Anti-Atlas to the walled town of Taroudant, then reach the Atlantic at Taghazout and finish with two nights in Essaouira before an easy drive back to Marrakech. Private vehicle and driver the whole way, licensed local guides in each city, and Moha with you from the moment you land.
Day by day
Day 1
Arrival in Marrakech
Moha meets you at RAK and drives you to your riad in the medina. The evening stays deliberately calm — mint tea on the terrace, a short walk, an early dinner.
Day 2
Marrakech — palaces, madrasa and souks
A full guided day with a licensed city guide: the Bahia Palace, the Ben Youssef Madrasa, the quiet of Le Jardin Secret, then the souks, finishing on Jemaa el-Fnaa as the square fills at dusk.
Day 3
Marrakech your way — gardens, hammam or a cooking class
Choose the day: the Majorelle and Menara gardens, a traditional hammam and rest, or a market visit and cooking workshop with a Moroccan family.
Day 4
Over the Tizi n'Tichka to Ait Benhaddou
Across the High Atlas by the 7,415-foot Tizi n'Tichka pass, with Amazigh villages on the slopes, then the UNESCO kasbah of Ait Benhaddou in the late light and a night beneath it.
Day 5
Ouarzazate, the Skoura oasis and the Valley of Roses
The Taourirt Kasbah and the film studios of Ouarzazate, the palm groves of Skoura, then north into the Valley of Roses, where the distilleries scent the whole spring.
Day 6
The Dades Gorges
Up the Dades valley past the Monkey Fingers rock formations to the switchbacks above the gorge, with a walk among the almond terraces and a night in a kasbah hotel on the river.
Day 7
The Todra Gorges and on to Merzouga
Morning in the Todra Gorges, where thousand-foot limestone walls close to a few yards, then east through Tinghir and Erfoud to the edge of Erg Chebbi.
Day 8
A night in the dunes of Erg Chebbi
Camel trek or 4x4 into the dunes at golden hour, sunset from the crest, dinner and Amazigh drums at a luxury desert camp, and a sky with nothing between you and it.
Day 9
Sunrise in the Sahara, Rissani and the Draa road
Sunrise over the dunes, then the caravan market of Rissani and a long, beautiful drive west through Alnif and Nkob, with its tower houses and almond groves.
Day 10
Across the Anti-Atlas to Taroudant
Over the Tizi n'Tazazert and down through Tazenakht, a weaving town of Amazigh carpets, to the ochre ramparts of Taroudant, often called little Marrakech.
Day 11
Taroudant and the Tiout oasis
The souks and saddlers of Taroudant in the morning, then the Tiout palm oasis in the afternoon — a mule track between the palms, a kasbah above the water, and a lunch of tagine cooked slowly.
Day 12
The Atlantic at Taghazout and Paradise Valley
West to the coast: the argan hills, the surf bay of Taghazout, and the pools and canyon walls of Paradise Valley in the Anti-Atlas foothills.
Day 13
Up the coast to Essaouira
The coastal road north past Cap Rhir and the argan cooperatives, with fresh grilled fish at a fishing cove, arriving in Essaouira for the evening wind and the ramparts.
Day 14
Essaouira — ocean, medina and free time
The Skala de la Ville ramparts, the car-free UNESCO medina and the thuya wood workshops in the morning, then a day that is genuinely yours: the beach, seafood at the port, surf, kitesurf or a horse ride on the sand.
Day 15
Return to Marrakech and departure
An unhurried drive back through the argan groves and a private transfer to Marrakech airport in good time for your flight home.
Add the plan to your calendar
Choose the date of your first day in Morocco and download an .ics file — every day of the journey lands in your calendar.
Highlights
- Three nights in Marrakech at the start, with a full guided medina day
- The Tizi n'Tichka pass and the UNESCO kasbah of Ait Benhaddou
- Dades and Todra Gorges, and the Valley of Roses
- A night in a luxury camp in the dunes of Erg Chebbi
- Taroudant and the Tiout oasis, off the usual route
- Two nights in Essaouira on the Atlantic to close the journey
What is included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle and licensed professional driver throughout
- 14 nights in handpicked boutique riads, kasbah hotels and a luxury Sahara camp
- Licensed local guides in Marrakech, Taroudant and Essaouira
- Camel trek or 4x4 dune transfer in Merzouga
- Daily breakfast and selected dinners, including dinner at the desert camp
- Private airport welcome and all transfers
- Moha as your personal host, on WhatsApp from the moment you land
Not included
- International flights — quoted separately at the current fare
- Travel insurance, lunches and dinners not listed, personal spending