Majestic Erg Chebbi & Erg Chegaga deserts, High Atlas – 8 days

Morning departure from your hotel/riad in Marrakech at 8.30 to drive across the High Atlas Mountains. There are numerous opportunities to stop for photos and the drivers know the most popular.  The first scheduled Kasbah visit is Telouet.  This was the palace and headquarters of the powerful Glaoui tribe, who held sway over much of the area to the direct south. Two of the three main buildings of the Kasbah lie exposed to the wind and the rain as the Pasha’s property was confiscated as punishment for treason. Unfortunately, the whole Kasbah is now closed due to the damage caused by the earthquake that struck Morocco in September 2023. Nevertheless, it is still worth visiting the exterior with a local guide to discover its rich history. The Ounila Valley with its fertile fields and gardens follows the river far below the road.  The varying hues of rock and soil, Berber villages and gardens, as well as smaller Kasbahs are all quite breath-taking.  Olive, almond, and fruit trees are the main crops and vital to the economy for most families. Towards the end of the valley lies Kasbah Aït ben Haddou, the oldest and most famous Kasbah of all, and one of Morocco’s nine UNESCO World Heritage sites. The architectural style is well preserved and the earthen constructions are perfectly adapted to the climatic conditions, in complete harmony with the natural environment. Probably dating back to the 17th century, it has become increasingly well-known as the backdrop to many Hollywood blockbuster films.

After breakfast, the road turns east passing the Skoura Oasis, where numerous ancient kasbahs stand abandoned among the palm trees. Kasbah Amredhil has been beautifully restored giving a clear idea of multi-generational life.  It is made entirely of adobe, with very thick walls keeping out the summer’s heat and retaining warmth in winter. The drive continues to Kela’a M’gouna, the Valley of Roses, famous for its Rose Festival in May. The locally produced cosmetic articles are well-known throughout Morocco and the rose scent lingers deliciously. You will take an off-road piste to have a better impression of the landscape. On the way Berber nomads will welcome you at their caves to offer you a glass of tea. Their visitors astound at just how hard life is in these arid surroundings bringing  up children and tending their goats. It is just a short way on to the Dades Valley for lunch. This leaves you half a day to walk in the valley, or to spend it relaxing or strolling by the fields and gardens.  If you wish, you have time to walk into the mountains to spend the night with a Berber family, or you can remain in the valley for the night in a guest house.

The following morning the trip continues a short distance to Tinghir and the higher Toudgha gorges.  As you walk through (being careful to avoid the tourist buses) you can appreciate the steep high sides and have to crane your neck to see the narrow expanse of sky above. East of here, lie Tinjdad and the Oasis of Tafilalet near Erfoud, famous for its date festival. Between Tinjdad and Erfoud, you can walk down into the extraordinary underground water channels deep below the surface, which prevented evaporation in the desert heat. In Erfoud itself, you can stop to see the cutting and polishing of thousands of fossils, formed into many different artefacts. When you reach the edge of the dunes you will take the camels to ride to your luxury tent.  If you prefer the 4×4 can take you there instead. Your luxury tent is equipped with a private bathroom, king-sized beds, beautiful Moroccan furnishings and lamps tastefully arranged to enhance your enjoyment of the silence and beauty of the dunes.

The morning sunrise is spectacular and well worth getting up early to watch.  The drive to the Dra’a Valley to the west passes through Tazzarine (featured in the film ‘Babel’) and N’Qob for lunch.  If you are lucky, you may see scimitar-horned oryx in an enormous fenced reserve. In the afternoon, the road arrive at Tansikht in the Dra’a River. We turn north to Agdez at the head of the valley where we spend the night in a guest house.

Near the town lies Kasbah Tamnougalte, the oldest in the Dra’a Valley.  Some of the houses are still inhabited but others crumbling away. For a short while, we go off-road along some of the ancient caravan routes  passing villages and gardens so that you can gain a better idea of the way of life along the oases. After Tansikht, we reach Tinsouline; a kilometre or so away are the fascinating rock carvings of animals long extinct in Morocco. This is Foum Chenna, some 4000 years old.  Beyond Zagora, the largest town in the whole area, we stop in Tamgroute, to visit the potteries famous for the green glaze. The ancient Quranic library with exquisite hand-written Arabic texts is very famous in Morocco and the books a wonder to behold. Further south lies M’hamid, the gate to the desert , where the paved road stops and the Sahara starts.  60 km away across the desert are the remote Erg Chegaga dunes (300m). These dunes are far away from civilisation, right out in the full desert and where the silence is overwhelming. You have dinner and spend the night at a luxury camp with private bathroom, king-sized beds, beautiful Moroccan furnishings.

Another 90 km east crosses shall dunes and the stony desert, (“erg” and “hammada”) and later across the now dried-up Lake Iriqui. Here you may well  experience a mirage and unless it has been raining hard (which is rare and would mean the lake is impassable) we can assure you this “water” really is a figment of the imagination. Here you can search for fossils; some lying loosely around but most fixed firmly into the rock. From Foum Zguid at the edge of the desert, we drive north to Taznakht, famous for its Berber gelims and carpets. Travelling east again we cross the Tizi-n-Ikhsane and Tizi-n-Tighatine passes to reach Taliouine, the centre of the saffron growing region. The little government-run museum has interesting explanations of saffron agriculture, and as you enter the scent of saffron is dominant. The road takes us onto to Taroudant  for the night in a riad.

In the morning, you visit Taroudant, also known as “the little Marrakech”, due to its massive and unusually  intact ramparts. Travelling back east a short way, we turn north over the High Atlas Mountains over the famous Tizi-n-Test pass. At the top, the beautiful, elegant, brick Tinmal mosque, once stood, but was sadly almost completely demolished during the severe September 2023 earthquake. Lunch will be at a mountain restaurant with superb views. From here we continue through the mountains to the village of Imlil, where we stay the night. The extreme quiet of the village and the beauty of the views are quite overwhelming.

After breakfast, there is plenty of  time to walk and look up at Toubkal Mountain, the highest peak in North Africa. Travelling along a very narrow, very picturesque road in the Toubkal National Park we reach Asni, a small Berber village, famous for its permanent as well as for its weekly souks.  We then pass the mausoleum of Moulay Brahim, a well-known Moroccan Sufi saint who died in 1661. The road leads to the small village of Tahanout with an opportunity to stop on the way to wander through the astonishing Andre Heller Anima Garden, full of colourful sculptures and plants from across the world.  Your driver escorts you to your hotel bringing your Marrakech desert tour of 8 days to an end!