New Year’s Eve in the Moroccan Desert

December 28th: Arrival in Marrakech

We will be waiting for you at Marrakech airport with a sign indicating the name of the agency Marrakech Dreams Travel, to take you to your hotel / riad. After check-in we will explain briefly your visit and everything you need to know to know the country in the best way.

December 29th: Marrakech – Ouarzazate – Valley of Roses – Dades

At 8:30 am, we will leave your accommodation in Marrakech for Ouarzazate, crossing the majestic Atlas Mountains. During our journey, we will make brief stops along the way to enjoy the breathtaking scenery, including a stop at the renowned mountain pass of Tizi n’ Ticka, where you can admire the picturesque Berber villages.

Upon arrival in Ouarzazate, we will stop to visit the Kasbah of Taourirt. After lunch, we will continue to the Dades Valley, where we will explore the fascinating palm grove of Skoura. This oasis is home to some of Morocco’s most iconic Kasbahs, and we will enjoy unforgettable views of these adobe fortresses on what is known as the Route of a Thousand Kasbahs.

Our journey will take us through the Valley of the Roses, famous for the cultivation of the Damascus rose, one of the most fragrant and prized varieties of roses in the world. Before arriving in Dades, we will admire a curious mountain formation that will surely surprise you: the Monkey fingers.

Finally, we will arrive at our accommodation in Dades, where you can rest and enjoy a delicious dinner.

December 30: Dades Valley – Todra Gorges – Merzouga

After our breakfast, we head to Tinghir, continuing our journey through breathtaking landscapes of adobe buildings and palm groves that lead us to the Todra Gorges. At this gorge, we will stop for a walk inside and enjoy lunch along the way.

Our next stop is Erfoud, a town located at the gates of the desert, famous for its fossils. We then continue our journey to Merzouga, the gateway to the Erg Chebbi desert.

Once in Merzouga, after enjoying a cup of tea, we prepare to enter the desert. We will ride camels and ride through the desert landscape for about an hour and a half until we reach the Berber tents in the middle of the desert. During this ride, we will stop to appreciate the majestic sunset over the impressive sand dunes, capture beautiful photographs and immerse ourselves in the magic of the desert.

Then, we will continue by camel to the tents, where we will be greeted with a warm welcome. After a well-deserved rest, we will enjoy dinner. After dinner, you will admire the magnificent starry sky of the breathtaking Sahara Desert. In addition, you will witness a special performance of traditional Berber music by a cozy campfire. We will spend the night in the tents, immersed in the magical atmosphere of the desert.

December 31: Desert visit – Khamlia – Nomadic Families

After breakfast at the hotel we start our first visit will be to the oasis of Tissardmine will surprise us in the middle of the desert landscape its palm grove and vegetation, in these lands are usually made crops.

We continue along a route that was used in the Dakar Rally we headed to a viewpoint where we will have a panoramic view of the desert of Merzouga. Then we will visit a nomadic community in the desert of Merzouga. The nomads live in adobe houses and tents, this community will show us their way of life in the desert. We will continue on a path through the Hamada (desert of stones) to the mines of Mfiss where they extract quartz, lead and Khol (used for eye makeup pencils).

We will discover the village of Khamlia. This desert village is known for its Gnawa music, where we will be able to attend a small music concert. In Khamlia most of its inhabitants are originally from Mali and Sudan, arrived in the days of slavery. Therefore the traditional Gnawa music conveys the culture and values of this community.

In Khamlia we will have lunch to taste the specialty of the area: Berber pizza!

After our visit we will transfer you to your hotel in Merzouga to rest.

We end the day with our dinner at the hotel.

January 1st: Merzouga – Rissani – Alnif – Ouarzazate

After breakfast we start our route to Rissani to visit its traditional market. In this market the nomads sell their products and buy the groceries they need in their day to day, they have a characteristic parking for donkeys! From this city originates the Alaouite dynasty, the current monarchs in Morocco. Then we continue to Ouarzazate, on the way we will make a stop to discover the remains of fossils in the mountains because this area of the desert thousands of years ago was sea.

We will pass through the villages of: Alnif, Tazzarine and we will have lunch in Nkob. Then we will go to Ouarzazate and spend the night in a hotel.

January 2: Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou – High Atlas – Marrakech

After breakfast we will head to Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou. This 16th century fortress classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site has been the scene of many films such as: Gladiator, Laurence of Arabia, Game of Thrones etc.. We will visit the Kasbah with a local guide.

Then we will head to Marrakech where we will arrive at 15h approximately.

January 3rd: Guided Tour & Transfer to the Marrakech Airport

Departure with our guide from your Riad in Marrakech at 9:30 am to start the visit. The tour will include the most emblematic places of Marrakech such as:

Bahia Palace, with its shady courtyards and blue mosaic walls built by Ahmed Ben Moussa.

Ben Youssef Madrasa the largest theological university in the Maghreb and an exceptional achievement of Moorish architecture.

The Jemaa El Fnaa square, the main square of the city, no one knows how it came to be, but over the years it has become the heart of Marrakech.

Walk through the most interesting crafts, visiting different parts of the souks, such as the leather auction, tinsmiths and coppersmiths.

Koutoubia Mosque or Mosque of the booksellers, began under the Berber Almoravid dynasty in 1120, but was significantly modified since 1162 under the Almohad caliph Abu Yusuf Yaqub Al-Mansur, and became one of the most characteristic buildings of this style. Its name comes from the fact that it was an important library and there were more than 100 stalls selling books.

At the agreed time transfer to Marrakech airport for your return flight.