Day 1: Ouarzazate – Skoura  – Rose valley – Dades Valley – Todra Gorges 

Morning departure from Ouarzazate to the Dades gorges and Todra gorges, passing the oasis of Skoura where we stop to visit the kasbah of Amridil. From here, our route takes us through Kela’a M’gouna, the valley of the roses, where we stop for a tea. Later, we drive off-road along the road of a thousand kasbahs to reach the Dades gorges for lunch. In the afternoon, there is time for a walk alongside the Boumalne dades river before continuing to the Todra gorges for the night in a hotel.

Day 2: Todra gorges – ziz valley – oasis of Tafilalet – Erfoud – Erg Chebbi dunes

After breakfast there is time for a leisurely walk in the Todra gorges and in the Tinghir palm grove, before driving to the dunes of Merzouga via the Ziz valley and the Tafilalet valley, stopping in Erfoud on the way for lunch. Having arrived in Merzouga, in the course of the afternoon there is time to take a camel trek for an hour and ascend Erg Chebbi dunes to watch the sunset from the summit (250m). After sunset, the night will be spent in a desert camp, which is also the venue for dinner.

Day 3: Merzouga – Rissani – Alnif – Tazzarin – N’Qob – Draa Valley – Zagora

If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise, when the colour of the dunes and the play of shadows are an awesome sight. After breakfast, the return to the car is on camel back and, after that, the drive continues from Merzouga to Zagora via the villages of Rissani, Alnif, Tazzarine (now featured in the film ‘Babel’) and N’Qob where we stop for lunch. In the afternoon, the route continues to Zagora along the Dra’a valley with all its kasbahs (from time to time off-road driving allows a closer impression of life in the villages). The night is spent in a charming riad in Zagora.

Day 4: Zagora – Tamegroute – Draa River – Anti Atlas – M’Hamid – Erg Chegaga Dunes

After breakfast, you drive south to M’hamid (the end of the paved road) passing by Tamagroute where you can visit the Qoranic Library, the underground kasbah and the pottery factory. Lunch will be in M’hamid. In the afternoon departure for the dunes of Chagaga (300m) with 65km of off-road driving, this route passes different features of the desert; ‘erg’, ‘reg’, ‘hammada’, oases. The sunset from the top of Erg Chagaga dunes is spectacular and afterwards there is dinner and the night in a nomad tent at the foot of the dunes.

Day 5: Erg Chagaga – Iriqui lake – fossils – Foum Zguid – Taznakht – Taroudant

If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise. After breakfast, the road takes us from Erg Chegaga to Agadir through another 100km of off-road driving in the desert across the Sahara over the stony desert, “reg” and “hammada” and across the now dried-up Lake Iriqui In the middle of this lake, you are likely to experience a mirage and unless it has been raining hard, which is rare, and in which case we cannot cross due to the mud, we can assure you, that “water” really is not real. Here you can search for fossils; some lying loosely around but most fixed firmly into the rock.

At the edge of the desert at Foum Zguid, we drive north to Taznakht, famous for its Berber gelims and carpets, where we stop for lunch. After crossing the Tizi-n-Ikhsane and Tizi-n-Tighatine passes, we reach Taliouine, the heart of the saffron-growing region; the scent of saffron is delicious. The road takes us onto to Taroudant, where we stop for the night in a riad.

Day 6: Taroudant – Essaouira

In the morning there is a visit to the town known as “the little Marrakech”. It is spectacular for its massive ramparts and beautiful medina. From here you travel along the Souss river valley with all its argane groves, banana and orange plantations as far as Agadir.

The road then travels north up the coast driving through Taghazout, a surfer’s paradise, and along the Anti-Atlas Mountains with varying views of the sea and the tantalising coves. On arriving in Essaouira, we take you to your riad there bringing your desert tour from Ouarzazate to Essaouira to and end!