Luxury Marrakech desert trip to Erg Chebbi Erg Chigaga dunes

Early morning starting at 8 o’clock from your hotel or riad in Marrakech to cross then the High Atlas Mountains. Move the main road and take a side road to the Telouet Kasbah, which belonged to the Lords of the Atlas, the Glaoui family, and which now stands in ruins after the last Pasha fled the country following the departure of the French.Later continue along the stunningly beautiful Ounila Valley with the green fields and gardens running parallel down below full of bends in the roads, surprises at the hues of the rock and soil, Berber villages and gardens, as well as smaller Kasbahs. Hereabouts olives, almonds, and fruit trees are the main crops and the mainstay for many families.That beautiful road leads to the most famous Kasbah in Morocco, Kasbah Ait Benhaddou, one of Morocco’s seven UNESCO World Heritage sites. This building style is well preserved and the earthen constructions are perfectly adapted to the climatic conditions and in harmony with the naturaland social environment. Presumably originating in the 17th century, it is also famous as the backdrop to many Hollywood blockbuster films.The drive continues through the Skoura Oasis, where numerous ancient kasbahs, some sadly in ruins, stand amongst the palm trees. From here, the route takes us through Kela’a M’gouna, the Valley of Roses, with a stop to see cosmetic articles locally-made from the valley’s abundant roses. The night in the Dades gorge in a luxury hotel at Xaluca.

After breakfast, the route continues south with an increasing level of activity and joy as the desert landscape becomes more and more apparent. We pass through Tamgroute, where a stop for the potteries famous for the green glaze; Which you may have already seen in Marrakech, and also for its ancient Quranic library with exquisite hand-written Arabic texts. While the begging of the day we drive further south still, to Mhamid, the very gate to the desert and the end of the paved road, where the massive wild Sahara desert. That Morocco luxury Sahara desert trip continues to the Erg Chigaga dunes; With 55km of off-road driving, passing the varying features of the desert; ‘erg’ (dunes), ‘hammada’ (stony desert), and oases. Those dunes are far away from civilization, in the desert proper, and the silence and the expanse of the sand are overwhelming.Spend the night at an Erg Chigaga luxury desert camp with a private bathroom, king-sized beds, beautiful Moroccan furnishings, and enjoyment of the silence and beauty of the dunes.

At Erg Chigaga Luxury Desert Camp have breakfast, then the track crosses another 90km of the Sahara desert, following a track winding through unusual vegetation, and passing the dried-up Lake of Iriqui; During 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” is not real. Hereabouts search for fossils; some lying loosely around but most fixed firmly into the rock.At Forum Zguid, we drive north to Taznakht, famous for its Berber kelims and carpets, where we stop for lunch. Later finally back east to Ouarzazate, where we spend the night.