Welcome to Morocco! Today you arrive in Marrakech and meet your guides at Menara Airport. After collecting baggage and introductions, enjoy a sumptuous meal and some much-needed rest after traveling.

After breakfast, depart from Marrakech and make your way through the Moroccan south. You'll come upon the Tizi-n-Tichka pass, the highest mountain passage in Morocco. The road beneath you turns to red clay when you reach Telouet, a rustic town that was once a principal stop on the main caravan route to Mali. Here, visit the crumbling Kasbah that was once the palatial residence of the powerful warlord, the Pasha Glaoui. After a meal in Telouet, head for Ourzazate, the most prominent crossroads in southern Morocco. Here, visit the Taourirt Kasbah and several local shops before spending the night.

Visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ait ben Haddou, quite possibly the most impressive and well-preserved fortress in Morocco. Home to Atlas Studios, the ‘Hollywood of Morocco,’ the region around Ouarzazate has been featured in numerous big-budget films, such as The Mummy, Lawrence of Arabia, Kingdom of Heaven, Alexander, and Hidalgo. Following a zig-zagging, upwards road, traverse to Bou Tharar, overlooking the spectacular Dades Valley. If you wish to take a short trek in the mountains, you may do so.

Awake to the sunrise and take in the tranquility of the mountains before beginning your travels. Sstop for rest and to stretch the legs at the quintessential Berber town of Tamtatouchte. From there, journey through the stark beauty that is the Todra Gorge before arriving at Tinerhir. This lively market town boasts a panoramic view of the verdant Todra Valley, a striking contrast to the surrounding region of arid desert plateaus. Before the day is over, make your way to Erfoud, one of the largest oases in Morocco, and home to the annual Date Palm Festival. Here, spend the night at the very edge of the sprawling Sahara Desert at the Kasbah Ennsara.

After breakfast, take a tour of the region around Erfoud, taking in the often contradictory natural beauty of our surroundings. Visit the nearby quarry, where fossils and stone are extracted, before stopping for lunch. Afterwards, travel on to Merzouga, where the road literally ends in the sands of the Sahara. With the pulsating rhythms of Gnaouen drums echoing in your ears, journey forth by camel into the dunes of the desert. If you wish, your overnight accommodations may be traditional nomad tents, where dinner is prepared over a campfire. Afterwards, you will be invited to drum, dance, and sing with our guides beneath a stunning canopy of Saharan stars.

After a traditional desert breakfast, make your way to Zagora via on- and off-road travel. Upon arriving in Zagora, spend the remainder of the day relaxing and spending the day exploring this charming desert town. If you still have energy to spare, a short hike up Jebel Zagora offers a spectacular panoramic view of the region.

Awake refreshed and ready to continue your adventure as you travel to Tazenacht. A major crossroads of the Moroccan south, Tazenacht is known throughout the country for its fine carpets. Carry on to Talaouine, the heart of Moroccan saffron country. Here you have the chance to view demonstrations of saffron harvesting and/or processing, depending on the time of year of your visit. Before the day is over, travel to Oued Berhil to spend the night in a superbly decorated riad that was once the private residence of Pasha Hiya.

In the morning, we make our way from Oued Berhil through the Atlas Mountains, and journey through the Tizi-n-Test pass. Although not as high as its sister, the Tizi-n-Tichka pass, many argue that it is superior in its beauty and its vistas. We make a brief stop for rest and refreshment at Tin Mal, home of a former royal treasury and a mosque that still stands from the Almohad dynasty. We continue on, through the charming Berber village of Asni, as we make our way back to Marrakech for the night.

Founded in 1066, Marrakech is another of Morocco’s Imperial Cities, and you will find that it has a much different ambiance than Fes as you explore it on a guided walking tour of its souks and monuments. Your visits include the Koutoubia Mosque, artistically beautiful Bahia Palace, the ruins of the Baadi Palace with giant stork nests amidst its crenelated battlements and the once hidden Tombs of the Saadian Kings. Other visits include the Ali Ben Youssef Madrasa or Koranic school, the Museum of Marrakech and many of the souks were workers and craftsmen produce artisan goods in leather, metal and wood. After your tour of the medina, you have time to relax on your own or explore independently. Alternately, you may choose to visit the beautiful botanical gardens, Jardins d’Majorelle or the Menara Garden with its great reflecting pool and the majestic snowcapped Atlas Mountains on the distant horizon. Your evening meal is at the historic restaurant Dar Essalam, where portions of Alfred Hitchcock’s film, The Man Who Knew Too Much, were filmed. An after dinner, horse-drawn caleche ride gives you a peaceful tour of Marrakech’s ramparts before bringing you back to Riad Manara. Overnight at Riad Manara.

Your adventure draws to a close! Today you head back to the airport to check-in for your flight home.