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The Erg Chebbi, Sahara Desert

Imperial cities & the Sahara desert

11 days from CAD7,150pp

The Erg Chebbi, Sahara Desert
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Tour highlights

  • Perfect your bartering skills in Marrakesh and Fez's labyrinthine souqs.

  • Visit the historic Kasbah Amridil in Skoura, one of the best restored 17th-century kasbahs.

  • Enjoy a camel ride through the dunes in the Erg Chebbi at sunset.

  • Marvel at the ancient Roman ruins and well-preserved mosaics of Volubilis.

  • Tour Hassan II mosque, the second-largest mosque in the world.

Price includes:

  • All accommodation
  • Activities and excursions as detailed
  • In-destination transfers
  • Private driver throughout your trip
  • 24-hour support while you travel
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Itinerary idea in detail

Ask us if you would also like us to arrange your international flights at our preferred rates.

  • On arrival in Marrakesh, you're met by a private driver and transferred to your hotel in the city. Once you've settled into your accommodation, spend the rest of the day relaxing or begin your exploration of Marrakesh, perhaps head out to visit the souq or sample some of the city's delicious street food.

  • In the morning, you have a privately guided tour of the city's main sights, including the intricately decorated 16th-century Saadian Tombs, the Bahia Palace and the Koutoubia Mosque, which dominates the city's skyline. This afternoon, explore the souqs, where you can watch men and women work on their crafts and learn about the techniques used by dyers, tanners and coppersmiths. The afternoon ends at Djemaa el Fna, Marrakesh's main square, where street performers entertain the crowds and you can sample all manner of food.

  • Today you join your private guide for a half-day shopping tour around the souqs of Marrakesh. Your expert guide will know the labyrinthine streets and narrow alleys like the back of their hands, and know all the best places to go for hand-woven rugs, lamps, paintings, tables, and anything else you may wish to barter for in the souqs! Following your tour, you will have the rest of the day at leisure to spend as you wish. You may wish to visit a traditional hammam for a spot of relaxation or head up to a rooftop bar for a drink at sunset.

  • Leave the city behind and set off over the High Atlas to Skoura. As you wind through spectacular scenery, look out for tiny villages clinging to the mountainsides. Part of your journey is by 4x4, allowing you to visit the more remote areas on your way south. You can stop at the historic kasbahs of Telouet and Aït Benhaddou and learn about their history, before driving along the lush Dades Valley to your accommodation in Skoura.

  • Today you have a walk around the palmeraie in Skoura, home to 1000 palm trees, with your private guide. You then visit the Kasbah Amridil and its museum. The kasbah, completed in the 17th century, is an exemplary model of the adobe architecture that typifies the fortresses of this region. Your private guide will lead you on a tour of the museum’s multiple floors, courtyards and rooms. The rest of the day is yours to spend as you wish.

  • Continuing along the Dades Valley, visit the Todra Gorge en route to Erfoud, on the edge of the Sahara Desert. From here you can travel into the heart of the desert on a short camel ride, stopping to watch the sunset over the dunes before settling into your desert camp for a night under the stars.

  • A long but interesting journey today as you're driven for around eight hours to the north of the country. You can observe the country's wide range of landscapes as you travel up the Ziz Gorge with its steep canyon walls scattered with green palm trees, across the barren and rocky Middle Atlas plateau and through the Alpine Middle Atlas, where many buildings have a Swiss or Austrian style. You finally arrive in the ancient city of Fez, where you can settle into your accommodation.

  • Explore Fez on a private guided tour of the city and explore its ancient, maze-like medina. Visit the tomb of the city's founder, Moulay Idriss II, admire the architecture and intricate decoration of mosques and madrasas (Islamic colleges) and gaze over the centuries-old tannery, where you can watch men carrying out the complex process of turning animal hides into leather. End the day relaxing on the roof terrace of your riad, listening to the evening call to prayer echo around the city.

  • Spend the day visiting the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the imperial city of Meknes with your private guide. The extensive ruins show how large the Roman city would have been, and there are still many incredibly well-preserved mosaics on the ground. The impressive ruins of the courthouse and the Capitoline Temple suggest this was once a prosperous city. Meknes was once a capital city within the kingdom but has gradually faded into ruin. Your guide will tell you about its turbulent history, and you can see remnants of its former glory in the city walls' monumental archways.

  • Your private driver will pick you up this morning for the four- to five-hour journey to Casablanca. En route, you will have a guided tour of the Hassan II Mosque, the second-largest mosque in the world after Mecca. The rest of the day is yours to spend at leisure.

  • Today your driver will pick you up from your accommodation for the short transfer to Casablanca Airport, where you then board your onward flight.

Accommodation options

While the itinerary price reflects the suggested accommodations, Audley trips are 100% tailor-made, and a specialist can help you select the option best suited to your tastes and budget.

Audley Travel Country Specialist Kerry-Ann
Contact a Morocco specialist

The specialist who designs your trip to Morocco will have explored the country many times and, in some cases, lived there. Their first-hand knowledge gives us the belief that no other travel company can match our expertise in helping you plan your trip.

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When to go

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Place Daily max temperature (°C) Monthly rainfall (mm)
Marrakesh
 
Skoura
 
The Erg Chebbi
 
Fez
 
Casablanca
 

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