This self-drive tour of southern Morocco takes in some of the most beautiful sites in this region between the Atlas mountains and the Sahara. Departing from Marrakech, it crosses the Atlas mountains and links the Dades, Tafilalet and Draa valleys. Today, it’s open to all, not just desert adventurers. A car is all you need, as the roads are good, the signposting clear and the accommodation numerous and varied. It’s even possible to find a hostel in the smallest of oases! We’ll be happy to advise you on accommodation to suit your taste and budget, and to put together the itinerary of your dreams.
Regions visited during this trip to Morocco: Marrakech & Surrounding Areas | Agadir & the Deep South | Atlas Mountains & Sahara
N.B.: This trip to Morocco is an individual, tailor-made tour that you can personalize with our Morocco specialist advisors.
Step 1
Located in the heart of Morocco, Marrakech, also known as "the red city" because of the color of its buildings, enchants visitors with its many lush gardens, culture, crafts and the famous Jemaa el Fna square, the lively heart of the city.
Step 2
The gateway to the deep south leads to the vast, arid expanses of the Moroccan desert. At the confluence of the Drâa and Dadès rivers, near the Ziz, the landscape becomes a kingdom of palm groves, orchards and gardens, as well as regs and ergs.
Étapes 3 & 6
It is located in the upper Dades Valley. Around every bend in the road you will find some of the most beautiful panoramas in the valley!
Step 4
Merzouga and Erg Chebbi are a must see in southeastern Morocco. In this golden desert, the monumental dunes offer visitors a beautiful spectacle of color and light.
Step 5
Explore the Draa Valley, passing through orchards, flower-filled oasis landscapes and palm groves. You can also explore the valley on beautiful hikes or treks!
Étapes 3 & 6
It is located in the upper Dades Valley. Around every bend in the road you will find some of the most beautiful panoramas in the valley!
Welcome at Marrakech airport and transfer to your hotel. Alternatively, transfer from Casablanca airport at extra cost (approx. 2 hours on freeway).
Night in Marrakech.
Pick up your vehicle at your hotel and set off for Ouarzazate via the Tichka Pass at 2260m, one of Morocco’s most beautiful mountain roads. Some 30 km before Ouarzazate, you’ll make a short detour to visit the famous kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou.
Night in a hotel in Ouarzazate.
You head east along the beautiful road that skirts the Dades valley between the Atlas mountains and Djebel Sagho. It’s a road dotted with kasbahs and ksour, rising up, hue upon hue, from red ochre and mauve rocks. At Boumalne, we invite you to take a trip into the Dades Gorge. Overnight in Boumalne in a lush palm grove.
Night in a hotel or inn.
Continuing on to Tinerhir, from where you can climb the magnificent Todhra Gorge. The walls narrow and rise, steeper and steeper, until they reach 300 m in height… A particularly spectacular natural spectacle. Stop for green tea at one of the inns located in the gorge.
Back on the road between Atlas and Sagho, you enter the Jorf palm grove, which stretches all the way to Erfoud, where the country’s best dates are harvested! And you’ll see your first fine golden sand dunes.
Night in a hotel or inn near Merzouga.
Erg Chebbi, near the village of Merzouga, is the largest dune massif in Morocco. Huge dunes over 150 meters high stretch for 40 kilometers across the Tafilalet valley. Soft shapes, a grandiose universe, changing shades of color, infinite horizons. The desert awaits you for a day’s ride.
Night in a hotel or inn near Merzouga.
A beautiful tarmac road takes you through the Saharan regions south of the Sagho djebel. After Rissani, you leave the Tafilalet valley and head for Alnif, on a road that rises through a desert landscape. Then it’s on to the Tazzarine palm grove. Finally, you reach the Drâa Valley, a long oasis that takes you all the way to Agdz.
Night in a hotel or inn in Agdz.
From Agdz up the Draa valley. We recommend a stop and a stroll through the gardens. You then leave the valley to cross the south-western Djebel Sagho and its astonishing volcanic formations. In Ouarzazate, take time out to visit the impressive Taourirt kasbah, a recently renovated former residence of the glaoui.
You’ll cross the Atlas Mountains again to reach Marrakech in the afternoon. Return to your vehicle.
Night in a hotel in Marrakech.
After breakfast, transfer to Marrakech airport. Transfer to Casablanca airport possible at extra cost.
