Morocco's Valley of the Roses
7 Days / 6 Nights • Private Departure
CAD$2,400 per person (based on 2 people)
April 16, 2019; other dates are available, please ask.
Includes:
- 6 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch, 4 Dinners
- Private 4×4 Transportation
- English Speaking Driver/Guide for duration of the trip
- Ground transfers to/from airport
- Boutique, locally-owned accommodation throughout
Activities:
- Guided Tour of Kasbah Telouet
- Visit of Ait Ben Haddou
- Kasbah or museum stop in Ouarzazate
- Guided Tour of Kasbah
- Tamnougalt Camel Trek
- Overnight stay in Desert Camp
- Guided Walk in Tinghir Palmeraie and Mellah
- Lunch with Local Family
- Rose Experience
- Hike in Valley of 1000 Kasbahs
- All Entrance Fees to sites listed in itinerary
Arrive Marrakech
Upon your arrival at the airport, your personal driver will greet you and transfer you to your riad in Marrakech for the night, where you will have an opportunity to rest and recuperate from your travels. Depending on your time of arrival, you may wish to explore a little and your driver will be at your disposal should you need assistance. A local city guide can also be arranged.
Marrakech to Agdz
(Approximate Travel Time: 5 hours) Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
After breakfast, you and your driver will depart from your riad in Marrakech to travel over the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi n’Tichka path, reaching an altitude of nearly 7500 feet above sea level.
There will be plenty of stops for tea and photographs as you take in the breathtaking vistas before turning onto the Old Salt Caravan Road to the salt mines and the former palace of the Glaoui family that owned them: Kasbah Telouet. After a guided tour of this unique kasbah, you’ll continue to another important stop on the caravan near Agdz (which means “resting place”).
Tonight, you will stay in Kasbah Tamnougalt, an authentic kasbah that dates back at least to the time of the caravans. In fact, no one is sure exactly how old the kasbah is, but stepping inside is like stepping back in time, but with all the modern amenities, of course. After welcome tea on the terrace and letting the staff know what you would like for dinner, you’ll have a guided tour of the kasbah and the adjacent palmeraie before heading back to the kasbah terrace for a delicious dinner.
Agdz to Erg Chebbi (Saharan Dunes)
(Approximate travel time: 4 hours)
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
After breakfast, you will continue alongside the Draa Valley as you make your way towards the sand sea of the Sahara. Long before the salt caravans, the Sahara was under the ocean – this is evident from the abundance of squid and snail fossils to be found here. In Rissani, the last town of significant size before you reach the dunes of Merzouga, you will have a chance to search for fossils of your own. This afternoon will be spent exploring the massive, untamed golden sand dunes of Erg Chebbi.
From here, it’s time to meet your camels, where you will get a real taste of what it was like on the Old Salt Caravan. Your camels will trek you through the dunes to your luxury Berber camp for the night. During your ride, consider the fact that the caravans travelled just like that… for 52 days! Once at your camp, climb a dune to watch the sunset and relax as the stars come out. Dinner will be served and traditional music will be played, before retiring to your tent for the night.
Located in the heart of the dunes, this small camp (just 8 tents) offers you privacy and excellent service in addition to the amazing experience of sleeping in the desert.
Erg Chebbi to Dades Valley
(Approximate travel time: 4 hours)
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Today, your camel guide will wake you early so that you can watch the sunrise over the dunes. Afterwards, you’ll enjoy breakfast at camp before travelling to the oasis of Tinghir, where you will go on a guided walk through the palmeraie and the old Mellah (Jewish neighborhood). After you’ve explored Tinghir, make a stop at Todgha gorge to walk through the most impressive part of the canyon before continuing to your accommodations in nearby Dades.
Valley of the Roses Experience
(local driving only)
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today, after breakfast, you will travel a short distance along the Dade River Valley to a village near Kelaat M’Gouna in the heart of the Valley of Roses. If you would like a little more adventure, your driver will take the “off-road” route!
This is a special time of year in the valley because the roses are in full bloom. So, this morning, head to the fields with the locals and pick the petals and then to the local scale to weigh your bounty and see how successful you were.
Next, you’ll head to the local rose cooperative to distill your petals into your own bottle of rose water. After all that work, you’ll be hungry, so you’ll head to the home of a local for a traditional couscous lunch. After a little Berber hospitality (and a little rest), enjoy a hike back through the valley with your guide. You’ll emerge in the rock formation known as the “Monkey Fingers” near your hotel. (You will take the car part of the way, but the hike will be approximately 2-3 hours).
Dades to Marrakech
(Approximate travel time: 4 hours) Meals included: Breakfast
Following breakfast, you will depart from your hotel and continue through the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, each of which served as stops for the salt caravans. Stop in Ouarzazate (the Hollywood of Morocco) – where you can visit Kasbah Taourirt (another former palace of the Glaoui Clan) or Museé du Cinema – this former film studio is now a museum where you can experience a little movie magic firsthand.
After your stop, continue to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ait Ben Haddou. If this impressive ksar looks familiar, it’s because it has featured n many movies and TV shows including Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, and Game of Thrones. But before it was discovered by Hollywood, this was one of the stops for the Caravan.
After exploring here and climbing to the “bank” at the top, you will make your way back to Marrakech for your final night. Your riad is located within easy walking distance of Jemaa El F’na – where you can have one final Moroccan dinner at one of the many food stalls that pop up shortly before the sun goes down.
Departure Day
Departure Transfer included
Meals included: Breakfast
After breakfast, it’s time to check out of your hotel. Your driver will be ready to take you to the airport for your return flight home.
Price is per person based on two people sharing a standard room. Other room types: please inquire. Proof of insurance is mandatory; if you need to purchase trip cancellation or health insurance please inquire. For full Booking Conditions, please see thetravelsociety.com/booking-conditions/ Tour is operated by The Travel Society, Inc., 174 Spadina Ave., Suite 404, Toronto, ON, M5T 2C2, Canada; 1 (877) 926 2500; TICO Registration #1280649