6-Day Agadir Desert Loop Tour

Highlights

• Start and finish at your hotel in Agadir, or Agadir airport
• The ramparts and medina of Taroudant, and saffron country around Taliouine
• The palm groves and kasbahs of the Draa Valley
• Camel ride to a high dune for sunset and a night in a luxury desert camp
• A day in the Merzouga region with a nomad family and the Gnawa musicians of Khamlia
• The Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley, the Valley of Roses and Skoura
• The film studios of Ouarzazate and the ksar of Ait Benhaddou

Photo gallery

1. Day 1

   Agadir – Taroudant – Taliouine – Ouarzazate

   We pick you up at your hotel or Agadir airport and drive inland to Taroudant, often called "little Marrakech", for a walk along its earthen ramparts and through its relaxed medina. The road then climbs into the Anti-Atlas to Taliouine, the centre of Moroccan saffron production, with the option to visit a saffron cooperative (and, during the harvest, to see families picking saffron). In the late afternoon we continue via Taznakht to Ouarzazate, the "gate of the desert", for dinner and the night.

   Overnight:

   Hotel in Ouarzazate

   Meals:

   Dinner

2. Day 2

   Ouarzazate – Agdz – Draa Valley – N'kob – Rissani – Merzouga

   After breakfast we head towards Agdz to follow the Draa Valley, stopping for views of palm groves, kasbahs and Berber villages, with free time for lunch in N'kob or Alnif. In the afternoon we continue through Rissani to the Erg Chebbi dunes, where you switch to camels and ride to a high dune for sunset. Your camp combines the traditional nomad tent with hotel comforts; enjoy Berber drums by the campfire, dinner and a night under the stars.

   Overnight:

   Luxury desert camp, Erg Chebbi

   Meals:

   Breakfast, dinner

3. Day 3

   Exploring the Merzouga region – nomads, Khamlia, lake and palm grove

   Sunrise over the dunes, breakfast and a camel ride back to your driver. We explore the region by 4×4 — an old kohl (eyeliner) mine, Berber tea with a nomad family, Gnawa music in Khamlia, lunch, a palm grove walk and the seasonal lake known for flamingos when there is water. Dinner and the night at a hotel.

   Overnight:

   Hotel in Merzouga

   Meals:

   Breakfast, dinner

4. Day 4

   Merzouga – Rissani – Erfoud – Todra Gorge – Dades Valley

   After breakfast we visit Rissani, the historic capital of the Tafilalet, whose large market is busiest on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and a fossil-marble workshop in Erfoud. Through the palm groves of Touroug and Tinejdad we reach the Todra Gorge, a canyon of high red cliffs popular with rock climbers, with time to walk and have lunch. We continue via Boumalne Dades to the "Monkey Fingers" rock formations and a viewpoint over the Dades Valley before dinner and the night.

   Overnight:

   Hotel in the Dades Valley

   Meals:

   Breakfast, dinner

5. Day 5

   Dades Valley – Valley of Roses – Skoura – Ouarzazate – Ait Benhaddou

   We visit Kelaat M'Gouna and the Valley of Roses, where local cooperatives make rose water, oils and cosmetics and a rose festival is held each May. After lunch we drive through the palm groves of Skoura to Kasbah Amridil, then on to Ouarzazate for the film studios and the Taourirt Kasbah. In the late afternoon we visit Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site seen in films including Gladiator and in Game of Thrones, before dinner and the night.

   Overnight:

   Hotel in Ouarzazate or Ait Benhaddou

   Meals:

   Breakfast, dinner

6. Day 6

   Ouarzazate – Taliouine – Taroudant – Agadir

   After breakfast we cross the Anti-Atlas via Taznakht and Taliouine, with a stop for lunch, and descend to Taroudant for a last stroll before the drive back to the coast. Drop-off at your hotel or Agadir airport in the late afternoon.

   Meals:

   Breakfast

Practical information

Tour type

Private round trip from Agadir with your own driver and vehicle

Pick-up

Your hotel or Agadir–Al Massira Airport (AGA)

Longest drive

Days 1 and 6, between Agadir and Ouarzazate via Taroudant and Taliouine, with stops along the way

Frequently asked questions