2 days tour from Marrakech to Zagora desert
Join the best 2 days tour from Marrakech to Zagora desert. We have customized an itinerary below! Book now!
Main info:
Departure location:
Marrakech
Return location:
Marrakech
Departure time:
08:00 AM
Itinerary duration
2 days/ 1 night
Highlights of our tour:
- The Tizi N Tichka pass
- A visit to Ait Ben Haddou's Kasbah
- The camel ride in Zagora
- Camping in Berber tents
- Atlas studios in Ouarzazate
Tour overview:
Lots of the visitors to Morocco looking to visit the desert have the choice to choose either Merzouga or Zagora desert. Therefore, our travel agency in Morocco has decided to make group and private tours to both these wonderful deserts. From Marrakech starts the 2 days tour to the Zagora desert passing through the Tizi N Tichka pass.
Our first destination to visit will be Ait Ben Haddou, also called the palace of the Glaoua. Furthermore, it is where so many famous Hollywood movies and Tv series are shot. For instance, the Game Of Thrones, The Gladiator, and more.
After visiting Ait Ben Haddou, the tour continues through Ouarzazate and the Anti Atlas mountains to arrive at Zagora. Eventually, the camels will be waiting for you for the ride and then get to the camp for the music show.
In the early morning, you will wake up to watch the gorgeous sunrise and get breakfast at the camp.
Our trip starts again from Zagora to head to Ouarzazate to see the Atlas studios. Moreover, you will stop to see where some movies are shot and also the Oscar hotel.
In the end, we will ahead to Marrakech where our tour ends.
Itinerary:
Day 1: Marrakech to Zagora via Ait Ben Haddou:
The first day of our 2 days tour from Marrakech to Zagora starts at 8:00 AM from your accommodation or airport in Marrakech. A day trip to ascertain the palace of Ait Ben Haddou and try the camel ride in Zagora and spend the night at the camp.
At first, we will pass through the High Atlas mountains famous for snow in the wintertime. We will continue and reach the cole of Tizi N Tichka, and an altitude of 2260m above the sea level. Many beautiful views can be seen along the way such as rivers, green mountains, and Berber villages.
After taking the Telouet pass, we will make several stops for pictures of the Berber villages. When arrived at Ait Ben Haddou, you will have the choice to visit the Kasbah first or have lunch.
Ait Ben Haddou is famous for the way for the African caravans to reach Marrakech and the north for trading. The tribe of Ben Haddou the founder were above 5000 people living in all the Kasbah.
When taking the bridge, you will notice the valley and the river of Ounila. The only source of water for the tribe in the past (about 20kms long). After seeing those views, we will continue using the stairs to reach the top. A small room belonged to the leader (Ben Haddou) will be noticed at the very top. On the way, you will meet the painters of the Kasbah using their own technic(mixing sugar and tea).
From Ait Ben Haddou, we will continue the trip through the Anti Atlas to reach Zagora. You will ride camels for the sunset and overnight at the nomad camp. As a conclusion, the camp’s Berber staff will play traditional music, with a show under the sky.
Day 2: Zagora to Marrakech through Ouarzazate:
It is recommended to wake up very early for the view of the sunrise. We will start the second day of the 2 days Marrakech desert tour to Zagora with a Fresh and Rich breakfast. From there, we will hit the road via the Anti Atlas again to see the far-reaching views of the green mountains and villages.
When reached the city of Ouarzazate, your driver/guide will stop for the Oscar studio. This latter made Ouarzazate very famous in the last 20 years. Inside, there are parts of the studio named different. For instance, the prison, the bank, the castle, and more.
Many Hollywood movies including the Cleopatra, Alexander are shot at the studio.
Our visit will include the whole parts of the studio which would take 1 hour to finish discovering.
After all, we will continue through the High Atlas and the Tizi N Tichka again and arrive at Marrakech where the tour ends.
Tour includes:
- Pickup and drop off from accommodation.
- Camel for each in Zagora
- Berber tent accommodation.
- Vehicle with gasoline
- Dinners and Breakfasts
Tour excludes:
- Monuments fees
- Lunches
- Tips
- Soft drinks
Testimonials:
Book your 2 days tour from Marrakech to Zagora desert!
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Highlights overview:
Marrakech:
Marrakech is the departure location of the 2 days tour to the Zagora desert. Usually, visitors prefer to visit this red city before starting their tour to experience the camel rides and nights at Berber camps.
This city is known as the capital of Tourism, receiving above 3 million tourists in the year 2019. Here, we give you a list of things and places to visit in Marrakech:
Jamma El Fnaa:
Take a tour of the “Jemaa-el-Fna square”, located in the heart of the medina. This square, which has become the symbol of the city will offer you an exceptional concentration of cultural traditions through music, gastronomy, art … Further, it is a meeting point for Marrakech residents but also for tourists … You can throughout the day buy fruits and vegetables, taste oriental dishes or drink the best squeezed orange juice. Once the night falls, the square is transformed into a place of spectacle and is filled with snake charmers, chiromancers, healers, fire-eaters… There, You will find an atmosphere unequaled in the world.
The Souks:
While visiting Marrakech, a small tour of the souks is obviously a must! Whether you’re looking for a bargain or simply for the pleasure of the eyes, don’t miss such a visit! The souks of Marrakech are reputed to be among the most beautiful in Morocco, you can find everything: pottery, jewelry, spices, slippers … You will quickly get a taste for the art of haggling! And you will have plenty of beautiful souvenirs to bring back with you when you return, whether for you or your family.
The Majorelle Garden:
Out of the hustle and bustle of the city but so close by, go and visit the Jardin de Majorelle. A true haven of peace that will attract your curiosity with its relaxed atmosphere and natural beauty! This magnificent garden to visit was created in 1931 by the painter Jacques Majorelle but owes its fame to the famous fashion designer Yves-Saint-Laurent.
Stroll in its shady alleys among the trees and exotic plants… Feel the sweet scent of jasmine, admire the pools filled with water lilies and lotus.
You will love the mix of bright colors and the soothing harmony that reigns there. Also, you will also be able to visit Jacques Majorelle’s former painting workshop which has been transformed into a museum, where you will discover splendid collections of Berber art and beautiful canvases painted by the artist! To visit Marrakech without going to the Majorelle garden would be to miss one of the most unmissable places to visit in the city of the Thousand and One Nights …
Ait Ben Haddou:
The community village Aït Ben Haddou is located 30 km northwest of Ouarzazate. It is part of the rural Commune Aït zineb, in the Amrezgane Circle. Further, it is located in the western part of the basin of Ouarzazate and is crossed by the Oued El Maleh. This style of architecture, although widespread in the landscape of the southern valleys, is almost no longer built. Few Ksours are inhabited today and most of them fall into ruins, abandoned by their owners.
The Ksar Ait Ben Haddou does not escape this decline, but it still retains a proud appearance, thanks in part to the large, well-preserved, and richly decorated Kasbahs along the surrounding wall. Aït Ben Haddou is the most famous and most used of the ksour in terms of image.
This architectural form is the result of the technical prowess of its earth builders on the steep slopes of the hill. The origin of the adobe technique has not yet been clearly determined by archaeologists, but etymological studies on the various names given to this technique around the Mediterranean basin suggest that it may have been invented by the Berbers. The quality of this ensemble fascinates earth specialists from all over the world and reflects the exceptional know-how of the Berbers.
This Kasbah is the first destination you will visit with our 2 days tour from Marrakech to Zagora desert. Therefore, it is considered a highlight besides the activity of the camel ride and spending the night in Zagora at the camp.
Ouarzazate:
Ouarzazate and the surrounding landscapes have been the setting for several films. Their beauty serving as a natural backdrop. In some places, the desert and its parched hills give way to an oasis, a ksar (fortified granary), or a small village. The ideal terrain for excursions into the great valleys of the region: the Draa and Dades valleys.
The architecture of Ouarzazate is famous for the number of kasbahs (fortresses) the city is endowed with: the most famous, the kasbah of Taourirt, dating from the seventeenth century, still watches over the medina. Not to mention, the calms of the city attracts more and more curious visitors and lovers of wide-open spaces.
When talking about Ouarzazate, we need to mention the Atlas and CLA studios. During your visit with the 2 days tour from Marrakech to Zagora, we will visit the parts of the studio. Many Hollywood movies are shot there, including Gladiator, Cleopatra, Alexander, and many more.
Morocco in general is famous for the solar energy station called Nour, which is in Ouarzazate. It cost 9billion Dollars to build.
Zagora desert:
Zagora or Tazagorte in Amazigh is a province in the region of Draa-Tafilalet. It was created in 1997. Zagora covers an area of 23,000 km² with a population of approximately 307,306 inhabitants according to the 2014 census.
The city is famous for the nomad camps near the oases, where to spend the night on the second day of our 2 days tour from Marrakech to Zagora desert.
On the banks of the Draa Valley, the longest river in Morocco, its green palm groves extend over a length of 200 km from Agdez to M’Hamid El Ghizlane.
In Zagora, the desert occupies a considerable part of the territory with the magnificent sand dunes of the M’hamid and Tinfou region. These natural riches make Zagora a very important tourist destination.
The presence of rock engravings at Forum Chena and Tazarine as well as the necropolis of Forum Larjam at Ighir N’tidri at M’hamid El Ghizlane testify to the ancient history of the region.
In the post-Islamic era, the Saadian chiefs who came from the East settled in the Draa valley (1554 to 1636). Tagmadert became the home of this dynasty which reigned over the whole of Morocco and conquered the country of Western Sudan by the famous Timbuktu road.
Zagora also shelters one of the most famous Sufi brotherhoods in Morocco: the Zaouïa Naciria in Tamgroute. It was founded by Mohammed ben Nacer in the 17th century. This Zaouia is known for its religious influence.
It also owes its fame to its library which preserves rare secular manuscripts of theology, history, medicine, mathematics, astrology, astronomy … some of which date back to the thirteenth century.