Explore Moroccan Kasbahs and Camp in the Sahara (2020, archived)
Stroll through remarkable gorges, explore ancient kasbahs and ride camels through the dunes to a Berber camp
What's Included?
Small Like-minded Groups
Solo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 14 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people…
What's it like?
Wander the winding streets of ancient, walled kasbahs and throught the pathways of dramatic deep gorges
Spend a night at a traditional Berber camp and sleep under the huge desert sky spotting shooting stars
Experience the best of Moroccan culture and nature as you soak up vast landscapes and learn about ancient traditions
Key Information
Day 1
From Marrakech to Ait Benhaddou
You will be picked up in a modern 4x4 or minibus before setting off on a journey that will take you up and over the Atlas Mountains before descending to the desert on the other side. Along the way you'll stop at a high mountain pass, a 17th Century kasbah, and an oasis where you'll learn a bit about Berber folklore and grab lunch. The day ends in Ait Benhaddou, a red clay city where films and shows like Gladiator and Game of Thrones have been filmed. Relax with dinner and sunset in this picturesque walled city.
Day 2
Draa River Valley and Camel Trekking in Merzouga
Heading to the scenic Draa River Valley today you'll check out the area’s numerous kasbahs and oases. Calm water backed by the snowy Atlas Mountains makes this valley particularly beautiful. Later in the day you will arrive in Merzouga to meet your camels and gear up for a night in the desert. The 1.5-hour sunset camel trek will end at a traditional Berber camp in the dunes. Enjoy hot mint tea and fresh dinner around the fire, and sleep under the stars or in a comfortable Berber tent.
Day 3
Dades Valley and Todra Gorge
After a leisurely breakfast in the camp (and a incredible sunrise if you're early enough) you’ll be picked up by your driver and taken to Todra Gorge, an impressive canyon with sheer 160m cliff walls. Hike around to check out the views, and when you’re done exploring continue the drive through the Dades Valley to your hotel. Known as the 'Valley a Thousand Kasbahs', this rose red landscape is spectacular.
Day 4
Ouarzazate to Marrakech
This morning’s drive will take you along the Rose Valley to Skoura Oasis, a surprisingly verdant village in the desert. Continue onto Ouarzazate to have lunch at a kasbah, then finish the trip with a leisurely drive back over the Atlas Mountains to Marrakech. You can catch a flight home that night or stay another night in the city.
Day 1
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 3
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 4
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
Moroccan food has a unique blend of sweet and savoury flavours. Local specialities include tajines (a stew cooked in an earthenware pot), couscous, and pastilles (flaky pastries stuffed with meat and dusted with cinnamon and sugar). Food is often spiced with cumin, turmeric and ginger.
The food is fresh and healthy. Example meals: Breakfast: Jam, bread, cookies, fruit, juice, butter, coffee, milk Lunch: Salad, tomatoes, carrots, lentils, beans, rice or pasta, fish, seasonal fruit Dinner: Soup, classic Moroccan tajine, couscous, olives, nuts, fruit
What is the accommodation like?
Ait Benhaddou and Dades Valley
On Day 1 and Day 3 you'll sleep in small local hotels both featuring private rooms with unique decor and ensuite bathrooms.
Berber Camp
The Berber camp provides permanent carpeted tents with beds, or, if you prefer, blankets for sleeping under the stars.
Upgrades
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room and tent can be booked for an extra charge, see Optional Extras for the price. Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability).
If you choose to add accommodation in Marrakech, you will be staying in beautiful riad accommodation, most likely Riad Boussa or Riad Dar el Souk. Riads are traditional Moroccan houses with an interior garden or courtyard. The exact riad you stay in will be confirmed nearer the time based on availability and group size. All are chosen for their excellent reputation, location, beautiful decor and welcoming service.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Marrakech City Centre or Marrakech Airport
09:30 or 10:30
Ends
Marrakech Airport or Marrakech City Centre
17:30 or 18:00
Transfers
Your adventure begins at your accommodation in Marrakech or at Marrakech Airport. If you’re arriving the day the trip starts, please schedule your flight to arrive more than 30 minutes before this time, your guide and driver will be waiting for you in the arrivals area.
At the end of your adventure, you will be dropped back at Marrakech Airport or Marrakech city centre, please let your host know when booking.
Travel options
There are daily flights to Marrakech from major airports across the UK and Europe.
What about all the carbon?
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear
In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.
What's provided?
- Bedding for the night in the camp
What do I need to bring?
- Good walking shoes
- Light-weight long-sleeve shirts and trousers
- A warm jacket for night
- Sun protection (hat, sunglasses, sunblock)
- Camera
- Medium sized rucksack for easy transportation and storage of your belongings
Pre/Post Trip Accommodation Double/Twin Room
Payable Before Departure
Pre/Post Trip Accommodation Double/Twin Room
… Per Night
Pre/Post Trip Accommodation Single Room
Payable Before Departure
Pre/Post Trip Accommodation Single Room
… Per Night
Optional Private Room Upgrade
Payable Before Departure
Optional Private Room Upgrade
…
Good trip. The hosts, Ibrahim and Mehdi were great, friendly and knowledgeable. Don't expect to physically exert yourself very much on this experience, but do expect some culture, a night under the stars and a great camel ride!
Intense but glorious journey! ...
Intense but glorious journey!
Our guide and driver, as well as the small group size of five people, were great.
The guides Ibrahim and Yusuf were great and couldn't do enough for us. Great variety of experiences from Kasbahs to camel riding in the Sahara. More coach travel than necessarily advertised but it meant that we saw a lot of the country. Great value for money, would definitely recommend. However many layers you think you need for the desert, pack more!
What an adventure!
Really great trip a fantastic way to spend the New Year. The guide and driver both added so much to the trip. Loved Ait Benhaddou and the Sahara camping. The gorge walk was great and the hotel at Dades valley was the coolest hotel, I’ve ever stayed in.
Nice way to spend New years eve. ...
Nice way to spend New years eve.
The trip was extremely well organised and the accommodation was great, especially in the desert.
Both Omar and Hussain were great. The trio was fantastic
Our guide, Hussein, and our driver, Omar, were excellent. They were friendly, amusing, informative, helpful and fun. There was a lot of driving, but the up-side to that was that we saw a huge amount of amazing places, with stunning scenery. The Atlas mountains are beautiful, and our camel trek and camping in the dessert were great fun. The whole trip was very well organised, and the accommodation we stayed in (and the food) was excellent.
It was nice to see different areas and landscapes of Morocco.
Ibrahim (our guide) was amazing. Super friendly. Very knowledgable. Always smiling. The rest of the gang were pretty dope as well.
Variety of activities, camel riding was hilarious, stars in the desert was brilliant. We asked to go to Atlas Studios on the last day on the drive home and we were able to tailor the trip to do this. It was a great addition to the trip.
Our hosts throughout plus the locations were great.
An amazing trip down to the Sahara Desert from Marrakech.
Amazing adventure, accommodation, guides & food was super.
Accommodation, food and guides were great. ...
Accommodation, food and guides were great.
Amazing scenery, great trip guide, an interesting experience camel riding in the Sahara. Fabulous small hotels and food.
Everything - the guide was great, the tour was great and the accommodation was far better than I had expected.
The itinerary, the guide (Rachid), the company who quickly became my friends, the quality of accommodation and quality, variety and quantity of food :) Thank you, I had the time of my life!
Really well organized with a fantastic range of activities. The whole trip was excellent. The guide was helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. Throughout the trip the scenery was incredible and the Sahara desert was spectacular. Our group was a good size and although we were technically there in high season, the places we visited were almost deserted. Highly recommended.
The locations, the accommodation, the food, the hosts, all absolutely amazing! I will definitely be doing another trip with Much Better Adventures.
There was so much to do and see, the itinerary didn't really do it justice. The accommodation was great, and all the locations we visited were good.
Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Sure can. If you would like to leave anything in Marrakech, your host will look after this for you.
We recommend checking out the country specific information here and also talking to a travel nurse.
https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/
For current advice about travelling in Morocco, have a read of the UK Foreign Office pages here.
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/morocco/entry-requirements
Tips are not included in the trip cost. These are entirely at your discretion but there is an expectation to tip for good service. Your guide will help with advice however we suggest a minimum of 150 - 200 Dirham per person.
Of course, you are free to tip more or less and the amount should be reflective of your perception of service and quality - a tip is not compulsory and should only be given when you receive excellent service.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.
Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
You're always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
- 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
- 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
- 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
Interested in a more exclusive experience? Opt for a 'Private Group' through the dates and prices tab to book this adventure for just you and your chosen companions.
Our team of Adventure Hunters create exclusive adventures with highly vetted, specialist hosts. We only work with independent, local in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with.
Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).
For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.
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