4-Day Morocco Itinerary: Atlas Mountains, Kasbahs, and Desert

DAY 1: Marrakech – Telouet Kasbah – Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah – Ouarzazate
Departure in the morning toward the High Atlas via the Tizi n’Tichka Pass at 2,260 meters above sea level. Stop to visit the Telouet Kasbah, the former residence of the Pasha Glaoui. Lunch at the Tasga restaurant. Continue along an old caravan route to the Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, crossing the Ounila Valley with its Berber villages. Arrival in Ouarzazate, dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 2: Ouarzazate – Todra Gorges – Merzouga
Depart for the desert via the “Route of a Thousand Kasbahs,” visiting the Amrédile Kasbah in Skoura. Continue to the “Rose Capital,” Kalaa Mgouna, and ascend through the Dades Valley to Boumalne, then continue to Tinghir and the Todra Gorges, with lunch on site. In the afternoon, proceed to Erfoud through the palm groves of Tinejdad and Touroug. Visit a fossil and marble production workshop. Arrival at the impressive Erg Chebbi dunes in Merzouga. Change vehicle for camels to admire the sunset and overnight in a traditional desert shelter.

DAY 3: Merzouga – Erg Chebbi – Merzouga
After breakfast, explore the dunes and oases of Merzouga, visiting the village of Khamlia, Berber nomads, the Mifiss mines, and the Tissardmine oasis. Return to the hotel around 3 pm, then depart by camel to watch the sunset in the dunes. Overnight in a Berber haima in a remote oasis, immersed in the natural beauty of the desert.

DAY 4: Merzouga – Rissani – Alnif – Tazarine – Agdez – Marrakech
Depart in the morning crossing the Tafilalet palm grove, passing through Rissani, birthplace of the Alaouite dynasty and former capital. Continue to Alnif with lunch en route. In the afternoon, drive to Tazarine, Nkob, and Tansihkt, crossing the sublime Draa Valley with its palm groves and Berber villages. Continue to Zagora and Ouarzazate, crossing the Anti-Atlas again at 1,660 meters. Arrival in Marrakech via the Tizi n’Tichka Pass in the late afternoon.