- Visit the magical palm groves of Skoura, Todgha, N’kob and Zagora
- Take a private tour of the Oasis Museum
- Go on a camel ride through the Chegaga Dunes
- Spend the night in a desert camp
- Stay in a historic kasbah in Ouarzazate
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Route
FLIGHT TO OUARZAZATE, DRIVE TO SKOURA
Your eight-day road trip through southern Morocco begins with a three-and-a-half-hour flight to Ouarzazate. When you land, you’ll pick up your rental car and drive on to Skoura, which takes around 45 minutes. You’ll spend two nights here surrounded by a beautiful garden where date palms, olive, almond and pomegranate trees provide fragrant shade. When you arrive, you can rest by cooling off in the swimming pool or taking a nap in a hammock. For dinner, enjoy a meal that showcases the sophistication of Moroccan cuisine, made from organic market produce and herbs from the hotel garden.
SKOURA BY SCOOTER
After a delicious breakfast including homemade jams this morning, you’ll set out to explore the palm grove of Skoura by scooter. With a private guide leading the way, you’ll move between palm trees, fruit trees and other crops, taking in your splendid surroundings, including the irrigation system itself, which gives life to the land. You’ll also see the kasbahs (citadels) which display the power that great merchant families once had. As you ride, you can read stories into the architecture and witness a whole world unfolding around you. The famous Kasbah Amridil, for example, was originally a ksar (fortified village) that was turned into a kasbah for an Islamic jurist. If you like, we can also organise for you to take a closer look at the architecture and agriculture of the oases in private.
LEARN ABOUT LIFE IN THE OASES
Today you’ll drive on to Tineghir, which takes an hour and 45 minutes. Not far from here are the Todgha Gorges, where a wadi flows at the bottom of a dizzying red limestone canyon. It’s this water that’s led to the development of the beautiful Todgha palm grove. Nearby at Ksar Afanaour, the Ikelane Mosque and madrasah are open to non-Muslims and well worth a visit. When you’ve finished exploring, you can continue driving on to Tinejdad.
Tonight, your accommodation is a bed and breakfast that has been instrumental in the renovation of the ksar. The money made from welcoming travellers goes back into maintaining and preserving the site - it doesn’t get more authentic than this. While you’re here, we’ll arrange for you to visit the Oasis Museum, which is spread across three houses and devoted to documenting traditional Amazigh life and civilisation within the oases. You’ll visit with a private guide who will help to bring these stories to life.
ARRIVE IN ZAGORA
Your next stop is N’kob, just under two-and-a-half hours away. This ksar is famous for having no less than 45 kasbahs, and is surrounded by two palm groves. Around the village, you’ll find a string of Neolithic carvings.
When you’ve finished exploring, you’ll head to your home for the night, located in the palm grove of Zagora. This house is surrounded by a beautiful garden complete with a swimming pool and a terrace where you can unwind with a drink. The ksar of Amezrou is also worth a detour, located at the foot of Jebel Zagora. This historic village dates back to the 18th century, and is home to a synagogue which is a reminder of when the Jewish community practiced goldsmithing here.
NIGHT UNDER THE STARS
From Zagora, you’ll drive on to the Chegaga Dunes. The Erg of Chegaga is vast, isolated and wild, with dunes that are almost 1,000ft tall. This is the desert as you’ve always imagined it, an endless stretch of gold and bronze that leaves a lasting impression on anyone lucky enough to experience it. You’ll begin with a one-hour camel ride that brings you a little bit closer to life in the desert, mimicking the age-old story of man and camel braving the sands together to transport goods across arid land.
This evening you’ll spend the night in a desert camp, a romantic spot whose elegance is born of simplicity. Enjoy an excellent meal before spending the evening around the fire marvelling at the desert’s great starry sky.
DRIVE TO ZAGORA
You’ll head back to Zagora today to spend the night in the same hotel. Along the way, you can make a pitstop at Tamegroute, around 12.5 miles south-east of Zagora,. This village is famous for several reasons. The beautiful green-glazed ceramics created here are crafted to a process that’s been passed down from generation to generation. Pottery aside, Tamegroute also served as an important religious and intellectual centre for the Nasiriyya order, one of the Islamic world’s most influential Sufi orders. The 16th-century Zaouia Naciria contains a library of several thousand volumes that cover various topics across the Muslim school of thought. You can visit this historic outpost of knowledge, situated at the gates of the desert.
DRIVE TO OUARZAZATE
Your final stop is Ouarzazate, around two-and-a-half hours from Zagora. You’ll spend the night in the kasbah of Taourirt, which dates back to the 17th century. This is a wonderful place to spend a final day relaxing and soaking up Moroccan culture, whether sipping a hot drink in the tea room or spending some time in the hammam and sauna. At dusk, enjoy a moment of calm on the large terrace.
Southern Morocco has long been the setting for some influential international films including Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Man Who Would Be King (1975) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962). If you’re interested in film, pay a visit the Cinema Museum which is housed in a former Italian studio and holds a collection of old props, sets and equipment.
FLIGHT HOME
Today, you’ll return your rental car to the airport before boarding your return flight the UK.
A la carte
…WITH A DRIVER
While this trip is designed to be made behind the wheel of a rental car, we can also arrange for you to travel around southern Morocco with a private driver. If you would prefer this, just let us know.
SKOURA - ARCHITECTURE AND AGRICULTURE OF THE OASES
With traditional architecture and impressive agriculture, palm groves can’t help but arouse curiosity and interest. During this walk in the company of a private guide, you’ll dig deeper into the details of this fascinating place. As you learn how the kasbahs were designed or how irrigation agriculture gives way to an astonishing variety of edible and ornamental plants, you’ll no doubt come to appreciate your surroundings even more.
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