After breakfast we pick you up from your Marrakesh hotel or riad and travel to the High Atlas Mountains and over the famous Tizi-n-Tichka (2260m) pass. There are multiple opportunities to stop at the scenic lookouts to enable you to take in the breathtaking views of the mountaintops and valleys.

Having crossed the pass, we descend until we reach Ouarzazate where you stop for lunch. From there you cross another smaller pass, Tizi-n-Tinfifite (1660m), before reaching the head of the Dra’a Valley at Agdez. For a short while, we go off-road along some of the ancient caravan route between the mountains and the river, passing many villages, small farming plots and gardens so that you can gain an idea of the way of life along the oases. At Zagora we transfer from 4WD to camel to travel into the dunes and then watch the sun set. These dunes are small in comparison with the others further south and in the east, but are the nearest to Marrakesh. Dinner is at the bivouac of nomad tents where you will spend the night.

Early birds can watch the spectacle of the majestic sunrise where the colour of the dunes and the play of shadows are an awesome and memorable experience. After breakfast you return north, taking another short off-road route. From Ouarzazate, you leave the main Marrakesh road to reach the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Ben Haddou. This is the most famous Kasbah in Morocco and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Many films have been shot in Ait Ben Haddou including Gladiator, Prince of Persia and parts of the series Game of Thrones. This Kasbah was one of the most important fortress strongholds on the old Salt Road caravan routes, where traders brought slaves, gold, ivory and salt from sub-Saharan Africa to Marrakesh and beyond. The return to Marrakesh is along the main road, passing many Berber villages along the river and through the mountains. We reach Marrakesh at the end of the afternoon.