Private New Year’s tour from Marrakech to the Sahara

The overall Moroccan Sahara is rich with marvelous and breathtaking sightseeing. The experience for new travelers who have never explored the Sahara before should be rather unique and exotic. Celebrate different this holiday season with a private New Year’s Tour, we take you from usual cold weather of your hometown to the comfortable warm weather of the Moroccan soft-sanded Sahara Desert.

Private New Year’s tour from Marrakech to the Sahara

Day 1: Marrakech – Ouarzazate – Rose Valley – Dades Gorge

Our day one on your very own private New Year Sahara tour starts from the red-washed city of Marrakech. Day one is usually the most interesting and most eventful during the whole trip. However, on our tour, every day will be interesting and eventful. For that reason, it is preferable that we get early starts throughout the trip.

From Marrakech, we start our drive towards the historical city of Ouarzazate that is well known as “Hollywood of Africa” thanks to many film studios that exist in the town and also for the beautiful scenery the town and the surrounding landscape offers.

In fact, the road connecting Marrakech and Ouarzazate offers beautiful landscapes along the mighty high Atlas Mountains that are sometimes in winter beautifully adorned with snow on the top. Also, we will drive through the famous winding path of Tichka before arriving to Ouarzazate. Ouarzazate has been the backdrop for a number of worldwide movies and TV shows, such as “Kingdom of Heaven”, “Gladiator” and “Game of Thrones” among many others.  Apart from its cinematic popularity, the city is also nicknamed “the door of the desert”, for being the closest to the Sahara. We will have free time to explore the town with its majestic red ramparts and souks.

The Sahara Desert is our ultimate destination, so once we explore the area of Ouarzazate, we will continue our drive toward Dades Gorge, passing through the beautiful town of roses and home of Morocco’s annual Rose Festival, Kelaa M’Gouna.

At the end of the day, we will arrive to Dades Gorge for the night before another early morning start.

Day 2: Dades Gorge – Todra Gorge – Erg Chebbi dunes

Get an early start and enjoy the early magical sunrise. After that, we will start our drive toward the heart of the Sahara. Our first stop today will be Todra Gorge, which is an impressive natural oasis in the mountains where one of the most spectacular canyons is situated. Also, the place is where many of rock climbers come to enjoy their preferred sport.

Later we will continue our trip through the magnificent fortified villages with the outstanding pre-Saharian architecture. The route to Erfoud is considered one of the most pleasing of all the southern routes. The small towns along the way are built of dry red clay, giving such a harmonious scenery with the desert. In Erfoud you will have the chance to discover the local art and craft that makes use of fossilized stone in a very impressive and elegant way. In the afternoon, you will meet with a local 4×4 driver who will take you to Merzouga and into the Sahara Desert where its magnificent orange and golden sand dunes can reach as high as 150 meters. There, you will have one of the most stunning experiences in your life that will stay with you forever.

Start by riding your own camel through the dunes, until you reach a stunning point of view where sunset makes you feel like you are in another world with all of its glory. Another no less remarkable experience is stargazing upon nightfall, where you are likely to be treated to millions of stars which make the sky look like a beautiful painting. This view will most likely make a tear stream unconsciously down your face.

Day 3: Merzouga – Rissani – Zagora

Get an early start today so as to not miss the magical sunrise from the heart of the Sahara, and then, once ready, join your private driver to start today’s adventure.

Our first stop for today will be at Rissani.  Rissani is a small oasis town in Morocco that lies near the northwest edge of the Sahara. The area has a lot of ksour (“palaces”) or kasbahs to discover, and it is rather popular for the 3-day weekly souk. There, you will meet wandering traders, nomads, Berbers and Arab desert dwellers who come to sell all kinds of clothing, wares, plants, spices and vegetables, and animals. You can see what wild plants people gather and use as medicine, plus the sheep market, donkey market, and bird market.

Later, we will exit the desert and cross the arid fascinating landscapes up to the Draa Valley where we will stop several times in order to enjoy the valley as it is the longest in Morocco. Then, we continue our journey towards Zagora, the administrative center of the overall area. The city that is well known for the kindness and the generosity of its people, was once a stronghold of the Almoravid people, and their legacy can still be seen in the surrounding hills.

Day 4: Zagora – Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah – Marrakech

Today will mark the end of our 4-day Private New Year’s tour from Marrakech by going back to our starting point, Marrakech, but before that, we will enjoy one last stunning Sahara day. Once you get ready to leave Zagora, join your driver and start the drive in the direction of Marrakech with a scenic landscape through the Draa Valley and authentic villages, discovering the sites of the southern region. We will continue our drive to Ouarzazate, and then we will stop at the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou. The kasbah is considered one of the most spectacular fortresses in the south of Morocco and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

At the end of the day, we will continue our drive to Marrakech to drop you off at your hotel or airport, where your private New Year’s tour will officially come to an end.