For those who can only stay in Marrakech for a few days, but who don’t want to give up strolling between palm groves, rocky deserts and oases, we have selected seven one-day excursions each. Perfect for weekends!
For those who have a few extra days and wish to venture into the imperial cities or stroll on the vast beaches of the Atlantic coast, we recommend 2-day excursions.
And for those who, even with little time, do not want to give up the deep experience of the desert, there are 3-day excursions, we take you to the Sahara!
Meeting with the driver at 8:30 am near your hotel/riad and departure to Essaouira. The landscape and vegetation change as you approach the coast: vines and olive trees give way to argan trees. Along the way we meet small urban centres, places of commerce. After Chichaoua, first a straight line, then a curve, another straight line and suddenly the ocean. From the hills surrounding the city of Essaouira, you can admire the bay in which it is located. Upon arrival, the ancient city (medina) welcomes with its high walls consumed by salt and wind. You can take a leisurely stroll inside the medina, where getting lost is as easy as finding yourself. The white streets with blue doors, the picturesque corners, the architectural elements characteristic of Portuguese architecture, the walls with bastions embedded among the jagged rocks and beaten by the waves of the ocean: everything is pleasant and surprising and immersed in an atmosphere serene and suggestive. By letting yourself be guided by the many seagulls, you can reach the port area. From there, it is possible to admire, in all its extension, the beach facing the city. In the afternoon return to Marrakech.
Meeting with the driver at 8:00 am near your hotel/riad and departure towards the south. From the plain the road rises gently to the High Atlas to the Tizi-n-Tichka pass at 2260m altitude. Villages and places of commerce are the setting for scenes of life typical of the country. The landscape changes rapidly and the variety of colors and rock formations make the trip fun and challenging.
From the pass, the road descends to the Ksar of Aït Ben Haddou, a magnificent example of fortified architecture inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. From a point of view, the Ksar shows itself in all its compactness, lying on a sandstone hill by the Onila River. By leaving the car and crossing the new village, you arrive at the foot of the old fortified settlement. A maze of narrow streets, between kasbahs decorated with geometric patterns and arches engraved in clay, will lead you to the top of the hill, to the old granary, once the last outpost to defend in case of attack. . After the visit the car is taken back and, crossing always incredibly different landscapes, we return to Marrakech. Arrival in town at the end of the afternoon.
Meeting with the driver at 9:00 am near your hotel/riad and departure to Tahannaout. The road to reach Asni rises towards the High Atlas mountains between enchanting landscapes, valleys and plateaus. In the contrast between the red of the earth, the green of the vegetation and the blue of the sky, we observe the course of daily life in the Berber villages. Their adobe architectures (plaster made of straw and clayey mud) follow one another in the valley and one has the impression that time in these places has stopped. By crossing the gorges of Rherhaia you arrive at Asni, the small Berber village located at an altitude of 1150m dominated by Jebel Toubkal (4160m), the highest peak in North Africa. Every Saturday there is a market and the streets are full of fruit and vegetable sellers, domestic animals and donkeys. Guests of a Berber family will participate in the tea ritual before returning to the road which, continuing along the north side of Jebel Toubkal, reaches the village of Setti Fatma. After a stop we set off again in the direction of Marrakech crossing the Ourika valley and along the Oued (river) of the same name. Return to Marrakech in the afternoon.
Meeting with the driver at 8:30 am near your hotel/riad and departure towards the northeast, towards Beni Mellal, to reach the mountains of the Middle Atlas. Arrived at the village of Ouzoud, located at 1500mt of altitude, you leave the car to continue on foot along a walk which skirts the highest waterfalls of North Africa: the Ouzoud river falls on 110m while bouncing on a series of rock ledges down to the canyon of the el-Abid river. Walking along the path you come under the big jump; here you can continue the walk along the Oued or relax on its banks. Another path climbs up to offer impressive panoramic spots. Return to Marrakech in the afternoon.
Meet the driver at 9:00 am near your hotel/riad and depart for the Ourika Valley to discover the first slopes of the Atlas Mountains about 70km from Marrakech. Crossing a patchwork of cultivated fields you arrive at the village of Tnine de l’Ourika where the most important souk in the valley is held on Mondays. Surrounded by spectacular and colorful landscapes and crossing the daily life of the Berber villages of red earth perched on the slopes of the mountains, you follow the Oued Ourika, where water is abundant all year round; poplars and weeping willows shade the banks and, from February to April, almond and cherry trees in bloom fill the landscape. At the village of Setti Fatma, the road ends and from there, if you wish, we leave for a walk of about 2 hours in the middle of nature, to the waterfalls. In the early afternoon we pick up the car and return to Marrakech.
Meeting with the driver at 9:00 am near your hotel/riad and departure to Oukaimeden. 75km from Marrakech and at an altitude of 2650m Oukaimeden is the ideal destination for diving, surrounded by snow-capped peaks, overlooking valleys and Berber villages, in the Moroccan tradition. During the winter season (January-March) in the village it is possible to rent equipment and book ski lessons and then have fun on the snowy slopes that extend over the slopes of the mountain of the same name , or simply take the chairlift and enjoy the splendid panorama. Nature is the protagonist. Oukaimeden is a good starting point for summer hikes. Time travel enthusiasts can discover the rock carvings dating from the Bronze Age that can be found around the city. Return to Marrakech at the end of the afternoon..
Meeting with the driver at 8:30 am near your hotel/riad and departure to Essaouira. The landscape and vegetation change as you approach the coast: vines and olive trees give way to argan trees. Along the way we meet small urban centres, places of commerce. After Chichaoua, first a straight line, then a curve, another straight line and suddenly the ocean. From the hills surrounding the city of Essaouira, you can admire the bay in which it is located. Upon arrival, the ancient city (medina) welcomes with its high walls consumed by salt and wind. You can take a leisurely stroll inside the medina, where getting lost is as easy as finding yourself. The white streets with blue doors, the picturesque corners, the architectural elements characteristic of Portuguese architecture, the walls with bastions embedded among the jagged rocks and beaten by the waves of the ocean: everything is pleasant and surprising and immersed in an atmosphere serene and suggestive. By letting yourself be guided by the many seagulls, you can reach the port area. From there, it is possible to admire, in all its extension, the beach facing the city. In the afternoon return to Marrakech.
Meeting with the driver at 8:00 am near your hotel/riad and departure towards the south. From the plain the road rises gently to the High Atlas to the Tizi-n-Tichka pass at 2260m altitude. Villages and places of commerce are the setting for scenes of life typical of the country. The landscape changes rapidly and the variety of colors and rock formations make the trip fun and challenging.
From the pass, the road descends to the Ksar of Aït Ben Haddou, a magnificent example of fortified architecture inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. From a point of view, the Ksar shows itself in all its compactness, lying on a sandstone hill by the Onila River. By leaving the car and crossing the new village, you arrive at the foot of the old fortified settlement. A maze of narrow streets, between kasbahs decorated with geometric patterns and arches engraved in clay, will lead you to the top of the hill, to the old granary, once the last outpost to defend in case of attack. . After the visit the car is taken back and, crossing always incredibly different landscapes, we return to Marrakech. Arrival in town at the end of the afternoon.
Meeting with the driver at 9:00 am near your hotel/riad and departure to Tahannaout. The road to reach Asni rises towards the High Atlas mountains between enchanting landscapes, valleys and plateaus. In the contrast between the red of the earth, the green of the vegetation and the blue of the sky, we observe the course of daily life in the Berber villages. Their adobe architectures (plaster made of straw and clayey mud) follow one another in the valley and one has the impression that time in these places has stopped. By crossing the gorges of Rherhaia you arrive at Asni, the small Berber village located at an altitude of 1150m dominated by Jebel Toubkal (4160m), the highest peak in North Africa. Every Saturday there is a market and the streets are full of fruit and vegetable sellers, domestic animals and donkeys. Guests of a Berber family will participate in the tea ritual before returning to the road which, continuing along the north side of Jebel Toubkal, reaches the village of Setti Fatma. After a stop we set off again in the direction of Marrakech crossing the Ourika valley and along the Oued (river) of the same name. Return to Marrakech in the afternoon.
Meeting with the driver at 8:30 am near your hotel/riad and departure towards the northeast, towards Beni Mellal, to reach the mountains of the Middle Atlas. Arrived at the village of Ouzoud, located at 1500mt of altitude, you leave the car to continue on foot along a walk which skirts the highest waterfalls of North Africa: the Ouzoud river falls on 110m while bouncing on a series of rock ledges down to the canyon of the el-Abid river. Walking along the path you come under the big jump; here you can continue the walk along the Oued or relax on its banks. Another path climbs up to offer impressive panoramic spots. Return to Marrakech in the afternoon.
Meet the driver at 9:00 am near your hotel/riad and depart for the Ourika Valley to discover the first slopes of the Atlas Mountains about 70km from Marrakech. Crossing a patchwork of cultivated fields you arrive at the village of Tnine de l’Ourika where the most important souk in the valley is held on Mondays. Surrounded by spectacular and colorful landscapes and crossing the daily life of the Berber villages of red earth perched on the slopes of the mountains, you follow the Oued Ourika, where water is abundant all year round; poplars and weeping willows shade the banks and, from February to April, almond and cherry trees in bloom fill the landscape. At the village of Setti Fatma, the road ends and from there, if you wish, we leave for a walk of about 2 hours in the middle of nature, to the waterfalls. In the early afternoon we pick up the car and return to Marrakech.
Meeting with the driver at 9:00 am near your hotel/riad and departure to Oukaimeden. 75km from Marrakech and at an altitude of 2650m Oukaimeden is the ideal destination for diving, surrounded by snow-capped peaks, overlooking valleys and Berber villages, in the Moroccan tradition. During the winter season (January-March) in the village it is possible to rent equipment and book ski lessons and then have fun on the snowy slopes that extend over the slopes of the mountain of the same name , or simply take the chairlift and enjoy the splendid panorama. Nature is the protagonist. Oukaimeden is a good starting point for summer hikes. Time travel enthusiasts can discover the rock carvings dating from the Bronze Age that can be found around the city. Return to Marrakech at the end of the afternoon..
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