Riad Bab Atlas is in the Palmeraie, Marrakech: 4 bedrooms, 2 shared pools, a terrace, and a garden. It sleeps up to 8 guests, so this package is capped at 8.
- Route
- Riad Bab Atlas → Riad Bab Atlas (Marrakech loop) · airport drop-off next morning
- Start
- Marrakech Menara airport (RAK), black-car pick-up, then Riad Bab Atlas
- End
- Black-car drop-off at Marrakech Menara airport (RAK), the morning after Day 10, after the final night at Riad Bab Atlas.
- Group
- Up to 8 guests. Airport black car free for 1 to 5 guests, +50 EUR for 6 to 8.
- Nights
- 10 nights: 6 at Riad Bab Atlas (nights 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and the night after Day 10) · 1 Essaouira · 1 Dades Valley · 1 desert camp · 1 Skoura/Dades
- Riad breakfast
- Breakfast on the first morning only
- Sahara
- Erg Chebbi at Merzouga on day 8, and sunrise on day 9, then the drive back to the Dades and Skoura. Agafay, on day 3, is a stone desert west of Marrakech, not the Sahara.
Day by day
Day 1
Arrival in Marrakech
- Black-car pick-up at Marrakech Menara airport (free for 1 to 5 guests; +50 EUR for 6 to 8 guests)
- Check in at Riad Bab Atlas in the Palmeraie, mint tea, time by the shared pools
- Overnight at Riad Bab Atlas. Breakfast on the first morning only
Day 2
Guided Marrakech tour
- Medina with a licensed local guide: Koutoubia Mosque, Bahia Palace, the souks
- Jemaa el-Fna at dusk
- Overnight at Riad Bab Atlas. Breakfast on the first morning only
Day 3
Agafay stone desert or Ourika Valley
- Option A: Agafay stone desert, west of Marrakech. Agafay is a stone desert, not the Sahara. The Sahara is on day 8.
- Option B: Ourika Valley and High Atlas Berber villages, the river, and waterfalls when the path is open
- Add-on: sunrise hot-air balloon with royal breakfast, from $160 per person
- Back to the riad
- Overnight at Riad Bab Atlas. Breakfast on the first morning only
Agafay day tour · Ourika Valley tour · Hot-air balloon, from $160 per person
Day 4
Marrakech to Essaouira
- Drive to the Atlantic coast (about 3 hours) with a stop at a women's argan cooperative
- Afternoon at the fishing port (blue boats) and the Skala ramparts
- Overnight in Essaouira (breakfast included)
Day 5
Essaouira, back to the riad
- Morning in the medina, then free time on the beach
- Drive back to Riad Bab Atlas in the evening
- Overnight at Riad Bab Atlas. Breakfast on the first morning only
Day 6
Free day at the riad
- Rest by the shared pools and garden before the desert leg
- Optional at extra cost: hammam, cooking class, massage at the riad, private chef dinner
- Overnight at Riad Bab Atlas. Breakfast on the first morning only
Day 7
Riad to Dades Valley
- Leave Riad Bab Atlas and cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass
- Ait Ben Haddou, UNESCO kasbah (optional local guide, about 2 EUR)
- Dinner and overnight in the Dades Valley
Day 8
Dades to Merzouga
- Leave the Dades Valley and walk through the Todra Gorges
- Drive on to Merzouga
- Sunset camel ride across the Erg Chebbi dunes
- Dinner, music and campfire; overnight at our Erg Chebbi desert camp
Day 9
Sunrise, then Merzouga to Skoura
- Sunrise over the Erg Chebbi dunes, camel ride back, breakfast at camp
- Drive from Merzouga to the Dades/Skoura area: palm groves and kasbahs, about 5 to 6 hours
- Dinner and overnight in the Skoura/Dades area
Day 10
Skoura back to Riad Bab Atlas
- Breakfast, then Skoura
- Ouarzazate, with a stop at the Taourirt kasbah
- Back over the Tizi n'Tichka pass
- Drop-off at Riad Bab Atlas in Marrakech (about 5 hours)
- Last night at Riad Bab Atlas. Breakfast on the first morning only
Departure morning (Day 11)
Riad Bab Atlas to Marrakech Menara airport
- Black-car transfer from Riad Bab Atlas to Marrakech Menara airport (RAK)
What the price covers
Included
- Black-car airport pick-up at Marrakech Menara (free for 1 to 5 guests; +50 EUR for 6 to 8 guests)
- 5 nights at Riad Bab Atlas before the desert return (nights 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6; 4 bedrooms, 2 shared pools). Breakfast on the first morning only
- 1 night in Essaouira with breakfast
- 1 night Dades Valley, 1 night at our Erg Chebbi desert camp, 1 night in the Skoura/Dades area, each with dinner and breakfast
- Guided Marrakech medina tour with a licensed local guide
- Day 3 trip: Agafay stone desert or Ourika Valley / Atlas villages
- All transfers in an air-conditioned vehicle with an English, French or Spanish-speaking driver
- Sunset and sunrise camel rides in Erg Chebbi
- Drop-off at Riad Bab Atlas in Marrakech on Day 10
- Final night at Riad Bab Atlas after the Day 10 return
- Black-car airport drop-off at Marrakech Menara (RAK) on departure morning (free for 1 to 5 guests; +€50 for 6 to 8 guests)
Not included
- International flights
- Lunches
- Dinners on riad nights and the Essaouira night
- Water and drinks
- Monument entry fees (for example Bahia Palace)
- Hammam, cooking class, massage, private chef
- Hot-air balloon (from $160 per person)
- Optional local guide at Ait Ben Haddou (about 2 EUR)
- Tips and personal expenses
- Travel insurance
Standard and Luxury
Both tiers stay at the same riad, with the same 2 shared pools. The tier changes the bedroom, the vehicle, and the hotels and camp on the road.
Riad Bab Atlas room
Standard ask for price
Standard bedroom
Luxury ask for price
Master bedroom
Transport
Standard ask for price
Air-conditioned minibus
Luxury ask for price
Private vehicle (for example a Mercedes V-Class) and driver-guide throughout
Essaouira night
Standard ask for price
Comfortable medina riad or hotel
Luxury ask for price
Boutique hotel
Dades night
Standard ask for price
Guesthouse or kasbah hotel, private room
Luxury ask for price
Boutique kasbah hotel
Desert camp
Standard ask for price
Standard Berber camp tent
Luxury ask for price
Luxury camp, en-suite tent (private bathroom)
Skoura/Dades night
Standard ask for price
Comfortable guesthouse or kasbah hotel, private room
Luxury ask for price
Boutique kasbah hotel
Meals
Standard ask for price
As listed above
Luxury ask for price
As listed above
Request this route
Direct booking on guidedtourstomorocco.com. Tell us your dates and how many people are travelling, up to 8 guests. There is no online checkout on this page.
The shorter desert crossing, without the riad nights, is the 4-day Marrakech to Fes Sahara tour. Every route is listed on Our packages.
Photo credits
Riad Bab Atlas and Agafay photographs are from guidedtourstomorocco.com. Agafay is the stone desert west of Marrakech, not the Erg Chebbi dunes.
- Ourika Valley: jeanarp, Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Essaouira port: Mustang Joe, CC0 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Todra Gorges: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Kasbah Amridil, Skoura: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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