The Magic of Morocco’s South

Palm Groves, Desert and Ksour with a Private Dri

DAY 1 FLIGHT TO AGADIR AND DRIVE TO TAROUDANT

This eight-day road trip begins with a flight from the UK to Agadir, which takes around four hours. When you land, meet your private driver at the airport and hit the road for a one-hour drive towards Taroudant. This south-western city is surrounded by ramparts which speak to the city’s history as a centre of resistance. Today, local agriculture is centred around citrus orchards, olive groves and argan plantations, while the busy souqs are full of treasures created by the country’s craftsmen. When you arrive, you’ll visit the beautiful Tioute Palm Grove with a private guide. Located around 21 miles south-east of Taroudant, this peaceful oasis is home to vibrant palm trees, lush fields and a 16th-century kasbah. We can also arrange a visit to Chilean painter Claudio Bravo’s palace-museum. After a day’s exploring, relax in the shady gardens of your traditional accommodation.

DAY 2 PICNIC AT THE GORGES AND DRIVE TO TAFRAOUT

After a delicious breakfast on your patio or roof terrace, your private driver will take you on to Tafraout. South of the city, visit the dreamy gorges of Aït Mansour with their pink-toned stone and plentiful palm trees. If the weather is on your side, we can arrange for you to have a picnic in these fascinating surroundings. You’ll find the village of Douar Gdourt perched between the palm groves and steep ridges, which is worth a visit for its captivating architecture and panoramic views. If you’re there on a Wednesday, pick up some special souvenirs at the Tafraout slipper market. Tonight, you’ll stay in traditional accommodation full of stylish touches. Spend the rest of your day relaxing by the pool before enjoying a simple yet delicious meal.

DAY 3 MELLAH OF TAZART AND DRIVE TO TATA

It’s time to head towards Tata, around a three-and-a-half-hour drive away, where you’ll spend one night in a charming old Moroccan house. To the south-east of the city, stop the Mellah of Tazart, where the city’s Jewish residents once lived. Although abandoned due to water shortages, this mellah has retained its evocative power. As you climb the escarpment and wander between ochre alleyways, you get a feel for the lives that once animated this ghost town. From here, you also get a beautiful view of the village below. After your visit to the mellah, return to your accommodation for a drink on the roof terrace with panoramic views over the palm groves. In the evening, tuck into a delicious meal of traditional southern Moroccan cuisine.

DAY 4 ATTIQ WATERFALLS AND DRIVE TO CHEGAGA DUNES

Today you’ll move on to Erg Chegaga, but first enjoy a refreshing stop at Tissint. This is one of the most beautiful palm grove villages in the south, and is located just an hour’s drive from Tata. Here, you can take a dip in the natural pools of the Attiq waterfalls where saltwater spills majestically from desert rocks. You’ll also visit Morocco’s largest national park, Iriqui, home to a lake of the same name that’s usually dry. The park is an important ecological site, established to preserve the area’s temporary wetlands. While you’re there, keep your eyes peeled for migratory birds along with dorcas gazelles and houbara bustards. Your home for two nights is an elegant desert camp in the Chegaga Desert, complete with vintage furniture and proper bathrooms. Enjoy an exceptional meal before cosying up around the campfire to look up at the starry desert sky.

DAY 5 EXPLORING THE CHEGAGA DUNES

The Erg of Chegaga is vast, isolated and wild, with dunes that are almost 1000ft 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. 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. Then, you’ll take the old road to Timbuktu until you reach the Oum Lâalag oasis, where a fairy is said to live at the source. Share a picnic in the shade of the acacias with nomads and enjoy the inescapable yet soothing feeling of being lost in the middle of nowhere.

DAY 6 TAMEGROUTE AND RELAXING IN ZAGORA

Today, you’ll leave the desert behind and hit the road towards Zagora. Around 12.5 miles south-east of Zagora, you’ll stop at Tamegroute. 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 here at the gates of the desert.

Then it’s time to head to Zagora and spend the night amid the palm groves in a house surrounded by a beautiful garden. We’ve arranged for a trip around the palm groves and to the old kasbahs with a private guide. At the foot of Mount Zagora, the 18th-century Ksar of Amezrou is worth the detour for its impressive architecture and synagogue. When you reach your accommodation, there are plenty of ways to unwind. Take a dip in the pool, lounge on a daybed, or enjoy a refreshing tea or orange juice on the terrace before your delicious evening meal.

DAY 7 TRADITIONAL LUNCH AND TINEJDAD OASIS MUSEUM

After a morning visit to the stunning Kasbah Oulad Othmane, your driver will transport you to N'Kob, a rural area south-west of Jebel Saghro. This ksar has no less than 45 kasbahs and is surrounded by two palm groves. As you wander down its alleyways, look out for distinctive features including neolithic rock carvings. You’ll have lunch in a beautiful traditional setting at Kasbah Imdoukal, where you can feast on the flavours of real Moroccan gastronomy. Tonight, you’ll stay in a truly authentic ksar in Tinejdad. Before you retire to your room for some well-earned relaxation, however, a private guide will show you around The Oasis Museum. This hidden gem is located across three houses in the ksar and enlightens visitors about traditional Amazigh life and the civilizations of the oases through objects, photographs and the buildings themselves.

DAY 8 TODGHA AND DADES GORGES AND DRIVE TO SKOURA

The next morning, jump in the car and drive for around an hour until you reach Tineghir and the Todgha Gorges. These dizzying red limestone wadis were carved by the Todgha river, which has created the perfect conditions for a beautiful palm grove. Continue on to the Dadès Gorges and their string of oases for magnificent landscapes of ancient mountains, rusty rock formations and clusters of greenery. You’ll then take the road towards Kelâat M'Gouna until you reach Skoura, where you’ll spend your last two nights in tranquil accommodation in a palm grove. Relaxation is the watchword here, so take some time to unwind in the shade of date palms, olive trees, almond trees and pomegranate trees, or take a dip in the pool before napping in a hammock. In the evening, enjoy a meal of organic local ingredients flavoured with homegrown herbs.

DAY 9 TOUR OF SKOURA OASIS

For your last day in Morocco, we’ve arranged a tour of the oasis with a private guide. From how kasbahs are designed to what materials are used and how people survive there, you’ll learn all about the architecture and agriculture of these unique environments. The town’s irrigation agriculture is particularly interesting, allowing for Skoura to nurture an astonishing variety of edible and ornamental plants. You have the rest of your final day to spend enjoying your historic surroundings and getting a last taste of delicious Moroccan cuisine.

DAY 10 FLIGHT HOME FROM OUARZAZATE AIRPORT

Today, pack up your belongings and souvenirs and head back to Ouarzazate airport for your return flight to the UK.