The first Valley of the trip is that of the Lalla Takerkoust reservoir, which supplies Marrakesh and the surrounding area with water from the snow melt of the High Atlas. Here there are stops to take photos of the wonderful scenery over the lake.
We then pass the mausoleum of Moulay Brahim, a well-known Moroccan Sufi saint who died in 1661. Here you can have tea with a local Berber family, who will show you the traditional hammam and bread ovens.
Passing the Toubkal National Park we reach Asni, a small Berber village, which is famous for its permanent as well as for its weekly soukhs.
The road to the Ourika valley is bordered by gardens, fruit trees, small villages, summer houses, as well as cafés and restaurants. Lunch will be here at one of the many river-side cafés and restaurants where the tajines have been slowly cooking over a charcaol fire awaiting your arrival! You can sit under the trees by the river, or even, at tables in the river itself.
The Ourika river descends from the High Atlas, passing by Asguine, Aghbalou, Oulmes and finally the village of Setti Fatma. From here it is possible to follow the river up-stream with a local guide showing you the way.
It takes about two hours to the last of seven waterfalls and to descend again. The wild life includes painted frogs, the Moorish gecko, falcons, the crimson winged finch, poplar trees and weeping willows. Alternatively you can spend more time trekking in the hills before returning to Marrakesh in the late afternoon.
A Great Experience - We hired Private Desert Tours to take 4 of us around Morocco for 11 days, and we were more than pleased with our experience!
Starting with our communications with... read more Abiden, that were always promptly and professionally answered, to our days with Ismail, as our driver, we were more than happy!
Abiden set our tour up to take us where we asked, and had every detail covered. He had Ismail, our driver , meet us at the airport, and take us to our Riad. From that moment on, Ismail took care of us. He was an excellent, polite and courteous driver through all our long journeys around this amazing country! Every day Ismail got us where ever we were supposed to be. In the evening, he made sure we were settled at our Riad, before leaving us. Ismail would be at our Riad on time each morning to help us get our luggage to the car, and be on our way.
We journeyed from Marrakesh, to Essaouira, to Casablanca, Rabat, then Chefchouan, to Meknès, Merzouga ( the desert), and beyond with Ismail. We switched drivers before heading in through the High Atlas Mountains, as Ismail had to start with a new group. Our new driver, Adeel, was a very careful, confident driver through those rugged mountains, and on to Marrakesh.
In order to see as much of the country as possible, we put on a lot of kilometres. Some days had long stretches of driving, but we saw so many incredible wonders in this diverse and beautiful country!
Many thanks to Abiden, Ismail, and Adele for a trip of a lifetime!
Sue3020 16/11/2019
From day one, Abidine was extremely responsive and helpful with our questions and helping us with our decision on picking the right tour for our time frame in Morocco. Always... read more very pleasant and professional, we had no problem booking our tour for two
abroad. Thank you Abidine for all of your help and organization!
When our 3-day tour actually started, we had no idea we were in for the trip of our lives. Our driver and guide, Ismaï, was prompt and on schedule, yet patient and accommodating for us whenever we wanted to stop for pictures. Also, he was great company with lots of insight without being an overbearing tour guide. He knows his way around..he never had to look at the map!
All stops were culturally immersive and fun, especially the Berber guest house in Gorges Dades. Very kind people who took care of us and cooked us the best dinner we had in Morocco! Not to mention the camel trekking and staying in the Berber tent. An unforgettable nights.
This is the real deal for a tour. Private is not an understatement, it was just us two with our private drive and our time. We were so happy we weren't on the bus tours loaded with other tourists. Private Desert Tours has given us memories for all our lives and we will without a doubt recommend this tour to any friends or family who plan to travel to Morocco. Our dream is to return one day and we will be booking with Private Desert Tours again.
Scott_Fairfax_CA 02/06/2019
My friends and I had a blast touring the Sahara Desert! The trip to and from the desert was full of lots of fun stops, but our experience in the... read more Sahara was truly a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Abdoul was a wonderful guide and taught us so much about Morocco. Abidene graciously answered many questions from us prior to the trip and was easily able to arrange for vegetarian meals. We truly had an incredible experience - it’s been the highlight of our trip; and I highly recommend Private Desert Tours. I plan on booking another, longer tour with them the next time I visit Morocco!!
khylieesi 09/03/2023
Our trip to desert Erg Chebbi dunes was amazing. The gorges and the desert were spectacular. The food everywhere was delicious but most of all our guide Abdoul was a... read more delight. Our trip to Morocco will always have a special place in our hearts because of Abdoul. He was incredibly polite and courteous. He was patient and always was happy to stop where ever we wanted. His great love and respect for his country was wonderful to see and so rare in our modern times. He has a very positive effect on my children. We all felt very sad when our trip came to an end. On the plane as we were about to take off both of my children looked out of their windows and said " Thank you Private Desert Tours And Goodbye Morocco,
Manuelayp 30/05/2019
Memorable Experience! - With the coordination of Private Desert Tours we recently completed a tour of Morocco with another couple. We started our 11 day tour in Casablanca and completed it in... read more Marrakech. I cannot say enough positive things about our driver Ismail - he not only provided information during our drive, but he also coodinated tour guides, & ensured our accommodations were set. All around it was a memorable experience!
Eli M 18/11/2022
We went on the 5 day Desert Tour From Marrakech To Chefchaouen. We customised our tour from the tour packages offered to include an additional day in Fes. This was... read more provided at a very reasonable price, given the luxury of the hotel and the amount of travelling we needed to do (Merzouga to Fes was 8-9 hours drive!). The organiser was very quick to respond and was well organised. We had Hassan as our driver and he was very accommodating to our needs/stopping whenever we wanted, and bringing to different locations that suited our wants. Overall a great experience, would recommend!
Alicia T 23/06/2023
Fantastic tour, great people! - My wife and I decided to explore Morocco for our Honeymoon - we had limited time (less than a week) and wanted to see many spots. We booked Private Desert... read more Tours and we could not be happier with how it turned out. Our driver, Ismael, was fantastic, professional and accommodating. In 5 days, we visited everything that was on our list: Dade's valley, Erg Chebbi desert, Berber Villages, Fez, Chefchaouen, Casablanca (which wasn't on the list but Isamel managed to make a short detour to accommodate us). The tour started on Monday morning from Marrakesh and ended Friday afternoon back in Marrakesh. We travel quite a bit, and this was one of the most wholesome and complete experience we've encountered - highly recommended.
traveldooda 18/02/2023
Awesome trip! Our guide, Ismail, went above and beyond in every regard. Overall we had a great time and I highly recommend this trip to anyone that’s interested!
rjR8894FE 26/05/2023
Moroccan Magic! - Marrakesh to Chefchaouen 5 Day Tour - Our tour was positively epic!! Our guide, Ismail, was fantastic! We wouldn't have seen a fraction of what we did without this tour. The accommodations were top notch, and... read more the included meals were all delicious. Our first night in the Dades Valley was incredible, from the hospitality to the food. The trip to the Sahara was wonderful, and we truly felt like it was a movie! Riding camels, playing in the dunes, and awesome photo opportunities. Fez was magical; our accommodation was beyond our expectations with perfect hospitality. We had a guide through the old city, and he was very knowledgeable and ensured we experienced everything we hoped to! Chefchaouen was our last stop, and we had the evening and morning to explore on our own. Great shopping opportunities and everyone is so friendly!
To do this tour in 5 days is a lot of driving; however, the destinations and experiences are totally worth the hours in the car if you can't do the longer option. You will have many chances to stop on this tour, with some surprises along the way!
AdventuresFilTheSoul 22/06/2023
Incredible Memories Made! - My partner and I stayed in Morocco for 12 days in January 2023 and discovered Private Desert Tours only a week before we were due to arrive. The 5 day... read more tour slotted in perfectly with our gap in the middle of our holiday. It was the last thing we booked, and anytime we visit Morocco again, a tour with Private Desert Tours will be the first thing we book. It was honestly brilliant!
Our guide/driver Ismail met us at our Riad in Marrakech and could not have been more helpful. He was welcoming, chatting to us about places we were passing, teaching us phrases and we wouldn't have seen even a fraction of Morocco if it wasn't for Ismail. He really made this trip such a wonderful and relaxed experience.
The highlight for me was camel riding and visiting the desert as it was truly magicial and it's somewhere I will go back again and again.
If you're thinking of doing a tour I cannot recommend Private Desert Tours enough, communication was exceptional, if we had any questions we could ask via whats app and get a quick response. It felt like they really cared about giving us the best experience. (And we really did).
We cannot thank Private Desert Tours and Ismail enough for giving us the best experience and best start to 2023. Thank you for the incredible memories!
Excellent Tour in Morocco white amazing scenery fun guide and driver we could not be more happy of choosing this agency his Driver Guide informed about all the places we visited Next time in Morocco we would do our excursion again with this Agency.
-- Andria
From Marrakesh to the desert, 3 days and 2 nights, one of them in the desert with all the expected attractions, a spetacular sun set and a super nice “crew” for dinner and music! The previous nighto we spent in an oasis on a cute and super nice hotel owned by Belgium/French couple in Skoura. Abdul was the nicest driver/guide we ever had, good mood, good with out teenager son and super informed about local culture history and attractions.
-- Alex
I was traveling with my husband and teenage son and Ali made the trip so exciting and informative. My son especially enjoyed his time in the desert sand boarding and rug boarding. We enjoyed ourselves so much at sunset we also added on the sunrise camel trip last minute without any issues to accommodate our request. If you are looking for honest, safe, know ledgable guides…this is your company to go to!