8 Days – Marrakech to Desert Food Tour

MARRAKECH – OUIRGANE – IMLIL

DESCRIPTION

We will collect you from your Marrakech hotel early this morning and drive into the beautiful Ouirgane Valley in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. Our arrival time will be around 10am and here you will meet with the chef who will provide an introduction to the tour and life as a farmer in this region, before taking you to her organic farm to pick some fresh produce.

There will be a light lunch and a cooking class today which will be to create a dish called Pastilla which is traditionally a quail pie sprinkled with icing sugar and cinnamon and is well known throughout the Magreb region.

At 3.00pm you will be transported to the quaint mountain village of Imlil with views of Morocco’s highest mountain – Toubkal. On the way you will stop at an amlou cooperative to see how this delicacy is made and then on to your accommodation. Your hosts will then take you to a local family to see how they bake bread the traditional way. Then you will return to the riad for a home cooked dinner, relax and overnight.

IMLIL – AIT BENHADDOU – SKOURA OASIS – VALLEY OF ROSES

DESCRIPTION

It is an early start today as there is a lot of ground to cover, so after breakfast, we will be on the road by 8am. We will cross the High Atlas Mountains via the infamous Tizi n Tchka Pass, the highest mountain pass in North Africa.

From here we will drive directly to Skoura Oasis and a beautiful garden lodge, where you will have lunch. After lunch we will visit the bee keeper, Zakia who is working hard to save the Saharan bee. Then our journey takes us along the Road of 1000 Kasbahs and to Kelaat M’Gouna, the Valley of Roses.

Finally, we will arrive at the pretty guesthouse where you are staying for 2 nights and you can relax and enjoy a tasty home cooked dinner made with local spices and herbs from their garden.

VALLEY OF ROSES 

DESCRIPTION

The rose products in this area are highly valued throughout Morocco and the rest of the world as Morocco is a world leading player in the industry. According to legend, they were carried here centuries ago by a Berber merchant from Damascus; the species that grows here is Rosa Damascena, the Damask rose.

We are interested in the rose-water to be used for culinary purposes, so today we will visit a local cooperative and farm to watch the full process from picking to extraction and distillation.

Then it’s onto a family house for a traditional hand rolled couscous lunch before we return to the guesthouse for an afternoon cooking class. The chef will showcase the products from the local area with rose petal jam, Ras el Hanout, teas, rose and date balls etc.

VALLEY OF ROSES – TODRA – TAMEGROUTE – BOUNOU – SAHARA

DESCRIPTION

We will start our journey by 8.30 this morning as we want to be in the dunes for sunset. On the way, you will stop for a picnic and then you will reach Tamegroute in the Draa River Valley. This dusty village was a historical centre of the Nasiriyya order, one of the most influential (and at one time one of the largest) Sufi orders in the Islamic world. Tamegroute’s glazed ceramics and tagines are also very well known. We will stop for you to see the collection of pottery and ceramics – plates, bowls and table décor. The formula of this unique Tamegroute pottery is a closely guarded secret. Designed and made in the village using an ancient process that remains unchanged.

From here we head south to the tiny village of Bounou which is situated just before M’hamid where the road abruptly ends and the desert begins. Our riad hosts will greet you with mint tea before jumping into the 4WD to reach the small dunes. Here you will be able to play in the dunes and enjoy the sunset, ride a camel and watch the making of Berber Pizza, a stuffed bread.

Then you can enjoy a nomadic dinner served around the fire and you can relax in the starlight before retiring to your tents for your night’s wild camping.

SAHARA DESERT

DESCRIPTION

This morning, a hearty breakfast will be made in your camp before you trek back to the village and the small riad with its organic kitchen garden. Here the chef will share her knowledge with a showcase Saharan meal which you can cook and enjoy in the shade of the garden.  Then in the late afternoon you can relax at the riad.

BOUNOU VILLAGE – ERG CHEGAGA

DESCRIPTION

After a leisurely start you will be collected in the 4WD which will transport you  into the deep dunes of Erg Chegaga.  The journey is around 2 hours “off road” to reach the most beautiful dunes in Morocco but on the way you will stop for a picnic lunch and to visit the nomads where mama will demonstrate the ancient art of sand bread.

Then you will arrive to Erg Chegaga and from your camp it is a 30 minute walk to the highest point if you wish to reach that. If not, you can relax or take a camel trek from the camp. The camp manager will discuss the options with you. Then after sunset, dinner will be served at your camp which is in the heart of the Iriqui National Park.

ERG CHEGAGA – M’HAMID – AGDZ

DESCRIPTION

This morning your desert driver will drive the 2 hours back to M’hamid where your tour driver and chef will be waiting for you. Here you will say goodbye to the desert and head to the sleepy oasis town of Agdz. On the way you will be able to enjoy a picnic and on arrival there will also be the opportunity to visit a village home and see how Mama Aicha weaves humble baskets from date palm leaves. These baskets were traditionally used to store food, fruits, cheeses etc

Your accommodation tonight has a nice pool area and you will be able to relax before dinner which will give you the opportunity to try Seffa Medfouna which is a sweetened vermicelli dish cooked in butter and saffron.

AGDZ – MARRAKECH

DESCRIPTION

Today we continue on through the iconic Draa Valley and on the way we will visit the UNESCO Ksar of Ait BenHaddou which you can explore. Situated on the old caravan route from the Sahara to Marrakech. The more you climb into the Ksar, the more respect you feel for the energy invested in this beautiful sun kissed assembly of human craftsmanship and resilience, facing one of the most incredible views on this valley.

Then we wind up into the High Atlas Mountains which we cross via the Tizi n’Tichka Pass, which reaches an altitude of 2,260 meters (7,415 feet) and is the highest mountain pass in North Africa. This spectacular road passes through various villages typical of the northern slopes of the Atlas.

Then we descend these mountains into the vibrant and busting city of Marrakech which nestles at their base and manages to be bohemian, cultured and traditional.

We will take you to your riad and say goodbye as this is where your food tour with us comes to an end.