18 Days Africa Tour From Marrakech To Dakar

DAY 1 : Marrakech – Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate

Your private Africa tour from Marrakech to Dakar will start early in the morning with a pick up from your hotel/riad with our speaking English driver/guide. Drive east of Marrakech crossing the windy high Atlas Mountains and Tizi N’tichka pass. Numerous stops will be made along the way to enjoy the views, take photos, stretch your legs or drink a cup of coffee. You will leave the main road and take a side road to the Telouet Kasbah, which belonged to the lords of the atlas, the Glaoui family, each addition to the building now stands in ruins exposed to the wind and the rain. The Kasbah was abandoned and plundered after the last Pasha fled the country following the departure of French in 1956.

Next drive through Ait Ben haddou village (where Star Wars were filmed). UNESCO as one of the world’s cultural treasures has classified the fortified village of Ait Ben haddou. It is studded with crenelated towers and its buildings decorated with geometrical motifs and are considered to be one of the most beautiful villages of this kind in Morocco. A program of restoration work is currently under way to encourage the population of the village, which is at present inhabited by just five families. After having lunch in Ait Ben Haddou you continue to Ouarzazate, which marks the beginning of the Sahara desert. Visit Taourirt Kasbah. This former Glaoui residence, situated on the edge of the town, on the road to Morocco Sahara desert, is considered to be one of the most beautiful kasbahs of Morocco. Finally get dropped off at your hotel/riad in the late afternoon.

Day 2 : Ouarzazate – Dades gorges – Nkob – Zagora

After your breakfast in Ouarzazate our driver/guide will pick up you from hotel/riad driving through Skoura Oasis and visit the famous Amridil Kasbah that was originally founded in the 17th century. From here the route goes through Kelaat Magouna , the valley of Roses with a stop to see cosmetic articles locally-made from the valley’s abundant roses, after this stop you will drive up to the Dades valley A twisting piece of blacktop known by locals as the “Road of a Thousand Kasbahs” leads to the famous Dades Gorge in the beautiful countryside of Morocco. Whether you consider them one gorge or several, the scenic valleys of the Dades River are lined with hundreds of Islamic cities, citadels, palm trees, and desert sands, which make it one of the most historic roads in the country, where you will have a stop to stretch your legs by having a walk through the gorges and taking a peak at the landscape on the other side.

You will hite the road through Nkob for a lunch stop here in a restaurant with a panoramic view, In the afternoon we will drive further west to Tansikht on the banks of the Draa valley is full of large palm trees and ancient Kasbahs. Then you go along the track of the ancient caravan route which worked its way north from the Sahara to Zagora with its precious cargos from Mali and Niger.
From here your guide/driver will drop off you in your accommodation in Zagora.

DAY 3 : Zagora – M’hamid el ghizlane – Erg Chegaga

Your private Africa tour leads you today from Zagora to the beautiful Sahara desert camp in the Moroccan Sahara, at the amazing dunes of Erg Chegaga. The route follows the Draa River Valley to reach Tamegroute, it historically served as a hub of learning and religion through its famous Sufi zawiya. This was a historical center of the Nasiriyya order, one of the most influential Sufi orders in the Islamic world. From here drive directly through M’hamid for a two hours off-road to arrive at the Sahara desert camp with chance to freshen up in your tent and take a shower if needed. Here you will have the chance to ride your camel heading to the highest dunes to catch the sunset from a beautiful spot in the dunes. Enjoy traditional berber music next to the campfire after dinner. You will then spend the overnights at the desert camp.

DAY 4 : Erg chegaga – Foum Zguid – Tafraoute

After breakfast, your Africa trip takes you west through another 90 klm of the desert with varying scenery: Lake Iriqui, where you are likely to experience a wide mirage in the heat, the mountains and the fossils. Lunch will be in Foum Zguid, the first village after the desert. At the edge of the desert at Foum Zguid, we return west along the edge of the desert along asphalted road towards Tata which few people visit. From here we continue west to Tata where is worth visiting the Kasbah and the small museum. From Tata we head north through a very long gorge following the Tiata river and passing through Tiata Tagmoute, a small berber town, to join the taliouine to Tafraoute road, which you do at ighrem. This turns south-west towards Tafrouate in the Anti-Atlas. We pass through the berber towns of Azoura, Tiguermine… at the late afternoon your driver will drop off you at your accommodation in Tafraoute.

DAY 5 : Tafraoute sightseeing

After breakfast your driver will pick up from your accommodation for a full day trip to the painted rocks of Tafraoute and the gorges of Ait Mansour. From here we are going to start our day trip from the Painted Rocks that stands as a natural desert landscape with an artistic touch. Giant granite boulders were painted bright blue in 1987 by Belgian artist Jean Verame as a tribute to his late wife, and the bright hues are still visible today. Then hite the road through Ait Mansour gorges southeast of Tafraoute, a breathtaking geological ensemble.

The Aït Mansour Gorges, 30 km south-east of Tafraout, winds discreetly inside the ancestral mountain range of the Anti- Atlas, between the rocky and arid slopes, proudly stands one of the most beautiful palm groves in the south which offers an Extraordinary Panorama. picturesque climbing villages glued to the cliffs, the Oasis is in permanent greenery, the water is abundant, Almond trees, Palm trees, Olive trees… lunch will be here in a local restaurant with a panoramic view before heading back to Tafraoute for your second overnight at your accommodation.

DAY 6 : Tafraoute – Tiznit – Guelmim

After breakfast, you will start your day with a pick up by your driver to hit the road directly for about 72 klm with a vast range of Argan trees until Tiznit, that is strategically situated between the Atlantic coast and Atlas Mountains. This beautiful town is not only renowned for its beautiful culture but it also one of the best places in Morocco to find locally made berber jewelery, here we will have a small visit to one of the most known areas in Tiznit where you will see how the craftsmen made Moroccan jewelery.

Then we will drive for about 107 klm through Guelmim now your dream become eventually become a reality, and you are now on the doorstep of the Sahara. This is territory of blue people so called because of the indigo-dyed robes they wear. The lunch will be planned depends your preferences. We will have a stop at white beach “Playa Blanca’’ that situated 60 klm from Guelmim on the Atlantic ocean to catch its magical sunset before your driver drop off you at your accommodation in Guelmim.

DAY 7 : Guelmim – Tantan – Akhfennir

Your private Africa tour leads you today from Guelmim to Akhfennir where the mountains disappears to make way for the Sahara plains. Between ergs and regs you discover in Tantan an authentic village in south whose wealth is made by the abundance of fish in the ocean. On the long straights, left the desert and its recent history and on the right the ocean and its large cliffs. Arrival in sidi Akhfennir, a small village in the Sahara. After lunch in Akhfennir there are three options to do here: fishing even if you’re not a good fisher, whether surfcasting or from the cliffs meters high, or on a boat, this day of your Morocco Sahara tour will be unforgettable. From here our activities are coming to end with a sunset view before your driver drop off you at your accommodation in Akhfennir.

DAY 8 : Akhfennir – Laayoune

Today we drive 22 klm to lagoon of Neila, imagine the white sand dunes that come to die in the ocean. At the end of a small road, a military post, and from there a cliff overlooking the entire lagoon. The ocean makes its way between lush vegetation and in this magical space hundreds of flamingos. Lunch will be in the beach between the dunes and the ocean this will be a dream. After lunch in the beach we drive directly to Laayoune, the largest agglomeration of Saharan province. The climate in the province is warm and dry inland, temperate on the Atlantic coast. The “Sirocco’’ a wind from the west, is often severe. The climate and variety of nature make this region a particularly touristic one. There are vast stretches of desert, sand-dunes, rich fishing, a variety of wild birds. From here we will have a stop in Saguia el-hamra is a seasonal river located north of Laayoune city, this is a lake area and water reservoir of Laayoune which has been formed by making dams. This place has a wonderful natural beauty with the lake and palm trees.
Overnight will be in Laayoune.

DAY 9 : Laayoune – Dakhla

Today is a wonderful day, we will start it with a pick up of you from your accommodation drive long to reach Boujdour, here we will have a stop to stretch your legs and taste some camel milk from locals there and learn about their culture under a nomadic tent. Now we have a good lunch plan in a picnic in front of a panoramic sea view. Then we hit the road directly through Dakhla with an ocean view at right and barren white dunes at left.

Dakhla may be the center of a distant province, but it occupies a special place in the hearts of all Moroccans since is return to the mother-country. Its white and ochre houses with their blue windows, shutters and doors, its well designed streets, the greenery of its main square and its cleanliness all combine to offer charms as characteristic as they are diverse to visitors arriving at its international airport.
Overnight in a nice hotel in Dakhla.

DAY 10 : Dakhla ( Day trip to imlili Desert, Puerto Rico beach, passage to the Tropic of Cancer)

Sebkha of imlili located 130 km south-east of the city of Dakhla, the pearl of southern Morocco, this site offers a splendid and picturesque space allowing visitors to discover 10 pockets of permanent waters that have given this place its singularity as one of the wet Saharan regions across the globe.

Today, we will have a dreamy day trip to imlili Desert (the Sebkha of imlili) is one of Dakhla’s classics. This small sebkha is characterized by permanent pools of salt water with fish that exist only here. Pools are small but unique and beautifully colored. The sebkha is surrounded by bushes and plants, close to three wells and a regular venue for wild animals and herders.

Once we arrive we will serve you with a unique lunch plan for you in our picnic in imlili desert. After lunch we hit the road through Porto Rico beach. located about 60klm south of Dakhla, Porto Rico is a beautiful beach of golden sand and crystal clear water. A long, pristine beach that seems endless, with a stone cliff in the middle. Here we will have a small stop for taking nice pictures before we head to the Tropic of Cancer which is a circle of latitude or parallel on the earth’s surface. From here we go back to Dakhla for some shopping in local shops if needed, then drop off you at your hotel to have rest and get ready for our next day’s day trip to the white Dune and the Source Asma.

DAY 11 : Dakhla (white Dune, Source Asma, Oyster Park)

The White Dune is one of Dakhla’s must-see. Reachable only by 4WD through a pist cutting across the desert, it is surrounded by the ocean at high tide, flamingos often at sight. You’ll get an amazing impression of the area’s stunning colors and views, and will take the opportunity to walk on incredibly soft sand or into the sea coming with the tides. Depending on tides and season, migratory birds may also be visible from the cliffs along the Dakhla peninsula. Then we drive through Source Asma a 10 km from Dakhla, you will find the hot spring of Asma. A fountain of youth in the middle of the desert, water at 38°C gushes from the bowels of the earth through a simple pipe.

Now we can then continue to the Oyster Farm, a famous stop-over for great fish seafood for lunch at a local restaurant with a panoramic sea view. In the afternoon we will admire the power of ocean waves along the Atlantic coast, searching the beach to discover shells and other surprises before we drop off you at your hotel in Dakhla.
Overnight in Dakhla.

DAY 12 : Dakhla – Nouakchott

Today is our last day in Morocco before enter to Mauritania in the late afternoon. Leaving Dakhla heading directly through the Mauritanian borders, we stop here for about 3 hours to check our papers and passports… After we will have a long drive to Nouadhibou. Lunch will be planned depends our time in the road and for sure we will have a unique picnic in one of the nicest places near borders.
Arrive to Nouadhibou in the afternoon.Today, it is considered as the economic capital of Mauritania thanks to its mineral port which ensures the export of iron ore mined in Zouerate to the industrial countries, but also at its industrial fishing port, where a large number of vessels are moored, tracking their prey in the world’s most fish bearing waters. Nouadhibou is built along a north-south axis stretching for about 10 km along Median Boulevard to the north and the Cansado Road to the south.
Overnight in Nouadhibou.

DAY 13 : Nouadhibou – Akjoujt

After breakfast in Nouadhibou, you will have the chance to have a visit of 1 hour to this beautiful city, when leaving Nouadhibou with some luck we’ll get to see the world famous iron ore train as approach the Mauritania-Western Sahara border. This train is said to be the longest in the world, sometimes up to 2.5kms long, and carries huge amounts of iron ore from the mines near Zouerat in the east of Mauritania to the coast at Nouadhibou. Locals often travel on top of the iron ore out in the open, wrapped up from head to toe to protect themselves from the dust.
Lunch as usual will be as a picnic in one of the nicest landscapes between Nouadhibou and Akjoujt. From here we drive directly through Akjoujt which is an old mining town in the centre-west of Mauritania. Capital of the Inchiri region, the town is close to the border with the Adrar region. We arrive to Akjoujt in the late afternoon and we will finish our day with a drop you off at your accommodation.

DAY 14 : Akjoujt – Chinguetti

After breakfast in Akjoujt we will pick up you from your hotel, and we will drive for about 3 and half hour to reach the city of Chinguetti, it may not be as popular as other cities in Mauritania, but don’t let that fool you. Chinguetti is a smaller but beautiful upcoming tourist destination that is worth a visit. You will be surprised by some of the unique things to do and places you can explore at this hidden destination. Lunch will be planned as a picnic in one of the nicest panoramas before arrive to Chinguetti.

Next in the afternoon we will visit the oasis of Chinguetti and Habott library that is about two hundred years old. It was created by Ehel Habott from his own manuscripts, to which he added manuscripts brought from the four corners of the Muslim empire, and manuscripts edited by himself and his children. The library now contains 1,450 manuscripts on twelve themes, including geography, mathematics, astronomy and religious sciences; the oldest is 960 years old. Next to the library is a museum in which one can observe some traditional ancient objects. After that we walk through erg Ouarane dunes to catch the sunset.
Overnight in Chinguetti.

DAY 15 : Chinguetti – Nouakchott

Wake up in the early morning to drive so long through Nouakchott via Atar and Akjoujt. Then we head down the Atlantic coast to the villages of the Imragen people, renowned for using dolphins to help them catch the fish one which depend. We explore the Banc d’Arguin National Park with its impressive bird population. Lunch will be planned as usual in the road. When arrive in the capital Nouakchott there might be the chance to spend some time in the city to visit sites of interest. The fish market, or port de peche, is considered one of the liveliest in all of West Africa, and guaranteed to impress with dozens of colorful fishing boats lined up along the beach. It is also worth visiting the bustling central market and grand mosque to go people watching.
Overnight in Nouakchott.

DAY 16 : Nouakchott – Saint Louis (Senegal)

After breakfast, your private Africa tour leads you today from the capital Nouakchott to Saint-Louis. A long day awaits us as we head south for about 4 hours of driving with our packed lunches. Depending on the weather and road conditions we will cross the border into Senegal at either Diana or Rosso, and say goodbye to Nouakchott. We might stay here few hours for checking the passport as usual in border ports.
Arrive to Saint-Louis that was founded in 1659 on the island by Norman sailors. It is the oldest colonial city on the West African coast. It was the administrative and political capital of the French territories of West Africa, Mauritania and Senegal. The name Saint-Louis is given to this island in honor of the King of France. We can’t talk about Saint Louis, not to mention the famous Faidherbe bridge. This bridge was created in 1897 following the sinking of a frigate (the jellyfish) which brought 400 French soldiers and officials to Senegal in 1816.
Overnight in Saint-Louis.

DAY 17 : Saint-Louis Sightseeing

Enjoy a full day sightseeing tour in Saint Louis, you will have the opportunity to visit the impressive fishing harbour. Here you can see the colorful fishing boats launching into the river as they head off to cast their nets, and the frenetic activity as they return with their catch and the bartering for the fish begins! You’ll see the fishermen working on their boats along the shoreline it is quite a sight as dozens of men chisel huge chunks of timber into shape and lovingly decorate them with bright color schemes! After we visit also Djoudj National Bird Park that is located about 60 klm north of Saint-Louis. This park is a true paradise for migratory birds and is now the third largest ornithological reserve in the world.
We visit also the Parc National de la Langue de Barbarie is named after the spit of land separating the Senegal River from the Atlantic Ocean.

Overnight in Saint Louis.

DAY 18 : Saint Louis – Dakar

Today is the end of our tour. Say goodbye to Saint Louis and take the road through the capital of Senegal Dakar. After lunch we will say goodbye to you after drop you off at your accommodation to have some rest and be ready to explore Dakar, that has a long history and rich cultural heritage. On the next day try to take in the highlights of the city, then cruise out to explore the UNESCO-listed Goree Island. See landmarks such as the Presidential Palace and the Monument of African renaissance; browse the markets for traditional handicrafts; then learn about Dakar’s dark past on a tour of Goree Island, including the House of Slaves.

We hope our service and work will brought a smile to your face