10-Day Luxury Atlas & Sahara ExpeditionMountains and Desert, in Real Depth
10 days / 9 nights·Private for your party (2–10)
About this journey
Most Morocco itineraries treat the Atlas Mountains as a driving corridor to the Sahara. This one doesn't — it gives the mountains genuine time, with a private trekking guide and two nights based in the High Atlas, before continuing to a luxury desert camp for a proper Sahara stay. The structure is deliberately unhurried: several days around Imlil and the Toubkal foothills with real trekking (adjustable to your group's fitness and interest), then south to Erg Chebbi for two nights at a luxury camp, rather than the standard one-night-and-move-on most itineraries offer. This suits travellers who want to actually experience the landscapes rather than photograph them from a moving vehicle — hikers, photographers, and anyone who's done a faster Morocco tour before and wants to go back and spend real time in the two regions that usually get the least of it. Trekking is scaled to your group — a gentle valley walk suits most fitness levels, while more serious hikers can arrange a multi-day route with advance notice, still returning to comfortable accommodation each night rather than mountain refuges.
- Two nights based in the High Atlas with a private trekking guide
- Two nights at a luxury Sahara camp, not the usual single night
- Trekking adjustable to your group's fitness and interest
- Private vehicle and guide dedicated to your party throughout
- A genuinely unhurried pace across both regions
Day by day
Your guide meets you on arrival for a relaxed private walk through the medina once you've settled in — enough orientation to navigate confidently later, without overloading day one. Overnight at a 5-star riad.
- Private medina orientation walk
A scenic drive into the High Atlas to Imlil, the trailhead village for Jebel Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak. The afternoon is free to acclimatise and wander the village before two days of proper trekking begin tomorrow.
- Drive into the High Atlas
- Imlil village orientation
A private trekking guide leads a route scaled to your group — a gentle half-day walk through Berber villages and walnut groves for most groups, with a longer, more demanding route available for serious hikers. Overnight again in Imlil for a home-cooked Berber dinner.
- Private trekking guide
- Berber village visits
The drive south crosses the Tichka Pass and continues to Ait Benhaddou, the UNESCO kasbah from Gladiator and Game of Thrones, walked privately before the coach groups arrive. Overnight at a 5-star kasbah hotel in Ouarzazate.
- Tichka Pass
- Ait Benhaddou UNESCO ksar
The Dadès Valley and Gorge break up the drive before Merzouga's dunes turn gold. A private camel trek or 4x4 brings you to a luxury camp for the first of two nights, with a multi-course dinner under the stars.
- Dadès Valley and Gorge
- Luxury camp, first of two nights
Sunrise with coffee before you rise, then a genuinely relaxed second day at the camp — most itineraries move on after one night, but this gives the Sahara the time it deserves. An optional visit to Khamlia's Gnawa musicians is easy to add.
- Sunrise with in-tent coffee
- Second night at the luxury camp
- Khamlia Gnawa music (optional)
The return route takes in the Todra Gorge, where 300-metre rock walls narrow to a few car-widths, before an overnight stop in Skoura, an oasis town of kasbahs and palm groves most itineraries skip on the way back.
- Todra Gorge
- Skoura palm oasis overnight
The final leg avoids retracing the outbound road, stopping at the Telouet Kasbah, once home to the Glaoui family, Morocco's most powerful pre-independence dynasty. Back in Marrakech by early evening, checking into a 5-star riad.
- Telouet Kasbah
- Different route home
A day built around what you want after nine days of mountains and desert — a private hammam and massage, a specific restaurant booked, or simply time by the riad's plunge pool. A farewell dinner closes out the evening.
- Private hammam and spa (optional)
- Farewell dinner
A private transfer to the airport, timed around your actual flight.
- Private airport transfer
Inclusions & exclusions
What’s included
- 9 nights 5-star and boutique accommodation across the Atlas and Sahara
- Private air-conditioned vehicle, upgraded on request
- Licensed English-speaking guide exclusively for your group, all 10 days
- Local trekking guide for the Atlas days
- Private camel trek (or 4x4 option) to the luxury camp
- 9 breakfasts, 7 dinners including two multi-course desert camp dinners
- Entry fees at Ait Benhaddou and the Dadès/Todra Gorge stops
Not included
- International flights
- Lunches (typically $20–$40/day)
- Personal travel insurance (required)
- Gratuities for guide, driver, trekking guide and camp staff
- Specialist trekking equipment (available to rent locally if needed)
Choose your style
2 Travellers
- Two nights trekking in the Atlas
- Two nights at a luxury Sahara camp
- Private vehicle and guide
4 Travellers
- Same itinerary and accommodation
- Lower per-person cost
- Private vehicle and guide
6+ Travellers
- Larger private vehicle
- Lowest per-person cost
- Same itinerary and accommodation
What travelers say
“Two nights at the desert camp instead of the usual one made an enormous difference — the first night you're still adjusting, the second you actually settle in.”
“As a keen hiker I've been disappointed before by 'desert tours' that treat the Atlas as scenery you drive past. This gave the mountains real respect.”
“The trekking guide adjusted the route for our mixed-ability group without anyone feeling like they were holding others back.”
Why choose AZA Morocco Tours
- Local expert guides — born and raised in Morocco
- Small groups capped at 10 people maximum
- All-inclusive pricing — no hidden fees
- Free cancellation up to 30 days before departure
- Weekly departures year-round (except desert tours Jul–Aug)
- Verified reviews on TripAdvisor
Questions about this tour
It gives the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara significantly more time than our standard luxury circuits — two nights based in Imlil for proper trekking, and two nights at the desert camp instead of the usual one.
No — the standard trekking days suit most reasonably active travellers. A more demanding route is available for experienced hikers with advance notice.
One night is enough to see the dunes; two lets you actually settle into the rhythm of the desert rather than arriving and leaving in a rush.
March to May and September to November — this avoids both high-Atlas snow and peak Sahara heat, which is a narrower window than our other itineraries given the trekking component.
The Atlas and Sahara sections can each be booked separately as shorter itineraries — ask us about combining a shorter version if 10 days doesn't suit.
A guideline is $15–$20 per traveller per day for the guide, $8–$10 for the driver, plus separate discretionary tips for the trekking guide and camp staff.