Marrakech: Atlas Mountains, Berber Villages, Agafay & Camel Ride
Description
Set out from Marrakesh into the Atlas Mountains, passing hamlets, villages, and farmers' fields. Visit and share a meal with a Berber family, admire Takerkoust Lake, and relax in the tranquillity of the Agafay Desert as the sun sets.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Discover and explore deep Berber country in the High Atlas Mountains, and enjoy the landscapes of desert, valleys, villages, and open plains on a full-day trip from Marrakech. Fall in love with the varied and unique beauty of Morocco’s valleys, mountains, countryside, and desert on this full-day guided excursion from Marrakech. After pickup at around 9:00 AM, head to the Atlas Mountains, passing through a small village where you can visit a traditional Berber Weekley souk (market in Saturday or Tuesday) Visit to a Women’s Argan Oil Cooperative: Enjoy a warm welcome with a traditional Moroccan breakfast (tea, bread, honey, olive oil, and argan oil). Learn about the authentic process of producing cosmetic and culinary argan oil. Guests may use the cooperative’s toilet, and all services are included and free.
Pause to admire the stunning snow-capped peaks of North Africa’s highest mountains, a perfect spot for photos and nature lovers.
When we arrive at the gateway village of Imlil in Toubkal National Park, escape the city and immerse yourself in the stunning High Atlas scenery. Enjoy a short 1h30 hike to a picturesque waterfall near the highest village in the valley (around 2000 m), with breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks, including the chance to see Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa. Wander along gentle mountain paths, pass traditional Berber hamlets, and admire terraced fields, cherry and walnut orchards. Along the way, your guide will share fascinating insights into Berber culture and heritage. After the hike, return to Ait Souka to enjoy a delicious local lunch,
Come back down through the village of Ait Souka, where you’ll meet a Berber family and enjoy a traditional Moroccan meal as a guest in their home. Head next to Kik Plateau, at 1,800 meters altitude, offering spectacular 360-degree views, and in spring, a marvelous spread of alpine flowers.
Arrive at the edge of Lalla Takerkoust Lake, whose dam supplies Marrakesh with all its energy. Take a tea break and admire the views out over the lake
After finishing our day trip, we drive to the Agafay Desert to enjoy the peaceful countryside. Along the way, we pass through the striking stone desert and scenic plateaus. Although the real Sahara is about 3 days from Marrakech, Agafay offers a beautiful Rocky desert experience just 1 hour away. Here, we will enjoy a camel ride dressed in traditional Moroccan outfits, riding for approximately 20 minutes. For those seeking more adventure, an optional quad biking experience is available (extra cost). If time allows, we can also take a moment to enjoy the panoramic desert views before returning to Marrakech.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please contact me on my WhatsApp! Departure Information: We provide traveler pickup services, covering accommodations in central Marrakech. Departure Point: Pickup is available from hotels and riads situated in central Marrakech. For those staying within the Medina, your pickup location will be at the nearest point accessible to vehicles. Guidelines: Hotel pickup is applicable to establishments in central Marrakech. Kindly share your hotel details during reconfirmation to schedule your pickup time. If your riad is within the medina, you'll be directed to the closest point accessible to vehicles, possibly involving a brief walk. Dates: Available daily Return Information: The return point is the same as the original departure point. Return Details: Returns to the original departure point.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(1,912)
Lovely experience :) guide was friendly and knowledgable. We were very lucky with the people we were with. Saw some local areas with merchants and argan oil production in action.
Wonderful vacation in this marvelous facility, excellent services, excellent food, and a camel ride not to be missed.
Youssef was amazing, such a friendly and helpful guide. First time in morroco and we saw so much and felt so welcomed and safe the whole time. Saw so much beautiful scenery and had a great time, all thanks to Youssef :)
Brilliant experience and guide was very informative and really nice group to go on this adventure with ! Highly recommend 5 Star will be back…
We had such a great day - Youssef our guide was so lovely and incredibly knowledgeable! We visited such beautiful sites, such as the waterfalls in the Atlas mountains and the lake in the Agafay Desert. Luckily we went on a Tuesday, so Youssef took us to the weekly market! Visiting his hometown and eating home cooked food by his mother was so special (and delicious!!), we are so grateful to him. We also got very lucky with our group, everyone was so friendly, we took lots of big group photos! It honestly made our holiday, I would strongly recommend this day. Thank you again Youssef 🙏
Me and my partner had a wonderful experience through every aspect of this trip! We started with viewing the oldest town in the Atlas Mountains with knowledgeable commentary from our tour guide, Youssef, and then got driven to a women’s foundation where we got to watch argan oil get made and even make it ourselves! It all felt very authentic and even got an included breakfast! We then got driven up into the high Atlas where we saw a market and got to experience true life for the Berber communities living there. After this we completed the phenomenal hike in the Atlas Mountains- the views were incredible and definitely worth visiting- including the waterfall at the end which was beautiful. After this, we had an authentic home cooked meal from Youssef’s family and it was DELICIOUS! A gorgeous view while eating traditional Moroccan food was a true delight! We were also greeted by many well behaved and friendly cats at the small village where we stopped which was lovely (remember to bring cat treats if you like cats!). After lunch we drove out to the desert area to finish the day with a camel ride! Lovely experience to see such gorgeous creatures up close and experience the scenery at the same time. Before being dropped back to our hotel, we stopped for a view of the lake that powers Marrakech by hydroelectricity which was super interesting and scenic. All in all, this excursion was well worth the money, and totally unforgettable. I 100% recommend for any age really as long as you’re okay with a hike! We were in a group of 6 and felt very comfortable and safe the whole time! One note to add for the lunch is to bring 70Dh per person if you didn’t pay online! Also remember a scarf if you wanted to wear one for the camel ride as they aren’t provided!! (Clothes are provided however). Seamless transport from our hotel even though it was slightly out of Marrakech which was much appreciated. Thank you Youssef for a wonderful experience- amazing tour guide, so knowledgeable of the area, fluent in a multitude of languages and a genuinely kind person to be around! Fully recommend !😁
This was a wonderful tour. Thank you to Youssef who gave us a very insightful day around the Altas area. We stopped at a market, a Cooperative, had lots of great tea. Enjoyed the walk through to the waterfall. Youssef was very attentive to make sure everyone was okay and happy. He gave us lots of information about the area and the people, and it felt like we got a feeling for the Imazighen way of life. It was definitely a good value for money and even with the small extra for the food, it was still an excellent price. It was definitely something I would recommend for people that like to learn more about the local people. Thank you again for a lovely trip Youssef.
The excursion was really nice
very good trip, very good guide, received a lot of info, good chance to see how locals live, excellent lunch. Worth for your money
Unfortunately, we were very disappointed by this tour. Due to the many positive reviews, we had high expectations, which unfortunately were not met. Particularly disappointing was our guide Youssef. Throughout the entire tour, he was mostly preoccupied with his phone and provided hardly any information about the surroundings or the places visited. Moreover, there was a constant feeling that he wanted to finish the tour as quickly as possible. Although we saw many sights, we could hardly enjoy them due to the tight schedule. Everything felt very rushed, and there was hardly any time to explore the places at a leisurely pace. For those who want to pay as little as possible and have no high expectations, this tour may be sufficient. However, we personally would not recommend it further.
