Moroccan Sahara Tours

Day Trips from Marrakech and Other Activities

Included: 4×4 vehicle that seats 4 with two jump seats in the far back; holds up to 6 people. Larger vehicles available for additional cost.
 
These are our most popular day trips and activities; more are available.

Ourika Valley / High Atlas Mountains

This is a beautiful area about 45 minutes south of Marrakech in the High Atlas Mountains. It’s a touristic area (Moroccan tourists as well as western tourists) that must be seen. There are restaurants along the mountain stream with plastic sofa sets set up near the rushing river. Meals served at river’s edge or sometimes, weather permitting, right in the stream. You’ll take a hike with a wonderful certified guide. He’ll take you through a Berber village, ending at a beautiful waterfall. You’ll return to the area you last saw your driver for lunch beside the river. Cost for this day trip: €80 / person.

The Palmeraie desert area near Marrakech

This is a vast desert area near Marrakech where you can rent quads or dune buggies and take a 2-hour ride through the area, ending with a camel ride, if you want. You’ll depart after breakfast and will return to the house around lunch time. Cost for transport, quads, and camel ride starts at €80 / person. Pricing varies depending on what you choose to do.

Walking tour of the Marrakech Medina

This walking tour of the Medina is a definite must-do. It allows you to see the entire Medina with a certified and knowledgeable guide. He will meet you at the Riad and return you to it later in the day, roughly between 09:30 – 18:00. I recommend you do this on the first full day of your stay. Lunch isn’t included, but you will be stopping along the way for it. Cost of this walking tour is €60 / person.

Henna artist

We can arrange to have a henna artist come to Riad Baya to apply henna for you around the pool or on the terrace. It’s a fun and relaxing activity! Henna usually lasts up to 2 weeks, although I’ve had some that has lasted longer. (We do not recommend having this done by just anyone on the street, for instance at Jmaa el Fna, the main square in Marrakech. It’s likely they are using a chemical product vs the real henna plant. Cost of this is: €25 per person.

Massage, facial, and nail services

We can arrange a massage or facial in your room or even on the terrace. Massage is €75 / hour. Facial is €60 / hour. We can also arrange a manicure for €60 or a pedicure for €70. Let us know in advance.

Hot air ballooning

Just outside of Marrakech, at dawn, you will enjoy a beautiful view of Marrakech and the surrounding area from the sky. This is a weather-permitting only day trip. Lunch is included. Cost including transport, balloon ride, and lunch is €280 / person.

Essaouira

This is a beautiful seaside village with a large fishing port, ramparts along the sea, a gorgeous and easy to navigate souk, great restaurants, and people watching. I highly recommend getting the grilled fish near water’s edge, but you’re on your own for lunch so can choose what best suits you; there are plenty of restaurants that serve good food. Very picturesque. You’ll depart after breakfast in a private car, have the day to yourselves (easy to navigate the town), and will be back back in time for dinner at Riad Baya. Cost for this day trip, including dinner: €120 / person. There is a winery near Essaouira that we can visit for lunch and wine samplings. Let us know if you’re interested in this add-on.

Ouarzazate, The Gateway to the Sahara

This is a beautiful drive, about 3 hours from Marrakech. It is gorgeous scenery, some of the best in Morocco! It gives you a good taste of the desert, even though you won’t see any dunes. A historical area that will make you want to read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho again or for the first time! You can opt to spend one night in this city, stopping on the way there and back to see some beautiful kasbahs and villages. Cost for this trip, with the overnight, is the €310 / person, without the overnight is €175 / person.

The Agafay Desert

This rocky (not sandy) desert is about 45 minutes from Marrakech. It’s vast and beautiful, overlooking the High Atlas Mountains in the distance. It, too, has a place for quad-, buggy-, and camel-riding. It also has the opportunity for having lunch with a Berber family, enjoying a dinner at an eco-lodge, and stargazing with a return to your riad later in the evening. Since there are many variables for this trip, I can’t provide pricing until I learn from you if you’re interested in trying it. But assume it will be around ~€150 – €350 / person.