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Steennot Travels is launching soon. We are not taking bookings yet: put yourself on the list and you will be the first to receive a no-obligation proposal.

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Destinations / Africa

Personally composed

Southern Morocco

Marrakesh, breezy Essaouira, the High Atlas, kasbahs, gorges and a night in the Sahara dunes. Private, at your own pace

13 daysSelf-drive or private driverDates of your choicePrice coming soon
Price and interest listDay by day in the brochure (PDF)

For information only, not an offer yet. Brochure not opening? Email me and I will send it to you.

I arrange this route through southern Morocco in full for you as an 13-day private trip. You start in the souks of Marrakesh, at the waterfalls of the Ourika valley and by the ocean in Essaouira, walk to a Berber village in the High Atlas and drive over the Tichka pass to the earthen ksar of Aït Benhaddou. Via the Dades and Todra gorges you ride a camel into the Erg Chebbi dunes for two nights in a desert camp, and on the way back you spend two nights in a kasbah in the palm grove of Skoura, from where you drive over the Tichka pass to the airport.

Highlights

  • The souks, palaces and evening spectacle of Jemaa el-Fna in Marrakesh
  • The blue-and-white port town of Essaouira on the Atlantic, with an argan oil cooperative on the way
  • The Ourika valley and the Setti Fatma waterfalls in the High Atlas
  • A walk to the Berber villages at the foot of Toubkal, and mint tea with a Berber family
  • Over the Tichka pass to the kasbah of Telouet and the ksar of Aït Benhaddou (UNESCO)
  • The kasbahs of Ouarzazate and Skoura and the Dades and Todra gorges
  • Two nights in a desert camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes, reached by camel, with dinner under the stars
  • Two nights in a kasbah in the Skoura palm grove

Day by day in the brochure (PDF)

For information only, not an offer yet.

What I will arrange for you after launch

  • Pickup at the arrival airport and the transfer on your last day; the details are in the brochure.
  • All hotels and guesthouses, booked in advance at the level you choose: Budget, Comfort or Premium.
  • Transport on the ground: a rental car waiting for you (self-drive) or a private driver and private transfers. Domestic flights and trains where that makes sense.
  • The activities and entrance fees on the route. Prefer a guide? I can add a local guide to any activity.
  • Breakfast, and the meals at remote places with no alternative (such as a safari lodge, desert camp or yurt camp). For the other meals I give you my restaurant recommendations, but you choose completely freely where you eat.
  • A personal intake, at your home or by video call.
  • A WhatsApp line, before and during your trip, and my personal 24/7 number.
  • A call-back after your trip.
  • Your international flight from Brussels: after launch I'm happy to book it for you, or you book it yourself. Prices on the site exclude the flight.

Travel whenever you like

Your dates are completely free: there are no fixed departure dates, you leave on the day that suits you. My recommended route takes 13 days. Shorter or longer is possible too; I adapt the route.

The months I recommendPossible too, let us discuss

This is advice, not a rule. If you want to travel in another month, I tell you honestly what to expect (rain, heat, crowds) and adapt the route.

Level and transport

You choose the level of your hotels and how you get around. Same route, same care; only the hotels and the transport differ.

BudgetSimple, excellently reviewed riads, guesthouses and kasbahs, and a desert camp with en-suite tents.
Self-drivePrice to follow
With private driverPrice to followincl. driver, fuel and tolls
ComfortCharacterful riads, kasbah hotels with a view and a comfortable camp in the dunes.
Self-drivePrice to follow
With private driverPrice to followincl. driver, fuel and tolls
PremiumThe finest riads and kasbahs on the route, with a pool or spa, and a luxury camp in the dunes.
Self-drivePrice to follow
With private driverPrice to followincl. driver, fuel and tolls

Price coming soon – join the interest list to be the first to receive it. Travelling solo, you pay a supplement. With four travellers the price per person goes down.

If you are interested, I am happy to send you the hotel guide with all the addresses.

More about self-drive and the private driver on this route

Self-drive

You can drive yourself: the roads are paved and well signposted, also to Merzouga. Your rental car (full insurance with zero excess) is ready in Marrakesh on day 3 and you return it at Marrakesh airport on day 13. Fuel and parking are paid locally. Do expect a few long driving days (the Tichka pass twice, and approx. 4.5 to 5 hours on days 9, 11 and 13) and never drive after dark. In Merzouga your car stays at the camp. If you want to enjoy the landscape without steering yourself, choose the private driver.

Private driver

My recommendation for this route: one dedicated French- or English-speaking private driver takes you from day 3 to day 13 in a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle. He knows the Tichka pass, the best viewpoints and the way to the desert camp, and waits while you walk or visit. Fuel, tolls and his meals and accommodation are included. He is a driver, not a guide.

Flight

After launch I'm happy to book your flight for you, or you book it yourself.

Return flight to Marrakesh not included. I am happy to book the flight for you, or you book it yourself.

Travelling responsibly

You stay in small, locally owned riads, guesthouses and kasbahs, drink mint tea with a Berber family in the Atlas and buy argan oil from a women's cooperative. If you choose a guide, I arrange a licensed guide from the area, paid per visit. In the desert I choose a camp that uses water sparingly and removes its waste. You fly in and out of Marrakesh, without a domestic flight.