Best Tours and Excursions from Marrakech

Best Tours and Excursions from Marrakech

Best Tours and Excursions from Marrakech: That Marrakech has plenty of places to see is undeniable. That we can spend 2 wonderful days getting lost and finding ourselves in its streets, is a piece of evidence. But its privileged location and communication, allows us to make excursions of 1 day or more to other points of great interest in the country.

In this post we tell you which are the 8 best tours and excursions from Marrakech. We hope this guide will be very useful to organize and visit some of the most beautiful places in the Moroccan country. So, write it down and enjoy the adventure!

There are two types of excursions, due to their proximity or good communications; the 1-day excursions from Marrakech, and the excursions of more than 1 day from Marrakech.

1-day excursions from Marrakech

Ouarzazate, a Hollywood visit at the gates of the desert.

Just 4 hours drive away we find the town of Ouarzazate, also known as the gateway to the desert. In this town and its surroundings, we can find and make part of the route of the 1000 Kasbah. In particular there is one highly recommended and that stands out above the rest for its magnificent construction, maintenance, size and location; Ait Ben Haddou.

The Ait Ben Haddou is the star of the tour, the most popular Kasbah, without a doubt. It is an impressive village made of adobe and clay that climbs the hill. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and has been the ideal setting for films such as Gladiator and Lawrence of Arabia. However, it has become even more famous as the city of Yunkai in the Game of Thrones series.

Next to Ait Ben Haddou, just at the entrance of Ouarzazate, we find the Atlas film studios. If you are interested in the world of cinema, you can see some of the sets of movies like Kingdom of Heaven, Gladiator, Star Wars, Alexander the Great, Benhur, The Mummy, Lawrence of Arabia … Obviously, the studios are not preserved in the same way as in other parts of the world, but it is a most curious visit, and in our opinion, highly recommended.

In addition to these two activities, you can go to visit the Kasbah of Taourirt, another of the most outstanding Kasbahs in this area of the country.

2. Agafay Desert, a haven of tranquility

Best Tours and Excursions from Marrakech: Another of the most interesting excursions to do from Marrakech, is the Agafay desert. Just 45 minutes from the city of Marrakech, we find this wonderful place. Fortunately, it is not yet a site very exploited by tourists.

This desert at the foot of the Atlas that many tourists still do not know, is not a desert to use, or as other famous deserts of the country. Agafay lacks dunes. It is a terrain that could well be lunar, which seems to extend to the horizon, to the foot of the Atlas Mountains. It is a barren land, full of pebbles and sparse vegetation.

In it we can find some dromedaries and some shepherds with their goats, as well as some campsites prepared for tourists to spend a magnificent night under the starlight in the middle of complete nothingness.

Undoubtedly, it is one of our favorite destinations. The peace in Agafay is absolute, and this is sometimes necessary after spending several days in the chaotic Marrakech. In addition, the absence of tourism and crowds, makes it a privileged place. We only came across 1 tourist in all our stay in the desert.

3. Ouzoud waterfalls, the highest and most beautiful in the country.

The Ouzoud Waterfalls are our third choice of excursion from Marrakech. It is located 2.30 hours from the Moroccan city, and you can perfectly go to spend a wonderful day.

It is the highest and most beautiful waterfalls in the country, according to many tourists. And yes, we agree. Located in the tiny village of Tanaghmeilt, in the Middle Atlas, and with its 110 meters high, they are one of the most important tourist attractions in the country.

Ouzoud is a Berber word meaning olive. The name of the waterfall is due to the nearby olive trees that shade the path to access the waterfall at the bottom. In addition, at the top of the waterfalls there are a dozen small old mills that are still in use.

To access the bottom of the Ouzoud Waterfall, you will go down a few stairs surrounded by small stalls and stores with all kinds of souvenirs and local products, as well as several bars and restaurants. A place prepared for tourism, as it is the most visited point in the region, but which undoubtedly becomes a must on a visit to Morocco.

4. Essaouira, the coastal city

Best Tours and Excursions from Marrakech: There are 3 hours that separate Essaouira from Marrakech, therefore, Marrakech from the sea. Essaouira is one of the most popular and tourist destinations in Morocco, and that is why we did not want to miss it, or stop recommending it.

Essaouira is a port city located on the western Atlantic coast. The city of the wind is characterized by its small white houses and its walled medina, among other things. Its medina is so majestic that it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.

As soon as you arrive, you will understand that the economy of the place revolves around fishing, the timber industry, textiles and tourism. You will be delighted to see its port, fishermen mending their nets, stalls with all kinds of carpets, and hundreds and hundreds of restaurants and souvenir and handicraft stores.

A stroll through the city is a delight. The city is authentic despite the tourist exploitation it may have suffered. It still retains its essence, its particular smell of saltpeter, the sound of thousands of seagulls fluttering around. And not to mention the food. In Essaouira you will find hundreds of restaurants where you can eat the best fish in the country, or any other typical dish.

In addition to its medina, where every little house is painted white, you should take a walk along its ramparts. The Portuguese built these fortresses and its port in 1506, and this is another of the essential areas to visit in the coastal city of Essaouira.

5. Merzouga Desert, the gateway to the Sahara

Best Tours and Excursions from Marrakech: It is a 9 hour drive from Marrakech to the Sahara desert, but it is worth it. Merzouga is a small village about 50km from the Algerian border, and one of the entrances to the imposing Sahara Desert.

It is the most famous village of the sub-Saharan Erg Chebbi, and is for this reason one of the points of the itineraries of many tourists. Despite being in the desert, it is a village of the most prepared to live the experience in the desert.

All kinds of hotels adapted to the needs of the tourist, as well as excursions to sleep in camps in the desert with Berbers. Dromedary tours with a Berber guide are also typical, but if you can avoid using animals for your enjoyment, we would do the animal kingdom a favor.

The experience of walking over the dunes and watching them blend into the horizon is truly indescribable. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you dedicate 2 days of your stay in the country to get to know this wonder of the planet. To feel the Sahara is something unforgettable.

6. Zagora Desert

Located much closer to Marrakech than the desert of Merzouga, we find the desert of Zagora. After about 5 hours by road, you will see an arid and rich terrain, with an area of dunes. It has little to do with the desert of Agafay and Merzouga.

Although not as popular as Merzouga, Zagora is another of the most visited deserts in Morocco. In Zagora you can also sleep in a haima, as well as explore the dunes on a quad, watch the sunset or avoid one of the many camel rides that are offered.

We recommend both the desert of Zagora and Merzouga, as we find both excursions incredibly beautiful and interesting. It is up to you to choose which one fits your budget and itinerary, or if you can visit both deserts. We, taking everything into account, we opted for the Merzouga Desert.

7. Todra and Dades Gorges

Best Tours and Excursions from Marrakech: Located about 5 hours from Marrakech, we find the famous Todra and Dades Gorges. Both gorges are located on the east side of the High Atlas, and are world famous for being the most spectacular canyons. In addition to the gorges, the road that takes you from Tinghir to them, is a delight for all the senses. Its colors, the contrast between the rock and the palm groves, are absolutely incredible.

Visiting these gorges of crystal clear water is a truly worthwhile experience. And for this reason, it has become in recent years, one of the most tourist destinations in the country. Some parts of the gorge are only 33 meters wide and more than 100 meters high, so many climbers from all over the world come here to practice this sport. Here you will find some of the most famous roads in Morocco for its countless curves, as well as countless hiking trails.

This is why we cannot stop recommending this excursion if you are in Morocco for several days. If you also have in mind to visit the area of Ouarzazate, you can combine it perfectly with this location, as it is quite close.

8. Fez

Fez is our last recommended excursion to do from Marrakech. There are 530km that separate one city from another. And although they are not many hours by car because the entire route is done by highway, we recommend doing it at least 2 days, to have enough time to explore the wonderful city of Fez.

Fez is one of the imperial cities of Morocco, and one of the most impressive, authentic and beautiful in the country. This ancient walled city, which many compare to Jerusalem, can easily be toured in 1 day. The city dates back to the 8th century and is also a pioneer in Muslim worship in the country, as well as possessing one of the oldest universities in the world.

Perhaps we could say that Fez is the cultural and spiritual capital of Morocco, center of art and science. We can wander and get lost in its labyrinthine alleys and its immense souk. In addition, take a walk around its imposing adobe and brick walls, as well as visit tiled courtyards or visit its famous ink square from the heights. Another feature that caught our attention was the number of kittens we saw in every street, ideal for cat lovers!

Fez is welcoming and mysterious at the same time. It is a much quieter city than Marrakech and has an immensely rich culture. Undoubtedly, it is one of the most recommended excursions from Marrakech.

Buy your travel insurance to Morocco

Best Tours and Excursions from Marrakech: Traveling with a good travel insurance is super important, wherever you go, we never know what can happen to us on the trip. Hopefully we will never have any mishap and we can enjoy our getaway without incident, but in this case, it is always better to be safe.

In our adventure, unfortunately, something could be stolen, we could lose our suitcase, see a flight cancellation, get sick … for all these types of incidents and more, it is essential to always be covered with a good insurance. In addition, for being a reader of Dosmochilasymedia we offer you a 5% discount on your insurance contract! with the Spanish company Mondo.