A road trip through Morocco’s least-visited south. From Marrakech over the High Atlas to the Draa Valley and the dunes of Erg Chigaga, then west along the pre-Saharan oases of Tata and Taghjijt to the Atlantic at Sidi Ifni, the red arches of Legzira and the surf village of Mirleft, ending on the beach in Agadir.
Accommodation: selected hotels, kasbahs and guesthouses, and one night in a Berber desert camp at Erg Chigaga. Guidance and transport: a multilingual local guide-driver in an air-conditioned vehicle, with a 4×4 for the desert tracks.
Pickup from your riad or hotel in Marrakech · Drop-off at your hotel in Agadir
Around 8:00 AM (we confirm the exact time with you before the trip)
Most days are 4 to 6 hours on the road, with one off-road morning across Lake Iriki. Roads in the far south are quiet, and towns are far apart, so we plan lunch and fuel stops carefully.
Route: Marrakech → Tizi n’Tichka → Ait Benhaddou → Ouarzazate → Agdz
Night: kasbah or guesthouse in the Draa Valley (Agdz) · Meals: dinner
Approx. 270 km · about 5 h driving
Over the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka pass to Ait Benhaddou, then through Ouarzazate and across the Anti-Atlas to Agdz, at the head of the Draa Valley.
Route: Agdz → Zagora → Tamegroute → M’hamid → 4×4 track → Erg Chigaga
Night: Berber desert camp at Erg Chigaga · Meals: dinner
Approx. 250 km · 5–6 h, last part off-road driving
Down the Draa Valley’s palm groves to Zagora and Tamegroute, then to M’hamid where the road ends. A 4×4 takes us about 60 km across the desert to Erg Chigaga for a sunset camel ride and a night at camp.
Route: Erg Chigaga → Lake Iriki → Foum Zguid → Tata
Night: hotel or guesthouse in Tata · Meals: dinner
Approx. 270 km · about 6 h, first part off-road driving
Sunrise over the dunes, then the 4×4 crossing of the dry Lake Iriki to Foum Zguid. From there a quiet road runs west along the foot of the Anti-Atlas to the oasis town of Tata.
Route: Tata → Akka → Taghjijt → Guelmim → Tighmert → Sidi Ifni
Night: hotel or guesthouse in Sidi Ifni · Meals: dinner
Approx. 340 km · about 6 h driving
West through the palm oases of Akka and Taghjijt, a green ribbon of date palms and earthen villages at the edge of the Sahara.
Near Guelmim we stop at the oasis of Tighmert, with its ksour and gardens, then drive to the coast at Sidi Ifni, a former Spanish town of white and blue Art Deco buildings above the ocean.
Route: Sidi Ifni → Legzira → Mirleft
Night: guesthouse in Mirleft · Meals: dinner
Approx. 40 km · about 1 h driving
A slow day on the coast. Morning walk in Sidi Ifni’s old Spanish quarter, then Legzira beach and its red sandstone arch, best at low tide.
Afternoon in Mirleft, a small village of surf beaches and cliffs, with time to relax by the sea.
Route: Mirleft → Tiznit → Agadir
Night: end of tour in Agadir · Meals: breakfast
Approx. 135 km · about 2 h driving
We drive north to Tiznit, a walled town known for its silver jewellery souk, and arrive in Agadir around midday.
