Your journey will begin in Marrakech.  You will depart the Red City and drive through the High Atlas Mountains.  Along the way there are plenty of vistas at which to stop for photographs.  You will cross the famous Tichka Pass (2,260 m / 7,414 ft), the highest paved pass in North Africa.  Not long after  you’ll enter the city of Ouarzazate, known as the Moroccan Hollywood for the numerous movies filmed in the city.   You’ll have lunch in Ouarzazate.

Shortly thereafter, you will drive through Skoura, a fertile oasis lined with palm groves, olive trees, and the ruins of kasbahs that date back to the 12th century.  Following the Skoura Valley, you’ll drive through the Valley of the Roses.  If it happens to be the first weekend of May, you will encounter the annual Rose Festival.   In the early evening hours, you will reach your destination for the night in the spectacular Dades Valley and Gorges.

In the morning, you’ll make your way into the town of Boumalne, which marks the southern entrance to the Dades Gorge.  You’ll find that the central market square is a good vantage point to observe the local life.  From there you’ll drive through Tinghir, back to High Atlas Mountains, and into Todgha Valley and Gorges where you’ll have the opportunity for a stroll through the gorges in the morning.

Afterwards, you will drive back through the Todgha valley, through the small towns of Tinghir and Tinjdad and into Erfoud.  Erfoud is the International Capital of Fossils as well as a filming site for the movies The Mummy and King of Persia.  Each year in October the city hosts the international Date Festival.  After spending some time in the city known as the “Gate to the Sahara Desert,” you will continue your journey off-road to the impressive Erg Chebbi Sand Dunes.  In a short time, you will arrive at the camp in time to board camels for a leisurely jaunt to the dunes where you will watch the sun sink below the horizon.  Your night will be spent under the stars in a nomad tent.

If you rise early, you will see the display of the sunrise as the shadows play amidst the vibrant color of the dunes.  After a hearty breakfast, the journey continues to the Dra’a Valley.  On the way, you’ll pass through the village of Tazzarine which was featured in the film, Babel.  You’ll stop in N’Qob for a delicious lunch.  Later in the afternoon, you’ll continue through the Draa Valley toward Agdz.  Along the way, you’ll pass through oases checkered with kasbahs along the river.  Some lie in ruins and others are still inhabited.  Nearby Agdz, you’ll have the opportunity to visit Kasbah Tamnougalte, the former home of the area Caid in the 16th century.

Finally, as dusk begins to fall, you’ll cross the Tizi-n-Tinfifite Pass (1600 m / 5,249 ft).  Shortly thereafter, you’ll enter the town of Ouarzazate, known as the Moroccan Hollywood.  It is here that you will spend the night.

On the far side of Ouarzazate, you will visit Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, an UNESCO World Heritage site, located on the southern slopes of the High Atlas.  After spending time climbing through the kasbah, you will depart for Marrakech.  The road snakes over the High Atlas Mountains, around hairpin bends, and in and out of canyons.  As you take in the beautiful display of colors and the unmatched panoramas you’ll see why this stretch of road is considered one of the most scenic segments in the entire country.  Just before you start the descent down the other side of the High Atlas, you will cross the famous Tichka Pass (2,260 m / 7,414 ft), the highest paved pass in North Africa.  By the end of the day, you will find yourself back in the famous Red City of Marrakech.