12 day trips to Marrakech

Get away from the tumult and the overwhelming heat of the Red City. Discover 12 day trips from Marrakech.

From the Jamaâ el-Fna square to the Saadian tombs, passing through the palaces and the pimping gardens, Marrakech is already making all senses awake. However, moving away from its effervescence and its sometimes flooded areas of tourists allows other splendid discoveries. Offering a parenthesis a few kilometers from Marrakech brings you to the encounter of a wild, breathtaking nature and villages who have lost nothing of their deep authenticity.

Thirty minutes to a little over two hours are enough. Before you take the road, take a look at the weather to ensure good conditions on the mountain roads. If there are some lines of bus serving certain destinations, the simplest and secure one remains a visit organized by a tourist agency. In addition, you will be assured of the company of a true guide.

On the way to 12 day trips from Marrakech!

1. Ouarzazate

Ouarzazate is probably one of the most popular day trips to Marrakech. Indeed, this jewel is considered “the doors of the Atlas”. The town is therefore a perfect starting point for a walk (e.g. dromedary) in the Haut-Atlas.

But Ouarzazate, it is also a high place of shooting. To discover this facet of the city, head to the Studios Atlas, cinema studios popularized in the 1990s and 2000. Masterpieces as La Momie , Gladiator , Asterix & Obélix : Mission Cleopatra or Games of Thrones all came to shoot scenes in the Moroccan heights.

Finally, finish with a more authentic Ouarzazate, walking in the souks. Between spices and handicrafts, you can immortalize your passage with a small souvenir.

2. Essaouira

Essaouira is an important commercial port. And this from the Middle Ages. It is also a city with cosmopolitan inspirations, since many peoples have lodged between its walls in harmony. Walk in the alleys, in the souks and by the water to discover this rich past.

And before returning to the port for sunset, you could also visit the women’s argan oil cooperatives. Located a few kilometers from Essaouira, a visit will allow you to meet the women who perpetuate this tradition.

3. The Berber villages of Arempt, Imlil and Ouirgane

A day trip from Marrakech to a few Berber villages allows a very singular and profound discovery of the country. In the heart of the Atlas Mountains, visit the villages Arempt, Imlil and Ouirgane. These mountain hamlets are still spared from tourism and very anchored in their traditions.

You will breathe the pure air, much different from that of the Red City, surrounded by the summits. The village of Imlil is the best known. Adorned with chocolate hills and similar to a mosaic of small pink cubes, it is the starting point of the hikes that leave to the assault of Mount Toubkal.

4. The Cascades of Uzbekistan

This long trip from Marrakech, through the Middle Atlas, finally leads to one of the most spectacular places in the Moroccan mountains. The waterfalls of Ouzoud, a hundred and ten-metre high, are in the heart of a natural site with dense vegetation. Some curious people will not miss visiting you: monkeys (a little too accustomed to the food of visitors...).

In addition, the path leading up to the remarkable falls is full of vasques, small streams and breathtaking views. Not to mention the small merchant sluts or the factory Argan oil .

5. La Vallée d’Aït Oucheg

Although the Urika Valley makes a shadow in the Oucheg Valley, the latter is certainly worth a visit. Especially if you want a trip from Marrakech that comes out of the ordinary. This garden of Red Eden is a blessed land for trekking enthusiasts. On the way, the villagers with donkey back will be a pleasure to make a few meters alongside you. To accompany you, a kaleidoscope of small streams and refreshing waterfalls.

6. Le Plateau du Kik

To the southwest, excursions to the day from Marrakech are numerous. On the way to Lake Lalla Takerkoust, to the Berber villages at the foot of Mount Toubkal or even during a full visit, the Kik landscapes are a wonder. This tray, toned by the snow chain of the Haut-Atlas, is located just above the village of Asni. This Berber village, enclosed in a spectacular circus, is also worth a visit.

Let yourself be charmed by the welcome of its peasants who, despite their harsh living conditions, will be happy to offer you a mint tea. Then go for a walk on the dream curves of the Kik Plateau. If its limestone topography, sabrated with a few rivers, is a fabulous playground for walking, it is also a place for paragliders.

7. The rock engravings of the Okaimeden

Oukaïmeden is first of all a well-known ski resort in the country. The ideal for a trip from Marrakech if you want to experience the unheard experience of snow in Morocco. Perched at 3,000 metres above sea level, the Okaimeden station also visited the beautiful days. It is even a paradise for trekking and natural observations.

At the heart of the site, don't miss the cave and enigmatic engravings that testify to the passage of nomadic peoples. Enjoy guessing the animals engraved in the smooth sandstone.

8. Zat Valley and Tighdouine Village

If you're looking for a trip from Marrakech that comes out of the beaten paths, take the road to the Zat Valley. In the Haut-Atlas, it takes place along beautiful Berber villages, which you will fall in love in a fraction of a second. The hospitality of the inhabitants is without restraint. The landscapes upset the imagination, far from what we imagine of Morocco. The palm trees, the parterres sprinkled with shaved vegetation and the green patches follow through the confidential trails.

The pride of your day will probably be Tighdouine’s visit. Its souk, the most traditional ones is an enchantment of the senses. It is also the starting point of a hike to the seven sources. A natural place where waters flow to healing virtues.

9. The Desert Agafay

An unmissable one of the day trips to Marrakech: a trip to the desert. Of course, it is not the Sahara. But the Agafay Desert is a true natural jewel. Sand point here, but a rocky desert, cut into white and golden dunes. The colors and games of optics are amazing.

Just like the permanent backdrop: the immaculate summits of the Atlas. This enchanted oasis, where the oued winds, is also the guardian of a rare fauna and flora. In this austere and fascinating nature, some Berbers remain and live in harmony with the elements.

10. The Ourika Valley

The Ourika valley is one of the best preserved in Morocco. It is a flagship destination for those who want to taste the geography of the Atlas. With Berber tribes, the Urika brings you turns into turns, in an authentic and green walk.

During this day trip from Marrakech, take the time to stop in the popular hamlets in sand. Their shopping centre, their craftsmanship, their old walls are full of charms and traditions. Along the winding roads, the landscape takes place in lush vegetation. A dense nature sometimes leaves a little room for a few minarets, merchants of minerals and vegetable crops.

Follow the river, climb up to altitude, hit the mountains, it has nothing to do with the tourist capital.

11. Lalla Takerkoust Village and its lake

Ready for a day trip from Marrakech, under the sign of rest and Moroccan legends?

Before being a village licked by a beautiful lake, Lalla Takerkoust housed a mosque and the mausoleum of the woman of the same name. A Koranic figure celebrated for its goodness and fertility. Just arrived, the azure of the lake in which the Atlas dances. The panorama is magical and perfect for a day in exile, away from the tumult and heat of Marrakech. The hotels and restaurants go down the shores, offering moments of relaxation and fierceness.

But some of you will prefer to plant their towel directly on the lake beach. The most adventurous will opt for a donkey-back, quad, buggy or even a trek around the water point.

12. The Desert of the Jbilets

North of the Red City, the Jbilets Desert is a well-kept secret of the Marrakchis. Its lunar decor, crowned by the Atlas Mountains, offers many activities. Its peeled hills are not sandy but beautifully formed from stones to extraordinary geology. Folds, flaws and crevasses guarantee unstandard sensations in quad or buggy. Photographers will also be filled with the ochre color palette and sometimes fantasmagoric shapes of rocks.

During this trip from Marrakech, you can experience the unusual experience of a hot-air balloon flight at sunrise on a stone desert.