Tips for a 9-day itinerary in southern Morocco (page 3 of 3)

You’ve also got some amazing hikes in the area. If the season’s right and the river level is low, you can start from this valley—still in its natural state—along the M'Goun river and follow it all the way to Bou Tharar, passing through the stunning and dramatic Achabou gorge. (You’ll have water up to your feet, maybe even your knees; it’s narrow, so it’s best not to set off just anytime.)

At the bottom of Tizi Ait Imi, there’s a pretty basic gîte-camping spot that does the job—Gîte Vallée M'Goun, 3 km before the village of Ouzirimt. You leave your car there and follow the river through all the little villages until Bou Tharar...

A super nice hike that can be done in 3 or 4 days. The gîte is functional, but it’s not the Mamounia. Once in Bou Tharar, you can catch a 308 or 208 (shared taxi) heading to Tabant and get dropped off at the gîte. In Bou Tharar, at Auberge Tamalout (eating there is better because the owner’s getting a bit stingy in his old age ^^), he’ll call to book the number of seats from Kelaa M'gouna where they leave...

Thanks for the tips.

You're welcome. I’ll check out your photos. Cheers,

I’ll just suggest an alternative that’s as wild as yours but way prettier and far less touristy than some of the tacky stuff—like visiting the Zazate studios, which is a total scam for suckers... If you *really* want to see something film-related, check out the cinema museum downtown, right across from the Taourirt Kasbah. The guy who started it doesn’t manage it anymore and couldn’t care less (though he did go to Sciences Po, so he’s cool in my book ^^). It’s at least a bit more "cultural" than the nonsense you’re about to put your kids through... Ouarzazate is my turf—I’ve been hanging around there for over 20 years, mostly for work, but Perju’s right: move along, there’s nothing to see...

Hey Olivier,

You always crack me up

but Perju is right, move along, there’s nothing to see...

You always crack me up

Oh yeah, that’s what makes you laugh!!!

" that " is me? 😮

No no, I was just responding to your comment about me and teasing Kate... about the fact that she’s laughing because you said I was right... 😏

I was teasing you too 😛..

Anyway, you were teasing me too 😇

That’s exactly what I was thinking... 😏

Hi, Same remarks... This is a "throw a stone and see what happens" kind of program... 😇... Go to Skoura and Fint to head back to Dadès, not great either...

Since you clearly don’t want to stop and want to see as much as possible—which is your choice after all—I’d need a month, even rushing, to do your loop... and that’s if I don’t run into too many friends along the way...😛

I’d just suggest a variant that’s as crazy as yours but much prettier and way less "cutesy" than some of the tourist traps, like visiting the Zazate studios, which is a total scam for gullible tourists... If you *really* want to see something film-related, check out the cinema museum in the center, across from the Taourirt kasbah... The guy who created it doesn’t manage it anymore and couldn’t care less (he went to Sciences Po, though, and I love the guy ^^). The idea is more "cultural" than the nonsense you’re about to put your kids through... Ouarzazate is my turf—I’ve been hanging out there for over 20 years, for work, but Perju’s right: move along, there’s nothing to see...

Fint, the oasis hyped up by all the YouTubers, Facebookers, and—worse—TikTokers who spend 5 days in Morocco and then write million-page guides about everything you *need* to know about the country... Really not a priority for an ultra-short road trip...

So if I understood correctly, you’ve got 9 days, meaning 8 nights there...

Night 1: MRK...

Night 2: AGOUTI OR TABANT (I figured it’s not great to do the Tichka twice), so I’d head to Ait Bouli, then the Ait Bougemez valley... Anne, a Swiss woman, runs a really nice hostel, Auberge Flilou ("poppies" in English), on Google Maps—check it out near Agouti... There are others in Tabant for all budgets... Count about 6 hours of driving from MRK via Demnate. After Demnate, you’ll get some stunning scenery (a few spots with *Jurassic Park* vibes and a cute little village with an old granary on your left near Ighir n’Tissent, and a bit later, a small village on a ridge to your right: Iguelouan, pretty spectacular from the road...

Night 3: Bou Tharar... A bit of very high mountain action to prove those *Guide du Routard* clowns wrong about the highest paved passes in Morocco—there are two around here that put the Tichka to shame... After Tabant, a nice climb up the Tizi Ait Imi (the "mouth pass") to descend into the M’Goun valley and then back up the Tizi Ait Hamed at 3,050 m... Gorgeous AND paved... (Hurry up and visit the area before influencers claim they discovered America.) On the way down, some beautiful hairpin turns, then head to Bou Tharar. There are several nice places if you insist, but don’t always follow the pavement... If you’re not afraid of dirt roads, a small, easy detour will take you through the Amejgag gorges (you won’t be bothered by tourists there). I can give you the GPS tracks and points... There are also a few really nice, remote spots before Bou Tharar that are cheap and authentic—real local vibes. FYI, Bou Tharar is kind of the end of the Valley of the Roses...

Night 4: Tinghir... From Bou Tharar, there’s an easy 8 km dirt road that cuts through the massif and connects to the Dadès valley (near Ait Youl) and its beautiful—but sadly overdeveloped—succession of new hostels (though it calms down near Tilmi... for now). From there, you’ll climb the Tizi Ouanno pass (everything’s paved or easy on dirt roads—yeah, those days of roughing it are long gone ^^). On the other side, you’ll pass through Agoudal and descend to Tinghir via the Todgha gorges... (A few nice spots near Agoudal, but no time.)

Night 5: Zagora... From Tinghir, head back toward Boulmane (sorry about Skoura, but you should’ve come 10–15 years ago or more—now it’s a sick, overhyped palm grove, just like Fint, sold by hordes of tourists who’ve invested in fancy hostels. Of course, the YouTubers and TikTokers who "discovered" Morocco three years ago know how to sell it in their blogs...). From Boulmane, head toward Inkioun and cross the Saghro via easy paved roads through the Tizi Tazazert, which, last I heard, has been suffering from severe depression ever since little Logans started crossing it innocently... On the way down (oops, quick stop for orange juice or tea at Auberge Tirza and a viewpoint over the Azzefar canyon), you’ll hit Bab n’Ali... How to put it... Well, it’s basically a big, hard zigzag, but the area’s worth remembering for some great hikes... Then continue to N’Kob... Still paved... After that, turn right toward Zagora via Tanskhite. My heart aches that I can’t tell you about the insane dirt roads in the Saghro or the few beautiful little surprises on the way to Zagora, but I hope the landscape will blow your mind enough to make you want to come back for another trip with *at least* five times more time... or five trips... Zagora: I approve of the hostel Perju recommended. The name’s terrible, but otherwise, I like going to Auberge Soleil du Monde—it’s nice with kids and far from the city... Take a relaxed walk in the evening or morning through the old town of Amzrou; the owner’s really friendly...

Night 6: Chegaga. You’ll have time to go to M’Hamid, but stop just before at Bounou at Camping Esprit Désert (also recommended by Perju, which I approve of), run by Phil, who knows his stuff and can organize a great night in the desert at Chegaga. Otherwise, try M’Hamid—though at Petit Prince, you’ll mostly find charming scammers offering you overpriced junk (if you haven’t been hassled already, because the smooth talkers here are on top form).

Night 7: Do what you want, but enjoy the desert with your kids without rushing, especially since you won’t have your rental car (unless it’s a 4x4)... Head back slowly and why not sleep at the Ksar of Timidarte... Or even head to Ait Ben Haddou if you’re short on time...

Night 8: MRK. On the way back, you’ll have time to stop at Ait Ben Haddou, but even though the place has been ruined lately, it’s still fun for the kids—especially since Kurt Russell peed against the palm tree there (no, I’m keeping that secret to myself)... Obviously, head back via the Ounila, Telouet, and the Tichka...

It’s doable, but it’s a race... Unless your car breaks down, it’s less packed than your first proposal...

Sorry we didn’t see this message—it got buried under the replies about forum features, etc. Sorry because you took the time, so thank you at the same time!

You know now that no, we weren’t just doing our own thing—we simply didn’t see the message. I got an alert about a reply and saw discussions about deleting posts, etc. (see the thread)

No worries. It's your trip, not ours. The advice everyone gives can also be useful and give ideas to others... Nothing is wasted... It "might" come in handy another time...😛

Regarding the itinerary, since we hadn’t seen your latest tips, we planned a more classic loop (RAK > Aït Ben Haddou > Skoura > Dades > Tinghir > Zagora > Erg Chegaga > OZZ just for the flight) and extended the stay because the initial 9 days were too short. We’ll have 11 full days. Traveling with two kids (10 and 14), we find it more comfortable and reassuring to do a classic tour, even if it means being among the tourists who all see the same things. The difference is we won’t come back saying "we’ve ‘done’ Morocco"—but anyway.

We know it’s a whirlwind, but at the same time, we don’t have unlimited vacation time.

Usually, we do it this way and return to the same place a few years later to focus on just one area. We travel a lot, and this is how we enjoy it ;)

not having seen your latest tips

Darn, I took a while to write this long post... I should’ve just gone to knock back a beer at the neighbor’s...

Ah, you have 2 kids... Okay, tie game, I didn’t see that detail either... So I get why the price is 380 euros now... I thought it was just the two of you...

Have fun and enjoy yourselves... But still, spare yourselves that pile of crap at the Ouarzazate film studios... It’s not worth anything, really... Unless, I guess, you want to please your little ones... When you’re in front of that ridiculous thing... Go around it to the left via the track... It’s an easy track—even a Beetle could handle it... Go behind it... In the distance, you’ll see a big ol’ castle... Personally, I don’t know anything about it; I kicked the TV out of my house over 15 years ago, and my wife swore she’d never go to a movie theater with me again... But I’ve been told that castle was the one from *Game of Thrones* and that it was also used in, uh, some famous movie about the Crusades, lol... You can also get to Ait Benhaddou that way...

And as my friend who started the museum likes to remind us... Ouarzazate, the city of cinema, but with no cinema left... Just saying.

As mentioned, we’ve completely ruled out Ouarzazate as well as the film studios. Ouarzazate will only be visited to reach the airport for your return flight

Have a great trip!