Marrakech Excursions and Day Tours

How our Marrakech excursions work

Marrakech sits in the middle of a very varied landscape. Within one hour you can be in a palm grove, in a stone desert or in a green valley. Within three hours you can reach a waterfall, an Atlantic port or a UNESCO kasbah. That is why a base in Marrakech, with day trips, is the simplest way to see a lot of Morocco without packing a bag every morning.

Every tour on this page starts with a pickup at your hotel or riad. If your riad is inside the medina, where cars cannot enter, we agree a meeting point at the nearest gate and confirm it by email. A local guide or driver travels with you, and the guides speak English, French and Arabic.

You book by choosing your tour, your date and the number of guests. There is no payment online. We confirm availability and your pickup time by email, usually the same day, and you pay in euro or dirham on the day of the tour. You can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before the start.

Choose by how much time you have

Half a day, 2 to 5 hours

If you only have a morning or an afternoon, choose something close to the city. The camel ride in the Palmeraie takes about two and a half hours. The history tour takes three and a half. The gardens tour takes four hours and covers the Jardin Majorelle and Le Jardin Secret. The Agafay quad and buggy rides take four hours, and the sunset dinner in the desert takes five.

A full day, 7 to 12 hours

For a full day, the choice is between water, mountains and sea. The Ourika Valley is the closest, about an hour and a quarter away. The Atlas 4x4 tour goes deeper, to the villages below Toubkal. Ouzoud has the tallest waterfalls in the country but needs a long day. Essaouira is the coast, and the Road of the Kasbahs is the longest and most scenic drive, over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Aït Benhaddou.

A special morning

The hot air balloon flight is the one experience that works best on its own. You are collected between 5:00 and 6:30, you fly for about an hour over the plains with the Atlas in front of you, and you finish with a Berber breakfast.

Choose by what you want to feel

• Quiet and scenic: the Atlas 4x4 tour with lunch in a Berber village, or the Ourika Valley.
• Culture and history: the Marrakech city tour, the history tour, the gardens tour and the Kasbah road.
• Adventure: quad and buggy rides in the Agafay hills and the Palmeraie, or the walk to Ouzoud.
• Romance and celebration: the balloon flight at sunrise or the dinner in the desert at sunset.
• Rest: a hammam and massage in a riad, which is a good recovery after a long day on the road.
• Sea air: Essaouira, with its ramparts, blue boats and grilled fish.

Seasons and the weather

Morocco is warm for most of the year, but the experience changes. From October to April the desert evenings and the mountains are cool, and the best months for balloon flights and the Agafay dinner. From March to June the Ouzoud waterfalls carry the most water and the mountains are green. In July and August Marrakech is very hot, so the tours that start early or finish at sunset are the comfortable ones.

Each tour page lists the best season and the weather to expect. Our guide to the best time to visit Morocco goes month by month.

What is the same on every tour

• Hotel or riad pickup and return, with air conditioned or 4x4 transport where the tour needs it.
• A local guide or driver who speaks English, French and Arabic.
• Small Group tours are capped at 6 to 20 guests depending on the activity.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, and payment on the day.
• Every tour can be booked as a private trip. Choose Private tour in the booking form and we send you the price by email.

Frequently asked questions