hi. i have got 5 days in marrakech between christmas and new year. i am looking for interesting thing to do and amybe over night tours to the sahara. anyboday got any suggestions. thanks jane

Jane, after 3 visits to Marrakech we recommend that you lose yourself in the souks (ancient market) during the day. Just spend your time wandering up and down every trail you see. You will be amazed at what you find.
Take a carriage ride around the outer walls to see the grandeur of the city and the gardens of the King's palace.
Heading off into the Western Sahara is not recommended unless you have a top guide. There are still military actions over border disputes and landmines have been found.
Do have a dinner on the square in the early evening. A few hundred stalls are set up for drinks and food. Select one that appeals and feast.
Spend an evening or two on the Square to see the range of entertainment. It is a story tellers delight if you understand Arabic and Berber. Just watch the people, listen to the sounds, and marvel that this has been going on for over 1,000 years.
Stay in a Riad off the square to get a flavor of the country. You are treated as a king/queen for little money. They can also give recommandations on current events.
When you leave, you will wonder where your five days went.

Asquarray can arrange private treks of the High Atlas & Desert for all abilities and for any duration at a fixed daily rate depending on number of people traveling. Transfers to the starting points and from the final destination are available from Marrakech or from elsewhere.



My trekking itineraries are designed to be integrated into a tailor-made holiday and are, therefore, independent and private to each client rather than fixed date departures of large groups and because of this freedom they have become very popular with those who really wish to get away from it all. With our trekking you can enjoy the incredible beauty of the Atlas Mountain region at your chosen pace and for the duration and route of your preference.

Info: trekking In High Atlas Morocco omar@douar-imlil.com Omar@douar-imlil.com

Hi Jane. When you say "to the Sahara", what exactly do you mean? Marrakesh isn't particularly near the Sahara, if by that you mean the classic sandy dune scenery of Erfoud and Merzouga and so forth. Marrakesh's hinterland is the Atlas mountains; to get further afield might require rather more tedious bus journeys through mountainous terrain than you'd like.

With just five days to spend there, you're going to find that Marrakesh itself takes up the bulk of your time. I think the city deserves three days for a proper exploration, though you could squeeze quite a lot into two. An easy and fairly appealing excursion is to go to Essaouira on the coast, if you've not been there already - you get crashing Atlantic breakers to admire and old fortifications to explore. That would make a nice overnight trip; travel there by train or bus takes around three hours.

Otherwise, well Ouarzazate, often regarded as the obvious gateway to more deserty areas, is five hours' away by bus, the ride taking you up and over the mountains on narrow, winding roads. From there you could visit the kasbah at Ait Benhaddou quite easily and you're a few more hours' bus or taxi ride from gorges such as Todra and Dades - if that's what you're after. None of this is classic desert scenery, but it is mighty pretty and wonderful in wintertime. But Christmas is the height of high season so expect everywhere to be busy...

Hope this helps.

Richard
www.myspace.com/rltl

about the sahara you can have a look at
http://www.merzouga-zagora-expeditions.com/
great Tours offers a great amount of informations on travel to morocco, including a travel transportation /hotel and camel trekking..
good luck