SOUTHERN MOROCCO FOOD AND COOKING TOUR - 6 DAYS

from/per person €355
  • Bivacco
    Bivouac
  • Deserto
    Desert
  • Escursioni in dromedario
    Camel excursion
  • Itinerario culturale
    Culture tour
  • Gastronomia e tipicità locali
    Food and local products
  • Pernottamento presso famiglie locali
    Homestay accommodation

General description

A culinary experience through the flavors and tastes of the south of Morocco, learning the secrets of one of the most famous cooking traditions of the world.

Direction Sud invites you on a six day unforgettable journey through the most popular dishes and local specialities of the Southern Moroccan culinary tradition. Starting from Marrakech, we’ll cross the Central High Atlas at the Tizi n’Tichka pass to reach the ancient Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou and then move south across the Draa valley down to the town of Zagora, at the gates of the desert. The travel includes guided visits to historical and cultural sites, tastings sessions and cooking classes and demonstrations, held in the most traditional and cozy locations, where local chefs and experienced Berber women will teach us the secrets of the Moroccan cuisine. Along the journey, we’ll have the opportunity to explore the most typical dishes and flavors of the High Atlas and Saharan and pre-Saharan Morocco, by visiting local cooperatives and craft shops and discovering the daily life of authentic local Berber families. The trip comprises the unique experience of a night in a traditional bivouac provided with all comforts among the dunes of Erg Lihoudi, with short camel treks and Saharan cooking demonstrations.

Travel proposals also suitable for schools and associations.

Other details


Included services:

Reception and accompaniment - Transport by 4x4 or minibus – 1 homestay night - 1 night in bivouac with camel trek on the dunes - 3 nights in hotel / riad / guest house – Accommodation on full board basis - Food tastings, cooking classes and demonstrations - Traditional music night - Entrance fees to monuments and architectural sites - 1 professional guide throughout the duration of the trip - 24h24 Assistance

Extra services not included:

Airplane tickets - Drinks - Tips for staff – Optional activities – Travel health and cancellation insurance (upon request, Direction Sud will help you identify the most suitable for your needs). Direction Sud guarantees no hidden costs or other extra fees.

Stages of the trip

6 days / 5 nights

Ait Ben Haddou – Draa Valley (Agdez) – Zagora – Erg of Lihoudi – Ouarzazate
We’ll leave from Marrakech early in the morning, crossing the central High Atlas at the Tizi n’ Tichka pass and heading south towards the Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou. The thick walls of this magnificent stronghold of earth and straw, UNESCO heritage site since 1987, will welcome us for two days of food tastings, cooking classes and demonstrations and dinners with local families. During this first part of the journey we’ll have the opportunity to appreciate the strong taste of Moroccan mountain dishes, as the lamb tagine with walnuts and figs and the couscous with seven vegetables, and the sweet flavor of refined and delicate pastries made of almonds and honey. Moving south to the Draa Valley, we’ll discover a universe of multiple tastes and flavors, reflecting the great variety and biodiversity of these regions enclosed between the Atlas and the desert, whose cooking traditions are widely considered the best of Morocco. Here, we’ll learn the art of selecting and mixing spices with meat and vegetables and combine tastes and ingredients to play with senses. Over the last part of our journey through the southern Moroccan cuisine, we’ll explore the Saharan cooking traditions, spending a day in a traditional nomad bivouac among the golden sand dunes of the Erg Lihoudi, with cooking demonstrations and food tastings at the rhythm of traditional desert music.