5 DAYS MOROCCO STARGAZING TOUR CASABLANCA VIA CHEFCHAUEN

Sahar Stargazing Experience

5 DAYS MOROCCO STARGAZING TOUR CASABLANCA VIA CHEFCHAUEN

Five days opens up the north of the country in a way four does not. This route adds Chefchaouen, the blue-painted town in the Rif Mountains, and the Roman city of Volubilis, before turning south for the Sahara.

You start on the Atlantic at Casablanca, take in the capital at Rabat, and climb into the Rif for a night in Chefchaouen. From there the road runs down through Volubilis and Meknes to Fes, then south across the Middle Atlas cedar forests and the Ziz Valley to the dunes at Merzouga. The final stretch crosses the old caravan corridor through the Todra Gorge and Dades Valley, past Ait Ben Haddou, and over the High Atlas into Marrakech.

It is a genuine north-to-south traverse: Atlantic coast, mountain town, imperial city, desert, and finally the red city at the foot of the Atlas.

Stargazing in the Merzouga Desert

Stargazing is one of the unforgettable experiences included in our Morocco desert tours. Rather than being a separate activity, it is part of your desert camp experience and takes place during your stay in the Erg Chebbi dunes, as outlined in your tour itinerary.

How Our Stargazing Experience Is Organized

After enjoying a traditional dinner at the desert camp, we gather together and take a peaceful 10-minute walk into the heart of the dunes. Away from any artificial lights, you’ll reach a quiet location where the night sky reveals thousands of stars in remarkable clarity.

Our experience begins with fascinating stories about the nomadic people of the Sahara and how they relied on the stars for navigation and orientation across the desert. You’ll learn about their traditions, legends, and their deep connection with the night sky.

Using a professional laser pointer, your guide will introduce you to the most prominent stars, constellations, and celestial objects visible above the Sahara. With virtually no light pollution, the Merzouga dunes offer one of Morocco’s most spectacular stargazing environments, making this a truly memorable part of your desert adventure.

Duration:5 days / 4 nights

Start: Casablanca

End: Marrakech

Tour Style: Private

Stargazing Experience : Merzouga Desert

HIGHILGHTES:

– The Hassan II Mosque on the Casablanca shoreline
– The Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V in Rabat
– The blue medina of Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains
– The Roman ruins of Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
– Bab Al-Mansour and the imperial architecture of Meknes
– A night inside the Fes medina
– Ifrane and the cedar forest Barbary macaques
– The Ziz Valley palm corridor
– Camel trekking into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset
– A night in a luxury desert camp with Berber music
– A guided stargazing session in the dunes
– Sunrise over the Sahara
– The Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley
– Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah
– The Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 metres

TOUR Itinerary

Your guide collects you in the morning from the airport or your accommodation in Casablanca. The day begins at the Hassan II Mosque, built out over the Atlantic on a platform above the water and the largest in the country, where the exterior courtyard and the setting are worth unhurried time.

The road then follows the coast to Rabat, where you visit the Hassan Tower, the unfinished twelfth-century minaret, and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V facing it across the esplanade. Lunch is taken in Rabat.

The afternoon drive turns inland and climbs into the Rif Mountains, arriving in Chefchaouen in the evening. The town is built into a fold between two peaks and painted throughout in shades of blue, a practice that goes back to the Andalusian and Jewish communities who settled here from the fifteenth century onward.

Overnight: Riad in Chefchaouen

The morning is free in Chefchaouen. The medina is small enough to walk properly in a couple of hours and rewards wandering without a fixed route, and the uphill path to the Spanish Mosque gives the view back across the whole town and the mountains behind it.

After lunch the road runs south to Volubilis, the most complete Roman site in Morocco and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The layout of the city is still legible on the ground, with the basilica, the triumphal arch, and floor mosaics that have survived in place.

A short drive on is Meknes, the imperial capital built by Moulay Ismail in the seventeenth century. The monumental gate at Bab Al-Mansour gives the clearest sense of the scale he was working at. From there it is a straightforward run to Fes and your riad in the medina.

Overnight: Riad in the Fes medina

After breakfast the route leaves Fes and climbs into the Middle Atlas. The first stop is Ifrane, whose pitched roofs and cool climate look nothing like the rest of Morocco and have earned it the nickname the Switzerland of Morocco.

Beyond it lies the cedar forest near Azrou, where Barbary macaques live in and around the trees along the roadside. It is one of the few places the species can be seen in the wild, and worth stopping for properly. Lunch is taken along the route.

The afternoon carries you through the Tizi n’Tilghmt pass and down the Ziz Valley, a long green corridor of date palms cutting through bare rock. You reach Merzouga at the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes in the late afternoon, where camels and a guide are waiting. The trek climbs into the dunes and pauses on a high crest for sunset before continuing to the camp. Tea on arrival, a private tent, dinner, and Berber music around the fire.

The final day begins after breakfast with the drive west through Kalaat M’Gouna, the centre of the Roses Valley, where the fields turn colour in spring and rose products are made and sold year-round.

At Ouarzazate you have the option of visiting Atlas Studios, one of the largest film production facilities anywhere and the reason a great deal of desert cinema has been shot in this part of Morocco.

A short distance further on is Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified earthen village on the old caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a textbook example of southern Moroccan construction, built from packed earth and straw with walls thick enough to hold the heat out. It has stood in for a long list of places on screen, from Lawrence of Arabia to Game of Thrones. There is time to walk up through the ksar to the granary at the top.

From there the road climbs the High Atlas and crosses the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 metres, with stops along the switchbacks for the views. You descend into the Marrakech plain and are dropped at your riad, where the tour ends.

STARGAZING EXPERIENCE – MERZOUGA DESERT

After dinner, we gather together and walk for about 10 minutes into the dunes to a quiet, dark location where there is no light pollution.

We begin with an introduction to the mythology of the nomads and explain how they used the stars they observed at night to navigate during the day.

Using a professional laser pointer, we guide you through the night sky, introducing the most important stars and constellations.

An early start for the sunrise over the dunes, then breakfast at the camp. You leave either by camel or by 4×4, whichever you prefer.

If the day falls on a Sunday, Tuesday, or Thursday there is the option of stopping at the souk in Rissani, the historic seat of the Tafilalet and still a working regional market.

The route runs west to Tinghir, with a stop at the viewpoint over the palm oasis and the villages along its edge, then up the Todra river to the gorge, where the canyon narrows and the limestone walls rise around 300 metres above the riverbed. There is time to walk the gorge floor.

The day ends in the Dades Valley, with a stop at the viewpoint over the switchback road climbing the valley wall.

The final day runs west through Kalaat M’Gouna, the centre of the Roses Valley, where the fields turn colour in spring and rose products are made year-round.

At Ouarzazate there is the option of visiting Atlas Studios, one of the largest film production facilities anywhere. A short distance on is Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified earthen village on the old caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is built from packed earth and straw with walls thick enough to hold the heat out, and there is time to walk up through the ksar to the granary at the top.

From there the road climbs the High Atlas and crosses the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 metres, with stops along the switchbacks. You descend into the Marrakech plain and are dropped at your riad, where the tour ends.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

– The itinerary can be adjusted to suit your interests.
– A guided walking tour of the Fes medina can be added if you want a full day in the city.
– Vegetarian and vegan meals are available. Let your guide know on the first day.
– You can travel to and from the desert camp by camel or by 4×4, in either direction.
– Quad biking or a buggy excursion can be added on the morning of day 4.
– Sandboarding is included. Mention it on the drive to the desert.

– Private air-conditioned vehicle with fuel
– English-speaking driver, or a driver and a separate tour guide
– Four nights accommodation as listed
– Private room in hotels and riads, private tent at the desert camp
– Meals: 4 breakfasts and 2 dinners
– Camel trekking experience in the Erg Chebbi dunes
– Sandboarding
– Stargazing experience in the Merzouga desert

– Lunches
– Drinks and beverages
– Entrance fees where applicable
– Tips

Please fill out the form below to contact us, and we will respond as soon as possible. For a faster response please send a WhatsApp: +212661144620 message or call us at +212661144620 . We look forward to connecting with you. Email: saharastargazing@gmail.com

How to pay for the tour?

Our payment process is simple and hassle-free. To confirm your booking, we require a small deposit, which can be easily paid via PayPal, bank transfer, or Wise at the time of reservation. The remaining balance is to be paid in cash to your driver or guide on the first day of the tour, in euros, US dollars, or the equivalent amount in Moroccan dirhams.

What currency is used, and how do I get money?

The currency in Morocco is the Moroccan Dirham (MAD). Credit cards are accepted in many hotels and larger businesses, but cash is needed in many smaller towns and markets.

Is it possible to customize the tour itinerary?

The currency in Morocco is the Moroccan Dirham (MAD). Credit cards are accepted in many hotels and larger businesses, but cash is needed in many smaller towns and markets.

What are the camps in the desert like?

You’ll spend the night in a traditional Berber desert camp featuring private tents. The camps offer essential comforts such as comfortable bedding, shared or private bathroom facilities (depending on the camp type), warm blankets, and a communal dining area for meals and relaxation.

Price & Booking Policy

As a staying guest of our hotel ,hotel KASBAH mohayut, we offer you a guided observation of the starry sky after dinner until midnight, seeing conditions permitting,
at 200
Dirhams per person.
As a non-staying guest of our hotel we offer a 3-course dinner with guided stargazing after dinner at 350 Dirhams per person. Only valid with a firm reservation and upon confirmation by hotel mohayut.
For passing through guests: Price: 350 Dirhams pp. Parking of the car and a guided observation after dinner for about an hour and a half .upon firm reservation confirmed by the hotel.
Occasional drive-by’s will not guarantee stargazing at SaharaSky.
Cancellations please 2 days before arrival date as confirmed by the hotel either by email to saharastargazing@gmail.com or by SMS to 0661144620 .

How Our Stargazing Experience Is Organized

Walk through the tranquil Erg Chebbi dunes under a sky filled with stars.
Witness the spectacular Milky Way in a pristine dark-sky environment.
Learn how Sahara nomads navigated using the stars for centuries.
Guided constellation and planet tour with a professional laser pointer.
Discover ancient Berber legends and celestial mythology.
Perfect opportunity for unforgettable night photography and astrophotography.
A romantic, peaceful, and unforgettable experience in the heart of the Sahara Desert.