9 DAYS STARGAZING-MOROCCO TOUR FROM CASABLANCA
Sahar Stargazing Experience
9 DAYS STARGAZING-MOROCCO TOUR FROM CASABLANCA
The difference between eight days and nine is the first one. Landing in Casablanca and immediately starting a long drive north is a rough way to begin a holiday, particularly after an overnight flight. This route gives you an arrival day in the city instead: time to sleep, see the mosque properly, walk the Corniche, and start the trip the next morning rested.
From there the route runs the length of the country. Rabat and the coast, the Rif Mountains and Chefchaouen, Volubilis and Meknes, a full guided day in the Fes medina, the Middle Atlas cedar forests and the Ziz Valley down to Merzouga for two nights in the Sahara with a full day between them, then west through the Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley, past Ait Ben Haddou, over the High Atlas, and a final guided day in Marrakech.
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: 9 days / 8 nights
Start: Casablanca
End: Marrakech
Tour Style: Private
Stargazing Experience : Merzouga Desert
HIGHILGHTES:
– An unhurried arrival day in Casablanca and the Hassan II Mosque
– 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 full guided day in the Fes medina
– Al-Qarawiyyin and the Chouara tanneries
– Ifrane and the cedar forest Barbary macaques
– Camel trekking into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset
– Two nights in a luxury desert camp
– Two guided stargazing sessions in the dunes
– A full day in the Sahara with nomad families and Khamlia village
– The Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley
– Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah
– The Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 metres
– A guided day in Marrakech
TOUR Itinerary
- DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN CASABLANCA
You are met at Mohammed V International Airport and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is unstructured, which is deliberate after a long flight.
If you have the energy, the Hassan II Mosque is worth the afternoon. It is built out over the Atlantic on a platform above the water, the largest mosque in the country, and the exterior courtyard alone takes time to absorb. Mohammed V Square and the Corniche are both easy walking, and the Corniche in particular is a good place to eat and watch the city wind down.
Overnight: Hotel in Casablanca
- DAY 2: CASABLANCA - RABAT - CHEFCHAOUEN
After breakfast the road follows the coast north to Rabat, where you visit the Hassan Tower, the unfinished twelfth-century minaret, and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V facing it across the esplanade. The Kasbah of the Oudayas above the river mouth is worth the short walk if time allows.
Lunch is taken in Rabat before the afternoon drive turns inland and climbs into the Rif Mountains, arriving in Chefchaouen in the evening.
Overnight: Riad in Chefchaouen
- DAY 3: CHEFCHAOUEN - VOLUBILIS - MEKNES - FES
The morning is free in Chefchaouen, with time to walk the blue medina and take the uphill path to the Spanish Mosque for the view back across the town and the mountains.
After lunch the road runs south to Volubilis, where the basilica, triumphal arch, and floor mosaics of the Roman city survive in place. A short drive on is Meknes and the monumental gate at Bab Al-Mansour, then the run to Fes and your riad in the medina.
Overnight: Riad in the Fes medina
- DAY 4: FES - IFRANE - CEDAR FOREST - ZIZ VALLEY - MERZOUGA
The route climbs into the Middle Atlas, stopping at Ifrane and the cedar forest near Azrou, where Barbary macaques live along the roadside. Lunch along the route.
The afternoon carries you through the Tizi n’Tilghmt pass and down the Ziz Valley to Merzouga. 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.
- DAY 4: FES
A full day in the medina with a local guide, covering Al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 and the oldest continuously operating university in the world, the Al Attarine Madrasa, and the Chouara tanneries.
The afternoon moves through the artisan quarters grouped by trade, with a drive taking in the Royal Palace gates, the Mellah, and the Borj Sud fortress for the view over the city.
Overnight: Riad in the Fes medina
- DAY 5: FES - IFRANE - CEDAR FOREST - ZIZ VALLEY - MERZOUGA
The route climbs into the Middle Atlas, stopping at Ifrane and the cedar forest near Azrou, where Barbary macaques live along the roadside. Lunch along the route.
The afternoon carries you through the Tizi n’Tilghmt pass and down the Ziz Valley to Merzouga. 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.
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.
- DAY 7: MERZOUGA - RISSANI - TODRA GORGE - DADES
A final sunrise and breakfast at the camp. You leave by camel or by 4×4.
The route runs west to Tinghir and the viewpoint over the palm oasis, then up the Todra river to the gorge, where 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.
- DAY 8: DADES - ROSES VALLEY - OUARZAZATE - AIT BEN HADDOU - MARRAKECH
West through Kalaat M’Gouna and the Roses Valley. At Ouarzazate there is the option of visiting Atlas Studios. A short distance on is Ait Ben Haddou, with 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, descending into Marrakech.
- DAY 9: MARRAKECH
A guided day in the city. The morning covers Bahia Palace and the Koutoubia Mosque, whose twelfth-century minaret still sets the skyline. The afternoon works through the souks of the medina and finishes at Jemaa el-Fna, which fills after dark with food stalls, musicians, and storytellers.
Transfer to the airport or your accommodation as your schedule requires.
- Includes & Not Includes
- INCLUDES
– Private air-conditioned vehicle with fuel
– English-speaking driver, or a driver and a separate tour guide
– Guided walking tours of the Fes and Marrakech medinas
– Eight nights accommodation as listed
– Private room in hotels and riads, private tent at the desert camp
– Meals: 8 breakfasts and 3 dinners
– Camel trekking experience in the Erg Chebbi dunes
– Full day 4×4 desert excursion with nomad and Khamlia visits
– Sandboarding
– Two stargazing experiences in the Merzouga desert
– Airport transfer on arrival in Casablanca
- NOT INCLUDES
– Lunches
– Drinks and beverages
– Entrance fees where applicable
– Tips
- Book Now & Pay Later
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
- important FAQS
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.
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