When people think of visiting Marrakesh, the first thing that comes to mind is going way in time to an ancient city with a rich culture, but one that has embraced modernity. A picture of ancient palaces, people on horseback and spice vendors fills their minds. Colorful souks (open-air markets) littered with donkey carts, local dishes, and the world renown Jemaa el-Fnaa are some of the things that welcome people to the Red City. There are so many exciting Marrakesh activities to do when touring there, you should slot it in your must-visit places. In this article, we are going to take a look at ten Marrakesh tours that are a must do when visiting Morocco.
10 Marrakesh Tours Which You Must Do When Visiting Morocco
Fantasia 1001 Nights Dinner Show in Marrakesh
This is the perfect way to spend the evening in Marrakesh, immersing yourself in “101 Arabian Nights” like scenes as you indulge in the world-famous Moroccan cuisine and watch exciting performances. As one of the most exciting Marrakesh tours, the Fantasia 101 Nights Dinner show starts off in a palm grove within a traditional “caïdales” tent, where you’ll get to enjoy a typical Moroccan feast before going to a nearby arena where you can enjoy shows by horsemen, acrobats, and belly dancers.
This traditional folklore started off as a war ceremony that involves horsemen from two opposing groups in a standoff with their rifles pointing to the sky. They will make you surge with adrenaline as you watch them unleash their barrage into the sky amid shouting and light. This 4-hour war ceremony becomes even more magical as a carpet flies by carrying the Sultan and the wife he favors the most. This quintessential Moroccan event is one of the Marrakesh activities you wouldn’t want to miss out on.
Marrakech: Day Trip with Camel Ride, Quad Bike & Spa
This is one of those Marrakesh activities that give you the chance to get away from the souks, streets, and palaces by getting onto the back of a camel on the outskirts of the city. You’ll get to explore an oasis of beautifully manicured gardens, lavish in an orange tree scented atmosphere, and enjoy the palm groves. This is the perfect camel riding and quad biking environment. You’ll also get to experience hospitality in traditional Berber villages as you learn about their more than a 200-year-old lifestyle that has barely changed.
A visit to the heart of an old median will follow, after which you can relax in a traditional spa and hammam with black soap and eucalyptus oil. The setting is quiet, peaceful and rejuvenating, enhanced by the aromatic oils and a relaxing traditional massage with argan oil.
Highlights:
- Enjoy a camel ride through the Palmeraie of Marrakech
- Get awesome views of palm groves and orange trees as you ride the camel
- Use quad bikes to explore the Marrakech palm grove
- Enjoy the extra attention and warm during the hammam spa experience
- Let argan oil enhance your relaxing massage
- Get a rejuvenating experience with a black soap and eucalyptus scrub
- Duration: 5 hours
Marrakech Tagine Cookery Class with a Local
This is one of those Marrakesh tours that will give you the chance to learn how to make some of the Moroccan dishes. The Marrakesh Tangine Cookery Class with a Local tour starts off by shopping for ingredients at one of the souks. Among the things you’ll buy include spices, meats, vegetables, and herbs that will make up the food you’re going to cook. Some of the ingredients are grown in Morocco, including saffron, grown in Taliouine, mint, and olives, grown in Meknes, and lemons and oranges, grown in Fez.
An expert chef will be at hand to teach you how to make some of the famous Moroccan dishes, which could include couscous, pastilla, tagine, tanjia, and harira. When you’re done you’ll then get to enjoy your well-earned meal.
Highlights:
- An expert chef will teach you how to prepare an authentic Moroccan tagine
- Learn some of the local ingredients in Arabic terms
- Visit a souk to shop for herbs and spices and also learn about their importance in Moroccan cooking
- Enjoy eating the food you cooked
Half-Day Trip to the Atlas Mountains from Marrakesh
A morning trip will let you marvel at the snowcapped peaks of the Atlas Mountains as you drive to the Ourika Valley. You’ll then have the option to hike through the photogenic landscapes, to the waterfalls. You could also opt to hang around at one of the riverside cafes and wait for the rest of the group to return from the hike.
You will then get a chance to visit an argan oil factory that is operated by local Berber women so that you can learn about the production of the oil. The Berber women will them prepare for you a full traditional breakfast consisting of mint tea, argan oil, olive oil, honey, amlou (nut spread similar to peanut butter) and freshly baked bread.
Highlights:
- Enjoy a morning trip to the Atlas Mountains
- Hike through the Ourika Valley to the beautiful waterfalls
- Experience Berber hospitality and culture
- Visit an argan oil factory and learn about its production. You’ll even get to enjoy a locally made traditional breakfast featuring the unique oil
Marrakech City Tour Hop On – Hop Off Bus Tour
If you would like to tour Marrakesh and indulge in Marrakesh activities at your own pace, this is the tour for you. You get to purchase an electric bus tour ticket valid for 48 hours, which you can use for rooftop bus rides around Marrakesh. With this ticket, you can get on and off the bus whenever you feel like so that you can visit attractions of your choice. Sliding roofs are there for convenience in case it rains during the Marrakesh tours. They offer you a brochure with a map of the city and all the stops to aid your navigation. You will also be entitled to discounts at different city outlets with the 48-hour ticket. The bus also has a good audio system and earphones so that you can enjoy fascinating audio commentary in multiple languages on the bus. The buses take the Historic and Palm Grove routes, with the Historic Route having 18 stops and lasting approximately an hour and fifteen minutes, while the Palm Grove Route has 13 stops and takes approximately an hour.
The Historical Route stops are in the following sequence, Place Abdel Moumen Gueliz, Gueliz, Royal Theatre, Congress Palace, Menara Mall, Menara Gardens, Bv. Mohammed V, Hivernage, Hivernage Place, Bab Nkob, Bab Jdid, La Mamounia, Bab Agnaou, Palais Badi Palais Bahia, Jemma el Fna Square, Hotel de Ville, Place la Liberté and Marrakech Plaza.
The Palm Grove Route stops are in the following sequence, Place Abdel Moumen Gueliz, Place des Armes, Bv Abdelkrim Alkhatabi, Marjane, Mohammed VI Museum, Jardins de la Palmeraie, Palmaraie Palace, Camels Tour, Route des Jardins de la Palmeraie, Passage Anakhile, Route de Fes, Wilaya, Jardin Majorelle/ Yves Saint Laurent Museum.
Highlights:
- Enjoy Marrakech sightseeing at your own pace on a fun and flexible Hop-on, hop-off tour with a 48-hour validity
- Hop on and off at more than 30 stops on 2 routes with the same ticket
- Visit the attractions of your choice
- Enjoy audio commentary in 8 languages on the bus
- Easy on the pocket
- People with reduced mobility can enjoy the bus tour
Marrakech: Classic Ballooning Flight & Optional Camel Ride
Get to enjoy breathtaking birds-eye views of Marrakesh, and the and the desert valleys and hillsides as you drift through the dawn skies in a balloon. Watch as the sun comes out and casts golden and orange shadows on the land from the balloon basket that can carry up to 16 people. Depending on weather conditions such as the speed of the wind, the distance flown will vary, the overall flight time lasting approximately an hour.
After the balloon ride, you have the option of taking a camel ride around the Palmeraie, after which you will be hosted by a Berber family in the village for mint tea and home baked bread.
Highlights:
- Enjoy a hot-air balloon trip and camel ride through the desert
- Take in picturesque views of Marrakesh and the Atlas Mountains from a bird’s eye view
- Enjoy a typical Berber breakfast of mint tea and freshly baked bread with a local family
- Take home a flight certificate as a souvenir of your Marrakesh hot air balloon ride
Marrakech Monuments & Souks 3-Hour Tour
This cultural tour will let you explore the Red City, visiting sites like the Koutoubia, the largest mosque in Marrakesh with exquisite beauty and architecture, coming with a 221-foot minaret. This tours will also lead you to the 16th Century Saidan Tombs in Kasbah so that you can marvel at the Arabic script, and intricate carvings that were unsealed and revealed to the world in 1917.
You will then tour 19th-century Bahia Palace, a brilliant example of Moroccan and Islamic architecture. 1,000 craftsmen from Fez took 7 years to build the palace, which is in the middle of a two-acre garden. The palace has secret apartments that open onto inner courtyards.
This tour will end at the Jemaa El-Fnaa and the Old Medina Market, where you can explore different souks, checking out everything from silk-spinners and the spice sellers to carpets and crystals. Each of the streets in the median has a unique selling point waiting for you to explore.
Highlights:
- Explore the ornate palaces and courtyards of Marrakesh’s medieval streets
- Visit the Koutoubia, one of the western Muslim world’s largest mosques
- Visit the 16th century Saadi Dynasty mausoleums
- Explore the Djamaa El Fna Square and the Old Medina Market
Ouzoud Waterfalls Full-Day Tour from Marrakech
This is one of the Marrakesh activities that take you to the Atlas Mountains where you get to marvel at the stunning 360-foot (110-meter), 3 tier Cascades d’Ouzoud plunging down rugged cliffs. The name means “grinding grain” in the Berber language, and it is the tallest natural falls in north Africa. The drive will take you past traditional towns and typical Berber villages of the Grand Atlas. You can interact with the resident monkeys and birds, and opt for a swim in the crystal clear waters before heading back to Marrakesh after 4 hours of bliss. This trip isn’t recommended for pregnant women and wheelchair users.
Highlights:
- Experience the dramatic cascades of the Ouzoud Falls
- Pass by traditional towns and Berber villages along the way
- Swim in the Al Abid River
- Enjoy watching the resident wild monkeys, birds, and other attractions
Day Trip to Essaouira from Marrakech
This full day tour will be spent in Essaouira, seaside community, exploring ancient city walls, the Moulay el Hassan square, and the UNESCO heritage site listed, old median. Get to enjoy the colorful bazaars and a center that bustles with open-air cafes and seafood restaurants. You’ll enjoy a fresh fish lunch in one of the restaurants and then check out argan oil production by Berber women, visit the open air markets, and head to the jeweler’s quarter to admire gems.
Highlights:
- Explore the Essaouira seaside community
- Tour the port, the market and the jeweler’s quarter
- Enjoy the beach
- Discover how argan oil is produced by an association of Berber women
2-Day Zagora Sahara Desert Tour from Marrakesh
This is one of the Marrakesh tours that will require you to spend the night away, watching the sun set and rise over the Zagora dunes, meaning that it is a two-day tour.
Day 1: Marrakech to Zagora Desert through High Atlas Mountains, Ouarzazate, and Draa Valley
After breakfast, a drive will take you through the magical Atlas Mountains and impressive Tizi N Tichka Pass, past beautiful landscapes and Berber villages. You will visit Morocco’s largest Kasbah, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah. You’ll tour and have lunch before proceeding to Zagora via the Draa Valley. Camels will transfer you to the Zagora Desert Camp in time for you to check out the sunset over the dunes, enjoy a traditional Moroccan dinner, and enjoy the entertainment of traditional folk songs by the locals.
Day 2: Zagora to Marrakech via Draa Valley, Ait Ben Haddou and the high Atlas Mountains
An early morning will see you witness the sun rising over the dunes as you enjoy your breakfast bivouac of Zagora. A camel ride will then take you back to your vehicle for the drive back to Marrakesh. You’ll stop for lunch at one of the local restaurants in Ouarzazate, visit the famous Kasbah of Taourirt, and then proceed with the journey back to Marrakesh.
Highlights:
- Discover the Sahara and watch the sun setting and rising on the Zagora dunes
- Explore Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate
- Enjoy a sunset and sunrise camel trek
There are many Marrakesh activities that you can take part in on a visit to Morocco, making the destination one of the best experiences in North Africa. You can experience the history, culture, and nature of Morocco through the Marrakesh tours listed above.
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