A palm grove the size of a small city, a kasbah that appears on the 50-dirham note, and a night that turns a three-day dash into a four-day journey.
Skoura is the first oasis east of Ouarzazate on the road to the Dades Valley: a dense palm grove crossed by dirt tracks, with kasbahs standing among the palms and the High Atlas as a backdrop. Kasbah Amridil, a 17th-century fortified house that a family still looks after, is the one to visit — an hour with a guide shows you the olive press, the bread oven and the roof. On our 3-day tours Skoura is a road you drive through in the afternoon; on the 4-day tours and on Elite journeys it becomes the first night, replacing the long push to the Dades Valley with a shorter day and a lodge in the palm grove. It is the part of the route for people who would rather arrive at four and walk than arrive at seven and eat.
The best-preserved kasbah on the road, still partly inhabited, with a small museum of daily life.
Tracks between gardens, irrigation channels, almond trees, other kasbahs half-fallen. An hour's walk or a bicycle.
Marrakech to Skoura is about five hours instead of seven; you arrive with daylight left.
Skoura has a few properties in the palm grove that are among the best places to sleep in the south — the reason Elite journeys stop here.
Day one of the 4-day Marrakech to Merzouga tours (night in Skoura, then Dades and Todra on day two), and day three of the 4-day Fes to Marrakech tour. Elite journeys often give it two nights.
About an hour. Small entrance fee a small amount, local guide included in the fee or as a tip. Rooms, courtyards, the roof with views over the palms.
Easy walking on flat tracks; hot at midday in summer. Your lodge can lend bicycles or arrange a guided walk. Birdwatchers come for the oasis species.
SharedSmall group, fixed 07:00 departure, standard camp included.
PrivateYour own vehicle and driver-guide, pick-up at your door.
PrivateYour own vehicle and driver-guide, pick-up at your door.
PrivateYour own vehicle and driver-guide, pick-up at your door.
See this tour
| From | Road time | How our tours do it |
|---|---|---|
| Marrakech | ~230 km · 5 h via the Tichka, Aït Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate | Day 1 of the 4-day tours |
| Ouarzazate | 40 km · 45 min | On every eastbound tour |
| Dades Valley | ~80 km · 1.5 h | Day 2 continues east |
| Merzouga | ~320 km · 6 h | Day 3 of the 4-day Fes to Marrakech |
The extra day is spent here, in the palms, not on the road. Tell us your dates and we will show you the 4-day routes.
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