Valley of Roses Festival Tour – 4 Days: Kalaat M’Gouna in Bloom
- Private vehicle & driver — Pick-up at your riad, pace set by you
- Local licensed guide — Licensed guide nº2898 · since 2011
- Book on WhatsApp — Reply within 1 hour · no payment at this stage
- The dawn rose harvest in the M’Goun hedges — and the distillery that turns petals to perfume
- Festival days in Kalaat M’Gouna — the rose carnival and the crowned Rose Queen
- Skoura’s palm oasis and a night among the kasbahs
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Each May, when the Damask rose harvest peaks, the Valley of Roses at Kalaat M’Gouna holds Morocco’s most fragrant festival — a rose carnival, a crowned Rose Queen, and distilleries running day and night to turn the petals into rose water. This 4-day private tour costs from €600 per person: three nights half-board in kasbah guesthouses, your own car and driver over the High Atlas, the dawn harvest in the rose hedges, a working distillery, and the Dadès gorge and UNESCO Aït Ben Haddou folded around the flowers. The festival follows the harvest — the 2026 edition ran 7–10 May, and each year’s dates are confirmed in spring — but the bloom itself owns the whole fortnight around it, so the tour works beautifully even a few days either side. Written quote within the hour, no payment at that stage.
| Duration | 4 Days |
| Price | From €600 per person — car, driver and accommodation included |
| Departures | Your dates — every departure is private, never a shared group |
| Languages | English- and French-speaking driver-guides; licensed city guides where included |
| Booking | WhatsApp +212 661 454 738 — written quote within 1 hour, no payment at this stage |
The rose is serious agriculture here: thousands of kilometres of hedge-grown Damask roses along the M’Goun river, picked by hand at dawn before the heat steals the oil, feeding distilleries whose rose water and oil end up in perfume houses worldwide. The festival — running since the 1960s — is the valley’s harvest thanksgiving, and the only days of the year when this quiet corner of the pre-Sahara fills with music.
The route is the classic southern loop compressed to its best: the Tizi n’Tichka pass, the Skoura palm oasis, the valley in bloom, the Dadès gorge, and Aït Ben Haddou on the way home — each night in a kasbah guesthouse, each day at your own pace.
- The dawn rose harvest in the M’Goun hedges — and the distillery that turns petals to perfume
- Festival days in Kalaat M’Gouna — the rose carnival and the crowned Rose Queen
- Skoura’s palm oasis and a night among the kasbahs
- The Dadès gorge and UNESCO Aït Ben Haddou on the road home
Itinerary
Open a day to see the detail: transport, accommodation, meals and activity time.
Day 1 Marrakech over the Tizi n'Tichka to Skoura
The High Atlas first: the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, then the descent into the pre-Sahara and the palm oasis of Skoura, where kasbahs stand in the greenery like ships at anchor. Night in a kasbah guesthouse among the palms.
Day 2 Kalaat M'Gouna — the rose harvest and the festival
The Valley of Roses in bloom: kilometres of rose hedges along the M'Goun river, the dawn harvest when the flowers are picked before the heat takes their oil, the distilleries that turn a tonne of petals into a litre of rose water. During the festival, Kalaat M'Gouna crowns its Rose Queen and the carnival fills the avenue; outside festival week, the harvest itself is the show. Night in the valley.
Day 3 The Dadès gorge and the road of a thousand kasbahs
East along the route of a thousand kasbahs to the Dadès gorge: the limestone walls, the famous hairpin road, the rock formations locals call the monkey's fingers. Walks and viewpoints at your pace, then back west for the night.
Day 4 Aït Ben Haddou and the return to Marrakech
Homeward via Ouarzazate and the UNESCO ksar of Aït Ben Haddou — the mud-brick fortress village of a hundred films — then the Tichka once more and down into Marrakech by evening.
The festival follows the harvest, so dates move with the bloom: the 2026 edition ran 7–10 May, and each year’s dates are announced in spring — we confirm them the moment they publish. The harvest fortnight either side of the festival offers the same roses without the crowds, and the tour runs all May on that logic. Mornings in the fields start early — that is when the picking happens. The route extends naturally east to Merzouga and the dunes; two extra days make it a desert circuit.
Included in your tour
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with English/French-speaking driver-guide — 4 days
- Pickup and drop-off in Marrakech (hotel or airport)
- Night 1: kasbah guesthouse in Skoura — half-board
- Night 2: guesthouse in the Valley of Roses — half-board
- Night 3: kasbah guesthouse, Dadès area — half-board
- Fuel, tolls and all road costs
Not included
- International flights
- Lunches and beverages
- Festival or event tickets where applicable (most performances are free)
- Entrance fees to monuments (optional — pay directly)
- Tips for guide and driver
- Personal expenses
- Travel insurance (recommended)
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Questions travellers ask
How much does Valley of Roses Festival Tour – 4 Days: Kalaat M’Gouna in Bloom cost?+
From €600 per person, per person. The price includes private air-conditioned vehicle with english/french-speaking driver-guide — 4 days, pickup and drop-off in marrakech (hotel or airport), night 1: kasbah guesthouse in skoura — half-board. You receive a written itemised quote before paying anything — no hidden fees.
How long is this tour and when does it depart?+
4 Days, departing on the dates you choose — there is no fixed schedule, because every departure is arranged for you alone.
Is this a group tour or private?+
Fully private: your own vehicle, driver and licensed guide, never seat-in-coach and never mixed with other travellers. The daily pace flexes around you.
How fit do I need to be?+
Our walking days come in honest grades: valley and village walks (2–4 hours, anyone who walks at home), full hill days (4–5 hours with climbs), and the Toubkal summit (a serious two-day effort at altitude, moderate mountain fitness required). Tell us your real level and the route bends to it.
Who leads the treks?+
Licensed Moroccan mountain guides — it is both the law in Toubkal National Park and the difference between walking through a landscape and understanding it. Mules carry the bags on multi-day treks; you carry a daypack.
What gear do I need to bring?+
Broken-in walking shoes or boots, layers (mountain weather turns fast), sun protection and a refillable bottle. For the Toubkal summit add warm gloves, a hat and a headtorch; in winter we arrange crampons and ice axes locally.
Can I combine a trek with the desert?+
Yes — it is one of our signatures. The 5-day Toubkal & Sahara route summits North Africa's highest peak on day two and puts you on a dune crest by day four; several longer circuits weave shorter hikes between the desert and the coast.
More answers in the “Trekking & the Atlas” chapter of our Travel FAQ →
Itinerary and prices last updated October 2026.
