4-Day Sahara Route: Fez – Marrakech

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4-Day Sahara Route: Fez – Marrakech

Duration

4 days / 3 nights

Starting point

Fez

End point

Marrakech

Description

4-day desert tour from Fez takes you from Fez to Marrakech across the Middle and High Atlas, green valleys, historic kasbahs and the impressive Sahara Desert in Merzouga.

You will enjoy camel and quad rides, meetings with nomad families, Gnawa music, nights under the stars in traditional tents and visits to iconic places such as Ait Ben Haddou and the Todra Gorges. An ideal trip to discover the diversity of southern Morocco.

Highlights

Tour itinerary

Day 01: Fez – Ifrane – Cedar Forest – Midelt – Ziz Valley – Merzouga

Pick-up at your riad in Fez to head south across the Middle Atlas Mountains to Ifrane, known as «Morocco’s little Switzerland» for its strong resemblance to that country. One of the animals that once lived here was the Atlas lion, which has become the symbol of the town, with a stone statue in its center.

We will stop to take some photos. We will cross the famous cedar forests, where we can admire the Gouraud Cedar, the largest ancient cedar in the region, and see the Barbary macaques that live in the area. Lunch in Midelt; from here the land becomes arid and full of spectacular geological formations and deep green valleys, such as the Ziz Valley. We will start to see the typical adobe architecture, palm trees and distant kasbahs… we are at the gates of the desert. An hour after Erfoud we reach the impressive dunes of Merzouga.

After a welcome tea at our hotel at the foot of the dunes, we will set off on quads for an adrenaline-filled ride across the Erg Chebbi desert. We will make several stops on top of the dunes to try sandboarding and enjoy the sunset from the highest dunes. In the evening, return to the hotel to rest; dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 02: Merzouga – Nomad families – Camel ride and night in nomad tents

We are in the desert and today will be a full desert day. After a hearty breakfast, we will drive around Erg Chebbi, a vast sand sea that is home to Morocco’s Great Dune, more than 250 meters high. We will follow tracks that were part of the old Paris-Dakar rally, with the mountains on the Algerian border in the background. We will continue to a nomad settlement where we will learn some of the secrets of their life and customs.

We will stop at a viewpoint to see Erg Chebbi as a whole. We will reach the village of Khamlia, whose people originally came from Mali, where we will relax with tea while enjoying a small concert of spiritual Gnawa music. Back at the hotel, we will set off on a camel caravan into the heart of the dunes to watch an unforgettable sunset.

We will reach the camp on our dromedaries, where we will stay in nomad tents made of dromedary hair, like those used by the desert nomads. We will have dinner and spend the night in the tents, in the heart of the desert, under a spectacular blanket of stars.

Day 03: Merzouga Desert – Rissani Market – Todra Gorges – Dades Valley

After a good breakfast, it is time to say goodbye to the desert and head to Rissani to visit its market (if we are lucky and it is a market day: Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday). We will continue to Erfoud, where you can visit a fossil marble workshop, before heading to the palm groves of Touroug and Tinejdad. An hour later we will reach one of the highlights of the High Atlas: the Todra Gorges. The Todra river has carved a canyon of huge vertical walls of great beauty; it is a paradise for climbers and a unique place.

Lunch on site; a half-hour walk is recommended to see and enjoy the gorges in detail. In the afternoon, we will continue to the Dadès Valley, also known as the Valley of Figs, passing through Boumalne Dadès, where we will stop at the «monkey fingers». Dinner and overnight in the Dadès Gorges.

Crossing it, we will reach the Ziz Valley, named after the river that flows down from the High Atlas and feeds the palm grove. Here we will make an essential stop to see the valley from above and the village of Aoufous. We will stop in Midelt, in the heart of the Atlas, to rest and have lunch. In the afternoon, we will continue through the Cedar Forest again. Arrival in Fez around 6 p.m., transfer to your riad/hotel in Fez and end of our services, hoping you have had a wonderful time.

Day 04: Dades Valley – Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou – High Atlas – Marrakech

After breakfast, we will enjoy one of the best views of the Dades Valley from one of the most strategic viewpoints in the mountains. From there we will see the many kasbahs and how picturesque each of them is. Then we will drive along a road dotted with interesting kasbahs.

Next, we will pass through Ouarzazate, known as the gateway to the desert, where you can visit one of its film studios, where several internationally known films have been shot. Then we continue to the fortified village of Ait Ben Haddou to visit its famous kasbah (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Renowned films such as Gladiator, Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, Sahara with Penélope Cruz and The Jewel of the Nile have been shot in this spectacular setting. Lunch on site and drive to Marrakech via the highest pass, Tizi n’Tichka. We visit an argan oil cooperative, where we learn about the production process and the many benefits of argan oil. Arrival in Marrakech around 6 p.m., transfer to your riad in Marrakech and end of our services, hoping you have had a wonderful time.