8-day route from Marrakech to Fez through the desert

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8-day route from Marrakech to Fez through the desert

Duration

8 days / 7 nights

Starting point

Marrakech

End point

Fez

Description

8-Day Route from Marrakech to Fez is an unforgettable journey that begins in Marrakech, exploring its vibrant souks, historic palaces and the famous Jemaa el-Fna square. Then you will cross the impressive High Atlas Mountains, visiting kasbahs such as Telouet and Ait Ben Haddou, a World Heritage Site. The adventure continues to the Erg Chebbi desert in Merzouga, where you will enjoy dromedary rides, meet nomad families and sleep under a starry sky in a traditional camp before arriving in Fez.

Highlights

Tour itinerary

Day 01: Marrakech Airport – Riad in central Marrakech

Depending on your flight’s arrival time, we will pick you up at the airport and take you to the riad in the center of the Marrakech medina. Marrakech is a safe and calm city, so you can go out in the evening to enjoy the atmosphere and have dinner in the famous Jemaa el-Fna square. Overnight at the riad.

Day 02: Marrakech – the great tour of Marrakech – Marrakech

We have a full day to get to know the red city. We start our tour of Marrakech with our local medina guide at around 9:00 after a delicious breakfast at our riad, beginning at the Bahia Palace, built in the late 19th century with the intention of being the largest palace of its time,

then we continue to the «Koutoubia» Mosque, notable for its 66-meter minaret (77 meters according to other sources), the tallest building in the city. The minaret is the symbol and landmark of the city and, without a doubt, its most representative monument. Then we continue through the great souks of Marrakech; in the late afternoon/evening you will have some free time to stroll around Marrakech’s famous «Jemaa el-Fna» square. Overnight at the riad.

Day 03: Marrakech – Telouet – Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou – Ounila Valley – Ouarzazate

Breakfast at our riad and departure in a private vehicle towards Ouarzazate, crossing the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi n’Tichka pass, at 2,260 m, one of the highest road passes in the country, where we will enjoy incredible scenery and make several stops to photograph the Berber villages.

Then we will turn onto a small road with beautiful scenery to reach the Kasbah of Telouet; we will visit the kasbah and enjoy a typical village lunch. In the afternoon we will continue through the Ounila Valley, among Berber villages where families live in adobe houses hidden in the mountains, until we reach the fortified village of Ait Ben Haddou,

where we will visit its famous kasbah (a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987). Several famous films have been shot in this spectacular setting, such as Gladiator, Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra and Sahara with Penélope Cruz. After visiting the kasbah we will leave for Ouarzazate, considered the great gateway to the desert, and continue to the Dades Valley, arriving in the late afternoon/evening at our hotel. Dinner and overnight.

Day 04: Dades Valley – Todra Gorges – Merzouga Dunes

After breakfast, we will enjoy one of the best views of the Dadés 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. After several stops along the way, we will reach the Todra Gorges.

Located near the town of Tinghir, they open the way to the desert. Surrounded by a valley full of palm trees and adobe villages, these are the mountains most loved by climbers. The Todra and Dadés gorges are the best known and most impressive in Morocco.

After a walk in the Todra Gorges and lunch in Tinejdad or Touroug, we leave for the desert to reach the impressive dunes of Merzouga. We will arrive at our hotel near the Erg Chebbi dunes, rest for a while and then climb the dunes in front of the village of Merzouga to enjoy a wonderful sunset. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 05: Merzouga Desert – Nomad families – Village of Khamlia – Erg Chebbi tour

After a hearty breakfast, we will drive around Erg Chebbi, the sand sea where Morocco’s Great Dune rises more than 250 meters high, following 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.

Then 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 swap the car for dromedaries to ride into the heart of the dunes and 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. Dinner and night in the tents in the heart of the desert under a spectacular blanket of stars.

Day 06: Merzouga Desert – Ziz Valley – Middle Atlas – Cedar Forest – Ifrane – Fez

Once ready, we will head north through the Tafilalet palm grove, where we will see countless palm trees along 20 km, making it one of the largest palm groves in the world. 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. Planned stop in Midelt, in the heart of the Middle Atlas, to rest and have lunch.

In the afternoon we will continue through the Cedar Forest, where, if we are lucky, we may see some monkeys, and pass through Ifrane, located on the northwestern slope of the Middle Atlas, at 1,630 meters above sea level.

Its wide avenues, urban development, spotless cleanliness, gardens and green areas and, above all, its architecture, more typical of an Alpine town, make Ifrane feel out of place in Morocco and have earned it the nickname «Morocco’s Switzerland». Nearby is the Michlifen ski slope, one of the best known in Morocco. Arrival in Fez around 6 p.m., transfer to the riad in the old medina of Fez, dinner and overnight.

Day 07: Fez – Guided tour of Fez – night in Fez

After breakfast at our riad in Fez, we will begin our guided tour of the new part of the city to see the beautiful gates of the Royal Palace, where we will take souvenir photos. We will continue through the old Jewish quarter and then the old town and its medina, the largest and most famous in the Arab world. We will enter through the famous Bab Boujloud gate and head to Dar Batha, a former Hispano-Moorish palace that now houses a museum of folk art. We will continue with a visit to the Bou Inania madrasa, the Koranic school of Fez, where young people studied the Koran around a wonderful courtyard. The tour continues through the Chouara tannery to discover the fascinating process of treating the hides, from the first cleaning to dyeing with natural dyes. Then we will pass the Qaraouiyine mosque, founded in the 9th century by a woman. Lunch at a local restaurant in the medina and, after the visit, transfer to the riad or hotel to rest. Free afternoon to stroll around the medina and Bab Boujloud square. Dinner and overnight at the riad.

Day 08: Fez – Fez Airport

Breakfast at the riad/hotel and transfer to the airport 2 hours before your flight, which marks the end of our services and of the trip, hoping you have had a wonderful time.