5-day Desert tour from Fez to Marrakech

Day 1: Fes – Imouzar – Ifrane – Azrou – Midelt – Merzouga:

After breakfast, you will leave Fez in the direction of Merzouga passing through Midlet and the Ziz Valley. Today you will travel through the town of Ifrane, a beautiful mountain town. Here you will also stop in the cedar forest of the central Atlas Mountains. During this journey, you will glimpse the Middle Atlas and High Atlas Mountains and make a stop in Azrou, where you will have the opportunity to see barbarian monkeys. Afterwards, the trip will continue to Midelt through the magnificent foothills and Atlas Mountains. After lunch in Midelt, we will cross the fascinating Tizi N Talghamt pass and the spectacular Ziz valley, enjoying views of the High Atlas plateau and watching the landscape change to reveal hints of the desert as we approach the southern province, the city of Errachidia. We will then drive through the Ziz valley and stop to enjoy a panoramic view along the road leading to Erfoud. Arrival in Merzouga, desert area, and overnight in a hotel next to the dunes.

Day 2: Merzouga – Nomadic Families – Merzouga:

After breakfast at your riad, you can explore the area a bit before starting your camel ride; You will visit the Gnawa music group, originally from Mali, Senegal and Sudan, in Khamlia, where you will learn about their way of life and listen to their music. From there, we will drive through the desert to meet nomadic families and explore their way of life. Today we will have a traditional Berber lunch (Berber pizza). After lunch, we will return to the town of Merzouga for a camel ride led by an experienced guide to explore what lies at the heart of Morocco’s highest dunes. Dinner will be served in front of the tent where we will spend the night to the sound of tambourines and enjoy the glow of the stars with the tranquility of the desert.

Day 3: Deserts – Todra Gorges – Dades Valley:

Your guide will wake you up early to see the best sunrise of your life and take memorable pictures. Then we will walk quietly to the village. On the way, you will appreciate the unique beauty of the spectacular dunes of Erg Chebbi, which change with the light of the day. After breakfast and a hot shower, we will depart for Rissani, Tinghir and Todra, the highest and narrowest gorges of Morocco. After lunch in the heart of the gorge, we will take a tour of the Dades Valley, where we will see the majestic adobe castles and the incredible rocks known as “monkey fingers”. Overnight in a luxurious traditional inn overlooking the Dades Valley with dinner and breakfast.

Day 4: Dades Valley – Valley of the Roses – Skoura – Ouarzazate:

After breakfast, we drive through the Dades Valley to Kalaa M’gouna and Ouarzazate. The road through the Dades Valley is known as the road of a thousand kasbahs, and offers countless opportunities to take some of the best photos of the trip. Today we will have the opportunity to visit a nomadic family living in caves in the mountains, to discover another way of life, different from that of the Sahara desert. We will make a stop in Kalaa Mgouna, “the city of roses”, with rose water that will leave you smelling good for a long time. Moving on toward Skoura, we will stop at the well-preserved Kasbah Ameridil in this area. We will have lunch in a traditional Moroccan restaurant overlooking the beautiful valley, and then head to Ouarzazate, “the Hollywood of Africa”, whose geography and beautiful scenery have attracted numerous world-class film producers. Here you can choose to visit the studios, which contain props used in films such as The Mummy, The Gladiator and The Last Temptation of Christ. Accommodation will be in a riad with dinner and breakfast.

Day 5: Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou – High Atlas – Marrakech:

Following breakfast at your riad, we will travel to Marrakech and explore Ait Ben Haddou, Morocco’s largest Kasbah, constructed in the early 19th century by T-hami El Glaoui, one of the last Berber chiefs. This was one of his stops during his long journey from the Sahara to Marrakech. As of right now, UNESCO has included it on its World Heritage List. Your journey will continue through the majestic Tizi n’tichka (2,260 meters) over the High Atlas Mountains to Marrakech. On the way, you will have the opportunity to explore the process of argan oil production, which only existed in Morocco before arriving in Marrakech.