4 Days Marrakech to Fez Desert Merzouga tour

Day 1: Marrakech – High Atlas – Dades Valley:

We will pick you up at 08:00 a.m in your hotel/riad, and then we will travel towards the south of the High Atlas Mountains through the spectacular Tizi-n-Tichka pass, 2260m above sea level. This is a spectacular road of red mountains and Berber villages. We will visit Ait Ben Haddou – declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987 – which is the most famous Berber village in Morocco. It has been the filming location of movies such as Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and Prince of Persia. We will pass through the Oasis of Skoura to continue towards the Valley of Roses. This is the only place in Morocco where the Damascus Rose is grown, from which the water and rose oil used for many cosmetic treatments is extracted. The Dades Valley will be the last place we will see today, which has a beautiful rock formations looking like natural sculptures. Night in the Dades Valley

Day 2: Dades Gorges – Todra Gorges – Arfoud – Erg Chebbi Merzouga Dunes:

After breakfast, we will continue along the shore of Boulmane Dades, using a road dotted with kasbahs (fortresses or castles) and ksour (citadels). The landscape is ochre, red and mauve. Around us we will find stony plateaus where the camels graze. After a journey full of ksour, oases and palm trees we will arrive at Tineghir, where the spectacular gorges of Todra are. It is perched at 1,350 m above sea level and is surrounded by a palm grove. You will have free time to walk through the gorges. We continue to Erfoud – the City of Fossils. There we can see the quarries where the fossils are extracted and understand how they are worked to give them the most varied forms and uses. Then we will pass Rissani and, finally, we will arrive at Merzouga, in front of the high dunes of Erg Chebbi. In the afternoon the camel wait for us to enter the desert while the sun goes down, until we reach the camp in the middle of the desert of high dunes. There we will spend the night in a tent. Dinner and night in a tent under the desert stars. 

Day 3: Merzouga – Khamlia – View to the nomads – Rissani – Desert Erg Chebbi:

In the morning you can get up early to climb a dune and see the sunrise in the desert. Then we will return to the hotel on a camel for breakfast and take a comforting shower. We will then visit Khamlia where we will have the opportunity to relax with a tea while enjoying a small “gnawa” musical concert. Then we exit to tour the dunes of the Erg Chebbi in 4 × 4s. This is an extension of the desert where the Great Dune of Morocco is; standing more than 250 meters high. We will then connect up with part of the route followed by the old Paris –Dakar Rally, with the mountains that border Algeria in the background. We will visit the khol mines and the remains of an abandoned French and Berber settlement and then stop at a panoramic point where we can contemplate the Erg Chebbi as a whole. We continue to a nomadic settlement where we will uncover secrets of their life and customs. We will go to Rissani – the first imperial city – where we will visit the original market, the largest in the south, where the nomads and inhabitants of nearby towns come to buy and sell their merchandise. You can even sample the tasty Berber pizza which is only found here. Return to the hotel in the afternoon and free time to walk through the dunes and rest. Night in hotel near the dunes. (4 Days Marrakech to Fes )

Day 4: Erg Chebbi Merzouga – Ziz Valley – Midelt – Azrou – Ifran – Fez:

The last day of the trip we will leave the desert and cross the Ziz Valley, driving through villages such as Risani and Arfoud. Pause for lunch in Midelt, then continue to Fes, crossing the Cedros Forest, where we can stop to see the local monkeys in Morocco. Time for a tea in Ifrane, which we call the Moroccan Switzerland (it´s the second largest ski resort in Morocco). Arrival at your hotel/riad in Fez. End of the trip. (4 Days Marrakech to Fes )