Fez to Merzouga: Cedar Forests, the Ziz Valley and the Dunes
The road from Fez to the Sahara step by step: Ifrane, the macaques of Azrou, Midelt, the Ziz gorges and the arrival in Erg Chebbi.
From Fez, the Sahara is closer than from Marrakech: about 470 km and 7 hours of driving. And the road is full of surprises.
Ifrane, the ‘Switzerland of Morocco’
One hour south of Fez, Ifrane is a mountain town of red roofs and gardens built in the 1930s. In winter it often snows here.
The cedar forest and the Barbary macaques
Near Azrou the road crosses a forest of giant cedars where Barbary macaques, the only monkeys of North Africa, come close to the road.
Midelt and the high plateaus
The landscape opens into wide plateaus where shepherds still live in tents. Midelt, the ‘apple city’, sits at the foot of the Jebel Ayachi, often covered in snow.
The Ziz gorges and the palm canyon
After Rich, the road descends through the Ziz gorges and the tunnel of the Legionnaire. Then comes one of the most beautiful views of Morocco: a canyon full of thousands of palm trees and old earth villages, near Errachidia.
Erfoud and Merzouga
The last hour crosses the desert to Erfoud and Merzouga, where the dunes of Erg Chebbi suddenly appear, orange in the afternoon light.
Which tour from Fez?
- 2 days: the shortest, with a night in our camp.
- 3 days: with a full day around the dunes.
- 3 days Fez to Marrakech: continue south through the gorges and kasbahs.
- 5 days: two nights in the desert and the Todra and Dades gorges.
All our tours from Fez start at your riad in the medina.
Ready for the Sahara?
Camel trek, a night in our camp or a private tour from any city: tell us what you dream of and we organise it.
