3 days · 2 nightsFez → Merzouga → MarrakechEasyPrivate
The best way to travel from Fez to Marrakech: through the Middle Atlas, a night in the dunes of Merzouga, the gorges and Ait Ben Haddou.
If your trip in Morocco starts in Fez and ends in Marrakech, this is the route to choose. The direct road between the two cities is long and not very interesting; through the Sahara, instead, you see the Middle Atlas, the desert, the kasbahs and the High Atlas in only three days.
You sleep the first night in our camp in Erg Chebbi, after a sunset camel ride, and the second in the Dades valley. The third day crosses the land of the kasbahs to Ait Ben Haddou and the Tichka pass before arriving in Marrakech.
Highlights
Middle Atlas and Ziz valley
First night in our desert camp
Todra gorge and Dades valley
Skoura, Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou
Ends at your riad in Marrakech
Day by day
Day 1
Fez – Ifrane – Midelt – Ziz valley – Merzouga, camel ride and night in our camp
Departure from your riad in Fez in the morning, heading south through the olive groves and wheat fields to the Middle Atlas. We pass Ifrane and stop in the cedar forest to see the Barbary macaques, then cross the high plateaus to Midelt for lunch. In the afternoon we descend the Ziz gorges, where the river has opened a canyon in the mountains, and follow the valley of palms past Errachidia and Erfoud to Merzouga. There your camel is waiting at the edge of Erg Chebbi. You leave your main luggage in the car and ride into the dunes with your cameleer, watching the sand change colour with the setting sun, until you reach our camp. Dinner in the camp, Berber music around the fire and a night in your private tent with bathroom.
Wake up for the sunrise over the Sahara, have breakfast in the camp and ride back to Merzouga, where a shower is available before leaving. We drive through Rissani, with a short walk in its market if it is a market day, and then west across the desert plateaus, where the road passes small oases and villages of earth. At Tinghir we enter the Todra gorge, a canyon with walls 300 metres high, where you can walk along the river and feel the cool air between the rocks. In the afternoon we continue to Boumalne and up the Dades valley, among fields of almond trees and kasbahs, to the narrowest part of the gorge. Dinner and night in a guesthouse with a terrace facing the red cliffs.
Day 3
Dades – Valley of Roses – Skoura – Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou – Marrakech
The last day follows the 'road of the thousand kasbahs'. We drive through the Valley of Roses and Kalaat M'Gouna, where you can buy rose water and creams made by local cooperatives, and the palm grove of Skoura with its earth castles. After Ouarzazate we visit Ait Ben Haddou, the ksar classified by UNESCO, and climb to its top for the view over the valley and the old caravan route. After lunch we cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, with its viewpoints over the mountains and the Berber villages below, and descend to the plain of Marrakech. Arrival in the evening and drop-off at your riad or hotel.
Included
Private air-conditioned vehicle
Local driver-guide
Pick-up and drop-off at your riad, hotel or airport
Nights in riads, kasbahs and guesthouses
Dinners and breakfasts
Camel ride with cameleer
Night in our desert camp in Erg Chebbi
Not included
Lunches
Local guides in the cities (on request)
Entrance fees to monuments
Tips
Good to know
Pick-up between 7:00 and 8:00 at your riad, hotel, airport or port. Bring a small bag for the desert night: big luggage stays in the vehicle. Hotels can be upgraded on request.
No payment is needed to book: you pay on arrival in cash (dirhams or euros). Free changes if the weather is not good.
Questions
Are the tours private?
Yes. Only your group travels in the vehicle, with your own driver, and the program can be adapted.
Where do the tours start?
Wherever you are: your riad or hotel in Marrakech, Fez, Tangier, Casablanca, Agadir, Ouarzazate, Errachidia or Essaouira, or the airport or port when you land.
Which camp do we sleep in?
In our own camp in Erg Chebbi, with private tents, bathrooms with hot shower, dinner and breakfast, and Berber music by the fire.
Can I change the itinerary?
Yes, every tour is private and flexible: add nights in the desert, a quad or buggy ride, a different finishing city or better hotels. Just tell us when you write.
