3 days · 2 nightsMarrakech → Merzouga → FezEasyPrivate
Cross Morocco from the red city to the spiritual capital through the Sahara: kasbahs, gorges, a night in the dunes and the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas.
This one-way route is the smartest way to include the desert in a trip that visits both Marrakech and Fez: instead of going back the same way, you cross the whole country from south-west to north-east and see completely different landscapes every day.
After the High Atlas, the kasbahs and the gorges, and a night in our camp in Erg Chebbi, the last day follows the Ziz valley and its canyons to the Middle Atlas, with its cedar forests and Barbary macaques, and ends at the door of your riad in the medina of Fez.
Highlights
One-way route across Morocco
Ait Ben Haddou and the Dades valley
Night in our camp in Erg Chebbi
Ziz valley and its palm canyons
Cedar forest and macaques near Ifrane
Day by day
Day 1
Marrakech – Tizi n'Tichka – Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Dades
Pick-up at your riad in Marrakech in the early morning and departure across the plain of Haouz towards the High Atlas, whose peaks are covered in snow in winter. The road winds up through villages of stone and earth clinging to the slopes to the Tizi n'Tichka pass, then descends into a landscape of red and ochre mountains. We visit Ait Ben Haddou, the most famous ksar of Morocco, built of earth and straw on a hill above the river; from the top you see the old caravan route that linked the Sahara with Marrakech. After lunch we pass Ouarzazate and the palm grove of Skoura and drive through the Valley of Roses, where the fields are bordered by rose bushes, to the Dades valley. Dinner and night in a guesthouse among the rocks of the gorge.
Day 2
Dades – Todra gorge – Erfoud – Merzouga, camel ride and night in our camp
Morning drive through the Dades valley and on to Tinghir, where we stop at a viewpoint over its immense palm grove and the ruins of the old earth villages. Then we walk into the Todra gorge, the most spectacular canyon in Morocco, with its vertical walls of orange rock and a crystal-clear river. After lunch we cross the stony plateaus of the pre-Sahara to Erfoud, where you can visit a fossil workshop, and arrive in Merzouga in the afternoon. Your cameleer is waiting at the foot of the dunes with the caravan. The ride into Erg Chebbi takes about an hour and a half, with a stop on a high crest for the sunset, and ends at our camp, hidden in a hollow of the dunes. Dinner is served in the dining tent, followed by music and drums around the fire and a sky full of stars.
Day 3
Merzouga – Ziz valley – Midelt – Ifrane – Fez
After the sunrise over the dunes and breakfast in the camp, you return to Merzouga by camel and we set off north. We follow the Ziz valley, a deep canyon filled with thousands of palm trees and dotted with old ksour, and stop at a viewpoint over its blue lake near Errachidia. The road climbs through the Ziz gorges and the tunnel of the Legionnaire to Midelt, the 'apple city', at the foot of the Jebel Ayachi, where we stop for lunch. In the afternoon we cross the Middle Atlas, with its cedar forests where Barbary macaques come close to the road, and pass through Ifrane, a mountain town with sloping roofs nicknamed 'the Switzerland of Morocco'. We arrive in Fez in the early evening and your driver accompanies you to your riad in the medina.
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.
