A loop from Fez with two nights in our camp in Erg Chebbi, the Todra gorge, the Dades valley and the return across the high plateaus of the Atlas.
This loop is for travellers based in Fez who want more than a quick visit to the dunes. You spend a full day around Merzouga, two nights in our camp with a free day in between, and then go west to the most beautiful gorges of the south.
The return to Fez crosses the eastern Atlas, where nomad shepherds still live in tents, the town of Midelt at the foot of the snowy Jebel Ayachi and the cedar forests of Ifrane.
Highlights
Two nights in our desert camp
Rissani, nomads and Khamlia
Todra gorge and Dades valley
High plateaus of the eastern Atlas
Round trip from your riad in Fez
Day by day
Day 1
Fez – Ifrane – Azrou cedar forest – Midelt – Ziz valley – Merzouga
We pick you up at your riad in Fez at around 8:00 and drive south into the Middle Atlas. The first stop is Ifrane, a clean and green town of chalets and gardens built in the 1930s, where the stone lion is the favourite photo of Moroccan families. Just after, in the cedar forest of Azrou, some of the trees are hundreds of years old and Barbary macaques live among them; you can watch them from very close. We cross the high plateaus, where shepherds still live in tents, to Midelt for lunch, with the Jebel Ayachi, often covered in snow, as a backdrop. In the afternoon the road descends through the Ziz gorges into a canyon of palm trees and old ksour, passes Errachidia and Erfoud and reaches Merzouga at sunset, where the dunes of Erg Chebbi glow orange. Dinner and night in a comfortable hotel at the foot of the dunes.
Day 2
A day around Merzouga: Rissani, nomads, Khamlia, camel ride and night in our camp
A whole day to live the desert. In the morning we drive to Rissani, the old caravan capital, to walk through its market, one of the most authentic in Morocco, with its spices, its dozens of varieties of dates and its animal market; we also see the old ksar and the mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif. Back in the desert, we visit a nomad family in the black hamada, who welcome us for tea in their tent of goat hair, and the village of Khamlia, where the Gnawa musicians play their hypnotic rhythms. After lunch and a rest in the hotel, you can add a quad, buggy or sandboard session if you wish. Before sunset your camel is waiting: the caravan enters Erg Chebbi, stops on a crest for the sunset and reaches our camp, where dinner, drums and the stars are waiting.
Day 3
A second day in the Sahara: free day in the dunes and second night in our camp
Today there is no car waiting for you: the whole day belongs to the desert. After the sunrise and a slow breakfast in the camp, you can climb the highest dune nearby, the Big Dune, for a view over the whole sea of sand and, on clear days, the Algerian border. Many guests choose a sandboarding session on the soft slopes, a visit to a nomad family who live with their goats and camels in the hamada, or a quad or buggy ride with our guides. Others simply rest in the shade of the lounge tent with a book and endless mint tea, listening to the silence. In the late afternoon a short camel ride takes you to a crest for another sunset, and the evening brings a new dinner cooked in the camp, drums around the fire and, if the moon allows it, a short stargazing session with your guide. Second 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.
A long and beautiful day crossing the country from south to north. We leave the Dades valley early and drive east to Tinghir, then north across the high plateaus of the eastern Atlas, where nomad shepherds still live in tents, to Rich and the gorges of the Ziz. At Midelt, at the foot of the Jebel Ayachi, often covered in snow, we stop for lunch and a walk in its small market of minerals and carpets. In the afternoon we cross the Middle Atlas: the cedar forest of Azrou, where you can see the Barbary macaques, and the town of Ifrane, with its sloping roofs and gardens. 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
Visit to a nomad family
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.
