Two worlds in one trip: the blue town and the green mountains of the Rif, then the orange dunes of Merzouga and a night in our camp.
From Fez, Morocco opens in two opposite directions: north to the cool, green Rif mountains and the blue alleys of Chefchaouen, south to the Sahara. This tour does both, with two nights in Chefchaouen to walk to the Akchour waterfalls.
Back through Volubilis and Meknes, you continue south across the Middle Atlas to Merzouga for a full day in the desert and a night in our camp, before returning to Fez.
Highlights
Two nights in Chefchaouen
Akchour waterfalls and God's Bridge
Volubilis and Meknes
Full day around Merzouga
Night in our camp in Erg Chebbi
Day by day
Day 1
Fez – Rif mountains – Chefchaouen, the blue town
We pick you up at your riad in Fez and drive north towards the Rif mountains. The landscape becomes greener with every kilometre: olive groves, fields of wheat, small villages on the hills and, in spring, meadows full of flowers. After about four hours we arrive in Chefchaouen, the town founded in the 15th century by Muslims and Jews expelled from Andalusia, whose houses are painted in every shade of blue. You have the afternoon to get lost in its quiet alleys, climb the stairs decorated with flower pots, visit the red kasbah and its garden in the square of Outa el Hammam and taste the local goat cheese. At sunset, a short walk up to the Spanish mosque gives you the most beautiful view over the blue town and the mountains. Dinner and night in a riad in the medina.
Day 2
Chefchaouen: Akchour waterfalls and the God's Bridge
A day of nature in the Rif. After breakfast your driver takes you to Akchour, about forty minutes from Chefchaouen, at the entrance of the Talassemtane National Park. From there a beautiful path follows the river through a green canyon, with natural pools of turquoise water, small cafés where you can stop for a mint tea and, after about an hour of walking, the God's Bridge, a huge natural arch of rock above the river. If you prefer a longer walk, the trail continues to the great waterfall. In summer many people swim in the pools; in spring the river is full and the forest is in flower. In the afternoon you return to Chefchaouen for a last walk in the blue medina, maybe to buy a wool blanket or a woven hat in the small shops. Dinner and second night in your riad.
Day 3
Chefchaouen – Volubilis – Meknes – Fez
After a last morning walk in Chefchaouen, when the streets are quiet and the light is soft, we leave the Rif and drive south through fertile valleys of cereals and olive trees. We stop at Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman city in Morocco, where you can walk among the columns of the basilica, the triumphal arch and the houses with their beautiful mosaics of Hercules, Bacchus and Orpheus. Nearby is Moulay Idriss, the holy town where the founder of the first Moroccan dynasty is buried. We continue to Meknes, the imperial city of Sultan Moulay Ismail, with its monumental gate of Bab Mansour, the royal granaries and stables where 12,000 horses once lived, and the lively square of El Hedim. We arrive in Fez in the late afternoon. Dinner and night in a riad in the medina.
Day 4
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 5
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 6
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
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.
