5-Day Desert Tour from Fez to Marrakech

Day 1: Fes – Ifrane – Midelt – Erfoud – Merzouga Dunes.

5-day trip from Fez to Marrakech. After breakfast, departure from Fez at 8:00 AM to Merzouga through the Middle Atlas region. We will drive through Ifrane, the “Switzerland” of Morocco, and the cedar forests of Azrou, where we can stop to feed the monkeys. We will continue to Midelt where we will have lunch.

Then we will follow the Ziz River through the valley and stop to see the Ziz Gorges. Passing through Erfoud, we will arrive in Merzouga in the afternoon and spend the night in a hotel in Merzouga.

Day 2: Merzouga – Erg Chebbi – Merzouga.

Today we will explore the desert region and the wonder that is the Erg Chebbi desert dunes. We will take you on a tour of the desert dunes, where you will have the opportunity to see the nomadic way of life and the surprising changing contrasts of the desert.

We will visit the “black village” of Khamlia to see the Gnawa musicians. We will have a traditional Berber pizza for lunch in the ancient capital of Rissani. In the afternoon, we will ride camels to watch the sunset over the dunes and spend the night in a desert camp.

We will have a traditional tagine dinner, drink delicious mint tea, listen to traditional Berber music while watching the stars and the crescent moon in the incredible Sahara desert.

Day 3: Erg Chebbi – Rissani – Todra Gorges.

After breakfast, we rode the camels back to the hotel in the dune line for a quick shower. We left the Sahara desert dunes of Erg Chebbi, driving off-road through the hamada (black desert) to reach the town of Rissani in the Sahara, with an optional visit to the lively local market.

Afterwards, we head north towards Erfoud, which is known for its fossils. Here we can stop to visit a fossil workshop before continuing on to the impressive Todra Gorge, famous for rock climbing, where we can go for a walk before checking into the hotel for dinner and accommodation.

Day 4: Todra Gorges – Dades Valley – Skoura – Ouarzazate.

Breakfast at the hotel, we begin our journey along the road of 1,000 kasbahs, as there are huge kasbahs on both sides of the road.

Some of these old fortified houses are being restored, but unfortunately many of them are in ruins. We pass through the Dades Valley and climb into the mountainous area via an off-road track, where many Berber villages and a few nomads live in caves. Here we will have the opportunity to visit one of these families and take a look at their daily life and their main activity of caring for herds of bleating goats. We will be impressed by the colorful pink landscapes of the valley before arriving at the Skoura palm grove. 45 kilometers further on, we arrive in Ouarzazate for dinner and accommodation at the hotel.

Day 5: Ouarzazate – Ait Benhaddou – High Atlas – Marrakech.

After breakfast, we will visit Taourirt Kasbah before departing for Ait Ben Haddou to visit the World Heritage Site. We will continue with a visit to the traditional High Atlas Berber village of Telouet and the Kasbah el Glaoui. After lunch at a local restaurant in Telouet, we will descend the Tizi-n-Tichka pass to Marrakech, ending our 5-day trip from Fez to Marrakech.