5D/4N Desert Tour From Fez To Marrakech

5D/4N Desert Tour From Fez To Marrakech

(0)
Rated 5 out of 5

Overview

For the most intrepid of desert travelers, this 5 day long desert tour will take you from Fez to Marrakech while visiting all the highlights of Middle Atlas Mountains and Sahara Desert.

Highlights

  • Scenic Drive through the Middle Atlas Mountains.
  • stop at  the cedar forest where you can see the Barbary Monkey.
  • Camel Trekking in the Sahara Desert.
  • Spend an overnight in a tent among the sand dunes.
  • Exploring the Todgha Gorge and the Dades Valley.
  • Visit to Kelaat Mgouna.
  • Explore kasbah Taourirt and the movie studio in Ouarzazate 
  • Explore Ait Benhaddou UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • Stunning Views of the High Atlas Mountains via Tizi n’Tichka.

 

Itinerary

Following an early morning pick up at your accommodations in Fez, we will hit the road and drive directly to our destination, Midelt.

On our way you’ll enjoy watching the beautiful scenery change as we pass through different natural environments.

First, we will pass through the alpine climate of Middle Atlas Mountains, with rich natural features, such as oak and cedar trees, lakes, and Barbary ape colonies.

Climbing higher up and passing through oak forests, the next stop on our drive will be in the famed ‘Switzerland of Morocco’, the town of Ifrane.

Ifrane is famous for the world renowned Al-Akhawayn University, which attracts the best and brightest of Morocco each year.

We will also make a stop at the Ifrane National Park to admire the ancient cedar trees and try our luck at finding a colony of Barbary apes. In Ifrane, we will go to a great local restaurant for lunch.

Driving just a little further, our last stop of the day will be in the town of Azrou, the ancient capital of the Amazigh people in the Middle Atlas region, famous for its cedar forests, butterflies, and Barbary ape population, Azrou is a perfect place to get back to nature.

During our time in Azrou, we will visit the old town center with the possibility of also taking a walk in the abundant nature.

Once finishing our tour of Azrou and the Middle Atlas Mountains, we’ll hit the road to Midelt where we’ll have dinner and spend the night.

After breakfast in Midelt, we’ll head towards the Erg Chebbi Dunes, visiting the beautiful scenery on the way.

Once over the Middle Atlas Mountains, the climate will become ever drier as we enter into the picturesque arid Ziz River Gorge at the tail end of the adjacent High Atlas Mountains.

Soon thereafter, we’ll find ourselves overlooking the Tafilalt Oasis, a stunning region of abundant palm groves, underground rivers, and traditional mudbrick architecture.

The Tafilalt Oasis is also a region rich in history from which the current Moroccan royal dynasty descends.

To explore this history, we’ll stop at the Moulay Ali Sherif Zaouia.

Driving through the Tafilalt, we’ll also stop in Rissani to explore the traditional souks and get some exotic Berber pizza for lunch.

By late afternoon, we’ll arrive at our day’s destination: the Erg Chebbi Dunes.

Sleep in or take our advice and wake up early to catch the sunrise over the sand dunes.

If you’re feeling groggy, you can also ride over the sand dunes on camelback.

It’s an experience you’ll never forget.

After breakfast you will be able to spend your day exploring the desert surrounding Merzouga as you like.

Possible activities to do: visiting the historical towns and palm groves around the Tafilalt Oasis (Rissani, Merzouga, Erfoud), taking a 4×4 excursion into the desert to explore black volcanic rock formations and fossils, visiting a nomadic family living in a tent, riding quadbikes around the sand dunes, visiting Khamlia village to hear Gnawa music, or relaxing around the desert tents.

 In the late afternoon, once the day’s heat has subsided, we’ll trek out via camelback to a Berber camp site in the middle of the sand dunes, far, far away from the worries of the world.

Here your Berber hosts will cook traditional desert meals for you, while teaching you about their culture, spend the evening huddled around the campfire, venture out into the desert, or lie on a sand dune and gaze at the stars.

Sleep in or take our advice and wake up early to catch the sunrise over the sand dunes.

After a hearty breakfast, we will ride out of the desert on camelback to the town on the edge of the desert.

There you will be able to shower and refresh yourself in a hotel before we set out on our way.

Leaving the desert, we’ll get back on the road and make our way towards Ouarzazate, exploring traditional mudbrick towns and beautiful desert landscapes as we go.

Our day’s first stop will be in Tinerhir, an ancient Berber town built of traditional mudbrick architecture.

In Tinerhir, we’ll turn off the main road to make a stop in the amazing Todra Gorges, where climbers from around the world fight gravity and their fear as they scale vertical cliffs.

Don’t worry—we’ll be exploring this fascinating area horizontally on foot.

Driving a little further on, we’ll arrive at the Dades Valley, a region famous for its sprawling palm groves growing over an underground river.

Along our way, we’ll visit the famous little town of Kelaat Mgouna, known across Morocco for its traditional Rose Festival in May.

A little further down the road, we’ll discover Soukora, a traditional mudbrick town in the heart of 25km² of lush palm groves.

We’ll finish this exciting day in Ouarzazate, where we’ll have dinner and spend the night.

After breakfast, we’ll start our day exploring the sights in Ouarzazate before hitting the road to Marrakesh.

Ouarzazate, a clean, quiet, and sunny city, is the capital and biggest city of the surrounding province.

Even the etymology of the word ‘Ouarzazate’ comes from the Berber expression meaning ‘without noise’.

We’ll begin by visiting the old town with its large ancient Taourirt Kasbah.

Its noble founders have long since moved out, leaving its many towers to families of White storks.

We’ll move on to visit what modern Ouarzazate is most famous for: Morocco’s largest movie studios.

Over the years, thanks to their prime desert location, these studios have helped turn out classic films like Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Mummy (1999), Gladiator (2000), and, most recently, certain episodes of Game of Thrones.

Leaving Ouarzazate, we’ll turn off the main road to visit the UNESCO world heritage site of Ait Benhaddou.

An ideal model of the many mudbrick villages and Kasbah’s that dot the south of Morocco, the ancient town of Ait Benhaddou enchants its thousands of visitors with its curious towers, surrounding desert scenery, and place in Morocco’s history.

Once done visiting Ait Benhaddou, we can get lunch at one of the numerous restaurants that overlook the picturesque town.

Starting our drive to Marrakech, the environment will change as we climb higher into the High Atlas Mountains.

The arid desert plains and hills will give way to forests, mountain streams, and, depending on the time of year, snowcapped mountains.

We’ll follow the road to the very top of these mountains where we’ll stop at the Tizi n’Tichka pass before heading down the other side.

Once over the mountains, it will be a straight shot to the ochre city, Marrakesh, where we’ll drop you off wherever you like.

Gallery

Picture of Hi, jenny Loral
Hi, jenny Loral

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor dolore magna aliqua.

Related Tours

Social Share Buttons

There are no reviews yet. Be the first one to write one.