Fez – Erg Chebbi (x2) – Ouarzazate (x1) – Marrakesh (4 days, 3 nights)
Get to Marrakesh the best way possible: through the desert! On this exciting tour, we’ll spend our time beyond the mountains in the hottest, driest, and most enchanting part of Morocco.
Day 1 : Drive from Fez to the Erg Chebbi Dunes
Following an early morning pick up at your accommodations in Fez, we will hit the road and drive directly to our destination, the Erg Chebbi Dunes on the cusp of the vast Sahara Desert.
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.
We’ll make a stop in the university town of Ifrane, also known as the Switzerland of Morocco.
Later, we will enter the provincial town of Midelt, where we will stop for lunch. Once over the mountains, the climate will become ever drier as we enter into the picturesque arid Ziz Valley.
Soon thereafter, we’ll find ourselves overlooking the Tafilalt Oasis, a region rich in palm groves, underground rivers, and traditional mudbrick architecture.
Just a little further, we’ll arrive at our destination: the Erg Chebbi Dunes.
As soon as we arrive at the cusp of the Sahara, we will leave the car behind and continue on camelback to our campsite in the middle of the desert.
Take amazing photos over the sand dunes as the sun sets in the background.
Once we arrive at our tents at the base of the sand dunes, 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.
N.B: at lunch time we advocate a meal by Ziada region next to Midelt.
Day 2 : Explore the Sahara Desert
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 include: 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.
Day 3 : Drive from Erg Chebbi Dunes to Ouarzazate
Sleep in or take our advice and wake up early to catch the sunrise over the sand dunes.
After a hardy 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 heart of 25km² of lush palm groves.
We’ll finish this exciting day in Ouarzazate, where we’ll have dinner and spend the night.
Day 4 : Drive from Ouarzazate to Marrakesh
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’.
Also, recently the world largest solar power plant, valued at $9 billion, opened.
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 film 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.
Indeed, towns like Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou played an important role in Morocco’s past as key stops on the lucrative sub-Saharan trade routes, linking over vast deserts and mountain ranges towns like Timbuktu to the heart of Morocco.
Once done visiting Ait Benhaddou, we can get lunch at one of the numerous restaurants that overlook the picturesque town.
Starting our drive to Marrakesh, 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.
First constructed by the French in 1936, but remodeled and modernized many times since, the Tizi n’Tichka pass is a true feat of civil engineering.
Once over the mountains, it will be a straight shot to the ochre city, Marrakesh, where we’ll drop you off wherever you like.
