From Fes to Merzouga Desert and Marrakech

We will pick you up at your hotel/riad and will leave Fes travelling towards Ifran, a beautiful mountains village, referred to as “the Switzerland of Morocco” and then on to Midelt. During this journey you’ll experience glimpses of the Middle Atlas and Higher Atlas mountains. Stopping at Azrou, a Berber village in the middle of the famous cedar forest – the largest in Morocco – where you may well sight Barbary apes. After sometime within the forest, your journey continues to Midelt along the magnificent hills and mountains of the Atlas, after Midelt town you will be travelling through the fascinating Tiz Ntalghamt pass and the Ziz Gorge, taking in views of the High Atlas plateau, you’ll notice how the scenery changes to reveal hints of the desert as you approach the city of Errachidia, here you will have lunch and enjoy the Berber hospitality. Afterwards, you will travel along the luxuriant Ziz Valley, stopping for panoramic views along the way to Erfoud and Rissani. Arrive at Merzouga on the afternoon. You’ll be welcomed with a glass of mint tea before you camel ride, guided by an experienced camel man to explore within the golden sand sea of Merzouga. Dinner in front of the tent where you will spend the night.

“Date with the sunrise”  If you are In the middle of the desert, waking up early is a “must do” to contemplate the most spectacular sunrise you´ve ever seen at the top of a high dune close to the camp and enjoy this landscape that is a gift of nature then we return to Merzouga on the camels where a heartwarming breakfast is waiting for us. We leave the desert after breakfast to Rissani where we`ll visit the market place (market days: tuesday, thursday and saturday), we continue then to Erfoud where we can visit the manufactures of fossilized marble before starting our way to Touroug and Tinjdad palm groves. One hour later we´ll reach one of the best places of the High Atlas, the Todra Gorges. The course of the river has carved out cliff-sided canyon and it´s because of its beauty and the high rock sides that´s very popular among climbers. Free time to have lunch in this wonderful place. A short walk through the gorges is very advisable to better appreciate the beauty of the landscape. In the afternoon we continue to the Dadès valley, also known as the figs valley going through Boumalne Dadés we`ll stop at the “monkey legs”. Dinner and night at the Dadès gorges.

After breakfast we can enjoy one of the better views of the Dadès valley from one strategic lookout in the mountains, from there we can appreciate the great number of kasbahs and the scenic characteristics of each one.  Then we continue by a road dot with different kasbahs of touristic interest. After some stops to enjoy the “One thousand kasbahs road”. the Roses Valley an the big Skoura palm grove we`ll get to Ouarzazate to visit the Kasbah of Taourirt, old residence of the Glaoui or Marrakech pasha.  And if you are interested we can visit the cinema studios and tue cinema museum. Halh hour from Ouarzazate, we will stop at ksar (fortified village) of Ait Ben Haddou where we will visit the famous Kasbah (declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986). Famous films have been shot in this spectacular  stage, including Gladiator , Obelix, The Mummy, The Jewel of the Nile, Sahara with Penélope Cruz…etc.  Free time for lunch in town. In the afternoon we start our way  to Marrakech going through the mountain port of Tizi Ntichka with some stops to take pictures. Here we leave back the moon landscape to reach another view full of colors. We`ll get to Marrakech about 6pm,transfer to the hotel and end of our services.