3 Days Tour from Marrakech to Fes

Day 1: Marrakech – Ait Benhaddou – Ouarzazate – Dades Valley

This 3 days tour from Marrakech to Fes, either at the city airport, at the hotel or at any other agreed point. Our English-speaking driver/guide will pick you up to head to the High Atlas Mountains, an imposing natural barrier that is a must-pass to reach the Sahara Desert and, therefore, the Merzouga Desert . We will do this pass through the highest mountain pass: Tizi N’tichka, which gives us the possibility of witnessing spectacular views of the surroundings and getting to know traditional Berber settlements.

Already in the surroundings of Ouarzazate we will make our first visit: the Ait Benhaddou kasbah, a Berber fortress made of adobe that has the honor of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site… and the filming location of important films and series, such as Game of Thrones. After that, we will enter the ‘road of a thousand kasbahs’, so called because of the large number of fortresses that line the route, also crossing the Valley of the Roses and the Dades Valley.

At the end of the day we will arrive at Boumalne Dades, a small town that surprises with its location: nestled in steep rocky gorges that give it an air of science fiction. Accommodation will be in one of their charming riads, where dinner is also included.

Day 2: Dades Valley – Todra Gorges – Rissani – Merzouga

After a complete breakfast at the Boumalne Dades riad, we will hit the road again. The first stop will be nearby, in Tinerhir (or Tinghir), which means ‘mountain city’ in Tamazight, a variant of the Berber language. The view of the whole, between the rocks and palm trees, will deserve a good photograph.

Then we will continue towards the Todra Gorges: these spectacular rock walls, 200 meters high in some cases, will make the gorges of the previous day seem like child’s play. We will enjoy it through the winding road that runs through it, but also on foot in certain sectors. We will arrive in Rissani, a beautiful and busy city with amazing sights such as the donkey car park.

And shortly after we will arrive at our long-awaited destination: the Merzouga desert and the Erg Chebbi dunes. To get to them we will change means of transport: the camels (or the alternative 4×4) will take us for a walk through this unique landscape, in the heart of which our tent camp is located. In these traditional tents we will have a welcome tea and a well-deserved dinner, and we will sleep with all the comforts. The silence of the Merzouga desert and the light of the stars will be our companions on this special night.

Day 3: Merzouga Desert – Ziz Valley – Midelt – Azrou – Ifrane – Fes

If the previous night was special, the dawn of the third day will be no less so: when the sun begins to offer its daily bath of light to the dunes of the Merzouga desert , we will climb back on the camels to return to the town of Merzouga .

There is no time to lose, so we will return to the road to get on the road. The first stop of the day will be Erfoud, famous in the world of paleontology for housing countless fossils of great value, some of them dinosaurs. The oasis in which it is located is very photogenic and has served as a filming set for films such as The Mummy. The main river that feeds it, the Ziz, forms a valley from here that we will travel northwards.

In this section we will arrive at Midelt, an important town located in the Middle Atlas, where we will have lunch to recharge our batteries. Afterwards, the route will take us to Ifrane, a surprising city known as the ‘Moroccan Switzerland’ for its altitude, its abundant rainfall (some in the form of snow) and its gabled houses. And finally, we will arrive in Fes: at the airport in the place we agree on, our services will conclude and we will say goodbye with the hope of a future reunion.