Morocco Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech – 5 days

Morocco Sahara Tour from Fes to Marrakech – 5 days:

Book this 5-day desert tour from Fes to the Imperial City of Marrakech for a chance to explore the magnificent Sahara Desert of Erg Chebbi in Merzouga while covering the key highlights of the southern region. Your journey will take you from the snow-capped Atlas Mountains to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kasbah of Ait Benhdaou, and the expansive Todgha Gorges.

This tour provides a unique opportunity to delve into the culture, traditions, and Berber way of life in the oases of southern Morocco. Moreover, you will enjoy a camel ride and a magical overnight stay in the heart of the desert, where the enchanting dunes and a breathtaking starry sky create an unforgettable atmosphere.

5-day desert tour from Fes – Highlights:

• Travel through the wonderful landscapes of the Atlas Mountains and the beautiful Berber villages.
• Taste delicious traditional local food, stay in an authentic guest house and learn about life in the south and the oases.
• Enjoy a camel ride at sunset, try sandboarding, take photos and dance to nomad music and drumming.
• Enjoy dinner under a sky full of stars and spend the night in a private tent in a luxury desert camp in the big dunes.
• Refresh yourself as you wander the fertile Dades Valley and hike through the massive Todra gorges and into the mountains.
• Explore ancient Kasbah – Kasbah Teleout and, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou.

What is included:

• Transport in a private air-conditioned & comfortable van or 4WD vehicle
• Experienced English-speaking nomad driver-guide
• Pick-up from Fes and drop-off at your hotel in Marrakech
• Meals: breakfast & dinner – with vegetarian and vegan options available
• Accommodation in comfortable hotels with air-conditioned rooms with private bathroom
• One night in a luxury desert camp in Erg Chebbi under private & comfortable tents equipped with private bathrooms and shower
• A camel ride for about two hours with a guide in Erg Chebbi and free sand-boarding, if desired
• Berber drumming & music in the desert camp
• Hiking in beautiful scenery and free time to explore the sites of interest
• Tea/ coffee in the desert camp

What is not included:

• Lunches
• Local guides
• Entrance fees
• Tipping

Sahara Tour from Fes to Marrakech 5 days – Itinerary:

1st day: Fes – Merzouga

Morning departure at 08:30 from your hotel or riad in Fes, as you travel south on your 5-day desert tour from Fes to Marrakech. You drive past Ifrane, nicknamed the Switzerland of Morocco, where the houses have sloping roofs, something very remarkable and unusual in this North African country. This is to cope with the yearly snowfall of the winter.

From here, your itinerary continues over the Middle Atlas Mountains and via the Tizi-n-Talremt pass, travelling along beautiful roads bordered with oak and cedar trees as far as Azou. Here, you will stop to see the Barbary macaque playing around and looking for tidbits.

Afterwards, you will continue to Midelt just in time for lunch, nicknamed the “apple capital” and situated at the foot of Ayachi Mountain. Travelling further south, you travel along the mountains, enjoying beautiful views and via Berber villages. As you descend the mountains, you will be amazed by the extensive green oases and hupe palm groves, all indicating the beginning of the Ziz Valley.

You arrive in Errachdia and then Erfoud, which is known for its date festival and its fossils. Here, you can visit a local workshop and discover how the fossil-rich rocks are skilfully transformed into practical and decorative artefacts.

You then arrive at the dunes of Merzouga for a sunset camel ride to reach the desert camp near the dunes of Erg Chebbi (250m). From the top of the dunes, the sunset is spectacular. Here, at Erg Chebbi Dunes, you will have dinner and spend the night in a desert camp among the big dunes.

2nd day: Merzouga

After breakfast, you will have the opportunity to explore the Merzouga region. Initially, you will visit the Gnawa people residing in Khamlia, a village known for their expertise in Gnawa music, originally brought to the region through the sub-Saharan slave trade. They will treat you to a captivating performance of this unique musical style.

Your next destination will be the historic town of Rissani. This town holds historical significance as it was the birthplace of the Alaouite dynasty, the current ruling royal family of Morocco. Rissani is encircled by several ksars, which are fortified villages adorned with numerous towers.

The town boasts a bustling souk and an open market that is held three times a week. While there, you will have the opportunity to stroll through the souk, where various items such as spices, vegetables, household items, and handmade crafts are sold. Rissani is situated on the former site of Sijilmassa, a crucial meeting point for the salt caravans originating from Timbuktu in Mali.

In the afternoon, you mount a camel, led by an experienced guide, and traverse the dunes of Erg Chebbi in Merzouga. This camel ride will last approximately one hour, allowing you to witness the breathtaking sunset over the desert. Dinner will once again be served in the camp, followed by an evening filled with nomadic music and drumming around a cosy campfire.

3rd day: Merzouga – Dades Gorges

If you wake up early enough, you can witness the serene spectacle of the sunrise, as it gracefully bathes the dunes in an enchanting array of colours. The return to the hotel for having a shower is on camel back and, after having breakfast, you drive back east to Marrakech.

Back on the paved road, you travel to Tinjdad. You will notice strange piles of sand following the road. These are the heads of the “khettarat”, the ingenious underground water channels designed to minimize evaporation in the desert heat. It is fascinating to climb down to experience the coolness below ground and to wonder at the ancient engineering involved.

In the Todra Gorges, enjoy lunch in one of the local restaurants overlooking the valley, followed by a walk alongside the river bank, by the villages and into the mountains. Upon arrival at Dades Gorges, you enjoy a walk along a surprising landscape that is known for its stunning rock formations, kasbahs and attractive stones and villages.

You will spend the night in a beautiful guest house overlooking the valley.

4th day: Dades Gorges – Ouarzazate

After breakfast, your journey continues along the beautiful Valley of the Roses with an optional stop at the cosmetics cooperative in Kalaat M’Gouna, which manufactures cosmetic products from the abundant roses of the valley.

Then, you travel via the Road of One Thousand Kasbahs, as far as Skoura Oasis where you visit Kasbah Amredhil with its museum. The kasbah, which used to be depicted in the old 50 dirham banknote, has been beautifully repaired and is well worth the visit.

Just before arriving in Ouarzazate, you stop to visit the Atlas Studios, a movie wonderland known for keeping its sets and reorganising them to offer a wide range of choices to production studios, but also for letting tourists experience the unique thrill of the movie sets.

You will spend the night in a beautiful riad.

5th day: Ouarzazate – Marrakech

After breakfast, an hour’s drive takes you to Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, which you will visit after lunch. This is the most famous kasbah in all of Morocco and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Kasbah is also renowned for its use as a filming location for many Hollywood blockbusters including “Alexander the Great”, “The Mummy,” “The Jewel of the Nile,” and “Kingdom of Heaven”.

Afterwards, you drive along the Ounila Valley with beautiful and prosperous villages, stunning mountains and views to Telouet. You finally reach Kasbah Telouet, which used to be the palatial residence of the Lords of the Atlas, the Glaoui Family. Although the Kasbah now stands in ruins after the last Pasha fled Morocco following the departure of the French, wait to be pleasantly surprised by the architectural marvel of this historic home. Lunch will be either here or later up in the mountains.

From here, you cross the Atlas Mountains and the Tizi-n-Tichka pass and arrive in Marrakech by the end of the afternoon. Your driver will transfer you to your riad bringing your 4-day desert tour from Fes to Marrakech to an end.

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