4 DAY TOUR FROM MARRAKESH TO DESERT AND FES

We will depart at 7 am from Marrakesh for the Dades Valley. We drive across the High Atlas Mountains crossing the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2260 metres of altitude which gives amazing panoramic views. We will have time to enjoy impressive landscapes and Berber villages; also we will enjoy a break for coffee or mint tea in a picturesque location. In the afternoon we will get the chance to visit the Ait Benhaddou Kasbah which is a UNESCO Heritage site and well known as a film set location. This Berber Kasbah which is very important place for international filmmakers where more than 50 movieshave been made. It was also one of the most important fortress strongholds on the old Salt Road where caravans brought slaves, gold, ivory and salt. You can still see the salt pans in the valley. Then we’ll pass through the strategic city of Ouarzazate which is also called Hollywood of Africa. After Ouarzazate we will continue to the Dades Valley through Skoura, Kelaat M´gouna and the Berber villages along the valley. We will spend the night in the Dades Valley.

After breakfast we will drive through the valley to see the amazing rock formation; known as “the monkey fingers” because of the shape of the eroded landscape as well as the 19th century Kasbah of Ait Youl which is still-standing. We will leave the Dades Valley and continue towards Tinghir and the spectacular Todra Valley where you’ll see panoramic views of the old adobe Berber villages overlooking this valley. In the Gorge we will walk between the 300 m high red cliff walls, where many Rock-climbers come to enjoy this sport.

We’ll continue on to Erfoud and Rissani where we’ll have lunch before we leave for the Sahara Desert village of Merzouga where you will be welcomed with a glass of mint tea before checking into your accommodation.

After breakfast we will go out in the 4×4 to explore the area, meet some of the locals and discover different ways of living. The village of Khamlia is inhabited by descendants of Sudanese slaves and through their Gnaoua music and songs they tell stories of their past.Not far from this village you can see the lake of Merzouga, which is visited by a seasonal flock of flamingos. There will be time to see local Berber handcrafts which are for sale, a good opportunity to buy from locals.After lunch and a rest, you will prepare to leave on the camel ride to discover the sea of sand guided by an experienced camel guide. Erg Chebbi dunes are the largest in this region of Morocco, the silence that can be found as you move across the red golden dunes is very special and the experience of riding a camel to your desert camp, spending the night under the stars in the company of nomads is something you may never forget. After dinner, some music and song, you will spend the night in a traditional Berber nomad tent.

One of the best times of the day is just before sunrise. Your camel guide will wake you up early in the morning and you will have the opportunity to witnessperhaps the best sunrise of your life. The way the light changes as the sun comes up can be really amazing.You will then ride your camel back to the hotel for a well-earned breakfast and shower if you wish.

Our journey then continues as we will travel to Fes via Erfoud, Aoufous and Errachidia along the magnificent Ziz Gorge which has been carved through the volcanic rock and through the Tizi n’Talghemt pass to Midelt. We will stop in Zaida to enjoy lunch and refresh with a glass of mint tea. From there we are in the Middle Atlas, home to the great cedar forests and the indigenous Barbary monkeys that can be seen in Azrou. They are fun to watch and often steal food from passing cars. Then we drive to Ifrane; known as little Switzerland, because of its alpine style architecture, where will stop for a picture and coffee before we arrive in Fes where the tour ends.