4 Days Sahara Desert Tour: Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga

Marrakech – Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Dades

Your private driver will welcome you, then you leave Marrakech for the Dades Valley. Your first stop is the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m) to take some memorable photos of the amazing scenery. Then we head to the fortified city of Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the most spectacular ksar in all of Morocco, set on the old caravan route from the Sahara to Marrakech.

Ouarzazate – the Hollywood of Africa – is a world-renowned film-making location, from Lawrence of Arabia in the 60s to Salmon Fishing in the Yemen in 2011; you can visit the Atlas Studios (optional). After that, taking the Road of 1000 Kasbahs, we drive past colourful Berber villages to reach the Dades Valley for the overnight stay.

Total: 5 hours driving

Overnight at a boutique riad or hotel in Dades

Dades – Todra Gorges – Merzouga

After breakfast we take the road to Tineghir with its beautiful palm grove. We continue to the Todgha Gorge, where you walk along canyon walls about 300 m high, a favourite place for mountain climbers.

Afterwards we head to the Erg Chebbi dunes in the Merzouga Sahara Desert. We arrive in Merzouga before sunset, then you ride a dromedary camel for 45–60 minutes at sunset into the Erg Chebbi dunes to camp overnight in your luxury bivouac tent.

Total: 4 hours driving

Overnight at a luxury desert camp in Merzouga

Sahara Desert Exploration

Today we explore the Erg Chebbi dunes by 4WD. On the tour, we visit the oasis of Merzouga and Khamlia village, where you can hear Gnaoua music played by local people whose ancestors came to Morocco from sub-Saharan Africa along the old trade routes. We continue on to meet desert nomads in their tents and discover their way of life, and also visit the nearby Lake of Merzouga with its diverse population of birds (weather dependent).

Afterwards, we leave for Rissani. Once called Sijilmassa, this was the meeting place for the salt caravans coming from Timbuktu, Mali. Here you can walk through the largest souk in the south, where you find spices, vegetables and cloth and may see livestock and camels being traded. After lunch, there is time to relax, or alternatively enjoy a quad bike or dune buggy experience in the dunes.

Overnight at a luxury desert camp in Merzouga

Merzouga – Ziz Valley – Ifrane – Fes

We start in the morning from Merzouga and leave the Sahara behind, heading north through the spectacular Ziz Valley with its dramatic landscapes and palm groves. We continue towards Zaida, where we stop for lunch. Zaida is well known locally for its barbecue, making it a great place to enjoy a traditional Moroccan meal before continuing our journey.

After lunch, we drive towards Michlifen, in the Middle Atlas Mountains. This beautiful forested area is known for its population of Barbary macaques. We can take a break here, enjoy the natural surroundings and observe the monkeys in their environment. We then continue to Ifrane, often known as the Moroccan Switzerland because of its European-style architecture, clean streets and mountain setting, where you have some free time to walk around and take photos.

Finally, we continue toward Fes, arriving in the afternoon or early evening depending on road conditions and the length of our stops. From the golden Sahara of Merzouga to the forests of the Middle Atlas and the elegant streets of Ifrane, this final day offers a wonderful change of scenery before arriving in the historic city of Fes.

Total: 7 hours driving