Itinerary
4-day program from Marrakech, Merzouga, Fes
The journey starts from Marrakech towards the Sahara desert, Merzouga through Tizi N’Tichka pass with an altitude of 2260m. You get to enjoy the panoramas and the Berber villages all along the way. Once you get to Ait Ben Haddou’s kasba, which is a UNESCO Heritage site, you shall have a tour then lunch. After lunch you will continue to enjoy the beautiful natural landscapes and the historical monuments of Taourirt Kasbah in Ourzazate and the Valley of the Roses. The latter is famous for its annual Festival of Roses. You will also pass through the Berber villages of El Kelaa des M'Gouna and Boumalene du Dades where you will spend the night.
From Boumalene Dades we will head to Merzouga passing through the Berber villages of Tinghir and the Todra stopping for lunch at either Tinjdad or Rissani where you can enjoy the local speciality, Berber pizza. After lunch, we will make our way to Merzouga to start our camel trek. The 90 minute camel trek will take you to a Berber camp in the middle of the Erg Chebbi sand dunes, the highest in North Africa. The camp consists of several comfortable Berber tents equipped with mattresses and linen, a restaurant, a kitchen, and toilets. The evening will consist of dinner followed by entertainment provided by Berber drums around a camp fire.
Wake up early to enjoy the ravishing sunrise. After breakfast and a shower, you go to the hotel. From there, you start your tour in the desert. You start by visiting a small village named Khamlia where you will enjoy Gnawa Music. The latter is played by Berbers of color whose ancestors came to Morocco from different parts of Africa. The next stop is mines which no longer function. Our guide will explain to you more once you get there. Visiting nomads come next. You will visit Nomadic families who live in tents. Then you head back to Khamlia where you will have lunch. After lunch, you will have a tour in the Hasi Lbied’s Oasis. The rest of the day is yours so that you can do whatever you like.
After breakfast, the journey takes off to Fes. Before you arrive in Errachidia, you will make a stop to enjoy the Ziz Valley on the way. The tour continues to Midelt where you will have lunch. The city is surrounded by Atlas Mountains and it usually snows there in Winter. After lunch, you drive to get to the Cedar forest near Azrou City where you will see monkeys in the woods. Then comes Ifrane which known as the little Switzerland of Morocco as the buildings and the weather resemble the ones of Switzerland to a great extent. In the evening, we drop you off in Fes in your Riad/Hotel.
Included
- Experienced English speaking driver / guide
- Transport in comfortable air conditioned 4x4 vehicle
- Pick up and drop off from your hotel
- 1 Night in the Sahara desert dunes with dinner and breakfast
- Accommodation in hotel / riad / desert camp in desert tents
- Camel trek to reach the desert camp (1 camel per person)
NOT included
- Tips and what's not mentioned
- Plane ticket to and from Morocco
- Drinks and lunches
Cost will vary based on:
- The season when you travel
- The number of people travelling - more travellers, less cost per person
- The number of days you want to be on tour
- We usually provide mid-range accommodation in 3 and 4 /5 star riads and/or hotels, however luxury or budget hotels can also be arranged
- One way or return travel - round trips cost less
Payments
- Bookings are confirmed on receipt of a 25% deposit. At your request, we will send an invoice with payment details
- Deposits can be paid via Paypal or direct bank transfer or western union. Receipts will be issued on receipt of the deposit. The balance can be paid in cash (Euro or Dollars or Moroccan Dirham) to the driver on commencement of the tour
- You can pay the balance by credit card or direct bank transfer but this will incur a 5% fee
- Please refer to information about tipping when considering the total cost of your tour
