3 Days: From Fez, Merzouga Desert, Ouarzazat to Marrakech
Overview
Three days that cross Morocco from top to bottom, beginning in the cedar forests and improbably Alpine streets of Ifrane and dropping south to the orange dunes of Erg Chebbi. Camels carry guests over the sand to a desert camp for dinner, drumming and a night under an unbroken sky, then the route turns west through the Todgha and Dades gorges, the rose fields of Kelaat M'Gouna and the kasbahs of Ouarzazate. It finishes over the Tizi n'Tichka pass and down into Marrakech.
Highlights
- Camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes and a night in a Berber camp, with music around the fire
- Sunrise over the dunes before breakfast on the second morning
- The Todgha and Dades gorges, with the Monkey Fingers rock walls above the road
- Ait Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-listed earthen ksar, and the film studios of Ouarzazate
- Kelaat M'Gouna and the Valley of the Roses on the way west
- A private air-conditioned vehicle and multilingual driver at your disposal for all three days
Full Description
Ifrane
A short photo stop in the mountain town the French laid out with pitched roofs and gardens, so out of keeping with the rest of the country that it earns its nickname. Cool air and cedar forest after the drive up from Fez.
Azrou and Midelt
The road crosses the Middle Atlas through cedar stands where Barbary macaques come down to the verge, then descends to Midelt for a break between mountain and desert.
Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi dunes
Camels take over at the sand's edge for the ride to a luxury Berber camp among the dunes. Dinner, drums and a night in the desert follow, with sunrise over the crests the next morning.
Todgha Gorges
Limestone walls close to a few hundred metres apart above a shallow river and a strip of palm. Climbers work the faces overhead while the road runs along the canyon floor.
Dades Gorges and Boumalne Dades
The valley of a thousand kasbahs, with the eroded rock formations known as the Monkey Fingers rising beside the road. The night is spent in a guesthouse at Boumalne Dades.
Kelaat M'Gouna
The village at the heart of the Valley of the Roses, where the damask rose harvest is distilled into water and oil each spring. The fields run in hedgerows along the riverbanks.
Ouarzazate
The desert gateway town and Morocco's film capital, with the earthen Taourirt Kasbah on one side of the road and the Atlas Studios backlots on the other.
Ait Ben Haddou
A fortified ksar of packed earth stacked up a hillside above the Ounila river, UNESCO-listed and familiar from decades of film sets. The climb to the granary at the top is worth it for the view.
Marrakech
The final leg crosses the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass and drops into the red city, arriving in time for the souks and the evening on the Jemaa el-Fna.
Inclusions:
- A/C, Wi-Fi car or van with multilingual tour driver at your disposal
- All tolls, gasoline, highway and parking fees
- Accommodation in Merzouga and Boumalne Dades
- Merzouga overnight in camp with dinner and breakfast
- Camel ride
Exclusions:
- Tour driver and guide tips
- Food and drinks (unless specified)
- Gratuities (recommended)
- Accommodation in Marrakech
- Book without a credit card — book now, pay later
- Instant confirmation — a confirmation email and voucher arrive immediately after booking
- Printed or mobile vouchers are both accepted
- Free date change up to 12 hours before departure time
- No cancellation fee if cancelled at least 24 hours before the scheduled pick-up
- 100 percent cancellation fee within 24 hours of the scheduled pick-up
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
- No refund for cancellations made less than 24 hours before the start time.
- Changes requested less than 24 hours before the start time cannot be accepted.
- Times are local. Experiences cancelled for poor weather are refunded in full or rescheduled.