Rabat Desert Trip

A six-day private round trip from Rabat to the Merzouga desert and back via Fez and Marrakech. You see Meknes, Volubilis and the Fez medina with a local guide, ride a camel to a luxury camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes, and return through the Todra and Dades gorges, Aït Ben Haddou and Marrakech, with a stop at the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca on the last day.

Day 1: Rabat – Meknes – Fez

We pick you up at the airport or your accommodation in Rabat – just send us your arrival details and your driver-guide will wait for you with a name sign. After seeing the Hassan Tower and the Kasbah of the Udayas, we drive to Meknes for the Bab Mansour gate, and on to the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the holy town of Moulay Idriss before arriving in Fez. Overnight at Riad Dilar or similar.

Day 2: Fez

A full day exploring the old medina of Fez with a local guide. Overnight at Riad Dilar or similar.

Day 3: Fez – Ifrane – Midelt – Merzouga

We cross the Middle Atlas Mountains through the cedar forests of Ifrane – the “Switzerland of Morocco” – and Azrou, continue via Midelt and follow the Ziz Valley and its gorges to Merzouga. After a short rest you ride a camel for about an hour into the Erg Chebbi dunes to the camp, with sandboarding and sunset on the way. Dinner, Berber music and overnight in the luxury camp.

Day 4: Merzouga – Rissani – Todra Gorge – Dades Gorge

Get up for sunrise over the dunes, have breakfast at camp and ride back to Merzouga. We visit the market in Rissani (market days are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) and a fossil workshop in Erfoud, then drive through the palm groves of Touroug and Tinjdad to the Todra Gorge. Its high cliffs are popular with climbers, and a short walk through the gorge is the best way to enjoy it. Free time for lunch, then on to Boumalne Dades. Dinner and overnight in a Berber hotel.

Day 5: Dades Valley – Ouarzazate – Aït Ben Haddou – Marrakech

After breakfast we stop at a viewpoint over the Dades Valley and its many kasbahs, then follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs through the Valley of Roses and the Skoura palm grove to Ouarzazate. Here you visit the Taourirt Kasbah – once a residence of the powerful Glaoui family – and the film studios.

We continue to Aït Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, where Gladiator, The Mummy and The Jewel of the Nile were filmed. After free time for lunch we cross the Tizi n’Tichka pass and reach your riad in Marrakech around 6:00 pm. Overnight with breakfast.

Day 6: Marrakech – Casablanca – Rabat

After breakfast we drive north, stopping in Casablanca to visit the Hassan II Mosque, and drop you at Rabat airport or your hotel. The drive takes about five and a half hours including the mosque visit.