Fez Marrakech Desert Tour

Three days from Fez to Marrakech by way of the Sahara: the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, a camel ride and a night in a desert camp at Merzouga, the Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley, and the kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou on the way over the High Atlas.

Day 1: Fez – Ifrane – Azrou – Midelt – Ziz Valley – Merzouga

After breakfast we leave Fez and drive through Ifrane to the cedar forests near Azrou, home to wild Barbary macaques – a great place for photos. Lunch is in the small Berber village of Zaida. We continue through the Atlas Mountains via Midelt and Rich to Erfoud, where the Tafilalet oasis and the Sahara begin, and on to Merzouga.

From the edge of the dunes you ride a camel to the desert camp, where you spend the night in a private tent with its own bathroom, with dinner included.

Day 2: Merzouga – Rissani – Tinghir – Todra Gorge – Dades – Ouarzazate

After breakfast and a shower we set off west. We pass Rissani and Erfoud, visit Berber villages and the palm grove of Tinghir, and stop at the Todra Gorge to walk between its towering walls. We continue through the Dades Valley and the Valley of Roses to Ouarzazate, arriving in the evening for dinner and a night in a hotel.

Day 3: Ouarzazate – Aït Ben Haddou – Tizi n’Tichka – Marrakech

In the morning we visit Aït Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most impressive and best-preserved kasbahs in Morocco, where films such as Gladiator were made. We then cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m), one of the highest roads in Morocco, with wide views of valleys and Berber villages, and arrive in Marrakech in the evening.