Day 1: Fez – Ifrane – Cedar Forest – Midelt – Ziz Valley – Merzouga
We will begin our 5 days from Fes to Marrakech by traveling through the Middle Atlas Mountains to Ifrane known as the “Switzerland of Morocco” due to its resemblance to a Swiss ski resort. Then we head to the cedar forest which is home to Barbary monks. We will feed them and take pictures with them. Continue south through Berber villages, countryside, and see nomadic shepherds with their herds spread across the land. Halfway, lunch stop in Midelt. Our first day of the 5 day Fes Marrakech desert tour will take us through the Talghmt pass. Before arriving in the Sahara Desert. We will stop for some panoramic views of the awe-inspiring hidden Ziz Valley oasis filled with palm trees and mud villages. About an hour, we will arrive in the Sahara desert in the late afternoon, we will have the interior and we will spend the night in a hotel.
Day 2: Merzouga – Visit of the Erg Chebbi desert – Camel trek – Camp
After breakfast, we will start our desert excursion for a half day in the Sahara. We drive to visit the nomads who still live in tents in the middle of the Sahara desert. We will discover how they live, drink a cup of tea with them. After, continue our way to visit old mines once exploited by the French. Later, we will visit the village of Khamlia which is home to black Berbers, descendants of Sudan, Mali… We will have the opportunity to listen to their Gnaoua music and have lunch in town. Before the camel ride, we will see an oasis on the edge of the Sahara desert. After a rest, start the camel trek on the high dunes of the Erg-Chebbi desert. You will see a beautiful sunset on top of a high dune, you will reach the desert camp in the heart of the Sahara. After a delicious dinner, it’s time to listen to Berber music played by the local nomads under a starry sky.
Day 3: Merzouga – Todra Valley – Dades Valley
Waking up early in the morning is a “must-do” to see the sunrise of your life. then ride the camels to the hotel where you will meet your driver. We headed west through the town of Rissani: once a major stop for trade caravans through and from Morocco to neighboring countries. If it coincides with the day markets which take place every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday… we will visit the souk – the largest in the region. Then we continue to the fossil city of Erfoud. Drive through the Atlas Mountains, towns towards the Todra Valley; a green and fertile valley surrounded by old mud villages. Lunch in town, then road of about 15 km, we arrive at the Todra gorges; a corridor rising dramatically up to 300m with vertical cliffs and water trickling from natural springs. Later, we will cross the Dades Valley, where you will see the spectacular sandcastles and the amazing rock formations known locally as “monkey toes”. Spend the night in a riad overlooking the Dades Valley.
Day 4: Valley of Dades – Roses Town – Skoura – Ouarzazate
After breakfast, we head to Ouarzazate via Boutghrar and Skoura. We start our journey by visiting the winding road – the backdrop to so many car advertisements and the Dades Gorge with its impressive rock formations. We travel off-road to Boutghrar. Place where nature and colors meet, the path will lead us to nomads who live in caves, which we visit, sip a cup of tea with them. We continue to El Kalaa Mgouna (Rose Town) where locals pick over 400 tons of rose petals which are processed into rose water, creams and perfumes in local cooperatives. A festival is held every May here. It’s time to enjoy your lunch in town. Then we take the road of a thousand kasbahs to Skoura which houses the most beautiful kasbahs in Morocco, we visit the 17th century Kasbah of Amridil,
Day 5: Ait Benhaddou Kasbah–Ouarzazate – Marrakech
Today we start our journey by visiting the biggest movie studios in “Hollywood of Africa”, Ouarzazate where so many movies have been filmed such as Games of Thrones, Prison break season 4… Ouarzazate is also home to the biggest solar power plant in Africa, and famous for its craftsmanship (wooden gates, silverware, carpets, etc.) as well. Later, we head to the famous Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou – Unesco World Heritage Site – where many international films have been shot (Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, Game of thrones…). Your 5 days tour from Fes to Marrakech will continue through the spectacular Tizi n’Tichka pass (2260m) over the Atlas Mountains where you will admire the special Berber villages before arriving at your Riad in Marrakech, the end of our 5 days tour in the desert of Fes Marrakech
