Our Destinations
Four days to cross Morocco from Marrakech to Fes by way of the Sahara. The route goes by Telouet and Ait Ben Haddou to Ouarzazate, through the Rose Valley and the Dades Gorge, out to the Erg Chebbi dunes for a night in a nomad tent, and then north along the Ziz Valley and through the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas to Fes.
Tour highlights
- The Tizi n’Tichka pass and the Glaoui kasbah at Telouet
- Ait Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-protected ksar used by many film makers
- Ouarzazate’s film studios and the Kasbah of Taourirt
- The palm oasis of Fint, the Skoura oasis and the Road of One Thousand Kasbahs
- The Rose Valley and the Dades Gorge
- Rissani and a fossil workshop on the road to Merzouga
- A two-hour camel trek at sunset and a night in a nomad tent in the Erg Chebbi dunes
- The green Ziz Valley, Ifrane and the cedar forests near Azrou, home to colonies of monkeys
Good to know
- The tour starts at your Marrakech hotel on day 1 and finishes in Fes on day 4.
- It is a private tour: your own driver, plus a guide and camels for the dune trek.
- Night 1 is in a hotel in Ouarzazate (half board), night 2 in Tamtatouchte (dinner and breakfast), night 3 in a nomad tent (dinner and breakfast).
- Part of day 2 leaves the main road for the Fint oasis.
- Nights in the desert can be cold in winter and days hot in summer, so pack layers, a scarf and sun protection.
- Send us your dates and group size and we will get back to you with availability and a quote.
Prefer a shorter or longer version? See the 3 day Marrakech to Fes tour or the 5 day Marrakech to Fes tour, or ask us to tailor a route. You can also read what past travellers say or get in touch.
Included and Excluded
- Private tour with your own driver
- Hotel pick-up in Marrakech on day 1
- Night 1 in a hotel in Ouarzazate, half board
- Night 2 in Tamtatouchte, with dinner and breakfast
- Sunset camel trek of about two hours to the Erg Chebbi camp
- Night 3 in a nomad tent, with dinner and breakfast
- Camel ride back to Merzouga on the morning of day 4
- Drive to Fes on day 4
- Anything not listed here – please confirm meals, drinks and entrance fees with us when you book
Tour route
- Marrakech – Tizi n'Tichka – Telouet – Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Fint – Skoura – Rose Valley – Dades Gorge – Tamtatouchte – Rissani – Merzouga – Erg Chebbi – Ziz Valley – Ifrane – Azrou – Fes
Itinerary
Your driver collects you from your hotel early in the morning for the drive over the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, with wide views of the mountains and small Berber villages. A detour leads to Kasbah Telouet, a palatial residence and former headquarters of the powerful Glaoui clan. Next comes Ait Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-protected ksar that has drawn many film makers. The day ends in Ouarzazate, where you spend the night in a hotel on half board.
The morning starts with the film studios of Ouarzazate and the Kasbah of Taourirt. The route then goes off-road to the palm oasis of Fint and follows the Road of One Thousand Kasbahs past the Skoura oasis into the Rose Valley, famous for its roses. Past the odd rock shapes of the Tamnalt Hills you reach the Dades Gorge, where red and mauve rock towers rise above the road, carved by the Dades River over the centuries. The night is in Tamtatouchte, with dinner and breakfast.
After breakfast at your hotel you head for Merzouga, with lunch on the way and a stop at a fossil workshop. The road passes the old town of Rissani and reaches Merzouga, the doorway to the desert. There your guide and camels take you into the dunes: a two-hour camel trek at sunset brings you to the desert camp and a traditional nomad tent. Your guide prepares a simple tagine and pours the traditional mint tea of welcome; the night in the tent comes with dinner and breakfast.
Enjoy sunrise over the dunes; the camels then carry you back to Merzouga for a shower and breakfast. Heading north you reach Erfoud, where the dry desert gives way to the green Ziz Valley with its date palms and gorges. The road then climbs into the Middle Atlas by way of Ifrane and Azrou, where colonies of monkeys in the cedar hillsides will keep you entertained, and continues to Fes.
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