4 Days Sahara Desert Tour From Marrakech to Fez

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Sahara Desert adventure from Marrakech to Fez in 4 Days & 3 nights, admire the river oases and gorges, enjoy the stunning views of the Atlas Mountains. Tour the medieval protected UNESCO Kasbah of Aït Benhaddou. Explore the massive sand sea of Erg Chebbi, appreciate memorable sunrise and sunset over the high dunes, tour the desert on camel / Quad or Buggy, lounge by a pool at the Kasbah in Merzouga. Taste a delicious food, spend an amazing overnight under private well-equipped Bedouin style tent in Erg Chebbi Sahara Desert, visit the Berber villages and discover the Nomadic lifestyle in Morocco.

Highlights

Brief Itinerary

Detailed Sahara Desert Itinerary

Day 1: Marrakech → Telouet → Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah → Ouarzazate → Skoura → Dades Gorges

Morning departure from your hotel or Riad in Marrakech to Dades Valley, pass through the High Atlas Mountains roads (2260 m) and the Tizin tichka pass. Stopping en route to take pictures of the Berber villages- made up of traditional mud-brick and appreciate the panoramic views of the snaky roads. Continue on to Telouet Kasbah, the famous Thami El Glaoui palace. Then passing through the Ounila valley to Ait Ben Haddou. This valley was an important point of the crossing caravans between Marrakech and Ouarzazate. Throughout the valley, there is a striking contrast between the ocher of the earth and rocks and the green plantations, for those who take the time to observe. Visit Kasbar Ait Ben Haddou, one of the most famous of southern Morocco, now classified a world heritage by Unesco. This fortified Kasbah was built a few hundred years on a promontory, to escape the invasions of foreign tribes. If you climb up to the attic of the ruins you can admire the view of the palms and the desert surroundings. To this day only a few families still live there. After lunch you will depart to the Dades Gorges, traveling through the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs and crossing the Valley of Roses. Dinner and overnight at your Kasbah / Hotel.

Day 2: Dades Valley → Todra Gorge → Erfoud → Rissani → Merzouga

Today, you will drive further east to the Erg Chebbi dunes outside of Merzouga sand sea. Along the way, you will stop in Tinghir Berber town to admire the Todra’s oasis that extends on either side of the river. The surrounding mountainous landscapes reveals impressive buttes, mesas, and plateaus. Nearby, you will have the opportunity to see the beautiful canyon and explore the Todra Gorge, then continue on to the desert town of Erfoud, known for its date’s fruits and fossils. Enjoy your lunch break in Rissani, also you will have the chance to taste the famous spicy Madfouna “Berber Pizzza”, visit the livestock auction and the “donkey parking lot”. As you Leave Rissani town. you will start to see the beginnings of the giant sand sea of Erg Chebbi, looming on the Sahara Desert horizon. Upon reaching Merzouga, you will warmly be welcomed with local spicy tea at the Kasbah, as you feel refreshed you could opt for a hike to the top of a nearby dune to watch the memorable sunset before enjoying a warm meal and overnight at the Kasbah. Don’t forget to capture some snapshots because you’ll surely want to cherish this picturesque view!

Day 3: Sahara Desert → Gnawa Village → Serji Lake → Ancient Salt Caravans’ Road → Camel Trekking → Erg Chebbi Dunes

After breakfast at your Kasbah in Merzouga, you will take the 4×4 for a Sahara desert tour to the nearby rocky caves where meteorites continue to be found, as are crocodile teeth, shark, pterosaur and Spinosaurus fossils, then you will go to the ancient small village of Tissrdmin where many famous movies have been filmed, taking the road which passes along the route of the famous Paris – Dakar rally. You will then pass  through the Black Desert with its volcanic stones where we will take tea with a Nomadic family, If you have children accompanying you, this is likely to be the highlight of their trip, as they’ll get to see and play with the goats, chickens, camels and donkeys. Afterward, you’ll be heading towards south to Khemliya, a traditional Saharan village (with its people originally from Mali). You will enjoy traditional Gnawa Music, drumming and dancing before taking a short walk around the village and its farmed sandy plots. You will have a second chance to stop the lake Dayet Srji with its pink flamingos.  From here, continue your off-road journey to enjoy an amazing lunch at a restaurant with a lovely location and delicious food. After this, drive back to relax at the Berber camp before ride camels for a journey into the stunning dunes enjoying the sunset. Dinner, drums party over the fire and spend your second overnight in Sahara Desert at your carpeted and well-equipped private tent.

Day 4: Erg Chebbi Dunes → Erfoud → Ziz Palms’ Oasis → Midelt-Middle Atlas Mountains → Ifrane → Fez

Wake up early to witness the incredible sunrise in the “middle of nowhere” from the high dunes, Nature’s incredible light show of sunrise over ever-changing colors of dunes. After breakfast at the Berber bivouac site, continue on towards Fez. You will stop to appreciate the panoramic views of the fruitful Oases such as ziz palms oasis. Continue through the Berber villages and Middle Atlas Mountains from which there is some of the most beautiful stretches of cedar and hazel born in Morocco and most important rivers. Landscapes chase in particular in the area of Azrou, Ifrane, popular center for winter sports, known as “the Switzerland of Morocco.” You’ll make a stop in Midelt and then continuation to Fez, the oldest of the imperial cities, the most important historical and artistic center of the country. Here your trip will end with best memories about a very unique Sahara Desert trip from Marrakech to Fez.