The road from Fez to Marrakech can be fast and smooth on the highway, in a journey of just 5 and a half hours. However, you can also take an alternative route, full of emotions and unforgettable landscapes, crossing the deepest desert, between high mountains and impregnable fortresses. That is precisely what this tour from Fez proposes, through the desert and Ait Ben Haddou, until arriving in Marrakech 4 days later, which you can book with Tenere Tours to enjoy privately.
As soon as we hear the name “Sahara Desert”, an image of dune fields, of fine, gold-colored sand, comes to mind. And that is what our eyes will see when we arrive at Erg Chebbi, in Merzouga. But we will also have the opportunity to explore the extensive territory of stony hammadas, with tracks that the Paris-Dakar used to run. And we will even see oases that form in the pre-Saharan valleys, providing a burst of greenery and freshness.
But in addition to these natural attractions, on this tour we will discover the human component that this vast territory hides. Groups of musicians and dancers who preserve ancestral rhythms and semi-nomadic families who still live like their ancestors, demonstrate to us that with will and love for what is done, it is possible to resist the most adverse conditions.
To the surprise of many, Morocco is a very mountainous and irregular country. And that has a great advantage for travelers: here, the most spectacular natural landscapes are created, which can be captured with a camera or simply stored in the retina. This is the case in the High Atlas, where the most imposing peaks of North Africa rise. Or on the fertile and green slopes of the Middle Atlas, in Ifrane. Or even in canyons of enormous geological interest, such as the Todra Gorges.
In addition, in this territory, once traveled by commercial caravans that connected Marrakech with the other side of the Sahara, man has also contributed his bit: kasbahs and fortified villages will mark the route, highlighting among all the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, to which we will dedicate the time it deserves.
In 4 days and 3 nights, which is how long this tour lasts, you can live unique experiences and visit places to remember. Below you can see the route, stage by stage, of this route starting in Fez and ending in Marrakech, with travel by road and sand tracks:
This tour begins in Fez, whether you arrive this same day or were already in this city: our meeting and pick-up can take place at the airport, at the station, at the hotel or at any other chosen point. And after that, we begin a road route, heading to the Middle Atlas.
The first places to discover are Ifrane and its surroundings: this mountain town is striking for its green landscapes and its gabled roofs, unique in Morocco, which is why it is known as the local ‘Switzerland’. After that, we will enter the Ifrane National Park, popularly called ‘Monkey Forest’ or ‘Cedar Forest’, as both are abundant in the reserve, as we will see.
After crossing this mountain range, we will head towards the Ziz Valley in the direction of the Sahara Desert. And we will do it with this river as a travel companion… until it ‘dies’ without finding an outlet, since it is an endorheic river. What we will find along the way will be Erfoud, a city famous for its fossils and minerals.
The end of this first day is approaching and our route will end in Merzouga, a town that gives its name to the most beautiful portion of the Sahara in Morocco. On this occasion, you will settle into a pleasant kasbah-hotel to have dinner and rest for the next day, which will bring great emotions.
The protagonists of the second day of the tour will be the Sahara Desert and its inhabitants, who make this inhospitable corner of the world more human. In the first place, the inhabitants of Khamlia or ‘black town’, as many of them have this skin color and proudly maintain their traditions and roots. In particular, their gnawa music, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO: as we will see in a live performance, its tribal rhythms, its litanies and its characteristic clothing refer us to black Africa, from where the slaves who were brought here centuries ago came from, and from whom they themselves descend.
Another important moment of the day will be the visit to the nomadic families who, despite being in the process of settling down, continue to preserve the customs of their ancestors, basing their way of life on grazing and the exploitation of the scarce natural resources that the desert offers them. Around a tea, as tradition dictates, they will tell us what day-to-day life is like here.
And between one place and another, we will travel along tracks of the old Paris-Dakar rally, where we will experience the adrenaline of traveling in a 4×4, passing through old Berber villages and the French Protectorate, and through kohl mines that were so exploited at the time. In addition, at one point on the route we will reach a high point from where we will glimpse the extension of the Erg Chebbi dunes.
Precisely in the last section of the day, when arriving at Merzouga, we will start the journey towards these dunes on the backs of dromedaries, which are not only noble animals but also the best way to get to the jaimas camp (they can be replaced by 4×4 vehicles).
And already in the camp, we will enjoy a new Berber tea, a typical dinner and a farewell to the day that is most pleasant: a peaceful and silent atmosphere, with a starry sky above our heads.
If there is a day in which it is worth getting up earlier than the sun, that is the third day of this tour. Those who get up very early will have the prize of seeing the sunrise over the Erg Chebbi dunes, a spectacle of lights that acquires a special beauty here.
After that, breakfast will be taken in the camp and we will return to Merzouga to continue the route by road. Before (in the camp or in a hotel in Merzouga, depending on the chosen package), there will be time for a refreshing shower. And a few kilometers after the resumption, we will stop in Rissani, a small town with one of the most beautiful historical medinas in southern Morocco.
Back on the road, we will arrive at the Dades Valley and in the picturesque town of Tinghir, we will take a detour that will take us to the Todra Gorges: it is a narrow canyon whose walls of more than 100 meters are the perfect setting for a peaceful walk… and for a unique day of climbing.
After that, we will continue through the Dades Valley, along a section that is part of the Route of the Thousand Kasbahs. In fact, after also crossing the Valley of the Roses, we will arrive at Ouarzazate, where one of the most spectacular residential castles of said route is located: the kasbah of Taourirt, the old bastion of the powerful El Glaoui family.
After the visit to the kasbah, we will go to the hotel located in this city, which is also famous for its film studios: Atlas Studios, which can be visited. Dinner will also be served at the hotel in Ouarzazate.
The last day of the tour will not be a mere formality, far from it: it will bring us some of the most beautiful visits of the route. For example, the first of them, once the march towards Marrakech has resumed, about 20 km from Ouarzazate: the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, which some travelers will recognize for its appearance in the series Game of Thrones.
This fortified village, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is composed of a humble hamlet around a ruined kasbah and surrounded by high walls. All this in reddish color due to the local sand used in the adobe, the majority material in these constructions. The geometric decoration that forms plays of shadows completes the image of this town, which you can immortalize from inside and from outside, on the banks of the oasis that supports it.
The route continues later, with the road ascending to cross the High Atlas. But before crowning, we will deviate to discover another of the kasbahs that belonged to the Glaoui, from where they controlled this strategic natural pass: it is the kasbah of Telouet, ‘sister’ of that of Taourirt in Ouarzazate.
Soon after we will cross the port of Tizi n’Tickha, at about 2,260 meters of altitude, which will give us privileged panoramic views. And the same will happen during the entire descent until arriving in Marrakech, especially in the first section of the descent, through fertile valleys dotted with Berber villages.
And already in Marrakech our services will conclude. Specifically, at the point agreed with you, which can be the Menara airport or any other place in this city. There we will say goodbye full of gratitude for choosing this tour from Fez, with the desert and Ait Ben Haddou as great attractions, and with Tenere Tours as hosts.
This private tour includes quality and essential services for the proper development of the program. They are as follows:
These other services and travel aspects, on the other hand, are not included in the package. Therefore, the client must contract them previously or during the trip:
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