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3-Day Small-Group Fez to Marrakech Desert Tour
3 days
Small Group
Multi-Day
About this activity
Day 1: Fez to Merzouga (D)
Depart from Fez at 7am and begin your journey. Pass through Ifrane, a winter ski resort built by the French in the 1930's to resemble a Swiss village. Continue passing through the cedars forest in Azrou where you will see the monkeys then drive across the Middle Atlas Mountains. Most of the day will be spent winding your way through the beautiful forests, springs, jagged rock faces, and Berber villages as you cross the Atlas Mountains and begin to descend towards the Sahara Desert. Half way, you will stop for lunch in the town of Midelt, famous for its fossils and rocks, then continue towards Merzouga in the road.
Stop to get a panoramic view of the a huge oasis of palm tree and reach to Merzouga in the afternoon. After having some mint tea, the guide and camels will be waiting to carry you across the sandy dunes of the erg-chebbi. Enjoy the beauty of the sunset on camel and after 1-hour, you will reach to the desert camp to spend night in a berber tent. At your desert shelter, your camels are hobbled and mint tea is served. After a wonderful dinner, watch the stars until you fall asleep.
Overnight: Desert Camp - Berber tent
Day 2: Merzouga to Gorges or Ouarzazate (B,D)
After a delicious breakfast, depart for Ouarzazate, and travel the rugged Road of a Thousand Kasbahs that rise up like turreted sand castles along this ancient caravan trading route. This area has long been a popular location for Hollywood films such as The Last Temptation of Christ, Jewel of the Nile, and most recently Hideous Kinky. The central region is one of the most exciting and romantic destinations of Morocco nestled along rich river valleys, palmeries, and burnished mud-brick homes ablaze in vibrant color under the shelter of the blue desert sky. Stop for lunch and walk into the Todra gorge. Travel through the Dadès Valley past dramatic escarpments and have a late dinner at your hotel in the Gorges or in Ouarzazate .
Overnight: Hotel Les Jardins de Ouarzazate
Day 3: Ouarzazate to Marrakech (D)
Enjoy breakfast, then visit the town of Ouarzazate, including the Kasbah of Taourirt and the Atlas Studios movie studios, the largest and most famous of all Africa. Next, stop in ait ben haddou where you will arrive in time of lunch. Here, you may visit the famous Kasbah, declared UNESCO World Heritage and which was the scene of films like The Gladiator, Babel, and Lawrence of Arabia. Pass through the High Atlas and the Tizi-n-Tichka pass, along a road that climbs from the plains up to 2260m above sea level through small villages and waterfalls as well as the continuously changing landscape and colors of the beautiful mountains. Return to your hotel or riad in Marrakech at the end of the day.
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Depart from Fez at 7am and begin your journey. Pass through Ifrane, a winter ski resort built by the French in the 1930's to resemble a Swiss village. Continue passing through the cedars forest in Azrou where you will see the monkeys then drive across the Middle Atlas Mountains. Most of the day will be spent winding your way through the beautiful forests, springs, jagged rock faces, and Berber villages as you cross the Atlas Mountains and begin to descend towards the Sahara Desert. Half way, you will stop for lunch in the town of Midelt, famous for its fossils and rocks, then continue towards Merzouga in the road.
Stop to get a panoramic view of the a huge oasis of palm tree and reach to Merzouga in the afternoon. After having some mint tea, the guide and camels will be waiting to carry you across the sandy dunes of the erg-chebbi. Enjoy the beauty of the sunset on camel and after 1-hour, you will reach to the desert camp to spend night in a berber tent. At your desert shelter, your camels are hobbled and mint tea is served. After a wonderful dinner, watch the stars until you fall asleep.
Overnight: Desert Camp - Berber tent
Day 2: Merzouga to Gorges or Ouarzazate (B,D)
After a delicious breakfast, depart for Ouarzazate, and travel the rugged Road of a Thousand Kasbahs that rise up like turreted sand castles along this ancient caravan trading route. This area has long been a popular location for Hollywood films such as The Last Temptation of Christ, Jewel of the Nile, and most recently Hideous Kinky. The central region is one of the most exciting and romantic destinations of Morocco nestled along rich river valleys, palmeries, and burnished mud-brick homes ablaze in vibrant color under the shelter of the blue desert sky. Stop for lunch and walk into the Todra gorge. Travel through the Dadès Valley past dramatic escarpments and have a late dinner at your hotel in the Gorges or in Ouarzazate .
Overnight: Hotel Les Jardins de Ouarzazate
Day 3: Ouarzazate to Marrakech (D)
Enjoy breakfast, then visit the town of Ouarzazate, including the Kasbah of Taourirt and the Atlas Studios movie studios, the largest and most famous of all Africa. Next, stop in ait ben haddou where you will arrive in time of lunch. Here, you may visit the famous Kasbah, declared UNESCO World Heritage and which was the scene of films like The Gladiator, Babel, and Lawrence of Arabia. Pass through the High Atlas and the Tizi-n-Tichka pass, along a road that climbs from the plains up to 2260m above sea level through small villages and waterfalls as well as the continuously changing landscape and colors of the beautiful mountains. Return to your hotel or riad in Marrakech at the end of the day.
Included
- 2 nights accommodation
- Small group (maximum of 10)
- Breakfast
- Dinner
- Professional Driver
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
- Camel ride
Not included
- Lunch
- Drinks
- Gratuities
Additional
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Features
Tourism
95%
Cultural
65%
Aquatic
30%
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My boyfriend and I had a wonderful experience with our guide, Mohammed. He really went above and beyond to make sure we were happy and comfortable. About an hour after the start of our tour, I realized that I had left an expensive piece of camera equipment in our last riad in Fez. Mohammed overheard us talking about this and told us not to worry. He called someone in Fez and had them pick it up at the riad and bring it to one of our stops along the way. We were so grateful! Our trip was amazing. We really enjoyed the Atlas mountains and the views of the Berber villages, the market at Rissani, Todra Gorge, Unesco Kasbah, feeding monkeys and of course, the Sahara! The Sahara was the best part of the trip and if we could change anything about the trip, it would have been to spend much more time in the Sahara because we arrived at sunset and left at sunrise. Overall, we had a great time and highly recommend this trip, especially if you get Mohammed! Mohammed shared lots of interesting information with us about his culture, took lots of pictures for us, played good Moroccan music and made our trip truly enjoyable. We hope to go back and visit our new friend someday!
Our guide was absolutely amazing. He was organized, punctual, informative, flexible, articulate and always eager to tailor the trip to our individual preferences. We were the only two in Mohammed's tour so we had his undivided attention. Mohammed was always open to stopping at roadside attractions and sites and often volunteered to take pictures of us with awesome views in the background. We both love to shop and Mohammed knew the best spots for the items we were looking for and helped us to communicate with the shop owners and to negotiate fair prices. Our lunch stops were awesome and we never felt rushed. He frequently checked in with us to make sure we were comfortable and enjoying the tour. His English language skills were great and we learned a great deal about the politics, culture and history of Morocco as we drove through the beautiful country side. Mohammed is an incredible driver and we always felt safe and comfortable as he negotiated the endless, winding roads of the Atlas mountains and inched through the hoards of people packing the narrow streets Marrakech. By the end of the trip it was hard to say goodbye to Mohammed as he had become our friend and we felt so grateful for his kindness and expertise. The camel ride was great and so was the camp in the desert. But because it was early January, it was extremely cold at night so I would recommend as many layers of clothing as you can possibly manage to assemble so that you enjoy a good night's rest at the campsite. Thank you Viator and especially to you,Mohammed, for giving us such an insider's guide to Morocco's treasures and beauty! It was an unforgettable experience!
The adventure of a lifetime. Don't come to Morocco without doing this. Better yet, come to Morocco to do this tour. You'll see so much of this beautiful country. Riding a camel out to the desert to camp in a very comfortable tent with a full bed is a once in a lifetime experience. We ate great food, stayed in great places, and saw things we never would've seen. You should request Hassan as your tour guide. He's not only an amazing tour guide but just a genuinely awesome human being. He never accepted kickbacks to steer us anywhere. He never let us get hassled by vendors trying to sell us things. His only concern was our comfort and happiness. By the end my wife and I considered Hassan part of our family and it was really sad to see him go.
One of my top two trips so far in my lifetime.