3 Days/2 Nights Desert Trip through the Atlas Mountains from Fes to Marrakech

Itinerary

Day 1: Fes - Middle Atlas Mountains - The Sahara Desert

Stop At: Merzouga Desert, Merzouga Morocco
Fes Desert Trip's driver, will pick you up from you hotel or Riad at 7 am for the fabulous journey up into the Middle Atlas mountains. Your first stop will be at the delightful town of Ifrane, built by the French in the 1930's, and known as Morocco's Switzerland because of its Alpine chalet-styled architecture and aspect. Next you will travel on through the huge cedar forests around the quaint, peaceful Berber town of Azrou, "The Rock" in the local Berber dialect, where the famous Barbary Apes, actually macaque monkeys, will be eager to share your lunch, in the heart of their natural habitat. Then, passing through the Atlas Mountains, that are said to hold up the sky, winding your way though forested peaks, twisting mountain streams and gushing springs and spectacular, jagged walls of rock, you will arrive at the important, Sahara's edge town of Rissani, then, continuing on south, you will be amazed at the startlingly sudden appearance, as if by magic, of the Erg Chebbi sand dunes. These dunes are massive, up to 50 metres in height and extend eastwards all the way into the Algerian Sahara. Then enjoy an unforgettable ninety minute camel trek into the breathtaking sunset as you travel through the shifting sands before you arrive at a traditional Berber desert encampment to spend the night in a charming tent, surrounded by the mountainous dunes. Chill out and enjoy a delicious dinner while listening to the sweet strains of traditional Berber music until it is time to sleep underneath the myriad of glittering stars, so many and so bright that you feel you could almost reach out and touch them.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in a standard berber camp with camel trekking.

Day 2: Desert Dawn - Mighty Mountains - Oasis and Ouarzazate.

Stop At: Musee Theatre Memoire de Ouarzazate, 10 Route Nationale Skoura, Ouarzazate 45000 Morocco
An early start, as you are awoken to experience the splendour of the sun rising over the sand dunes, then you will ride your camel gently back to a hotel for breakfast, during which ride, you cannot fail to notice the shifting and changing of the shadows cast by the dunes, lengthening and shrinking as the day progresses. After breakfast, the journey to Ouarzazate begins with a drive through the 300 metre deep canyon of the Todgha Gorges cut through the easternmost tip of the High Atlas Mountains where you can enjoy some hiking around the pretty village of Tinghir. The Tinghir and Todgha gorges are the highest and narrowest in Morocco and, some would say, the most beautiful. The next stop is "Rose City" the Berber town of Kelaat Mgouna, where every year, usually in mid-May (though the times may vary), at rose harvest time, there is a celebration of the Festival of Roses. This provides an opportunity for the local growers to meet up ans sell their wares, most notably rose water which will leave your clothes, body and bed linen smelling sweetly long after it is applied. After this you will travel on to the fertile oasis of Skoura, surrounded by huge groves of palm trees with stunning views of the mighty Atlas mountains. Finally, you'll finish your day with an evening arrival in Ouarzazate where you will enjoy your dinner and stay overnight in an hotel.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in a standard hotel in Ouarzazate.

Day 3: Ouarzazate Fim Studios - Ait Ben Haddou and the High Atlas - Marrakech.

Stop At: Jemaa el-Fnaa, Marrakech Morocco
After a hearty breakfast explore the film sets and studios of Ouarzazate, "Africa's Hollywood" whose astonishing scenery and topography have lured some of the world's leading film-makers and directors to make use of the landscape. These are the most famous and largest film studios in all of the African continent. You may visit the studio museum where you can see props and other items of interest from films such as "Gladiator", "The Mummy" and "Indiana Jones" as well as parts of the popular TV series "Game of Thrones". Afterwards, take a pleasant stroll to examine the traditional Moroccan architecture that comprises the Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah. This central region of the country is vibrant and exciting and surely one of the most romantic regions in Morocco, huddled between fertile, green river valleys with their extensive palmeries and burnished mud-brick houses burning under the blazing Moroccan sun in dazzling colours beneath the azure sky. Then it's time to continue on your journey, though the High Atlas Mountains , through the astounding Tizi n'tichka Pass, over two and a quarter kilometres above sea level, along twisting, turning mountain roads dotted with picturesque Berber villages and crystal clear waterfalls, until you reach journrey's end, Marrakech. The tour ends when you are safely deposited at your hotel or riad.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.