Tour
FEZ – DESERT OF MERZOUGA – MARRAKECH
4 days / 3 nights

Desierto de Merzouga
Day 1: Fez – Ifrane – Cedro Forest – Merzouga Desert
Pick up at the riad / hotel where you stay in Fez in the morning. We will leave Fez towards the south to cross the mountains of the Middle Atlas until arriving at Ifrane. This town is known as the small Moroccan Switzerland because of its great resemblance to that country. One of the animals that once inhabited here was the Atlas lion, which is why it has become the symbol of the city and to which a stone statue has been dedicated in the center of it.
We will cross the famous cedar forests, where we will be able to admire the Great Cedar Gouraud, the largest millenary cedar of the region. There is also the possibility of feeding the hundreds of Gibraltar monkeys that live in the area.
We will have lunch in Midelt and in the afternoon we will pass through the Ziz Valley. More than 20 km of palm grove and 10 million palm trees makes it one of the largest in the world.
Arrival in Merzouga and hospitality tea in our hotel, to later enjoy our first contact with the desert, climbing to the nearest dunes and relaxing with a spectacular sunset.
Dinner and hotel accommodation very close to the dunes of Erg Chebbi.
Day 2: Merzouga Desert – Nomadic Families – Khamlia – Desert
Today will be a day of total desert.
After a copious and rich breakfast, we will go around the Erg Chebbi, an expanse of sand desert where the Great Dune of Morocco is located over 250 meters above sea level, and we will connect by track with part of the route followed by the old Paris-Dakar and with the mountains that border with Algeria in the background. Stop at the Tissardmin oasis where we can find fossil quarries that are still found in this region. We will continue towards a nomadic settlement where we will know some of the secrets of their lives and customs. We will make a later stop at a panoramic point where we can contemplate the Erg Chebbi as a whole. We will arrive at the village of Khamlia, originally from Mali, where we will relax with a tea, while we will enjoy a small concert of spiritual music from Gnawa.
Return to the hotel, at the foot of the dunes we will be waiting for a caravan of dromedaries with which we will enter the heart of the dunes and contemplate an unforgettable sunset. We will arrive with the dromedaries to the camp where we will lodge in jaimas ‘tents made with dromedary hair’ like those used by the nomads of the desert.
Dinner and lodging in jaimas in the middle of the desert.
Day 3: Merzouga Desert – Rissani – Erfoud – Todra Gorges – Dades Valley
Since you are in the desert, it is recommended to get up early to walk to the highest dune that is around the camp, to enjoy the sunrise and this relaxing landscape that nature offers us.
We will return in camels to the village of Merzouga. After a delicious breakfast, we have to say goodbye to the desert and we will leave for Rissani where we will visit its market (market days: Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday). We will follow the path to Erfoud where there is also the possibility of visiting the fossilized marble factory before continuing to the palm groves of Touroug and Tinjdad. An hour later we will arrive at one of the strongest points of the High Atlas: Todra Gorges. The channel of the Todra River has formed a defile of vertical walls of enormous proportions and of great beauty; It is a paradise for climbers and a unique place.
Lunch at the site and a half hour walk would be recommended to see and enjoy the Gorges in detail.
In the afternoon we will continue to the Dades Valley and stop in the ‘legs of the monkey’.
Dinner and night in the Dades Valley.
Day 4: Dades Valley – Ouarzazate – Kasbah De Ait Ben Haddou – Marrakech
After breakfast, we can enjoy one of the best views of Dades Valley. We will do it from one of the most strategic places that the mountains offer us.
From there we can see how many Kasbah there are and how picturesque each one is. It is for this reason that this piece of road is known as ‘The Route of the Thousand Kasbahs’. After several stops to enjoy this route, the Valley of Roses and the great Palm Grove of Skoura, we will arrive in Ouarzazate and visit the Kasbah of Taourirt, former residence of the Glaoui or Pachá of Marrakech. Also in the area, the Studios and Museum of Cinema, if you are interested. We will then go to the fortified village of Ait Ben Haddou, where we will visit its famous Kasbah (Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986). In this spectacular frame several famous movies have been shot like: Sahara, Gladiator, Obelix, etc.
We will have lunch in the village and in the afternoon we will depart for Marrakech crossing the mountain pass of Tizi N’Tichka with some stops to take pictures. Here we will leave behind the lunar landscape that will give way to the predominant colors, greens, ocher, etc.
We will have lunch in the village and in the afternoon we will depart for Marrakech crossing the mountain pass of Tizi N’Tichka with some stops to take pictures. Here we will leave behind the lunar landscape that will give way to the predominant colors, greens, ocher, etc.
Arrival in Marrakech about 6 pm or so, transfer to the hotel and end of our services.
THE TOUR INCLUDES:
Reception and return in the riad / hotel where you stay
All-terrain vehicle 4×4 or minibus with A / C
Driver
Gas
Guide that speaks your language
Hotel half board (Dinner and breakfast)
1 night in jaima with dinner and breakfast
Excursion with dromedary (one per person)
IT DOES NOT INCLUDE:
Flights
Drinks and lunches
Tickets and tips
All those services that are not specified in the program
PRICE PER PERSON:
The price of the routes will vary depending on the occupancy of the seats in our vehicles.
Send us an email to info@rutasamarruecos.com or contact us through our form, to indicate which route you prefer, how many people would enjoy this fascinating trip and the dates planned.
Next, we will send you the details of your route as soon as possible.
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