3-Day Marrakech to Fes Desert Tour with Merzouga Camp Stay

• Start your trip from Marrakech early in the morning and drive east toward the High Atlas Mountains.
• Make a few stops along the way to take photos of the gorgeous scenery and enjoy a cup of coffee.
• Continue uphill along curvy roads to the famous Tizi Ntichka pass before reaching Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, the first major sightseeing stop. This fortified Berber village is a UNESCO-listed landmark and is also known as the filming location for Hollywood epics such as Kingdom of Heaven, Lawrence of Arabia, and Gladiator.
• Cross the river that separates the Kasbah from the main road and explore the village at leisure.
• Have lunch at leisure at one of the local cafés, then continue to Dades Valley, driving past Ouarzazate, Skoura Oasis, and Klaa Mgouna, the capital of the Valley of the Roses, famous for its rosewater distillation factories.
• Upon arrival at Boumalne Dades, follow the Dades River along a small road lined with different fortified Kasbahs on the way to Dades Canyons.
• Arrive at your hotel late in the afternoon.

Dinner and overnight stay at your Dades hotel.

• Start your journey after breakfast, driving along the Road of 1001 Kasbahs to the Oasis of Tighir. Continue along the river to Todgha, where you will stop to walk around the oasis under the shade of palm trees.
• Continue to Todgha Gorges. After spending some free time there and having lunch at a local café, head to Rissani, famous for its dates market. This town was once the starting point of the ancient trading caravans that crossed the Sahara Desert to Tombouctou.
• Continue to Merzouga, driving through a rocky desert landscape.
• Meet the camel caravan and begin your ride across the dunes, enjoying the sunset in the background.
• Reach your Sahara desert camp before darkness.
• Prepare for a Moroccan-style dinner served under the stars beside the campfire.
• Late at night, your nomad hosts will entertain you with their drums.

• Set out early to enjoy a camel trek over the dunes of Erg Chebbi, which offer terrific sunrise views.
• Depart on a scenic drive to Fes, crossing Ziz Valley through Errachidia, the capital of the Tafilalt region.
• Continue to Midelt, where you will stop for lunch before crossing the Middle Atlas Mountains and cedar forests. Drive past the Berber towns of Imouzzar and Ifran, famous winter ski resorts for Moroccans. You might spot some Barbary apes along the way.
• Arrive in Fes late in the afternoon.
• Get dropped off at your hotel in Fez or riad.