7-Day Morocco Desert Adventure with Ait Benhaddou and Merzouga

Arrive at the airport of Marrakech and transfer to the Riad.

Learn more about the possibility of making a stop at the famous Djemaa El Fna Square.

Depart in the morning from Marrakech to Ouarzazate and the Dades Gorges, crossing the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass (2260m) in the High Atlas Mountains. Along the road, you will see breathtaking landscapes and genuine Berber villages.

Stop at the fortified village "Ait Benhaddou", UNESCO World Heritage since 1986 and more than worth visiting! The Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou is one of the many places in southern Morocco which was used as natural scenery for many movies, such as "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Jesus of Nazareth".

Go into the kasbah and climb to the top of the hill to admire and cherish the stunning scenery and beautiful surroundings.

Continue to Ouarzazate through the Valley of Roses and the palm grove of Skoura until you reach the Dades Gorges.

Stay overnight in a typical Moroccan hotel located in the heart of the Dades Gorges.

Proceed after breakfast along the banks of Boumalne, past many kasbahs (citadel) and ksour (forts or castles), through an ocher, red and mauve-tinted landscape.

Enjoy the setting of stony plateaus and grazing dromedaries.

Make a journey full of ksour, oasis and palm trees, and arrive at Tineghir, with its spectacular Gorges of Todra, perched at an altitude of 1,350 m and surrounded by a palm grove.

Continue to Erfoud, the city of fossils, and Rissani to arrive in the late afternoon at Merzouga.

Leave unnecessary luggage in the hotel and prepare for a camel ride. While the sun is going down, your camel will take you to the camp in the middle of the desert. The changing colours of the dunes at sunset make it a memorable and magical ride! 

Eat dinner in the camp under a sky full of stars and stay overnight in a tent.

Get up around 5:30 in the morning to enjoy and admire the beautiful sunrise in the desert. A splendid moment to take marvellous pictures of the Merzouga desert.

Eat a typical breakfast in the camp.

Return by camel to the lodge to take a shower and then head on to Fez, passing through the beautiful valley of Ziz, Errachidia, Midelt, up to the cedar forest where you visit the famous cedar of « Gouraud ».

Continue your way crossing the Middle Atlas until you reach the imperial city of Fez.

Enjoy a free day in Fez. When entering the streets of the Medina (old city), you really go back in time: a square structure and very narrow streets, so only donkeys and small carts can enter the city. There is a cosy bustle in the labyrinth of narrow streets; people come and go while local merchants are selling their goods. The Andalusian area, magnificent mosques and Koranic schools will surprise you. Fez has always been associated with study and religiosity and remains the spiritual capital of Morocco. After visiting the medina, you can stroll through the streets of Fez-Jdid, where the royal palace, the mellah (Jewish quarter) and the oldest mosque in Fez is located.

Drive to your hotel in Chefchaouen.

Visit the sites of Chefchaouen.

Continue to Casablanca, where you stop at one of the largest mosques in the world, the Mosque of Hassan II.

End the trip in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, where you sleep in a riad.

Transfer to Marrakech to fly back home, or you can always extend your trip with some extra nights in Marrakech or another city in the area.