Tour Overview
A compact three-day round trip from Fes into the heart of the Sahara. The drive south crosses the cool cedar forests of the Middle Atlas and the alpine town of Ifrane before dropping through the dramatic Ziz Gorges toward Merzouga. A full day is set aside to properly experience the dunes — camel trekking, nomadic encounters, and a night in a Berber camp — before the return leg pauses at Rissani's historic souk on the way back to Fes.Tour Highlights
- Sunset camel trek into the dunes
- Ride the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi in the Sahara
- Overnight in a traditional Berber camp under the stars
- Stop in traditional Berber villages along the way
- Optional quad biking session across the dunes
- Stop in Ifrane, Morocco's alpine 'Switzerland' resort town
✓ Included
- 2 nights accommodation (hotel + desert camp)
- Breakfast & dinner daily
- Camel trek in Merzouga
- English guide/driver
- Private transport
- Hotel/riad pickup and drop-off
- Bottled water during the trip
- All local taxes
✗ Not Included
- Lunches
- Drinks
- Personal expenses
Day by Day Itinerary
Departure from Fes (7:30 AM). Drive south through the magnificent Middle Atlas mountains. First stop: Ifrane — Morocco's alpine resort at 1,665m, with its Swiss-chalet villas and Barbary macaques in the surrounding cedar forest at Azrou. Lunch in Midelt, the "apple city" at 1,500m. Afternoon: enter the dramatic Ziz Gorges — 50km of sheer red-rock canyon carved by the Ziz River — one of Morocco's most spectacular natural passages. Cross the vast Ziz Valley palmery: an extraordinary landscape of ancient ksour, date palms, and Berber villages stretching toward the dunes. Arrive in Merzouga as the afternoon light turns Erg Chebbi gold. Mount your camel for the iconic sunset trek into the dunes — 150m high and glowing orange. Arrive at the luxury Berber camp for a traditional tagine dinner around the campfire, live Gnawa drumming, mint tea, and a sky blazing with Saharan stars. Overnight in a traditional Berber tent.
Rise before dawn to climb the great dunes and watch the Sahara sunrise — as the first light shifts from deep violet to burning gold, the silence is total and the scale overwhelming. Traditional Moroccan breakfast in camp. Full free day in the Erg Chebbi area with a choice of activities: 4×4 desert excursion to the flamingo salt lake (Dayet Srij, where pink flamingos gather in spring); visit to nomadic Tuareg families in their traditional tent communities and insight into desert life; sandboarding down the dunes; quad biking; visit to Khamlia — a small village of descendants of sub-Saharan slaves, famous for their hypnotic Gnawa music performances. Optional: fossil hunting in Erfoud (trilobites, ammonites, orthoceras from 400-million-year-old seabeds). Second magical night in the desert camp.
One last Sahara sunrise from your dune. Traditional camp breakfast. Drive north through Rissani — the ancient trading town at the heart of the Tafilalt oasis and birthplace of Morocco's ruling Alaouite royal dynasty (founded 1666, still reigning today). Browse the vibrant Thursday souk if timing allows. Continue north through the Ziz Valley palmery and the soaring Ziz Gorges, past Midelt and Azrou. Re-enter the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas as the temperature drops and the landscape turns green. Arrive in Fes by early evening. Drop-off at your riad, hotel, or train station. Tour ends.