Tour Overview
A well-paced four days linking Marrakech to Fes through the country's most cinematic desert route. Beyond the High Atlas and the UNESCO kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, the Dades and Todra Gorges give way to a night of camel trekking and desert-camp hospitality at Merzouga. From there the journey climbs north through the Ziz Valley, the Barbary-macaque cedar forests of Azrou, and the alpine town of Ifrane, arriving in Fes — Morocco's spiritual capital — with time still to spare.Tour Highlights
- Visit the UNESCO World Heritage kasbah of Aït Benhaddou
- Cross the High Atlas via the spectacular Tizi-n-Tichka pass (2,260m)
- Stop at the legendary film studios of Ouarzazate, "Hollywood of Africa"
- Walk through the dramatic Todra and Dades Gorges
- Pass through the fragrant Rose Valley and Skoura palm oasis
- Sunset camel trek into the dunes
✓ Included
- 3 nights accommodation (hotels + desert camp)
- Breakfast & dinner daily
- Camel trek in Merzouga
- Guided tour of Ait Benhaddou
- English-speaking guide/driver
- Private transport throughout
- Hotel/riad pickup and drop-off
- Bottled water during the trip
- All local taxes
✗ Not Included
- Lunches
- Drinks
- Flights
- Personal expenses
Day by Day Itinerary
Early departure from Marrakech (7:30 AM). Ascend the spectacular Tizi-n-Tichka pass — at 2,260m the highest paved road in North Africa — winding through dramatic Berber villages of pink and ochre earthen architecture, with sweeping Atlas panoramas. Stop at the summit for photos and at roadside silver jewellery stalls. Descend into the Ounila Valley to visit Ait Benhaddou — UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987: a fortified earthen ksar with six kasbahs and 1,000 years of history. Climb to the summit granary for panoramic views. Ait Benhaddou has appeared in Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Game of Thrones, Lawrence of Arabia, Babel, and The Mummy. Continue to Ouarzazate — "Hollywood of Africa" — for lunch. Optional visit to the Atlas Corporation Studios (sets from Gladiator still standing). Drive east through the stunning Skoura oasis (700-year-old palm grove, ancient kasbahs) and the Rose Valley (Damascus roses cultivated for rose water). Arrive in Boumalne Dades as evening falls. Overnight in a guesthouse above the gorge.
Morning walk into the Dades Gorges — extraordinary red-ochre rock formations called "Monkey Fingers" carved by the Dades River, with Berber villages clinging to the canyon walls. Drive east to the Todra Gorges — where 300m-high walls of rose and amber limestone narrow to just 10m wide above a cold, clear emerald river. Walk through the canyon floor, one of Morocco's greatest natural spectacles. Continue through the Tinghir oasis (a 50km palmery) across the Tafilalt plain to Merzouga. Arrive mid-afternoon. Brief rest, then mount your camel for the iconic sunset trek into Erg Chebbi — Morocco's most dramatic dune sea, reaching 150m high. Watch the light shift from gold to crimson to purple as the sun drops behind the dunes. Arrive at the luxury Berber camp for a traditional dinner, live Gnawa drumming around the campfire, and an incomparable night under the Sahara stars. Overnight in a Berber tent.
Rise before dawn to climb a great dune and watch the Sahara sunrise — the silence is absolute, the colours otherworldly. Traditional Moroccan breakfast in camp: mint tea, msemen flatbread, amlou almond paste, fresh dates. Drive to Rissani — the ancient trading town at the heart of the Tafilalt oasis, birthplace of Morocco's Alaouite dynasty (founded 1666, still reigning). Browse the colourful souk. Drive north through Erfoud (famous for Devonian fossil beds) and into the Ziz Valley — a 150km corridor of date palms, ochre ksour, and Berber villages hugging the river beneath the Haut Atlas foothills. Re-enter the Ziz Gorges and the dramatic red-rock canyon. Arrive in Midelt for overnight — a mountain town at 1,500m in apple and pear orchard country, with views of the snow-capped Jbel Ayachi.
Morning drive north through the Middle Atlas: the Azrou cedar forest — where wild Barbary macaques (Barbary apes) live among centuries-old cedars and approach visitors for food; Ifrane — Morocco's alpine resort town at 1,665m with its Swiss-chalet-style villas, manicured parks, and famous stone lion sculpture. Descend from the mountains into the fertile Sais plain. Arrive in Fes early afternoon. Drop-off at your riad or hotel. The afternoon is yours to begin exploring: the legendary Bou Inania Madrasa, the Chouara tanneries (iconic aerial view from leather shop terraces), the Kairaouine Mosque (founded 859 AD — the world's oldest university), or the vibrant spice souks. Tour ends in Fes.
