Fes to Marrakech: tour of 3 days across Merzouga
Experience the camel ride and camping at Berber tents with our 3 days tour from Fes to Marrakech package. Scroll down for more information about the trip.
Main info:
Departure location:
Fes
Return location:
Marrakech
Departure time:
08:00 AM
Itinerary duration
3 days/ 2 nights
Highlights of our tour:
- Feeding the monkeys in Azrou forest
- Camel trekking in Erg Chebbi
- Campin in a Berber nomadic tent
- A visit to the canyons of Todgha Gorges
- Explore the Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou
Tour overview:
One of the best Morocco tours is the 3 days desert tour either from Fes or from Marrakech across Merzouga. We customize this trip to cover the best and highlight of traveling in Morocco. Therefore, on this tour, we will not only take you on an adventure camel trekking but also camping at Berber tents in Merzouga.
The tour departures from Fes across the Atlas Mountains, few stops will be made on the way. For instance, we will stop in Ifrane and at cedar forest to discover the Barbary Macaque apes.
The experience of camel trekking and camping at Berber bivouac(tents) will be in the afternoon. Therefore, we will set the camels ready for you to cross the Erg Chebbi sand dunes to one of our camps.
On the second day, we will take you to visit the grand canyons of Todgha Gorges, and also spend overnight there.
We will finish our 3 days Sahara desert tour to Marrakech by visiting Ait Benhaddou and Ouarzazate on the last day. Eventually, we will drop you off in the red city of Marrakech, and that’s the end of our service.
Itinerary:
Day 1 : Fes to Merzouga Sahara desert.
We will start our 3 days desert tour by picking you up from your accommodation or at an agreed point in Fes. It will take almost 7h driver with stops at beautiful sceneries on the way. Firstly, we will stop at Ifrane to visit the statue of the extinct Atlas lion, we will take some pictures and give you some information about it. Next, Azrou forest is half an hour from Ifrane, it will be our next stop. There, we will discover one of the wild animals that are still living there which is the Barbary ape. After that, we will drive to arrive at Errachidia, where the dam, the source of water for the desert.
Later, we will arrive at our destination Merzouga, our camels will be set and ready to take you trekking on Erg Chebbi. Not to mention, it depends on arrival time from Fes, we could either stop on the dunes to watch the sunset or at the camp. After dinner, we will entertain you by setting the fire and playing Berber music on drums. At night, hopefully, it is not cloudy, we recommend that you climb the dunes for a fascinating view of the stars and the Milkyway.
Day 2 : Merzouga to Dades across Todgha canyons.
In the morning, we will wake you up to watch the sunrise, as it is one of the best things to do while on the sand dunes. Thereafter, we will take you back on the camels where you started to leave for Dades.
From Merzouga to Dades, there few things to do and to visit. To start with, we will stop at Fezna, a stunning place where there are many wells for agriculture to an oasis. Then, we will visit one of the Berber cooperatives of clothes, they will dress you for free for pictures and put on Henna on your hands. Next, we will arrive at Tinghir across the road of thousands of Kasbahs. There, the area is famous for the canyons because it’s attached to the Atlas Mountains, you will have some free time to take photos.
Afterward, we will drive to arrive in Dades, two stops will be made. First, we will stop at the monkeys’ toes, mountains shaped differently by the rain and wind. Second, we will visit the dangerous curves of Tissdrine, where an advertisement for a Cadillac car was made. Then, we will check at a hotel/Riad in Dades, and that’s the end of the second day of our 3 days Sahara desert tour from Fes to Marrakech.
Day 3 : Dades to Marrakech passing by Ait Benhaddou.
The third day is another fascinating day, there are many things to discover on the way from Dades to Marrakech. We will leave the accommodation, the first place we will stop at is the city of Roses. There, we will make a quick stop at a shop to see some products of rose flowers and how they make them. Then, we will continue our ride for Ouarzazate, they also name it the city cinema of Morocco. There are two main things to see in Ouarzazate. However, the best is only a visit to one of the cinema studios in Africa. As many famous movies were made around there, the city took over building studios for movie making.
Our next stop will be to the magical Kasbah of Ait-Benhaddou, it will take us about 40 minutes to explore. Many famous were made here. Therefore, being here is not just a normal visit but a place where your favorite movies were made. Not to mention, the Kasbah is one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites.
After lunch, we will leave for Marrakech, few stops will be made on the Mountains of the High Atlas. First, we will stop at the top peak of 2260 meters. Second, we will stop at a cooperative of the Argan oil to check how it is done and if you are interested in some products.
Eventually, we will arrive in Marrakech, and that’s an end of an itinerary of 3 days from Fes across the Sahara desert of Merzouga.
Tour includes:
- Pickup and drop off from accommodation.
- Camel for each in Merzouga
- Berber tent accommodation.
- Vehicle with gasoline
- Dinner and Breakfast
Tour excludes:
- Monuments fees
- Lunches
- Tips
- Soft drinks
Testimonials:
Book your 3 days from Fes to Marrakech:
If you are interested to book our Fes desert tour for 3 days to Marrakech, please fill in the name of the tour in the subject field. Also, if the itinerary we suggested is missing some of your needs please let us know, we will make sure to answer you within 24h.
Related Morocco tours:
The 3 days desert tour from Fes to Marrakech is all about beautiful places to see and things to do. Therefore, we try to list the best of them for you in order to have an idea of what you will see with us.
Highlights overview:
Our 3 days desert tour from Fes to Merzouga is full of beautiful places and sceneries to see. Therefore, we want to give you an overview of the things you will see and experience during your travel with us.
There are many places that we haven’t written about below, you can always contact us to have information about it.
Ifrane:
It is the first city we will visit, here are some interesting facts about it:
Ifrane is a Berber word that means caves, they are at the valley of Tizguit. The first establishment of Ifrane was in 1929 it’s about 65km from Fes, located at the Atlas Mountains at an elevation of about 5,400 feet (1,650 meters). It’s the cleanest city in Morocco with one of the best and most expensive universities, Al Khawayen. The king has about 12 palaces in Morocco, one of them is here in Ifrane, facing the university.
With our trip, we will make a stop to discover the Atlas lion statue that is in the center. This lion is the Moroccan national team, at the time when the French colonized Morocco, there was a German prisoner who had to carve this statue to gain his freedom. Since then, many tourists come to take pictures with it and read some information about it.
The Moroccan football team comes to train here in Ifrane as the high elevation helps them in training.
Azrou forest:
This forest is not far from Ifrane, about 24km, it is where you will meet the most unique animal, the Barbary macaque ape.
This is the second listed attraction you will visit with our 3 days Sahara desert tour from Fes to Marrakech. This forest is one of the biggest in Morocco in the Atlas Mountains with the cedar trees, native to the Mediterranean and the Himalayas. Here, there are many cedar trees.
The cedar trees are very tall, some of them can reach up to 40 meters, they are the home of the monkeys, the magots. These animals are native to Africa, Morocco, and Algeria. However, some of them can be found in Gibraltar. Also, these animals live in families, not only the mother who takes care of the babies but also the father. Not to mention, they are very strict, when another monkey comes to join their family they attack it. Actually, sometimes we find these animals wound because they fight between them.
They say that the forest is a home for many other animals like squirrels, deers… However, across the road, you will only find the monkey and they expect passengers to feed them and give them water.
The dam and Ziz valley in Errachidia:
Errachidia is a city in the southeast, it’s at the tip of the Atlas mountains. Therefore, some people call it the gate to the Sahara desert. It’s the city where the regions of the desert apply for many government license, passports, driving license… Errachidia is a province, the original name was Imtghern or Ksar Souk which means the village of the market. Our stop is at the dam of Hassan Addakhil, it’s a big lake where the region of the Sahara get the source of the water from the tap.
Errachidia is also famous for the river of Ziz. Actually, it is a huge valley that is about 280km long from Morocco crossing to Algeria. However, the one you will see with our 3 days tour is only 30km, it’s where the palm trees of dates are.
Erfoud:
Erfoud or Arfoud is the capital city of dates fruits and mineral fossils. It was built during the colonization of the French in 1912, Arfoud is named after the plant “Ounfoud”. However, there are some other people who say that the name is given by two Berbers who were crossing the river, and one asked the other about the level of the river and he said: ” Ar Afoud” which means that it reaches the knee.
Erfoud celebrates one of the biggest international festivals in Morocco, a 3-day carnival where they make music, theater and they sell locals products. When we are here if you are interested we can visit the market for the fruits of the date.
Moreover, we can head to visit one of the fossils museums to check how they extract fossils like soup dishes, tables, ammonites, Goniatites, and more.
Merzouga, the Sahara desert:
Merzouga, the best attraction of our 3 days trip from Fes to Marrakech. There are two theories about naming Merzouga, the first one is a family name “Merzoug”, the second one is wealthy, that’s according to the Erg Chebbi sand dunes that attract many visitors each year.
Merzouga attracts many tourists every year due to its big sand dunes, about 5 km=3miles wide and 23km=14 miles long. Moreover, some of these Erg Chebbi dunes reach up to 500 feet=150 meters. Some people ask why these dunes are here and not elsewhere. Well, they say that there was a lake here and because it gets windy a lot in the Sahara during summer, it blew on the lake. Not to mention, there is another theory about the existence of Sand her, some people claim that God punished a tribe who was fighting with couscous by sending them the storm.
Merzouga is a big village where there are many different people, Arabs, Berbers, and Gnaoua. For instance, at the center of Merzouga, there are Berbers and some Arabs, at Hassi Labied, there is usually only Berber, and at the village of Khamlia, there are the Gnaoua.
There are many amazing activities to do here in Merzouga, the best of them are included in our 3 days tour from Fes to Marrakech.
Top things to do:
Camel trekking: The best experience you will have with us is the camel tour on Erg Chebbi dunes, it will be for an hour and a half, quick stops will be made for pictures.
Camping at Berber tents: After the camel ride, you will arrive at the camp of nomads behind Erg Chebbi. There, Berbers serve dinner, set fire, and play drams as entertainment for the hosts.
ATVs: The quad bikes are not included in our 3 days tour from Fes to the red city Marrakech. However, you can contact us to include them. They are worth the ride on the dunes, especially when it rains and the sand is dry.
Srij Lake: This attraction is not also included in this tour, it is included in our other tour here. This lake is where the camels go herding during the day because they are not used for work. Moreover, it’s where you can find the immigrated birds of the flamingos.
Ait Benhaddou Kasbah:
Ait Benhaddou is a Berber fortress near Ouarzazate, another city at the tip of the Atlas Mountains. The Glaoui family owns this small village since the 11th century, and in 1987 they count it as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Aït-ben-Haddou (or Aït Benhaddou) is a small Moroccan town located in the province of Ouarzazate, 190 km from Marrakech.
The Kasbah is a city with the traditional architecture of southern Morocco and is located on the edge of the High Atlas Mountains. It is made up of a group of mud-brick buildings, and contrary to what one can sometimes read or hear, it is not a Kasbah, but a Ksar (fortified village). It is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
What to see in Aït-ben-Haddou?
As a whole, the town already deserves to be admired at length. The sunlight on the fortified village offers superb colors, it is a delight for the eye. The ksar is built on the slopes of a hill, which makes the spectacle even more beautiful. Inside, it feels like visiting an open-air museum! Admission to the fortress is free, so turn down people who want to charge you something to get into their house.
The collective attic (agadir) at the top of the hill is impressive and is worth climbing up there. Just watch out for small “entrepreneurs” who want to help you get upstairs in the attic. They wait until your back is turned to remove the small makeshift staircase that allowed you to go up, and “demand” a baksheesh in return to allow you to come down…
Don’t miss also the Ben-Haddou mausoleum which is at the foot of the hill on the other side of the city.
Conclusion:
Our 3 days desert tour from Fes to Marrakech is full of other great places you will see. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information about the places we didn’t mention, we will gladly answer you within 24 hours.