DAY 1: Fez – Ifrane – Ziz Valley – Erfoud – Merzouga
After breakfast, we will head to the Merzouga desert by crossing the Middle Atlas and its cedar forest. We will visit Ifrane, known as Morocco’s “Little Switzerland”. The next stop will be Azrou (which means “rock” in Berber), a town known for its handicrafts, carpets and wood carving. After passing Midelt, we will continue to the Tizi Talghemt pass, or Camel’s Neck, located at 1,907 meters of altitude. The landscape is impressive, the mountains are completely bare. Passing Errachidia, we cross the Tafilalet massif up to the palm grove of Erfoud. We finally head to the Merzouga desert and arrive at the hotel.
DAY 2: Merzouga – Khamlia Village – Nomad families – Erg Chebbi – Dromedary ride – Overnight stay in jaimas (Berber tents)
This will be a day full of adventures in which we will discover another side of Morocco! We will start the trip in a 4×4 car and make our first stop in the Khamlia village to enjoy the Gnawa music. The inhabitants of this village are descendants of slaves who arrived from Sub-Saharan Africa. We will continue through mountains that at first glance seem rocky, but from close by, one realizes that they are made of fossilized sand deposited millions of years ago. We will walk to a place where dinosaurs remains are extracted. Experience the daily routine of an explorer at first hand by visiting the interior of one of the excavations and enjoy the calm of the arid landscape by the small village of Bega. We may also search for the Desert Rose and whoever finds it will have a surprise prize! Next, we will continue our trip along cobbled paths close to the border with Algeria until we reach an area where marine fossils are extracted. We will stop for a Berber-style picnic with a nomad family at a unique landscape, on one side the mountains and on the other the orange dunes of the Sahara. We will visit the French Cemetery at an abandoned town from the colonial era. We will then set off in a caravan of dromedaries that will take us to the Great Dune in about an hour and a half. There, we will watch a beautiful sunset. Dinner and overnight will be in a camp in the heart of the desert. At night, we will enjoy traditional Berber drums, singing, and dancing under a spectacular starry night sky.
DAY 3: Merzouga – Rissani – Todra Gorges – Dades Valley
Wake up early to admire the beautiful sunrise and to climb the dunes. After breakfast, we will ride back on the dromedaries and take our car. Departure to Rissani, where we will visit its market, the most important one in the south, where the desert nomads go shopping. We will then go to Erfoud to visit the fossilized marble factory before continuing to the palm groves of Touroug and Tinjdad. An hour later, we will reach one of the South’s strongest points: the Todra Gorges. The Todra riverbed has formed a beautiful gorge of vertical walls of enormous proportions. This unique place is a rock climber’s paradise. After lunch, the trip continues to Boumalne Dades and the Dades Valley. Accommodation in a kasbah.
DAY 4: Dades Valley – Valley of the Roses – Ouarzazate – Aït Ben Haddou – High Atlas – Marrakech
After breakfast, we depart to Ouarzazate through Boumalne Dades, El-Kelaa M’Gouna and Skoura. Admire the view of the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, the Valley of the Roses and the Skoura oasis. Once in Ouarzazate, we will stop to visit the Taourirt kasbah, built by the Glaoui dynasty. We will then head to the town of Aït Ben Haddou to have lunch and explore its exotic Ksar (fortified village) declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. We will drive through the dramatic Tizi n’Tichka mountain pass (at 2260 meters) with stops to take photos and enjoy the landscape of the High Atlas mountains. We will visit the Argan oil cooperative to learn about the making process and the benefits for the human body. The trip ends in Marrakech at your hotel or raid in the late afternoon.
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