3 Days Marrakech to Fes Journey: Culture, Landscapes, and History

After breakfast. We leave Marrakech to begin our tour in the Dades Valley. We pass through Tizi-n-Tishka in the high Atlas Mountains where we pause to appreciate the mountain views. We visit the Ait Ben Haddou village which is recognized by UNESCO as a world patrimony. It is famous as a backdrop for many films including 'Lawrence of Arabia', 'Gladiator' and 'Alexander'. We take lunch here before continuing on our way enjoying the natural beauty of the landscapes and historical monuments such as Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate and Roses Valley, which is renowned for the Festival of Roses. We also pass through the little Berber villages of Skoura and 'El Kelaa des M'Gouna' and 'Boumalene Dades'. The latter is our final stop for the day. We shall stay overnight in a hotel which includes dinner and breakfast.

From Boumalene Dades we head to Merzouga in one of the largest wind blown dunes in Morrocco, Erg Chebbi. Through the Berber village Tinghir we visit Todra Gorge where the cliffs are as high as 600m and only 10m apart. We leave Todra passing through many Berber villages to pass through Tinjdad where we can stop for lunch or if you preferrable continue to Rissani where you could have the local speciality, Berber Pizza for lunch if we get there by Midday. After lunch we make our way to Merzouga to meet the camels joining us on our trek. The camels take us to a Berber camp in the middle of an oasis amidst the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. 20 km long and5 km wide it is also reputed as the highest sand dunes in North Africa. It is a unique and diverse environment. The camel trek takes about 1hr 30 min from the hotel to the camp where we continue the spirit of the nomadic Berber lifestyle. There we setup 3 Berber tents with additional restaurant and kitchen with the dunes naturally providing basic facilities. The tents are well equipped and we provide mattresses, blankets, and cushions. After dinner we gather round the fire and enjoy the desert night perhaps with traditional Berber drums.

Early in the morning, your camel man will wake you up to watch what well may be the best sunrise of your life. You'll peacefully camel-trek back to the village of Merzouga. Over the dunes, you couldn't fail to appreciate the unique beauty of the spectacular Erg Chebbi sand dunes - changing with the light as the day progresses. After breakfast in your riad, you will start travelling to Fes via the Ziz Valley and Azrou. You will enjoy the fascinating landscape along the magnificent Ziz Gorges carved through volcanic rock, and through the Tizi n' Talghamt Pass to Midelt. After lunch, you will continue through the Midlle Atlas Mountains and the Cedar Forest, where you will see the Barbarian apes in the wild. Continue to Fes overnight at the hotel or riad.