From Fes To Marrakech & sahara tour via Merzouga-3 days 2 nights

We leave Fes at 8:00 AM and climb into the Middle Atlas. The first stop is Ifrane, where the sloping Alpine-style roofs are built for the winter snow. Near Azrou, the oak and cedar forests are home to Barbary macaques. We continue over the Middle Atlas through Timahdite and reach Midelt, the apple capital of Morocco at the foot of the Ayachi Mountain, where we stop for lunch (not included).

After lunch we cross the Tizi n’Talghemt pass, the “she-camel” pass, and follow the Ziz Valley, known for its palm oasis and the ksars along the road. We pass Errachidia and reach Erfoud, famous for its date festival and its fossils. You can visit the fossil workshops, with no obligation to buy. Then it is on through Rissani to the red dunes of Erg Chebbi at Merzouga. You ride a camel to the camp, or take the 4x4 if you prefer, and spend the night in the dunes.

Wake early for sunrise over the dunes, when the colour of the sand and the long shadows are at their best. After breakfast at the camp we head for Tinghir and the Todra Gorge, via Rissani. On the way you pass the khettarat, the old underground water channels that carry water to the fields without losing it to the summer heat. You can even climb down into one to see how it works.

At the Todra Gorge you can walk between the high cliffs and through the village gardens and fields. In the afternoon we continue to the Dades Valley, where we sleep in a hotel or kasbah.

After breakfast we drive through the Valley of the Roses, known for its rose festival in May, and past the kasbahs of Skoura, where you can visit the small, intact Kasbah Amridil, once pictured on the 50 dirham banknote. We pass through Ouarzazate for a tea stop, then continue to Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage kasbah and the backdrop of many films.

From there the road goes to Telouet, set among the mountains, the old stronghold of the Glaoui family, and then over the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka pass. We reach Marrakech in the late afternoon.