Fes - Ifran - Midelt - Errachidia - Erfoud - Merzouga

Fes - Our driver will pick you up early in the morning from your accommodation in Fes. The journey takes you to the Merzouga desert via Ifrane, Midelt, Errachidia, and Erfoud.

Ifrane - Visit the tidy and modern Ifrane, which feels like Switzerland relocated to North Africa. Built by the French in the 1930s to resemble an alpine resort, Ifrane features neat red-roofed houses, blooming flower beds, and lake-studded parks, all impeccably maintained. Take pictures of Ifrane’s landmark, a stone lion carved by a German soldier during WWII when Ifrane was briefly a prisoner-of-war camp. The statue commemorates the loss of the last wild lion, shot in the early 1920s.

Azrou Cedar Forest - The Cedar forests are notable for being a habitat for a sub-population of Barbary macaques. We might be lucky enough to spot a troupe foraging in the woods.

Midelt - Midelt is located in apple country between the Middle and High Atlas. The landscape offers breathtaking views, especially of the eastern High Atlas, which seem to rise out of nowhere. Midelt consists of little more than one main street (Ave Mohammed V in the north, which becomes Ave Hassan II to the south) and a modest souq.

Errachidia - Garrison towns are not generally known for their hospitality or culture, but Errachidia is trying to change that with the hospitality of its people. Besides being home to a sizable military population stationed here to monitor the nearby border with Algeria, Errachidia also hosts the enormous theatre that features performers from throughout the Sahara at the Festival du Desert.

Erfoud - Fossilized bathtubs and moist, sweet dates are Erfoud’s current claims to fame, though it was once the end of the road. In September or October, Erfoud hosts an increasingly well-attended date festival, with dancing and music. The market at the southern end of town sells local dates alongside fresh produce.

Erg Chebbi - Our journey ends in the Merzouga desert. After a glass of mint tea, we will leave our luggage in a room at our guest house and take only what we need for the night in the camp. Then, we will take camels to a Berber camp in the middle of the Erg Chebbi Sand Dunes, which are about 32 km long and 9 km wide and reputed to be the highest sand dunes in North Africa. The camel trek takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to the camp, where we will continue the spirit of the nomadic Berber lifestyle. You will enjoy the sunset and the silence of the Sahara desert. After dinner, we will gather around the fire and enjoy the desert night with traditional Berber drums.

Merzouga - Todgha Gorge - Amridil Kasbah - Skoura

Todgha Gorge - The drive takes you to Tinghir to explore the Todgha Gorge. Being stuck between a rock and a hard place is a sublime experience in the Todra Gorge, where the massive fault dividing the High Atlas from the Saghro mountain is at some points just wide enough for a crystal-clear river and single-file trekkers to squeeze through. The road from Tinghir passes green palmeras and Berber villages until, 15 km long, high walls of pink and grey rock close in around the road. The approach is thrilling and somehow urgent, as though the doors of heaven were about to close before you.

Boumalne Dades - Nomad crossings, rose valleys, and two-tone kasbahs: even on paper, the Dades Valley stretches the imagination. From the daunting High Atlas to the north to the rugged Jebel Saghro range to the south, the valley is dotted with oases and mudbrick palaces that give the region its fairytale nickname - Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs.

El Kelaa M’gouna - Although it takes its name from the nearby M’Goun mountain, the small town of Kelaa M’Gouna is famous for roses and daggers. Some 50 km from Skoura, pink roses start peeking through dense roadside hedgerows. During the May rose harvest, you will see rose garlands everywhere, especially during the town’s signature rose festival that takes place on the first weekend of May.

Kasbah Amridil - Our last stop before reaching your accommodation is Amridil Kasbah. Morocco’s most coveted kasbah is this 17th-century wonder, which appears on Morocco’s 50-Dirham note. Signposted just a few hundred meters from the main road, this living museum shows that traditional kasbah life hasn’t changed much over the centuries, with hand-carved door locks, an olive-oil press, still-functioning bread ovens, and goats bleating in the courtyard. Overnight stay in Skoura.

Skoura - Ouarzazate - Ait Benhaddou - Marrakesh

Ouarzazate - After breakfast, we drive to Marrakech through Ouarzazate. Strategically located, Ouarzazate has thrived on its wits rather than its looks. For centuries, people from the Atlas, Draa, and Dades valleys converged to do business at Ouarzazate’s sprawling Taourirt Kasbah. A modern garrison town was established here in the 1920s to oversee France’s colonial interests. The movie business gradually took off in Ouarzazate after the French protectorate left in the 1950s, and ‘Ouallywood’ movie studios have built quite a résumé providing convincingly exotic backdrops for movies supposedly set in ancient Rome, Somalia, and Egypt.

Atlas Studios - The first ‘Ouallywood’ studio displays sets and props from movies filmed here, including Jewel of the Nile, Kingdom of Heaven, and Kundun.

Ait Ben Haddou - The UNESCO-protected kasbah seems suspiciously frozen in time. With Hollywood touch-ups, it still resembles its days in the 11th century as an Almoravid caravanserai. Movie buffs recognize this red mudbrick kasbah 32 km from Ouarzazate from Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth (for which much of Ait Benhaddou was rebuilt), Jewel of the Nile, and Gladiator.

Marrakech - Our journey will continue through the majestic Tizi ‘n’ Tichka pass (2260 m) over the High Atlas Mountains. We will have time to stop and enjoy impressive views and visit the argan oil cooperative. We will arrive in Marrakech in the late afternoon and drop you off at your accommodation.

• Camel Ride
• Dinner
• In-vehicle air conditioning
• Breakfast

• Lunch & Beverages