Samlpe Itineraries
Sahara Highlight Trip From Marrakech
The Sahara Desert: from Marrakech to Fes
This is the ideal journey from Marrakech to Fes or Old caravan road back to Marrakech, visiting the Sahara Desert and the Atlas Mountains on the way. It also visits the Dades Gorge and the Todhra Gorge. The tour can be taken over 3 days, with the option of extending to 4 or 5 days. If you would like some activities such as sand-boarding or quad-biking in the desert, or hiking in the Atlas Mountains, we can include these for you too.
Day1 – The Ancient Caravan Route to the South
Marrakech • High Atlas • Tizi-n-Tichka Pass • Telouet Kasbah • Ait Ben Haddou • Ouarzazate • Skoura • Dades Gorge
Commencing early morning with your pickup from accommodation, our journey from Marrakech to Gorge-Dades unfolds through the High Atlas Mountains, traversing the Berber villages with breathtaking panoramic views for picturesque moments. Our primary destination is the 16th-century ‘Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah,’ a UNESCO-listed fortress known for its cinematic history (featured in Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, Kingdom of Heaven, etc.). Following this, we proceed to Ouarzazat (dubbed the Hollywood of Morocco) for lunch at a reputable local restaurant. Continuing through the Roses Valley and the Kasbahs Road, weaving among Berber villages, we arrive at Dades Gorges in late afternoon , where the night will be spent
Day2 – From the Dades and Todhra Gorges to the Sahara Desert
○We set off down the Dades Valley to the provincial centre of Tineghir, and detour here to visit its extensive palm oasis and stroll through the famous Todhra Gorge – an unmissable sight in this area. Then we head out towards the Sahara Desert, past stunning kasbahs, stopping at Erfoud to visit its renowned Fossil Museum, featured in David Attenborough’s BBC TV series about the origins of life on earth. We continue on to arrive for tea in the late afternoon at the foot of the golden dunes of the Erg Chebbi in the Sahara. From here you will mount your camels and trek out with your camel-driver into the heart of the desert for about 2 hours in the setting sun* – an unforgettable adventure! This brings you to a luxury desert camp, where you will stay in a beautiful private tent – all have comfortable beds and en suite bathrooms with hot showers. Here you can relax, have dinner, listen to traditional music around the camp fire, wander into the sands and marvel at the stars…
*Guests who wish to take a shorter camel ride or do not wish to ride camels can be transferred all or part of the way to the desert camp by 4×4 this evening and the next morning.
Day 3: Over the Middle Atlas to Fes
Merzouga • Midelt • Middle Atlas • Azrou cedar forests • Ifrane • Fes
○Wake up early to see the sun rise over the dunes – it’s fun to climb the nearest dune to do this! Then have breakfast in your camp before a 45-minute camel ride back to meet your Atlas Holiday Tours vehicle, at a hotel. Today’s journey will first stop in Ziz gorges and Palm Valley; take you up through Midelt into the beautiful mountains of the Middle Atlas. The route then winds down through the mountains to Azrou, with wonderful views in all directions. Descending to the pretty town of Ifrane, with its Swiss-style chalets, Royal Palace and university, the road takes us past beautiful waterfalls, cedar forests and rock formations. If you are lucky you might see some Barbary apes on the way! In the early evening, we arrive at the Imperial City of Fes, where your Atlas Holiday Tours driver-guide will drop you off at your Accomodations.
To extend this tour to 4 or 5 days choose one or both of the following options:
Optional day A: Excursion to the Valley of the Roses
After your first night in the Dades Gorge, why not take what is probably the most beautiful day trip in all of Morocco? Perfect for an exciting day off the beaten track. Today your Sahara Atlas Tours driver-guide will take you on an off-road adventure through spectacular mountain scenery and rock formations towards the range of Mount M’Goun, the second highest mountain in Morocco. You will have a chance to meet nomad families in remote locations, see the caves where they live, and share a glass of tea with them. Depending on the weather, either you will have lunch in a charming local restaurant or a delightful picnic in a shady gorge. We travel on through the Valley of the Roses, one of the main regions in the world for growing damask roses, which hedge every small field. They only bloom briefly in May, when the buds are picked to make many rose products. The valley is lush and green most of the year, and we will pass many traditional Berber villages, with earth-built houses and stunning kasbahs. If you like, you can take easy walks through parts of the valley and some of the villages. We return to the Dades Gorge in the late afternoon.
Optional day B: Explore the Sahara
After your first night in the desert, this is relaxing day to explore some of the fascinating aspects of life, culture and nature in the Sahara. The 4×4 allows us to visit the unique landscapes of the Erg Chebbi dunes (up to 160m high), hamada (flat desert) villages, and industrial heritage sites from the time of the French occupation and its mining industry. The town of Merzouga is a major centre of traditional Gnaoua music and dance, and you will be able to see Gnaoua musicians perform – an unmissable sight as they leap and whirl! It also lies near a large lake which hosts flocks of migrating birds, and offers great views of the dunes in the distance. There is plenty of time for fun activities such as sand-boarding, quad-biking, buggy-driving, or longer camel treks if you wish.
What will be included in our price quote:
fully private tour
collection from and drop-off at your hotels at the start and end of the tour
all travel in comfortable air-conditioned 4×4 Toyota Landcruiser or equivalent, fully licensed and insured for tourist transport, including fuel
services of an experienced local driver-guide (speaks English, French, Arabic, Berber)
half board accommodation in the Sahara Desert and the Dades Gorge (i.e. dinner, bed and breakfast)
services of an expert local hiking guide if requiredcamel trek
Not included in the price:
lunches and drinks
entrance fees to heritage sites (usually around 50Dh-130Dh per person)
local fees for desert activities e.g. sand-boarding, quad-biking
tips (if you choose to give them)