5 days
Private Tour
English, Multilingual
Up to 1 day
This private 5-day desert trip starts from Marrakech and ends in Fes includes a night in Dades Valley, two in the desert, and one in Medilt. The first day will be traveling through the High Atlas Mountains, stopping at the old Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, and several Berber villages such as Skoura and Mgouna before arriving in Dades for the night. The second day will be heading south to the Sahara, visiting Todra Gorges before and exploring the Saharian Oasis before getting on the camels and spend the night in the camp. The third day will be wandering the desert, stopping at nomadic tribes, old deserted settlements, and fossil mines. The fourth day will be from the desert to the Anti Atlas via Ziz Valley, Errachidia, etc. You’ll spend the night in Medilt, which is halfway to Fes. The last day of this adventure will be to Fes via Zaida, Cedar Forest in Azrou, and Ifrane. We provide two options for improving your hotels and desert camps from standard to luxury.
Day | Departure | Arrival | Distance |
1st | Marrakech | Dades | 285 km |
2nd | Dades | Merzouga | 300 km |
3rd | Merzouga | Merzouga | 45 km |
4th | Merzouga | Medilt | 265 km |
5th | Medilt | Fes | 198 km |
Good to know
We shall begin our tour after picking you up from Marrakech on the first day. The drive will take us through several tiny Berber towns and the Tizi-n-Tichka pass in the High Atlas Mountains to Ait Benhaddou, a spectacular historic Kasbah, and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ait Ben Haddou has been one of the best destinations used in several well-known films such as Lawrence of Arabia and The Kingdom of the Skies. After exploring the Kasbah, we will drive to Ouarzazate, known as the "Hollywood of Africa" because of its famed studios used in well-known Hollywood films. The Thousand Kasbahs road will lead us to Skoura, where we will discover the Kasbah of Amredil. From here, we'll go to Kelaat M'gouna, the capital of the Valley of the Roses, before arriving in Dades for the night.
ACCOMMODATION:
Standard Option: Hotel Kasbah Didis or a similar
Superior Option: Hotel Ksar Sultan or a similar
On the second day, we'll travel east to the Merzouga golden dunes. Our first stop will be at Tineghir, where you will be impressed by the panoramic views of the old mud villages and the beautiful palm oasis that stretches on both sides of town, and then we will continue to Todra gorges, where you will walk under steep red cliffs up to 300-meter canyon made by Todra's largest river. Our journey continues south, passing via Jorf and Erfoud, known as the "Fossil Capital" because of the millions of fossils discovered in the area. After a few kilometers, you'll start noticing the beginnings of Erg Chebbi's immense sand sea looming on the horizon, just like a mirage. When we arrive in Merzouga, you will check into your hotel and then have free time to explore the charming village and the dunes nearby to enjoy the magnificent Sahara sunset.
ACCOMMODATION:
Standard Option: Hotel Kasbah Didis or a similar
Superior Option: Hotel Ksar Sultan or a similar
<The third day will be spent off-roading farther into the desert, exploring various unexplored desert sites. We'll begin with a stop at Merzouga's seasonal lake if it's full of water during your visit. This magical lake has s stunning view with the highest golden dunes in the background. When it is full of water, it attracts a large number of birds, including flamingos. Following that, we will continue to Khamlia, a small village whose inhabitants are original from Mali and Sudan. After discovering around, we'll stop at a local band that plays Gnaoua music, which is a type of African percussion music. Following our enjoyment and dancing to African beats, we will go to the black desert, a volcanic enormous rocky desert on the est side of Merzouga's dunes (Erg Chebbi) with various minerals and fossils to discover. We will have time to explore some of the abandoned villages and, we will stop at several points with panoramic views of a sand sea. Our next exploration will be with a large nomad family who continues to move from one location to another with their animal. We will learn about their way of life and have mint tea or even lunch (optional) in their traditional tent or the shade of an acacia tree nearby. We will end our 4WD safari by visiting a desert oasis before returning to Merzouga, where you will ride a camel deep into the desert and spend the night in a tent. You'll be amazed by the desert landscapes and the sunset over the dunes. When you get to the camp, you'll have a mint and then check into your tent. After the dinner, the local team will play traditional drum music and attempt to teach some rhythms. Before you go to bed, you can walk in the nearest dunes to enjoy the starry sky.
ACCOMMODATION:
Standard Option: Standard Desert Camp
Superior Option: Luxury Desert Camp
On the fourth day early morning, you'll weaken up to watch the sunrise creating various shadows and colors across the sand sea, and then begin the day after finishing your breakfast, shower, and the morning camel trek. We will be heading north, and our first stop of the day will be in Rissani, the ancient capital of Tafilalet and a previous old caravan destination that is now the biggest souk (Market) in the area. We will continue towards the anti atlas, with few stops on several places such as Ziz Valley and various Berber towns, passing through the Tizi Ntalghamt before reaching Medilt, where we will spend the night.
ACCOMMODATION:
Standard Option: Hotel Taddar or a similar
Superior Option: Villa Pomme D'or or a similar
On the last day, we drive through the Middle Atlas Mountains, which are considered home to the enormous cedar forests and the Barbary monkeys found at Azrou. They are entertaining to watch. Then we travel to Ifrane, known as the "Little Switzerland of Africa" due to its alpine-style architecture, where we will stop for pictures and coffee before continuing to Fes, where the tour ends.
You can take up to 2 big and 2 small suitcases per person. Please let us know if you have more.
The tour includes standard hotels and desert camps, however, you can upgrade the accommodations to superior (luxury) for an additional cost.
The summer weather (From June to mid-September) gets up to 45°C during the day and up to 40°C. Throughout the winter (November to March), It is chilly at night and moderates during the day (day 26° C/night 0° C). The rest of the year, the temperature is between 24 and 30 °C.
- Shoes with laces - Water - Sunscreen - Flashlight - Scarf or hat - Sunglasses - Coat and Gloves (during winter) - Backpack
The trip begins at 8:00 a.m., and you will be picked up from your Marrakech accommodation. If you want us to pick you up from a certain location (airport, bus/train station, etc.), please contact us.
Deposit: In order to confirm your booking, a deposit is requested to be paid in advance and the rest of the payment can be paid by PayPal, credit card, Bank transfer, or in cash. Payments and terms of cancellations: For more information about the payments and cancellations, please check our payments & terms of cancellations page. Conditions: Usually, we don’t book any accommodations before your confirmation, thus if the accommodations listed above are already fully booked, we will book another one with the same category and services.
Because this is a private tour, you (your party) and the driver/guide will be the only ones on the tour.
Prices vary depending on the number of travelers and the category of lodgings. Hotels and desert camps can be upgraded to luxury.
Excellent!!