3-Day Fes to Merzouga Desert Tour

Overview

From Fes, the road to the Sahara climbs through the Middle Atlas, where Barbary macaques live in the cedar forests, then drops into the long green ribbon of the Ziz valley, with its palm groves and earthen villages, before the land opens out into desert.

You reach Merzouga in time for a sunset camel ride and a night at camp. Day two is for the region around Erg Chebbi: nomads, Gnawa music and Rissani. Day three takes you back to Fes.

Highlights

• Ifrane, the 'Switzerland of Morocco'
• Cedar forest and Barbary macaques
• Ziz valley palm groves
• Sunset camel trek and a night in camp
• A day around Erg Chebbi

The route

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• Fes: Pick-up at your riad around 8:00.
• Ifrane: Alpine-style town in the Middle Atlas.
• Cedar forest: Barbary macaques near Azrou.
• Midelt: Lunch, below the Jbel Ayachi peaks.
• Ziz valley: Palm groves and viewpoints.
• Merzouga: Camel trek and night in camp.

Day by day

1. Day 1: Fes to Merzouga

   Leave Fes around 8:00. Coffee in Ifrane, macaques in the cedar forest, lunch in Midelt, then the Ziz gorges and valley via Errachidia and Erfoud. Arrive in Merzouga in the late afternoon and ride a camel to camp for sunset, dinner and the night.

2. Day 2: Around Erg Chebbi

   Sunrise, breakfast, back to Merzouga. Then a day by 4x4: nomad families, Gnawa music in Khamlia and Rissani market. Second night in a guesthouse in Merzouga (or a second night at camp).

3. Day 3: Back to Fes

   After breakfast, drive back north through the Ziz valley and the Middle Atlas, arriving in Fes in the late afternoon.

Why Fes is a great place to start

Fes is closer to Merzouga than Marrakech: about 470 kilometres, or 7 to 8 hours of driving with stops. That means you reach the dunes on the first day, in time for a sunset camel trek, and can spend the whole second day around Erg Chebbi instead of on the road.

The drive itself is a journey through very different Moroccos: the green Saïss plain, the cedar forests and snowy peaks of the Middle Atlas, the high plateau around Midelt, and then the red gorges and palm groves of the Ziz valley opening onto the Sahara.

Day 1 in detail: from the Middle Atlas to the dunes

We pick you up at your riad around 8:00 and drive south to Ifrane, a mountain town with sloping roofs and tidy gardens, often called the Switzerland of Morocco. A little further, in the cedar forest near Azrou, wild Barbary macaques come close to the road. Please don't feed them: it makes them sick and aggressive.

After lunch in Midelt, below the Jbel Ayachi peaks, the road crosses the Tizi n'Talghamt pass and drops into the Ziz gorges, then follows the long green ribbon of the Ziz valley past Errachidia and Erfoud. You reach Merzouga in the late afternoon and ride a camel into the dunes for the sunset and the night at our camp.

Day 2: a day around Erg Chebbi

After sunrise and breakfast at camp, you ride back to Merzouga and set off by 4x4 to explore the desert around the dunes. You'll have tea with a nomad family in their tent, listen to Gnawa music in the village of Khamlia, and spend the afternoon in Rissani, the old caravan town, with its market and ksar.

In the evening you sleep in a guesthouse in Merzouga with a proper room and bathroom, or at our camp again if you'd prefer a second night in the dunes. Tell us when you book.

Day 3: back to Fes

After breakfast you drive north through the Ziz valley, with time for a stop at the viewpoints over the palm groves, then across the Middle Atlas, arriving in Fes in the late afternoon. If you'd like to stop somewhere along the way, a walk in the cedar forest, a coffee in Ifrane, just ask your driver.

If you're flying out of Fes, an evening flight on day 3 is possible but tight; we suggest flying the next day.

Highlights on the road from Fes

• Ifrane, the alpine-style town of the Middle Atlas
• The cedar forest near Azrou and its Barbary macaques
• Midelt and the views of the Jbel Ayachi range
• The Ziz gorges and the Ziz valley palm groves
• Erg Chebbi at sunset from the back of a camel
• Nomad families, Gnawa music in Khamlia and Rissani market

Your vehicle and driver

The tour is private: an air-conditioned 4x4 or minivan with an experienced driver who speaks English or French. On day 2 the 4x4 tour is with a local driver-guide from Merzouga who knows the desert tracks and the families you visit.

We pick you up anywhere in Fes. If your riad is deep in the medina, we'll meet you at the nearest gate with someone to help with your luggage.

Changing the plan

Many guests coming from Fes want to finish in Marrakech. In that case, choose the 4-Day Fes to Marrakech via the Sahara, which adds the Todra and Dades gorges and Aït Benhaddou on the way west. You can also add a night, start in Meknes or Chefchaouen, or upgrade to a luxury tent.

In winter, snow occasionally closes the Middle Atlas roads for a few hours. We watch the forecast and adjust the departure time or the route if needed.

Best time of year for this tour

Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons, with mild weather in the Middle Atlas and comfortable days in the desert. In winter, Ifrane and Azrou can be snowy and cold, which makes for beautiful scenery but occasionally slower roads; the desert is sunny by day and cold at night. Summer is hot in the Ziz valley and very hot in Merzouga, so we plan the camel trek for the late afternoon and rest at midday.

If you're coming in spring, look out for the almond and apple blossom around Midelt, and in autumn for the date harvest in the Ziz valley and the Tafilalet.

Where you'll sleep in the desert

Your night in the dunes is at our own family camp in Erg Chebbi, about an hour by camel from Merzouga. Every group has its own tent.

Best time to go

Spring (March to May) and autumn (October and November) are ideal for the road trip: the passes are clear, the valleys are green or golden and desert nights are mild. In winter, snow can close the Tizi n'Tichka pass or the Middle Atlas for a few hours, and we adapt the route. In summer the vehicle is air-conditioned and we plan stops around the hottest hours.

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