3-Day Sahara Desert Tour: From Fes to Marrakech

Day 1 Begin your adventure with a morning pickup from your hotel in Fez. Drive through the Middle Atlas, passing by Ifrane, a winter ski resort built by the French to resemble a quaint Swiss village. Stop at the cedars forest in Azrou to enjoy nature and feed the monkeys. Spend the rest of the day winding your way through forests, springs, jagged rock faces, and Berber villages as you cross the Atlas Mountains and descend to the Sahara Desert. Halfway through your journey, stop for lunch in the town of Midelt, famous for its fossils and rocks. Continue to Merzouga, stopping to enjoy panoramic views of the vast Palm Trees oasis. After you arrive, head straight to the traditional Kasbah on the foot of the dunes of Erg-Chebbi. Refresh yourself with mint tea before riding a camel across the sandy dunes as the sun goes down. Spend the night in a Berber tent at a camp. Have dinner around the campfire, listen to traditional Berber music, and relax under the stars. Day 2 Enjoy a delicious breakfast at the camp before heading to Ouarzazate via the rugged Road of a Thousand Kasbahs. As you drive, admire the Kasbahs that rise like turreted sand castles along this ancient caravan trading route. Stop for lunch before going on a short hike in Todra Gorge. Next, drive through the Dadès Valley past dramatic escarpments to reach your hotel. Enjoy a delicious dinner before heading to sleep. Day 3 After breakfast, visit the town of Ouarzazate and its monuments, the Kasbah of Taourirt and the Atlas Studios movie studios, the largest and most famous in Africa. Have lunch in Ait Ben Haddou before visiting the area's famous Kasbah, declared a UNESCO World Heritage. As you explore, see where they filmed movies including The Gladiator, Babel, and Lawrence of Arabia. Next, continue your journey through the High Atlas Mountains and the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass, the highest mountain path in North Africa. Climb from the plains up to 7,500 feet above sea level, driving through small villages and passing picturesque small waterfalls. Finish your tour in Marrakech.