Caravanserai Desert Tours

Once we took breakfast in our Riad, we will leave Fes travelling towards Merzouga via Midlet and the Ziz valley. Will travel via the village of Ifrane, a beautiful mountain village. This mountain city is referred to as “the Switzerland of Morocco”. Here we will also stop at the cedar forest on the middle Atlas Mountains. During this journey we will experience glimpses of the Middle Atlas and Higher Atlas mountains. Then Azrou, a Berber village in the middle of the famous cedar forest – the largest in Morocco and a home of Barbary apes. After exploring the nearby forest, our journey continues to Midelt along the magnificent hills and mountains of the Atlas.

We will be travelling through the fascinating Tizzy Ntalghamt pass and the Ziz Gorge taking in views of the High Atlas scenery. We will see how the scenery changes to reveal hints of the desert as we approach the city of Er-Rachidia. In this city we will lunch and enjoy the Berber hospitality. Afterwards, we will travel along the luxuriant Ziz Valley and stop for panoramic views along the way to Erfoud and Rissani. On the afternoon we will be welcomed in Merzouga with a glass of mint tea. Before checking into our Riad. Overnight at Kasbah Hotel Yasmina. (DBB).

We will take breakfast in the hotel, then we will start our explorative journey of the area, visiting the ‘Village of the Blacks’, originally slaves from Sudan to experience their music and lifestyle. The lake of Merzouga is not far away with its bird populations, including flamingos. We may also like to visit the nomad wire house. On the afternoon, we will ride our camel guided by an experienced Camel man, to explore inside the mysterious sand-sea of the Erg-Chebbi. Here we will spend our first night under the stars or in a traditional Berber nomad tent. Dinner will be served in the tent where we will spend the night (DBB). (The camp in equipped with flush-toilets).

Early morning we will experience a fascinating view of a desert sunrise. Then we will camel trek back to take breakfast in our Riad in Merzouga. Then, we will travel to Er-Rachidia via the towns of Rissani and Erfoud. In Rissani we will have the opportunity to walk within the authentic Souk, an assortment of vegetables, spices and dates. In this souk we will witness a sea of conversations a traditional scenery of hooded men and veiled women negotiating prices. Then Tinghir and Todra gorges, we will discover the highest, narrowest gorges in Morocco. After lunch in the heart of the gorge we will drive through the Dades Valley, where we will see the majestic sand castles and the amazing rock formations known as “monkey toes”. Overnight accommodation will be in a fancy hotel overlooking the Dades valley. Hotel Xalucadades. DBB.

After breakfast in the hotel we will drive through the Dades Valley towards Kalaa M’gouna and Ouarzazate. The route through Dades Valley is the way to The Thousand Kasbahs – providing numerous opportunities to take some of our best photographic shots of the trip. We will stop at Kalaa M’gouna, “the rose city”, to purchase the rosewater, which will make our linen smell good a long time after our trip is over. In Skoura and the Dirds valley, we will visit the Ameridil Kasbah, a well-preserved Kasbah in this area. Then will do some hiking in the valley and take lunch in a restaurant overlooking the whole valley. In Ouarzazate we will witness “the Hollywood of Africa”, whose geography and beautiful landscapes has attracted many world class movie producers. Here we may choose to visit the studios, containing props used in movies. Some of the movies made in these studios are: The Mummy, Gladiator and the Last temptation of Christ and many other movies. Overnight accommodation will be in Dar Chamaa. (BDB) DBB.

After breakfast in our Riad, we will head to Marrakech. Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah is the largest one in Morocco, built by T-hami El Glaoui, one of the last Berber tribal chiefs during the beginning of the XXth Century. It is used to be one of his stops during his long travel from the Sahara to Marrakech. Now one of UNESCO’s world heritage sites. Our journey will continue through the majestic Tizi Ntichka Pass (2260m) over the High Atlas Mountains to Marrakech. Our tour ends at our accommodation in Marrakech.

Our vacation from Fez to the Middle Atlas Mountains Range, starts early in the morning where you will enjoy scenic and spectacular view during the ride such as the waterfalls, Lakes, Cedar trees forest, the city of Azrou and other berber villages.return to Fez in the evening.

• Discover Chefchaouan or its called the Blue City

• Explore the white and blue washed walls of the medina and the markets

• Enjoy the views of the beautiful Rif Mountains

In the morning after breakfast you will drive with your driver/guide north to explore an extremely different culture and lifestyle from Fes. One of the stunning villages in the feet of rif mountains Chechaouen or it’s called the Blue City and the cities name derives from a Berber name “Chef Chaouen” which means “look at the horns, once we are there you will enjoy a walk to explore the white and blue washed walls of the medina and the markets that offer some unique native handicrafts. Here you will explore the blue-washed town (old medina) by foot along with your local guide who will share stories of Chefchaouen’s history. Start your tour with the Kasbah museum in the medina. The Kasbah of Chefchaouen belongs to the early 18th century, and was built by the legendary ruler Moulay Ismail. It is fairly simple without architectural surprises however it is surrounded by gardens on the interior and exterior. Inside the Kasbah, you can visit the ethnographic museum containing antique weapons, musical instruments, and photographs of the old town. After exploring the medina we will drive back to Fes, you can enjoy nice view of Rif Mountains

Arrival in Fez,The guide is going to pick you up from the airport to your Riad/Hotel.After breakfast, our journey will get started to Middelt passing via Ifrane to Azrou which is blanketed by cedar forest where there are wild monkeys. You will be able to take lovely photos. Lunch will be at Zaida or Middelt. After that, we drive to Ziz Valley via the Atlas Mountains and enjoy seeing the landscapes of Middelt. Then, we ahead to Erfoud city and the of Oasis Tafilalet where there is an old Souk. Thus, we continue to Merzouga where you will ride camels and spend a night in Desert under the stars.

After taking a pictures of the sunrise and having breakfast, our tour will continue to the Erg Chebbi Dunes where you will discover the beauty of nature, lifestyle of nomads and meet local people who are still living in tents and we enjoy sharing tea with them. After that, we visit Gnaoua for their music. From there we return to hotel for a relaxing ride on camels.

After seeing the sunrise, we will leave Merzouga heading to Dades via Rissani which is known by its old traditional Market as well as Erfoud for its fossils. Next, we continue to Tinghir through Tinjdad and enjoy seeing Berber villages beside the road. We will also travel to the Todra Gorges where many rock-climbers come to enjoy the sport of climbing in this area. Then, we drive to Boumalne Dades where we will spend the night.

After we have breakfast and take shower at Hotel, our journey will continue to Ouarzazate. On the way we will visit the Berber villages and shops containing fossils, carpets and lamps… From here we will travel on to Ouarzazate and should arrive by evening, passing by the Skoura oasis. Next, we continue to Marrakech via Ait Benhaddou Kasbah, which has been UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Many movies were filmed there such as the Gladiator (2000), the Mummy (1999)… and Babel (2006). From here we travel to Tizi N’ticka which reaches an altitude of 2260 meters above sea level and is the highest major mountain pass of North Africa.

We will continue on the great and fascinating mountain roads overlooking the winding Oued Ziz. Then we will pass through Kasbahs and palm groves heading toward the adobe coloured city of Er-Rachidia. In the late afternoon we will arrive in Merzouga. After having some rest, our desert guide will help us saddle up our own camel for a safe and beautiful journey through one of the most stunning and inhospitable parts of the world: the Sahara Desert of Morocco. After about two hours, we will witness a fascinating desert sunset before making camp in the dunes of Erg Chebbi. Sleeping in traditional nomadic tent under a night sky lit with thousands of stars and surrounded by Berber music and food, both provided by our guide, this promises to be a non-forgettable night.