4 Days / 3 Nights Desert Tour from Fes and back to Fes

Fez Charm Tours' driver will pick you up from your hotel or riad at 7 am for the fabulous journey up into the Middle Atlas Mountains and then on to the Sahara. Your first stop will be at the delightful town of Ifrane, built by the French in the 1930s and known as "Morocco's Switzerland" because of its Alpine chalet-styled architecture. In winter, it is snow-covered, and there is a ski resort at Michliffen nearby. Next, you will travel through the huge cedar forests around the quaint, peaceful Berber town of Azrou, "The Rock" in the local Berber dialect, where the famous Barbary Apes, a type of macaque monkey, will be eager to share your lunch in the heart of their natural habitat. Then, passing through the Atlas Mountains, which are said to hold up the sky, you'll wind your way through forested peaks, twisting mountain streams, gushing springs, and jagged walls of rock. Continuing south, you will pass through Rissani before being amazed by the startlingly sudden appearance of the Erg Chebbi sand dunes. These dunes are massive, up to 50 meters in height, and extend eastwards all the way into the Algerian Sahara. At the foot of the sand dunes, your kasbah/hotel awaits you, along with a refreshing glass of hot sweet mint tea, where you can chill out after the long journey and enjoy a delicious dinner while listening to the sweet strains of traditional Berber music until it is time to sleep.

After breakfast, you can choose your own experience: take a walk through the immense dunes of the Erg Chebbi, enjoy a refreshing dip in the hotel swimming pool, or opt for a shopping trip to the nearby villages of Merzouga, only fifty kilometers from the Algerian border. This area boasts the largest underground natural reservoir in Morocco, and you can also visit the tiny Khamlia, known as the village of the Black people, inhabited by the descendants of slaves taken from The Sudan, who will enthrall you with their performances of sacred Gnawa music. At dusk, you will find your camel prepared to carry you off into the glorious sunset for an unforgettable ninety-minute camel trek through the shifting desert sands before arriving at a traditional Berber desert encampment, where you will spend the night in a tent surrounded by mountainous dunes. Your guide will prepare an authentic Moroccan meal while you relax, watching the stars, so many and so bright you’ll feel you could reach out and touch them, all while listening to the soft sounds of time-honoured Berber music. A truly memorable day.

You’ll start early to witness the splendour of the sun rising over the sand dunes, then ride your camel gently back to your hotel for breakfast. During the ride, you’ll notice the shifting and changing shadows cast by the dunes, lengthening and shrinking as the day progresses. After breakfast, the journey to the Todra Gorge begins with a drive to Rissani, the first capital of the Alaouite dynasty. Next, it's on to Erfoud, known for its array of famous fossils—be sure to pick up a beautiful bargain, but don’t forget to haggle! You’ll also visit workshops where men expertly prepare fossils, removing them from the rocks and cleaning them. The journey continues through the 300-meter deep canyon of the Todra Gorges, cut through the easternmost tip of the High Atlas Mountains, near the village of Tinghir, where you’ll have the chance for some relaxed hiking. The Tinghir and Todra Gorges are the highest and narrowest in Morocco, and many consider them the most beautiful. Dinner will be served, and you will spend a peaceful night deep in the heart of the Todra Gorge.

After breakfast, you can enjoy more hiking in Todra Gorge before embarking on the journey back to Fes through the Mighty Middle Atlas Mountains.