3 day Gateway to the Sahara desert – return to Marrakech

We leave Marrakech from your hotel or Riad at 7:30 am and begin our private desert tour returning three days later. After passing through the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass and the High Atlas Mountains we’ll be making several fascinating stops. We’ll pay a visit to UNESCO world heritage Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, the unforgettable backdrop for many Hollywood blockbuster movies such as Gladiator, then visit Kasbah Taourirte in Ouarzazate before having a leisurely lunch. We then travel through the Valley of Roses on our way to Boumalne Dades, eventually arriving at our welcoming boutique guest house, located in beautiful grounds in Dade’s Valley.

A sumptuous dinner and welcome overnight stay will leave us excited to begin day 2 of this amazing desert tour.

After breakfast, we’ll begin day two of our journey by traveling to Tinghir Oasis via the road 1001 Kasbahs. The ruins of the fortified villages will leave you amazed. Many commercial activities took place there, for instance it hosted the trading caravans until the early 20th century. Tinghir was originally a military post during the French colonialist occupation. After that, we deviate onto a secondary road to visit the Oases. You’ll see local farmers herding their goats as we walk down to the stream and follow it, meandering until we arrive at Todgha Gorge. After that, you will have a delightful lunch at a café. Meanwhile, your driver will take you to the holiest town in Morocco, Rissani. The founder of the Alaouites, the current royal dynasty, is also buried there (as well as being the birthplace of Hilary Clinton's grandmother!) Consequently, Rissani is renowned as the original starting point for trading caravans before making their way to Tombouctou (Timbuktu) across the desert.

We now have some rather rocky terrain to travel together on our way to Merzouga, where we meet up with our camel caravan. Now you’ll get to experience the most beautiful sunset as you enjoy a camel ride over Erg Chebbi sand dunes. After this amazing experience, we’ll return to our Berber desert camp, nestled in the dunes of the Sahara Desert.

Dinner will be a memorable affair; you’ll dine under the stars and you’ll marvel at your hosts as they entertain you with their drums, dancing and music throughout the night. Accordingly, you will wake up feeling like a desert king.

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We’ll start the day with a camel trek to watch an unbelievable sunrise. Then, return to enjoy breakfast at our Lodge in Merzouga. You’ll have time to freshen up before farewelling the members of your group who are leaving to return to Marrakech. It’s now time to meet the driver who will escort you to Fes, and you’ll join a group of travelers (maximum of six) as you leave for the long drive to Fez. Your journey will take you through Ziz Valley to the capital of the Tafilalt region, Errachidia.

You will enjoy a delightful lunch. Then, you’ll continue your trip across the Middle Atlas Mountains. We’ll travel through Berber towns, and we’ll arrive at Fes after driving through the Cedar forests of Imouzzar and Ifran.

Finally, your driver will complete your shared Marrakech to Fes desert tour 3 days by dropping you off at around 7.00 pm in Fes.