Fez to Marrakech Via Desert 10 Days

In the evening you will have the opportunity of taking a stroll. When you return you will have dinner and overnight in the hotel.

We will dedicate a whole day to visiting the spiritual and cultural capital of the kingdom. You will have the chance of seeing the religious, artistic and intellectual centre of Morocco. You will take a guided tour through the most ancient Medina, there are many building that warrant visiting, for example: the Medersas of Cherratine and Attarine; these constructions are dedicated to religious studies and profusely decorated in Arabic style, the Quaraouiyine University which is the oldest still in use in the world, and the Fountain of Nejjarine. After lunch, we will visit the souks differentiated by the various handicrafts, for instance, the famous districts of the tanners or the Mechouar of the Real Palace, the metal workers, weavers and potters. The night will be in your hotel.

We will cross the Middle Atlas Mountains through the village of Ifrane, known as the Switzerland of Africa due to its combination of alpine architecture with the great cedar forests. We will stop to see the indigenous Barbary monkeys that live in the region of Azrou in the national park of Ifrane and continue to Midelt where we stop for lunch. After a rest we drive on to the palm grove of Tafilalet, This region is famous for its production of dates and date syrup. We will continue our route towards the famous great dunes of Erg Chebbi and the desert town of Merzouga where you will spend the night in a hostel

After breakfast, we will leave the hotel to discover the different cultures and lifestyles around this region. We drive towards the dunes and see the two oases of Merzouga, the nomadic soils, the town of Khamlia to listen to the Gnawa music by these descendants of black slaves, the mines of M’fiss, the desert plateaus, the Berber nomads and the oasis Tissardmine. We will return to the hostel around 03.00 p.m. Afterwards, mounted on camels, we will go towards the dunes to see the sunset and sleep in the wild oases located 2 km away, in the middle of the desert. You will spend the night under the stars in a Berber haima which is a tent used by nomadic people. Dinner will be round a camp fire with fantastic local musicians plating traditional tunes.

Today we will be visiting the ancient city of Rissani: the economic capital of the south of Morocco and the first imperial city of the country, the souk under the red arches and its numerous ksours. Then we will follow the track of the Paris-Dakar Rally off into the landscape across the desert until the palms of Ouzina start to appear. We will enjoy a Berber tea sheltered by the hospitality of a local family. Later, we will have dinner and overnight in the hotel.

After breakfast we are off on another desert adventure. We will go across an Erg, which is a stony desert that has a true lunar landscape with immense expanses of dark stones, until we lose sight on the horizon, giving a mineral touch to the desert. We will visit several Berber villages where authentic nomads live in tents and oases, and we will pass through the Maider Lake as well. In Mharech, we will take the road via Msissi and Alnif, crossing between Jbel Ougnat and Jbel Saghro to arrive at the Todra Gorge. Night in Riad.

After our breakfast, we depart on a trip that will give us the chance of discovering the splendour of the mountains of the Atlas. We will reach the Tamtattouchte plateaus of Aït Hani and arrive at the Agoudal crater where meteorites have been found. Then we will continue until Imilchil, a Berber village located in the High Atlas and famous for its customs, according to which, the women of the Aït Hdiddou tribe are the ones who choose their future husbands. There is an annual marriage festival that takes place around September which is cloaked in local legends and tales. Night in a hostel.

We will depart after having breakfast and return route to Marrakech takes us up the other side of the High Atlas range. Then we will start another range of the Middle Atlas making stops to admire its imposing landscape. After having crossed a region of almond and olive trees, we will reach the beautiful Ouzoud Falls which will allow us to discover the splendour of the Atlas. The Ouzoud Waterfalls are 110 metres of a three tired cascade that plummets down to a large pool where people enjoy the scenery, swimming, paddling around in the colourful rafts and partaking of delicious local dishes in riverside restaurants. This is a magical place and fantastic for photos, especially when the light casts massive rainbows across the falls. From here we depart south for Marrakech where you will spend the night in a Hotel-Riad with half board.

In the morning after breakfast you will have a guided tour around Marrakech. We will visit the medina of Marrakech and some more interesting places, such as the Saadian Tombs, the museum of Marrakech, the Ben Youssef Madrassa, the Bahia and Badi Palaces and the strikingly beautiful Majorelle Gardens. In the afternoon we will visit the square of Djemaa el Fna. This is the best time to go as in the afternoon; the square is filled with jugglers, story-tellers, fortune-tellers, tooth-pullers, dancers, juice salesmen and snake charmers among other picturesque characters. As the night falls, small food stands begin to be set up with outdoor illumination. Djemaa el Fna is a UNESCO heritage site and very popular with locals and visitors alike, it´s a great place to go in the evening to sample the most typical and traditional local foods. There´s a great buzz around as the music plays and the various activities draw bigger and bigger crowds. Overnight in Hotel-Riad.

End of itinerary Departure from Marrakech and transfer to the airport.