Desert of Morocco

1st Day: Marrakech

Arrival in Marrakech, greeting at airport, transfer to hotel (4-star), dinner and lodging.

2nd Day: Marrakech

Day dedicated to tour of the city: the Koutoubia mosque (mosque of the librarians). The mosque was inaugurated under the Almoravides’ Berber Dynasty in 1120, then was immensely renovated from 1162 under the Emir Almohade Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur, and became a building most characteristic of its style. Its name originates from the fact that it was situated in the manuscript merchants’ souk.

Visit of the Saadian Tombs, the Bahia Palace and the Dar Si Said Moroccan Art Museum, located in an old 19th century palace.

Lunch break, then onto further discovery of the red city, with a walk around the souks, the maze of lights and shadows, and the famous Jemaa el-Fna square. It is a touristic hotbed which continues to attract over a million visitors.

You’ll enjoy entertainment by snake charmers, monkey trainers, storytellers, musicians and other popular forms of art (games, henna designs, etc.)
“The Cultural Space of Jemaa el-Fna” was included by UNESCO in 2001 as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, a meeting point for people of the desert and mountains.

Dinner and overnight in hotel (4-star).

3rd Day: Marrakech – Beni Mellal Fès (490 km/7h30)

Departure for Fès through the Middle Atlas mountain range, going through Beni-Mellal.

Lunch break on route, and continue the trek with ever-changing scenery: plateaus, rivers and tumbling cascades, volcanic peaks, dense and dark forests of cedars and oaks.

Dinner and overnight in hotel (4-star)

4th Day: Fès

Day dedicated to visiting Fès.

Fès is currently the third-largest city in Morocco in terms of population. It was formally established at the end of the 8th century, under the reign of Idriss I.
Its medina, the oldest and largest in the world, and a model example of an eastern city, is under UNESCO protection. It has remained unchanged since the 12th century.

The deep blue of its ceramics is a token characteristic of Fès. Its international past makes it a capital of the Arab-Muslim civilization along with Damas, Baghdad, Cordoba, Tlemcen, Grenada, etc.

Fès, for many centuries, was the political and intellectual capital of Morocco. Fès has retained many vestiges of its glorious past.

Visit of the outdoor of the mosque, and the Al Quaraouiyine madrassa. Its construction began in 859 under the reign of the Idriss dynasty. It is considered to be the oldest university in the world to still be active. True to tradition, it was a woman, Oum Al Banine Fatima Al Fihriya, heiress to a rich Kairouan, who was behind its establishment. Over the centuries, the mosque saw its architectural design evolve and grow. It became, from the 10th to 12th centuries, an important educational institution, and one of the first universities in the world.

Continuing on to the Andalusian mosque and the Fountain of Nejjarine.

Lunch break and continuation of the visit of the medina and souks. To discover Fès is to plunge one’s self into its network of narrow winding streets, stairs and walkways.

Dinner and overnight in hotel (4-star).

5th Day: Fès – Erfoud (420 km/6h30)

Following breakfast, departure to Midelt through the mountains and cedar forests of the Middle-Atlas. Journey through Ifrane, a lovely ski resort, and Azrou, a notable artisan center specializing in cedar work.

Arrival in Midelt for a lunch break. In the afternoon, passage through Er-Rachidia to Erfoud, cutting through the Ziz valley, scenery dotted with palm trees.

Dinner and overnight at the Xaluca Erfoud hotel (4-star) or similar accommodations.

6th Day: Erfoud – Merzoug (60 km/50 min)

Breakfast, and then depart by Jeep for a day of excursion through the path of the Paris-Dakar R ally.

Visit of the marine fossil banks (dated more than 360 million years).

Arrival at the Tissirdmine Oasis, barbecue lunch on-site, under the shade of palm trees in the desert.

4:00pm: continue by Jeep trek to the Erg Chebbi dunes, visit the Khamliya village in which the locals are of Malian origin, and will offer us tea while we enjoy a show of their traditional dancing.

Dinner and overnight in the open air, bivouacs on-site.

Potentially experience an unforgettable sunset on camel’s back.

7th Day:  Merzouga – Dades (280 km/4h00)

Breakfast and return to the hotel in Erfoud, then departure to the Dades canyons, through the city of Tinghir.

The canyons were initially carved through sedimentary marine rocks, over a long period, from the Jurassic era to the Eocene Period . These rocks then dried out during the Alpine orogeny in the Oligocene Period. The Dades was formed during the uplift, was pressed by antecedence in the rocks which were pushed upward, digging grooves in the marls, sandstone or limestone.

Overnight and half-board at the Xaluca Dades hotel (4-star) or similar accommodations.

8th Day: Dades – Ouarzazate – Marrakech (300 km/4h50)

Following breakfast, departure for Marrakech by way of Ouarzazate, and the Tichka pass.

Dinner and overnight in Marrakech at a hotel (4-star)

9th Day: Marrakech

Open day to enjoy sunny Marrakech

Dinner under tent that the Chez Ali restaurants, where you’ll also enjoy a Fantasia show.

Return to hotel

10th Day: Marrakech airport.

Breakfast and airport transfer according to flight times.

Rates

7.800 dhs per person sharing a double room.

1.800 dhs single supplement

Included in this program:

Accommodation in 3 and 4 star hotels

Meals mentioned in the program

Access to the air-conditioned tourist vehicle

Entrance fee at tourist sites included in the itinerary

Not included:

Drinks at meal time

Flight bookings

Unspecified lunch breaks on the itinerary

Camel rides

Tips and gratuities

Personal expenses

NB : the rates communicated are valid subject to availability, at the time of confirmation.

• International flight is not included on this tour. Our Terratour team is at your disposal to help you book your flight.
• The circuit is available for individual and group