Marrakech, Middle Atlas
And Sahara tour

Fez

Fez has a special atmosphere. This 13th-century city is an imperial city of long-lasting multicultural history, that reserves unexpected surprises for its visitors.

Cross the walls of the famous medina of Fez, recognized by UNESCO as an outstanding universal value. Stroll through the streets of the Fez-El-Bali district. The Bab Boujloud is the easiest way to enter the medina.

In early May, the squares and alleys resound with world music, where the Festival of World Sacred Music is held in the former imperial capital, which occurs along with Jazz in Riads, one of the main events in the city’s cultural calendar. Don’t leave without having tasted the city’s gastronomy, reputed to be one of the best in the world.

Erg Chebbi

The Saharan desert stretches across vast parts of North Africa, from the Red Sea, to the Atlantic, covering some (or all) of 11 countries in the African continent. Bar the occasional oasis, the desert is made up from rocky plateaux, salt flats and sand seas, or ergs. These ergs, or ‘dunes’ are shaped by the wind and can reach peaks as high as 180m. They rise like a sea out of the desert and are an alluring place to visit. Due to political reasons, some of these sand seas are inaccessible to tourists, others, such as the ergs in Libya or Tunisia are more accessible, although independent tours to these are difficult, if not impossible to arrange.

The easiest to visit, are arguably the Erg Chebaga and Erg Chebbi dunes in South Eastern Morocco. Measuring 22km long and 5km wide, the Erg Chebbi dunes offer an astounding experience. Sleeping under the stars in a Berber tent, camel trekking and the silence only the desert can offer all contribute to making it a must-see on everyone’s travel list.

Merzouga

Located on the edge of the starkly beautiful Sahara Desert, Merzouga is a small, dusty town in eastern Morocco. Although the town itself has little to offer the intrepid traveler (besides a handful of hotels and restaurants), it is famous as the gateway to the vast Erg Chebbi dunes. Here, soaring peaks of sand change color with the shifting light of dawn and dusk. Camel trains create romantic silhouettes, and Berber villages act as remote oases in an environment that has remained unchanged for thousands of years. These are the archetypal Sahara landscapes of which Moroccan dreams are made.

Dadès valley

Situated in central Morocco, the Dadès Gorge should be at the top of the bucket list for adventurous souls in search of astonishing scenery and immersion into authentic Berber culture. The gorge (actually a series of separate gorges) was carved out by the passage of the Dades River and is navigable via a road known locally as the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs.

Those that drive its hairpin bends can expect to discover breathtaking rock formations in colors that range from tan and beige to gold, rust red, and dusky mauve. The historic kasbahs and ksour, or fortified villages, of the Berber people overlook the valley, where the river breathes life into groves of palm and almond trees.

Local people still inhabit some of these villages, while many of the kasbahs have been converted into boutique hotels for Dadès Gorge explorers.

Ait Benhaddou

Ait-Ben-Haddou in Morocco is a beautiful, fortified village in the southeast of the country and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. The small town was built around 1,000 years ago and was an important point along the caravan route back then. Today, Ait-Ben-Haddou is one of the most visited attractions in Morocco and probably the most attractive stop on round trips across the country. Due to its unique architecture and incredibly magical ambience, Ait-Ben-Haddou has already served as a movie set for many well-known films. Game of Thrones, Gladiator, and Lawrence of Arabia were all filmed here, for example! Yes, a visit to this pretty village is worthwhile, and so every Morocco traveler should have seen the largest Kasbah in the country.