Experience an unforgettable 3-day adventure trip from Fes to the stunning desert of Merzouga with transportation, accommodation, breakfasts, and dinners included. Try once-in-a-lifetime activities like riding a camel and sandboarding down dunes.
Day 1: Fes, Ifrane, Medilt, and Erfoud
Depart early from Fes, passing through Ifrane, a Moroccan-style winter ski resort built by the French in the 1930s to resemble a Swiss village. Visit a cedar forest in Azrou and see the resident monkeys.
Spend most of the day winding your way through Berber villages, forests, and springs, and along jagged rock faces as you cross the Atlas Mountains and begin to descend toward the Sahara Desert.
Halfway through, stop for lunch in Midelt (costs not included) before continuing toward Erfoud. Stop for panoramic views of a huge oasis of palm trees, then reach Erfoud in the afternoon for dinner and an overnight hotel stay (Hotel Xaluca Erfoud, Kasbah Mohayut, or similar).
Day 2: Erfoud, Rissani, and Erg Chebbi
After breakfast, stop to see fossils and join a workshop in Erfoud. Continue to Rissani, the first capital of the Alawite Dynasty. See historical Kasbahs and visit a local market where you can try the area's local food of the area.
Arrive in Merzouga to see the different faces of desert dunes, passing through small villages along the way. Stop to listen to some Saharan music in El Khamlia and enjoy a rest with mint tea.
Next, meet your guide and the camels for a ride along the dunes toward Erg Chebbi Camp. Take in the beauty of the sunset from atop a camel during a 1-hour ride to the desert camp. Following dinner under the stars, spend the night in a Berber tent.
Day 3: Merzouga, Tafilalte, and Fes
Get up early to take a walk over the sand dunes and watch the sunrise from just behind the Algerian border, located about 50 km from Merzouga. Get back on a camel to ride back to the hotel.
Enjoy time for a shower and breakfast before departing back towards Fes. Pass through Rissani and Ziz Valley, stopping along the way for a walk and lunch in a Berber village before arriving back in Fes (lunch not included).
