4-Day Marrakech to Fes via the Sahara

Day 1 · Marrakech – Tizi n'Tichka – Aït Benhaddou – Dades Valley

Cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m) with stunning mountain views and Berber villages. Visit the UNESCO-listed ksar of Aït Benhaddou, then continue past Ouarzazate, the Skoura palm grove and the Valley of Roses to reach the Dades Valley for the night.

Overnight: Dades Valley

Day 2 · Dades – Todra Gorge – Erfoud – Merzouga: night in the desert

Walk between the 300-metre walls of the Todra Gorge and the palm groves of Tinghir. Continue via Erfoud, known for its fossils, to Merzouga. At sunset ride a camel into the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi to your desert camp. Dinner, Berber drums around the fire and a sky full of stars.

Overnight: Sahara desert camp

Day 3 · A full day in the Sahara

Wake up early for sunrise over the dunes. Explore the area around Erg Chebbi by 4×4: the village of Khamlia and its Gnawa music, a nomad family, the old mines and the seasonal lake. Free time for optional quads, buggies or sandboarding, then a second night at the camp.

Overnight: Sahara desert camp

Day 4 · Merzouga – Ziz Valley – Midelt – Ifrane – Fes

After sunrise in the dunes, drive north through the palm-filled Ziz Valley and the Middle Atlas. Lunch in Midelt, then cross the cedar forests of Azrou, home to Barbary macaques, and pass through Ifrane, the 'Switzerland of Morocco', before arriving in Fes.

Overnight: Fes