Tour 4 days Tangier, Fès, Merzouga Desert, Dadès, Marrakech

Itinerary

DAY 1: TANGIER – CHEFCHAOUEN – FÈS

Arrival at the port or airport of Tangier, meeting and departure with the driver/guide in the direction of Chefchaouen crossing the Rif mountains and the city of Tetouan. Arrival in Chefchaouen for a short visit. Chefchaouen is called the “Blue Pearl” because all buildings, doors, windows, fountains and streets are painted in different shades of blue. The city was considered sacred for centuries and it was even forbidden to enter foreigners. Only recently, in the ’50s, things have changed and the city has become a tourist destination that few people know. The medina is a maze of narrow streets and coloured blue and the reason is purely religious and not aesthetic. Inhabited by Berber peoples, it was founded by Spaniards who came from Andalusia, which is why the ancient part of the city resembles the Andalusian villages with narrow streets and walls full of flowers. Most of its inhabitants still speak Spanish today. In the centre of the old city you will see the Outa-el-Hammam Square where the Tarik-Ben-Ziad Mosque is located, which hides an octagonal-inspired minaret inspired by the Torre de Oro in Seville and a splendid fortress. The new city is built further down. Arrival in the evening in Fès. Dinner and overnight in riad/hotel.

DAY 2: FÈS – IFRANE – ZIZ VALLEY – MERZOUGA

After breakfast departure with the driver/guide from your riad/hotel in Fès in the direction of Merzouga passing through Azrou where you can see the Barbary apes inhabiting the lush forests of cedars and oaks, then continue to Ifrane, nicknamed the “Little Switzerland “is located at over 1700 m altitude and will cross the Ziz Valley. Arrival in the afternoon in the village of Merzouga for a brief stop in the riad/hotel. Before sunset, departure by dromedary to reach the Berber tents also called “Haima” where dinner will be served under the stars and where you will listen to the traditional Berber music played with the percussion. Overnight at the tented camp.

DAY 3: MERZOUGA – ERFOUD – GORGES OF THE TODRA – DADÈS

Wake up at dawn to witness the sunrise in the middle of the dunes, return by dromedary to the riad where breakfast will be served and you can take a hot shower. After a brief stop, departure in the direction of Erfoud located at the gates of the desert, also called the city of fossils, for the territory rich in fossil stones. The journey will continue towards the Gorges of the Todra to get to the Dadès Valley. Dinner and overnight in riad/hotel.

DAY 4: DADÈS – OUARZAZATE – AIT-BEN-HADDOU – MARRAKECH

After breakfast we leave for the Dadès Valley, crossing the Valley of Roses, famous for the cultivation of damask rose from which the essence is extracted for the production of many cosmetics. We will visit the Gorges of Dades. The journey will continue in the direction of Ouarzazate, located in the Dades Valley, expanded in the twenties by the French as a military and administrative centre. Near the town are Atlas Film Corporation Studios, the “Cinecittà” of Morocco, where several films set in the desert were and are still being shot. We will then continue north towards Marrakech passing through the kasbah of Ait-Ben-Haddou declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, where we will make a short visit and then continue the journey through the mountains of the Grande Atlas up to the Tizi. n’Tichka at 2,260 m (the highest mountain pass in the Atlas). Arrival in the evening in Marrakech and end of our service.