Morocco
We advise you to start this first daytrip early in the morning, around 8h00 in the
morning.
Fes, the historical center of science of art, is a must visit place and is the second largest city in Morocco (after Casablanca). It reached its zenith in the Marinid era, regaining its status as the capital. Numerous madrasas, mosques, zawiyas and city gates were constructed which survived up until today. These buildings are considered the hallmarks of Moorish and Moroccan architectural styles.
Don’t forget to find the tannery hidden in the medina. You only can find it when you go through a shop. It is UNESCO world heritage. The best is to go early in the morning because then the different colors of the colorbath will be seen.
Azrou is your next station. It is a town located in Ifrane’s Province. Azrou can be very cold so we advise to bring warm clothes during winter time, you can also approach the wild monkeys in the cedar forest.
We continue the drive to Midelt, a town in central Morocco, in the high plains between the Middle Atlas and High Atlas mountain ranges. Midelt serves as the commercial center of a large agricultural hinterland. It is one of Morocco's principal cities for the mining of several minerals.
After driving through Ziz Valley with the nice palm tree oasis, arrive at Merzouga at the end of the day.
Merzouga, a small town, is characterized by the wide & infinite Sahara desert. You will ride camels in the desert and walk to the top of the dune to see the magical sunset. After having dinner and relaxing, you will spend the night in a Bedouin tent, an experience like 1001 Arabian Nights.
After you’ve seen the sunrise and had your breakfast, you will move to Tinghir, where you can stop to see Todra Gorges and take some pictures of the magnificent place and enjoy your lunch.
We then move to Dades Valley, your final destination for day two.
Boumalne-Dadès is an urban commune located in the region of Drâa-Tafilalet, also a province of Tinghir.
On the third day you’ll continue to Boumalne Dades, which is a Berber town.
The predominant ethnic group is Berber, and the city is at the center of one of the most attractive oases in southern Morocco. Next we move to Roses Valley, or El Kelaa M’Gouna, which is known for the rose water they make for cosmetic purposes. It’s extracted from roses that are originally planted there, and you can buy some original rose water products from the cooperative.
Then comes Ouarzazate which is said to be the Hollywood of Morocco for the movies filming studios, and the Noor Solar Power Station (OSPS), the biggest in the world.
In the afternoon you’ll be in Ait Ben Haddou, an ighrem (fortified village in English or Ksar in Arabic) that is also a UNESCO world heritage center. We will pass through Tizi n’Tichka, a mountain pass linking the south-east of Marrakesh to the city of Ouarzazate through the High Atlas Mountains. It lies above the great Marrakesh plains and is a gateway to the Sahara Desert. As a bit of trivia, the last known wild Barbary lion in Morocco was shot near Tizi-n-Tichka in 1942. In the afternoon we finally arrive to Marrakech and the next morning you can do a tour inside of Marrakech - we can offer you a guided visit to discover historical events, Jamaa El-Fna square, and the serpents charmers!