Day 1: Fez – Ifrane – Monkey Forest – Erfoud – Merzouga Desert
This two-day desert tour from Fez starts wherever is most convenient for the group: from the airport if you wish to do it upon arrival, from the hotel if you are already staying in Fez or from any other location. In all cases, our Spanish-speaking driver will pick you up in a private vehicle and with the maximum comfort. And after that, we will start our route by road in a southerly direction.
The first big stop of this day is the town of Ifrane: located at an altitude of more than 1,700 meters in the heart of the Middle Atlas, it has an original mountain appearance, unique compared to the rest of Morocco. In addition to its order and cleanliness, its houses with gable roofs are striking, as required by the rains and snow that fall here in the wet season.
After briefly getting to know this town, we will enter the Ifrane National Park, popularly known as the Cedar Forest or the Forest of the Monkeys. This is so because it houses a huge expanse of trees of this species and because they live a large population of Barbary macaques. In fact, this is one of the few natural habitats where they survive, as they are in danger of extinction.
After that, we will cross the natural barrier of the Middle Atlas and in our descent we will link with the Ziz Valley, named after the humble but long river that vertebrates it. Following its course we will be noticing how the Moroccan desert is thrown over us, reaching Erfoud. This small town is famous for different reasons, mainly for its fossils, some of them of large dinosaurs, and for the production of marble. It has also served as a location for films with a desert atmosphere, such as The Mummy.
Shortly after leaving Erfoud, we will reach the last stretch of this desert excursion from Fez: it starts in Merzouga, a small town where we will change means of transport, as we will change from motor vehicles to traditional camels, used by the nomads of the desert since time immemorial (option replaceable by 4×4). In this way we will enter the dunes of Erg Chebbi, whose large formations of golden sand will envelop our view.
This unique excursion will end at the tents camp, where we will be waiting for us with a Berber tea, as tradition dictates, and where dinner will be served. In one of these traditional tents you will rest, but not before enjoying the breathtaking image of the starry sky above our heads, clean and shining unhindered by clouds and artificial lighting.
Day 2: Merzouga Desert – Fez
On this second day of desert excursion from Fez, it will be worth getting up early: we will be ready to watch the sunrise in the dunes of Erg Chebbi, a unique place to enjoy the first light of dawn. After that, we will have breakfast and return to Merzouga, again by camel ride (or 4×4, depending on the option chosen). Time will also be left for a shower, in a hotel in Merzouga or in the tents of the camp according to the package contracted.
The return route will be the same as the outward journey the day before to travel to the desert from Fez, but in this case there will be fewer stops in order to reach the city in the early afternoon. In this way, you will arrive in time to catch your flight back home or to enjoy the afternoon at leisure in this beautiful city, declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
At the agreed place, we will say goodbye with gratitude for the trust placed in us and with the hope of doing other tours or excursions like this one, heading to the desert from Fez or to other natural paradises of the country.
PACKAGE INCLUDED
- Pick up at hotel or airport, and transfer back to the agreed place.
- Private vehicle with English-speaking driver.
- Dromedary excursion in the dunes of Erg Chebbi (one per person), option replaceable by 4×4 vehicle.
- Berber tea and dinner in tented camp in the middle of the desert.
- One night in tented camp, half board (dinner and breakfast)
TOURIST PACKAGE EXCLUSIONS
- Plane tickets
- Drinks
- Lunches
- Tickets