Fez - Marrakesh - 3-day tour
Itinerary
Day 1: Fes - Ifrane - Middle Atlas - Erfoud - Rissani - Merzouga Sahara Desert
Take the road to Merzouga. Enroute to Merzouga, we will pass Ifrane, stopping to see the cedar tree forest and the local Barbary monkeys. We will also pass the American- Moroccan University, which was built by the Saudis. We will have lunch during our journey in the Ziz Valley or at another local town en route to the Sahara Desert. We will continue along the road to Merzouga and arrive before sunset.
Take the road to Erfoud. Visit the Royal Palace gate. Enjoy the panoramic view from the top of the Borj-Est that rises 935 m (3067 ft) above the city. Tour the fossil sites in Carriere des Fossiles and the Maadid Ksar.
Erfoud is a city located in southeast Morocco. Although many ancient fortified villages have existed in the region for several centuries, Erfoud was built up by the French troops after the victory at Tafilalet that ended years of battle in 1932. Erfoud is an active city full of commerce, restaurants, street cafés, hotels , banks, handicrafts, and souvenir shops. While it is a modern Moroccan desert town, it still preserves the authenticity of a true Arab city with an impressively wild market and gorgeous surrounding landscapes filled with oases, dunes, and Rocky Mountains. Erfoud is a cinematic inspiration for movie directors. Many movies have been filmed in Erfoud, including Prince of Persia, March or Die, and The Mummy. Arrive in Merzouga. Explore the Desert Flora and Fauna.Sunset Camel Trek into the Moroccan Sahara Desert.and 1001 Arabian Nights Dinner. Overnight in a Luxury Desert Camp.
Day 2: Merzouga Departure - Visit the Sahara Desert Town of Rissani - Erfoud - Todra Gorge - Bomalen Dades
Take the road to the town of Rissani. Visit the local souk and eat Madfouna food. Madfouna is the local stuffed pizza indigenous of the Sahara region. Continue the road via Erfoud to Bomalen Dades.
Visit the Todra Gorge and The Todra Gorge is a spectacle with its gigantic rock walls changing color to create magical effects with the sunlight. In the morning, when the sun permeates through the bottom of the gorge, the rock changes from pink rose to deep ochre gradually throughout the rest of the day.
After exploring the Todra Gorge, be sure to experience any of the dozens of Dades Kasbahs.
The Kasbahs within the Dades oasis lay claim to the harshest terrain of the southern valleys and are considered modern because the first ones were destroyed in the 1920’s and 1930’s during France’s pacification attempts.
Overnight at Riad or Hotel in Bomalen Dades.
Day 3: Bomalen Dades - Skoura - Ouarzazate - Ait Ben Haddou - Telouet Kasbah - Marrakesh
Take the road to Marrakech.
Valley of Roses. Your driver will stop for you to view the Capp et Florale distillation factories laid out in the small Kasbah town that manufacture the entire nations products of eau de rose. The rose water and other products such as hand and body soaps, oil, crème perfume and dried flowers are for sale and also popular among Moroccans. The factories produce 3000-4000 petals a year.
Visit Skoura and its “Valley of One Thousand Kasbahs.”Skoura is a fertile oasis lined with immense palm groves that provide great views of the Atlas Mountains alongside deserted landscapes. It is renowned for the cultivation of roses. The palm groves were laid out in the 12th century by the Almohad sultan Yacoub el-Mansour and named after its original inhabitants, the Berbers of the Haskourene tribe. The most beautiful kasbahs in southern Morocco can be found here.
Visit the Atlas Film Studios. The studios are flanked by Holly-wood style Egyptian figures and cover 30,000 square meters of desert. David Lean filmed Lawrence of Arabia at The Atlas Film Studios in the early 1960’s. Since then many famous directors have followed in his footsteps to exploit the magnificent scenery. International blockbusters shot here in recent years include: the French version of Cleopatra, Bertolucci's Sheltering Sky, Scorsese's Kundun, Gillies MacKannon's Hideous Kinky, Ridley Scott's Gladiator, Black Hawke Down, Oliver Stone's Alexander The Great, Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven, and Penelope Cruz's Sahara.
Visit Ait Benhaddou. Located 32 km from Ouarzazate lies the picturesque village. Aït Benhaddou of Aït Benhaddou is situated in Draa Tafilalet a hill along the Ouarzazate River. Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here and Orson Welles used it as a location for Sodome and Gomorrah; and for Jesus of Nazareth the whole lower part of the village was rebuilt. In recent years more controlled restoration has been carried out under UNESCO auspices. Aït Benhaddou is one of many locations in this region used for shooting Hollywood films. Aït Benhaddou which once served as the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech in present-day Morocco. Your guide will lead you on a private tour through this Berber village of towered and crenulated Kasbahs that once guarded the lucrative caravan route through the Atlas Mountains.
Visit Kasbah Telout, one of Morocco’s hidden jewels and a famous Kasbahs that is the origin of the Pacha Glaoui Family. Kasbah Telout is hidden among a tiny road in a small village that is 20 minutes outside Tichka. Its history stands alone with its original zellij tile, authentic, preserved silks and grand remnants of the Glaou family. This Kasbahs has yet to be coined a UNESCO World Heritage site and while it appears in parts to be in ruins on the exterior, its interior is one of true splendor.
Take the road back to Marrakech via the Tizi-N-Tichka Pass.
