The Ancient Road to the Grand Sahara
Date: Anytime. (Recommended from Spetember to May)
Price: Please email us at info@moroccooffthebeatentrack.com
Accommodation: 5 Star de luxe, 4 Star and possible homestay in Fez or Errachidia.
Transportation: Mini-vans (Toyota 4WD, Mercedes Vito)
Program Leader: Full assistance of an English speaking Program leader.
Program begins: Fez
Program ends: Marrakesh
Below is a sample itinerary to give you an overview about The Ancient Road to the Grand Sahara Tours. Please note that this tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. There are several activities that you can include in this itinerary such as cooking classes in Fez, Visit women weaving cooperatives in Fez or Sefrou or Errachidia.
Sample Itinerary
Day 1 Fez ~ Erfoud
Departure from Fes at 8 o'clock, travelling via Azrou, where you can see Barbary apes in the forest of the Middle Atlas. Lunch is in Midelt, “the apple capital”, at the foot of the Ayachi Mountain. We continue over the Tizi-n-Talremt pass and through the Ziz Valley, which is particularly well-known for its palm trees and the length of the oasis. All along the road there are innumerable fortified houses known as “ksars”, Merchants built them to protect save precious products and items such as Gold, Salt and spices, From here we reach Er Rachidia and then Erfoud, famous for its date festival and fossils. The night is spent in a traditionally built hotel.
Azrou ~ National Cedar Park of Ifrane ~ Barbary Macaque
Day 2 Erfoud ~ Merzouga
In the morning after breakfast, you will continue to Rissani to visit the souks (Local markets) there. From here you will take the 4x4 to the lake and then visit Berber nomads for some music. Lunch is at the Erg Chebbi dunes in Merzouga at an auberge with a swimming pool near the dunes. Once at the bivouac, you take a camel ride to watch the sunset from the top of the dunes. Back at the bivouac, dinner is served, followed by an evening of music and the night in a nomad tent.
Day 3 Merzouga ~ Dades
If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise, when the colour of the dunes and the play of shadows are an awesome sight. After breakfast you can walk in the dunes before leaving for Tinghir and the Toudgha gorges for lunch. The road passes through Tinjdad and the Toudgha Valley. Here there are plenty of opportunities to walk, such as along the river through the gardens or up the road on the other side of the gorges. Later the itinerary continues to the Dades Valley and the Dades Gorges for the night in a hotel.
Day 4 Dades ~ Ouarzazate
After breakfast a walk in the Dades Gorges is scheduled. Back at the car, the trip to Ouarzazate continues, going off-road along the Boutarar piste to visit Berber nomads in their caves and partake of a glass of tea with them. From here we continue through the Valley of the Roses, famous for its Rose Festival in May, and past the kasbahs of Skoura. In Ouarzazate, you stay in a riad.
Ouarzazate ~ Ait Ben Haddou (UNESCO World Heritage)
Day 5 Ouarzazate ~ Marrakesh
After breakfast, the route goes on to Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, a World Heritage site and the backdrop for many Hollywood blockbusters. It is the most famous Kasbah in Morocco. From there the road continues to Telouet, along the new asphalted road. Telouet is set right in the midst of the mountains and was once the seat of the last Pasha of Marrakesh, El Glaoui, from where the highest pass in Africa, Tizi-n-Tichka was controlled. At the end of the afternoon we arrive in Marrakesh.
For any further questions, Please email us at info@moroccooffthebeatentrack.com or schedule a phone call here