Trip overview
Four days by private car from Fez: the Azrou cedars, a full day in Merzouga, a night in the dunes, the Todra Gorge and a night in the Ziz so the return isn't a marathon.
- Duration4 days / 3 nights
- Starts inFez
- GroupPrivate or shared · 1–16 people
- DifficultyEasy
- LanguageEspañol
- DeparturesDaily departures all year round
Highlights
- Departure from and return to your riad in Fez
- Ifrane and the Barbary macaques of the Azrou cedar forest
- The Ziz canyon and the Legionnaires' Tunnel
- A full day in Merzouga without packing
- Rissani, Khamlia and its Gnawa music
- Camel ride in the low sun and a night in a tent in the Erg Chebbi
- A walk through the Todra Gorge
- A night at a guesthouse in the Ziz palm grove
- Duration
- 4 days, 3 nights
- Driving
- ≈ 22 h in total
- Nights
- Guesthouse, tent and a house in the Ziz
- Camel
- Day two, at sunset
Private or small group
You can book this route either way, on this same page.
Private
A vehicle and driver just for you: you choose the start time and the stops. The price per person drops the more of you there are.
Small group
A seat in a shared minibus with other travellers on the same itinerary. Daily departures; the price is the same even if you travel alone.
Stages and overnight stops
About 470 kilometres on the way out across the Middle Atlas; coming back, we detour via the Todra and stop overnight in the Ziz.
When to go
- March – MayGood timeGreen cedars, mild days in Merzouga and good weather for walking in the Todra.
- Late September – NovemberGood timeLess heat in the desert and cool nights at the camp.
- December – FebruaryMixedSnow is possible in Ifrane, Azrou and on the Zad pass; timings sometimes have to change.
- July – AugustBest avoidedVery hot middays in Merzouga and Tinghir.
Before you book
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Fez – Ifrane – Azrou cedars – Midelt – Legionnaires' Tunnel – Merzouga
We leave your riad at around 7:30. Within an hour you're in Ifrane, a town of chalets with steep roofs built during the French protectorate, which in winter fills up with Moroccan families who come to see the snow.
A few kilometres on we enter the Azrou cedar forest. We stop where the Barbary macaques usually gather; they come very close, but it's best not to feed them. We have lunch in Midelt, with the Jbel Ayachi in the background, snow-capped for much of the year. Then the road goes through the Legionnaires' Tunnel and down into the Ziz canyon, where we pull over at a lookout above the palms. Past Errachidia and Erfoud, we reach Merzouga between 17:30 and 18:30. Tonight you sleep at a guesthouse facing the dunes: climb the nearest dune if you still have the energy, have dinner and rest. About 8 or 9 hours with stops.
Day 2: Rissani, Khamlia and an afternoon camel ride to the Erg Chebbi camp
You have breakfast looking at the dunes and at 9:30 we set off with your driver for Rissani, the town that was once the capital of the Tafilalet. If it's market day, we take a walk through the souk, where local dates, spices and livestock are sold. For lunch there's madfouna, the meat-stuffed bread they bake in the village ovens.
On the way back we stop in Khamlia. There, several Gnawa families welcome visitors into their courtyard and play drums and iron castanets. The musicians don't charge an entry fee, but you're expected to leave something. Then you have a few hours at the guesthouse for the pool or a nap. At around 17:00 you switch to a small backpack, leave the rest in your room and set off by camel to the camp. You arrive with the sun low, have dinner in the dining tent and the night ends with drums by the fire.
Day 3: Sunrise on the sand – Tinejdad – Todra Gorge – Goulmima – Ziz Valley
Before the sun comes up you're called to climb a dune. You ride back by camel to the guesthouse, shower, have breakfast and collect your suitcase. At around 9:00 we head west through Erfoud and Tinejdad, between oases and mud-brick villages.
At midday we reach Tinghir and go into the Todra Gorge. You walk along the floor of the canyon, where the walls close in until there's little more than the river and the road, and we have lunch at a restaurant by the water. If you'd like to walk further, there's a path that climbs behind the walls; you do it with a local guide, paid on the spot.
In the afternoon we head back east through Goulmima, with its old fortified ksar, and reach the Ziz Valley near Errachidia. Dinner and night at a guesthouse among the palms. About 6 and a half hours of driving.
Day 4: Ziz Valley – Midelt – Cedar forest – Ifrane – Fez
We have breakfast and drive up the Ziz Valley in the morning light, which is when the mud villages along the river and the canyon walls look their best. We go through the Legionnaires' Tunnel again and in about two hours we're in Midelt, where you can look at the minerals sold in the shops at the entrance to town.
From there the road climbs onto the plateau and into the Middle Atlas. We make a long stop in the cedar forest: if you didn't see macaques on the way out, this is your second chance, and you can walk for a while among huge trees. We have lunch in Azrou or Ifrane and drive down to Fez, arriving between 16:00 and 17:00. The driver drops you at whichever medina gate is most convenient for your riad. About 6 hours with stops.
What's included
Included (9)
- We collect you from and return you to your accommodation in Fez
- Your own air-conditioned vehicle and Spanish-speaking driver
- Fuel and tolls
- 1 night at a guesthouse facing the dunes with dinner and breakfast
- Camel ride to and from the camp (one camel per person)
- 1 night at a camp in the Erg Chebbi with dinner and breakfast
- 1 night at a guesthouse in the Ziz Valley with dinner and breakfast
- Visits to Rissani and Khamlia with your driver
- Bottled water in the car
Not included (7)
- Lunches and drinks
- Voluntary contribution to the Khamlia musicians
- Local guide for the Todra path (optional)
- Entry to monuments
- Optional 4x4, quad or buggy trips
- Tips
- Accommodation in Fez
Important information (6)
- The first night is at a guesthouse on purpose: you arrive late and tired, so we leave the camel for the second day.
- A backpack is all you need for the night in the tents; your large luggage waits at the guesthouse.
- From December to March snow can close the road through Ifrane and Azrou; if that happens, we change the timings for safety.
- Comfortable shoes are enough for walking in the Todra, but the upper path calls for trainers with a good grip.
- Travelling with children? Give us their ages so we can arrange car seats and beds at the camp.
- If you're vegetarian or have an allergy, tell us when you book and we'll pass it on to each place you stay.
Prices per person
Private
The vehicle and driver are paid per day and shared between the travellers, so the price per person goes down the more of you there are. Accommodation is charged per person per night (3 nights).
| Travellers | Standard | Superior |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | €880 | €1,015 |
| 2 people | €500 | €635 |
| 3 people | €373 | €508 |
| 4 people | €310 | €445 |
| 5 people | €272 | €407 |
| 6 people | €247 | €382 |
- Standard: Comfortable hotels and riads, standard desert camp
- Superior: More characterful accommodation and a superior desert camp
- Children aged 3 to 11: 3% less than an adult.
- Groups of more than 7 people travel in two vehicles. The booking calculator takes this into account.
Small group
Small group
A seat in a shared minibus with other travellers, the same price even if you travel alone. Daily departures.
Payment and cancellation
You pay a 15% deposit when you book. The rest is paid on the first day of the trip, in cash or by bank transfer. You can also pay it by PayPal or card, with a 5% surcharge.
Private: free up to 48 hours before the start. Group: free up to 10 days before departure. If you cancel in time, we refund the full deposit.
Extras you can add
Chosen when you book and added to the total. You can also ask for them later, subject to availability.
Quad bike in the Merzouga dunes
Guided quad ride around Erg Chebbi, helmet included
Dune buggy in Merzouga
Two-seater buggy with a guide through the dunes, helmet included
Upgrade the accommodation
More characterful hotels and riads, and a superior desert camp On the group booking; for a private trip choose the Superior option.
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Leave a reviewFrequently asked questions
How does it differ from the 3-day trip from Fez?
On the three-day trip you go out and back through the Ziz, with two days of 8 or 9 hours in the car. On this one we add the Todra Gorge and split the return with a night in the Ziz Valley, so on the last day you reach Fez in the middle of the afternoon. The day in Merzouga and the night at the camp are similar on both.
Why isn't the first night at the camp?
Because you reach Merzouga as the light is going, after about 470 kilometres. Riding a camel in a rush and in the dark doesn't make much sense. Sleeping at the guesthouse you get some rest, and the next day you go to the camp in daylight and without being tired. If you'd still rather have the camp on the first night, we can arrange it by leaving Fez an hour earlier.
Can we return via Midelt instead of sleeping in the Ziz?
Yes, although we don't recommend it. Sleeping in Midelt stretches the Todra day to over 8 hours of driving and leaves the last day at about 3 and a half hours. If you want to be back in Fez early on the fourth day to have dinner in the medina, or because your flight leaves that night, it can make sense. Tell us your timings and we'll adjust.
Will I see the macaques in the Azrou forest?
You almost always do, especially near the lay-bys along the road, but they're wild animals and there's no guarantee. Since we go through the forest twice, on the way out and on the way back, the chances are good. Don't feed them: tourists' food is bad for them and makes them aggressive.
How much walking is there in the Todra Gorge?
The basic visit is a flat half-hour stroll along the floor of the canyon, suitable for almost everyone. If you like walking, there's a path that climbs through the rocks and comes back through a village higher up; it takes two to three hours and is done with a local guide. In that case we leave Merzouga earlier.
