Trip overview
Five private days from Fez to Marrakech: Erg Chebbi, a day around Merzouga, the Todra and the Dades, a night in Aït Ben Haddou and the way back via Telouet and the Ounila Valley.
- Duration5 days / 4 nights
- Starts inFez
- GroupPrivate · 1–16 people
- DifficultyEasy
- LanguageEspañol
- DeparturesDaily departures all year round
Highlights
- A night in Aït Ben Haddou, with the ksar almost empty at sunset and at sunrise
- The old Ounila Valley road and the Telouet kasbah
- Dayet Aoua lake, Ifrane and the Middle Atlas cedars
- Sunset camel ride and a night in a tent in Erg Chebbi
- Khamlia, the Rissani souk and the ksar of Ouled Abdelhalim
- A night in a Hassilabied guesthouse at the foot of the dunes
- The Todra Gorge and the Tisdrine bends in the Dades
- The rose hedges of Kalaat M'Gouna and the Skoura palm grove
- The Ouarzazate film studios, if they interest you
- Duration
- 5 days, 4 nights
- Longest day
- The first, ≈ 8–9 h
- Nights
- Camp, guesthouses and hotel
- Way back
- Via Telouet and the Ounila
Where you sleep
Four nights in four different places; your suitcase always travels in the car.
The Telouet road
From Aït Ben Haddou we climb the Ounila between Tamdaght and Anemiter to the Glaoui kasbah in Telouet, and join the N9 near the pass. It's narrow tarmac and slower than the main road. With snow or heavy rain we go back on the N9. More on the ksar and the area on our page about Aït Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate.
When to go
- March – MayGood timeGood temperatures along the whole route and roses in bloom in April and May.
- June – AugustMixedFierce heat in Merzouga; we leave earlier and stop in the shade at midday.
- September – NovemberGood timeMild days and afternoon light in Aït Ben Haddou.
- December – FebruaryMixedSnow is possible in the Atlas; the Telouet road gets tricky first.
Before you book
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Fez – Dayet Aoua – Ifrane – Midelt – Erfoud – Camel Ride to the Merzouga Camp
We leave Fez at 7:00. The road climbs through Imouzzer Kandar and passes Dayet Aoua lake, which in some years is almost dry, before reaching Ifrane. Beyond the cedar forest, where the macaques wait for cars at the roadside, we cross the Tizi n'Zad pass, at over 2,000 metres, and drop down to Midelt for lunch.
The afternoon is stony desert: the Ziz Valley hemmed in by reddish cliffs, the reservoir by Errachidia, and Erfoud, where they work black marble full of marine fossils. On the outskirts of Merzouga you swap the car for a camel. It's roughly sixty minutes' ride to the camp, where they welcome you with tea. Dinner round the fire and the night in a tent. No other day of the trip is as long: allow 8 or 9 hours.
Day 2: Sunrise on the Sand – Khamlia – Rissani – Night in Hassilabied
The day starts on top of a dune if you feel like getting up early. You ride back by camel to the edge of the erg, have breakfast and take a shower. Then your driver takes you to Khamlia, where a Gnawa family plays the drums and sings songs that arrived with the caravans from south of the Sahara.
By midday we're in Rissani. We have lunch there (not included), take a stroll round the souk and go into the ksar of Ouled Abdelhalim, with very high mud-brick walls and decorated gates. In the middle of the afternoon we drop you at the guesthouse in Hassilabied, a village that ends where the dunes begin. You can walk up onto the sand from the door, get in the pool in the hot months or do nothing at all.
Dinner and night at the guesthouse. If you're interested in the 4x4 outing or a quad ride, it's booked for this afternoon.
Day 3: Hassilabied – Tinejdad – Tinghir – Todra – Night in the Dades Valley
We have breakfast and head west. In Tinejdad we stop at the ksar El Khorbat, a restored fortified village with a small museum inside about life in the oases. It's a short stop and it helps you understand how water was shared out in these villages.
Before midday we reach Tinghir. If you feel like walking, a local guide takes you for an hour through the palm grove and the gardens to the old quarter (optional). Then we go into the Todra Gorge and walk the narrowest stretch, with the river beside us.
In the afternoon we leave Boumalne behind and enter the Dades Valley. We stop opposite the rock formations known as the monkey fingers and, if there's light left, at the top of the Tisdrine bends. We sleep at a hotel overlooking the riverbed. About 5 hours of driving in total.
Day 4: Dades – Valley of Roses – Skoura – Ouarzazate – Night in Aït Ben Haddou
No early start today. We drive down the Valley of Roses to Kalaat M'Gouna, where in late April and May the rose bushes along the field edges are in bloom. In Skoura we leave the car and walk for a while through the palm grove to the Amridil kasbah, which you can visit inside by paying the entry fee.
In Ouarzazate it's up to you: go into the film studios, where plenty of films about Romans and the desert have been shot, or look at the Taourirt kasbah from the street and carry on. We reach Aït Ben Haddou in the middle of the afternoon, you drop your bag at the guesthouse and cross the river on foot.
When the groups leave, you climb to the granary at the top to see the sunset over the valley. Dinner at the guesthouse. About 3 or 4 hours in the car.
Day 5: Aït Ben Haddou – Ounila Valley – Telouet Kasbah – Tizi n'Tichka – Marrakech
Before breakfast you can go back to the lanes of the ksar, which at that hour you share only with the residents and the odd cat. At around 9:00 we set off on the Ounila road, which follows the river up between farming terraces, half-collapsed kasbahs and villages such as Tamdaght and Anemiter.
In the middle of the morning we reach Telouet, at about 1,800 metres. The Glaoui kasbah takes about an hour: ruined courtyards outside and, on the upper floor, reception rooms with carved plaster, cedar ceilings and tiles that have survived the neglect. The entry fee is paid there. We have lunch in the village (not included).
About 20 kilometres later we join the N9 near the Tizi n'Tichka and head down towards Marrakech. You're at your accommodation by around 17:30, after 5 or 6 hours on the road including stops.
What's included
Included (8)
- Collection from where you stay in Fez and drop-off where you stay in Marrakech
- Private car with air conditioning and a driver who speaks Spanish
- Fuel, tolls and parking
- Camel ride to the camp and back at sunrise (one animal per person)
- 1 night at an Erg Chebbi camp with dinner and breakfast
- 1 night at a Hassilabied guesthouse with dinner and breakfast
- 1 night in the Dades Valley (hotel), with dinner and breakfast
- 1 night at an Aït Ben Haddou guesthouse, dinner and breakfast included
Not included (8)
- Lunches and drinks
- Entry to the Telouet and Amridil kasbahs and other monuments
- Entry to the Ouarzazate film studios
- Local guides in Tinghir, the Todra and Aït Ben Haddou (optional)
- Voluntary contribution to the musicians in Khamlia
- Optional activities in Merzouga (4x4, quad, sandboard)
- Tips
- Accommodation in Fez and Marrakech
Important information (6)
- At the Aït Ben Haddou guesthouse the rooms are simple and the stairs are narrow; if anyone has mobility problems, tell us and we'll find another option in the village.
- The Telouet road is paved, but it's narrow and winding. If it snows or rains heavily, we go back on the N9 and let you know the evening before.
- The Telouet kasbah is partly in ruins and partly restored; the entry fee is paid there, in dirhams.
- Carry cash: in Khamlia, Telouet and the Ounila villages hardly anyone takes cards.
- For the night at the camp, pack a backpack with warm clothes; your suitcase stays in the car.
- A vegetarian menu is available at every place you stay if you ask when booking.
Prices per person
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 (4 nights).
| Travellers | Standard | Superior |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | €1,110 | €1,290 |
| 2 people | €635 | €815 |
| 3 people | €477 | €657 |
| 4 people | €398 | €578 |
| 5 people | €350 | €530 |
| 6 people | €318 | €498 |
- 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.
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. 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
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Leave a reviewFrequently asked questions
What's the difference from the four-day route?
Both have a day around Merzouga. This one adds a night in Aït Ben Haddou and changes the last stage: instead of crossing the Atlas on the N9 in one long day from the Dades, you do a short day to the ksar and on the following morning head up through the Ounila and Telouet. Apart from the first, no day goes over 6 hours in the car.
What is it like to sleep in Aït Ben Haddou?
It's a small village with a handful of guesthouses and hotels on both sides of the river. In the late afternoon, when the day trips from Marrakech leave, it goes very quiet: you climb to the granary with few people around, have dinner on the terrace and hear more dogs than cars. The rooms are simple, and in winter it's worth asking about heating.
What do you gain by coming back through Telouet instead of the N9?
You see the Ounila Valley, with mud-brick villages and kasbahs that hardly anyone visits, and you go inside the Glaoui kasbah, whose decorated rooms are nothing like its ruined exterior. In exchange, it's a slower road. If there's snow or the road surface is damaged by rain, we go back on the N9.
Is it a good route for children or older travellers?
Of our Fez to Marrakech routes, it's the one we recommend most for them, because after the first day no stage is long. The camel can be swapped for a 4x4 for anyone who doesn't want to ride. In Aït Ben Haddou the climb to the granary has uneven steps; anyone who doesn't want to go up can stay in the lower part of the ksar.
When is the best time to do this trip?
In spring, from March to May, and in autumn, from late September to November, temperatures are good along the whole route, and in April and May the roses of Kalaat M'Gouna bloom. In summer the midday heat in Merzouga is fierce. In winter the days are pleasant in the south, but it can snow in the Atlas, and the Telouet road is the first to become difficult.
