5-Day Sahara Desert Tour

We collect you from your riad or hotel in Marrakech after breakfast. The road climbs through Berber villages to Tizi n'Tichka at 2,260 m, then drops into the ochre south.

Stop at Aït Ben Haddou to cross the river and climb the ksar, a UNESCO site and a film set many times over. Continue through Ouarzazate, Skoura's palm grove and the Valley of Roses, arriving in the Dades Gorges for the night in a kasbah hotel.

Walk into the Todra Gorge in the cool of the morning, where the cliffs close in to a few metres apart. Drive east through Tinejdad and Erfoud until the dunes of Erg Chebbi rise ahead.

At Merzouga, mount your camel for the ride into camp at sunset. Dinner is served under the stars, followed by drums by the fire.

Climb a dune for sunrise, then tour the erg by 4×4. You'll hear Gnawa music in Khamlia, take tea with a nomad family and see the seasonal lake when it holds water. If you'd like, try sandboarding in the afternoon.

Your second night in the dunes is the reward for staying put. With no drive to rush for, you can stay up for the stars.

Head north along the Ziz Gorges and its palm grove, through Midelt and over the Middle Atlas. Stop in the cedar forest near Azrou to watch the Barbary macaques, then pass through Ifrane on the way to Fes, where you'll stay in a riad in the medina.

A licensed guide leads you through Fes el-Bali: the Blue Gate, the Bou Inania Madrasa, the doorway of Al-Qarawiyyin and the Chouara tannery from above. The tour ends after lunch, and we can drop you at the station or airport, or arrange extra nights in Fes.