See the Best of Morocco: 10 Day Family Trip

Day 4-6: Sahara Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech

Camping in the Sahara desert is a must-do bucket list item. Upon searching on Tripadvisor, I booked the desert tour ahead of time through Marrakech Camel Trips. The owner, Brahid, was very responsive and helpful from beginning to end. You can book these tours once you’re in Morocco, but we liked the peace of mind of having it all planned out ahead of time.

Drive to Erg Chebbi from Fes

To start the tour, our driver Ali picked us up from the riad around 8am. The total drive to Merzouga takes about 9 hours, so be prepared for a long car trip. Traveling with a private driver made all the difference having a toddler with us. Fortunately we had plenty of snacks and toys to keep our daughter busy during the trip. You can also request stops for photos along the way.

Family Travel Tip
Make sure to bring along a lot of snacks and entertainment for your kids in the car. Some stops are in very small villages with not many conveniences available.

The center of Ifrane, Morocco

Herd of sheep in Moroccan landscape

The drive outside of Midelt, Morocco

Middle Atlas

The drive takes you through Azrou, where you may see and feed the barbarian apes. You’ll also stop at Ifrane, a small town in the Middle Atlas mountains also known as “Little Switzerland” with the chalet architecture and surrounding ski slopes. Due to timing you won’t spend much time during these stops, but enough to get a glimpse and some photos.

Lunch:

Halfway into the journey we stopped for lunch at Le Petit Jardin in Midelt. The guide had already picked a place so we did not get to choose, but the food was very good. The service was not the best, there were a few menu items that they forgot to bring out. But overall, it was a quick and easy option for lunch. We sat in the little outdoor garden area in the back. There are some cats roaming around as you eat, which adds to the unique experience.

Sandstorm on the road to Merzouga

Approaching the Sahara Desert

After lunch we drove through the Ziz Valley and continued our journey to the Sahara. Along the way you’ll see the landscape continually changing from mountain to desert and finally the dunes. You’ll pass through small villages and see the true heart of Morocco, a vast contrast from the larger cities.

Approaching the Sahara dunes

Camels walking through Merzouga

Sahara Desert Camp

We opted for the luxury option which included the upgraded tent and hotel with a total cost around $900 for 2 people. This was definitely worth it and it’s not often you get to camp overnight in the Sahara! The trip also includes a private driver, breakfast and dinner, and we were even provided a car seat for Terra as well.

Posing in front of the Sahara camp

Camel Trek

As we arrived to the dunes there was a slight sandstorm, so be prepared for unpredictable weather. The camel guide will help wrap your turban and get you situated on the camel. Our guide Said was very enthusiastic and stopped to take several photos of us. He also talked about local life in his village nearby, which was very insightful.

Read more about our overnight glamping in the Sahara Desert.

Desert Tour Tip
If you have more time in Morocco, we highly recommend extending this tour for another night to spend more time in the dunes. You could also stay in a nomad camp as well, where you’ll dive deeper into the local Berber culture of the Sahara.

Sahara dunes at sunset

Sahara camp at sunset

Drive to Dades Valley from Merzouga

After spending the night camping in the desert we woke up early the next morning to watch sunrise over the dunes. We highly recommend doing this as it’s a different experience from sunset. Breakfast is also served in the main tent. We departed camp on our camels around 8:30am and had one last experience trekking through the desert. The driver will pick you up from a meeting spot right at the edge of the dunes. You’ll then begin your journey to the Dades Valley to spend the night.

Roadside fossil shop along the way

Lunch

Our driver stopped for lunch after a few hours of driving and picked a place along the route. We ate at Cafe Restaurant Sahara and overall it was one of our least dining experiences in Morocco. Not sure if we chose the wrong dishes, but our food was not fully cooked. The Morocco salad, bread and olives were all great though. Also, they did waive our bill due to the inconvenience, so their customer service in the end was admirable.

Ouarzazate from a distance

Driving through the Dades Valley

Colorful building on the way to Todgha Gorge

Todgha Gorge

Due to short timing, we had to head out on our way to make it to the Dades Valley by early evening. Along the way there are some scenic spots to take pics as you approach Ouarzazate. As we got closer to our final destination, our driver asked if we wanted to stop in Todgha Gorge. With this being on my list of places to see, we agreed to spend some time here.

Optional Extra Night
If you have an extra day, I highly recommend staying overnight in Todgha Gorge. There are many cute hotels right along the gorge, and many activities around here as well.

Inside the Todgha Gorge

He’s looking like a natural in that turban

It was her turn to try one too!

Along the water in Todgha Gorge

Where to Stay

Next on our journey was our final stop, Dades Valley. We arrived at Ksar Sultan Dades around 5:30pm, just in time to relax before dinner. A long winding deserted dirt road leads up to it, so it was quite a pleasant surprise once we got there. There’s a beautiful garden as you enter and it’s situated high up on a mountain, leaving a beautiful view of below. The outdoor area has a pool to refresh yourself in after a long day. The staff was very attentive and served mint tea with snacks upon arrival.

Garden area around Ksar Sultan Dades

Overlooking the pool area

Dinner

Because there aren’t many rooms here, the whole experience feels very private. You’ll have a few hours of leisure here before dinner. Around 8:00PM we went to the restaurant for dinner, which was a four-course meal. It was presented very nicely and had a refreshing twist on Moroccan food. During dinner you may hear the echoes of the various dogs barking from the surrounding homes. The howls, slight chill in the air, and the eerie silence of the desert darkness surrounding made for quite the experience.

Nighttime view of pool area

Post-Dinner Celebration

The day before was Seikai’s birthday, so they held a celebration with cake and music. I had prearranged this with the driver as a surprise. It made for a wonderful ending to our night there. Our whole stay here we felt very well taken care of by staff almost as if we were welcomed into their home. Although this hotel was part of the tour package, I would definitely book this on my own again.

Drive from Dades Valley to Marrakech

Our final day started bright and early again to make it to Marrakech by evening. Therefore, if you have longer than 9 days in Morocco I highly recommend extending your desert tour to allow for more time in each area. On the journey to Marrakech we drove through the High Atlas Mountains, along windy and scary mountain roads. There were many photo op stops along the way, including Ouarzazate, Studio Cinema and Cinema Museum in Ouarzazate, and finally Ait Ben Haddou. The views driving through the High Atlas were incredible, and you’ll definitely want to explore this area deeper in a separate trip.

View of High Atlas Mountains from the road

Driving through the High Atlas Mountains

Optional Day Trip
You can book a tour to the High Atlas from Marrakech to spend more time here. Visit Berber villages, have lunch and tea or ride a mule to a kasbah.

Lunch

Right before Tizi n’Tichka pass we stopped at Argan Tichka Restaurant for lunch. The service here was great, very quick and food was delicious. We chose the kebab platter and lemon chicken tagine, although there was so much to choose from. You’ll definitely love the argan oil, almond, and honey dips provided with the bread. Cost was around $20 for the 3 of us. There’s a small shop across the street where you can easily bargain and pickup a few souvenirs for much cheaper.

Finally we arrived in Marrakech in early evening, which concludes our desert tour. The driver dropped us off straight to our riad which was such a big help. Although each day consists of around 8 hours of driving, the changing landscape made it the highlight of our trip. We highly recommend booking a desert tour with your visit to Morocco.

Day 6: Marrakech

Our first impression of Marrakech was that it seemed a lot more busy than Fes. Shop owners were definitely more aggressive than other parts, but overall not bad since we had Terra with us. By the time we arrived here we were used to bargaining and ignoring any aggressive sale tactics. I even received the highest compliment by Moroccan standards; that I bargained like a “Berber.”

Where to Stay: Budget Option

For lodging in Marrakech, I decided to split it up between budget and splurge, so we ended up staying in two different riads. The first one, Riad La Terrasse Des Oliviers was located in the Bab Doukkala area of the Medina. Cost was around $80 for the night and included breakfast.

This riad far exceeded my expectations, and is an amazing value. The experience is on par with pricier riads in Marrakech, and it has a unique, cozy feel to it since it’s smaller. The staff will treat you like family and you’ll feel right at home. Breakfast is served when you request it, instead of only certain hours allowing you more freedom with your schedule. The manager was very friendly and showed us a detailed map of Marrakech so we were familiar before venturing out.

Leisure time

As soon as we got settled in our room and had some welcome mint tea with cookies, we went back out for a few hours before dinner to explore. Some of the landmarks nearby worth checking out are Jardin Majorelle, Jemaa el-Fnaa, and Medersa Ben Youssef (closed until 2020 due to renovations.)

Because our dinner was reserved at a certain time, we couldn’t venture too far. We did explore the area around the riad and even met a bag shop owner who we were hoping to revisit another day.

Donkey cart in Marrakech medina

Wandering the Marrakech medina

Posing with the bag shop owner

Dinner

Knowing we would be quite exhausted from the desert tour, we decided to keep it simple and have dinner at the riad. This is always recommended for at least one of the nights. I had reserved the dinner at the time of the booking, and cost was around $45 for two people. This included starters, entrees and dessert as well as mineral water. The food was incredible and one of our favorite meals the entire trip. The dining experience was very private and intimate with beautiful lighting all around.

The dining area on the terrace of the riad

Moroccan salad starters

Terra enjoying the bread

The entrees: Chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives and Vegetable tagine

After dinner we relaxed on the terrace. There were lounging areas in various sections. At night, the riad felt extra special. It was personable, magical and it made me wish we had booked more nights. If you’re looking for a place that feels more like a boutique hotel and won’t break the bank, this is the perfect choice!

The courtyard lit up at night