Golden sunsets, golden sunrises, wind-whipped dunes, gassy camels, desert camps, deep gorges, high mountain peaks, friendly Berbers, an even friendlier tour guide, all contained within a terrain that screams “STUNNING!” around every bend. What more can one ask for on a three-day journey? How can one fit all that in in just three days?
Hands-down, the biggest highlight on our Moroccan adventure (besides AFCON, but that’s sports) was a journey from Fes to Marrakech via the Sahara Desert.
I didn’t know Morocco’s beauty could stun even more after our first few days in Fes, Chefchaouen and Tangier, but boy, did it ever. We were left enchanted…
On the road with Omar
First off, our tour guide Omar was fantastic. He brought the beauty of Morocco and its breathtaking terrain to life for us. He was friendly, engaged well with every single person in our small group, and drove like a man on fire. Oh, and he was obsessed with Chuck. 🤣
Moroccans 🤝 Chuck 🟰 BFFS FOREVER!
Omar had us laughing and we had him laughing in return. He made it his mission to make sure each one of us saw what we wanted to see and got us to places as quickly as possible so we wouldn’t miss a spectacular moment…
Like a sunset on the Sahara.
We were delayed by an accident on the road and he made it his mission to get that time back on our drive so we wouldn’t be riding camels in the dark to our camp.
A good tour guide makes your journey a good one. A great one makes sure it’s extraordinary. Omar is a great one.
Snowy skies to palm oases in Middle Atlas
We started our journey from Fes through the cold, snow-capped peaks of the Middle Atlas Mountains. Then those pale, pearly mountains gave way to the rich, golden tones of the Sahara, with blue skies and puffy clouds leading us down the highway alongside the green palm oases, the orange canyons of Ziz Gorge and the turquoise waters of the Ziz river valley.
It may have been a looooong day’s drive to Merzouga, but the scenes outside my *mostly* foggy window were exceptional.
Windswept on a sunset camel trek
Once we arrived in Merzouga — the gateway to the Sahara Desert — that was it, we were completely and utterly smitten.
As the day’s light was running on empty, our desert guides quickly wrapped our heads in a tagelmust (head scarf) and got us up on our camels (much higher than I thought…eek). They then led us on an incredible journey through the wind-whipped sands of the desert just as the sun started to dip.
For over an hour, all we could hear were intense gusts of wind and gasps of wonder coming from all the folks in our group. What we witnessed was beyond anything I could have imagined. And what we smelled was…nothing, even though Chuck’s camel was terribly gassy. I guess that insane wind was helpful in the end. 🐪💨🤣
By the time we arrived at camp, we were all buzzing about what a special hour that was. Memorable, forever.
Getting cozy at a desert camp
We arrived at our camp, Africa Luxury Camps, just as the cold and darkness of a desert night was descending upon us. We were absolutely beat after the long drive and then the camel trek, and we really didn’t have a hot-clue on what kind of tent was awaiting us. Was it shared with others? Hope not! Was it heated? Better be! Is there a shower??? 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
As soon as they showed us to our tent, we were thrilled. It was huge, private, heated and above all insanely comfortable and cozy. The camp also provided Djellaba robes for us to wear around camp, which was a huge treat as they were NEEDED and I was FREEZING.
Chuck and I were so spent we just wanted to lay down and zone out. But we had to eat, so off to the dining tent we went to nosh on tagine, drink hot tea and quietly chat — as spent people do — about the insane day we just experienced.
Afterwards, we ventured to an outdoor bonfire to enjoy some drumming and singing while looking up at the brightest of shining stars against the blackest of skies.
A serene sunrise over the Sahara
Rise and shine, it’s time to catch a sunrise! The early morning hours at camp saw us getting up early to go sit on a random dune and watch the sun light up the sky. It was all soft pastels of pink, blue and purple before that blazing yellow orb joined the party. It was a quiet moment for us to think about how we truly are a teeny-tiny speck in a vast, vast world of beauty.
Flying over the dunes by quad
After that sunrise, we quickly transitioned from a quiet moment of reflection to getting our loud motors running. We got properly suited up to then go on a wild quad ride over the dunes as the sun started to rise higher and beat down on us. Still wasn’t warm tho. 🤣
Our gem of a guide, Said, led us out into the great blue yonder and had us thrilled with seeing a bit more of the Sahara before we had to bid it goodbye. Said took great videos of us flying over the terrain and had us stop to try a bit of sand-boarding and take silly photos before setting off again to meet up with our group and continue on our way back into the Atlas Mountains.
We had the time of our lives in the Sahara Desert. After that, everything else we did and saw was just icing on an already delicious cake.
Veering off into a rocky valley
Once we were out of the desert, we were on our way through the rugged canyons of Dades Gorge filled with ancient kasbahs and vibrant Berber villages.
We stopped to take in the Zik Zak serpentine road from up high, one of coolest roads I’ve seen and traveled on. Then, it was off to a place called ‘Monkey Fingers’ because the rock formations look like monkey fingers. They kinda don’t.
At that stop, a young boy came up to Chuck to greet him (it’s just a common occurrence for ‘Celebrity Chuck’ now). Omar and Chuck decided to tease him mercilessly and the boy loved every minute of it. Boys. 🤦♀️
Touching textiles with the Berbers
Along our route, we stopped in a Berber village to enjoy a spot of mint tea while learning how authentic Berber rugs are made. The rugs were amazing. They were so beautifully crafted and so soft to the touch. Many of them were two-sided, meaning use one side in the winter, then flip for the summer.
I wanted them all. I bought none. Boo. Damn luggage allowances.
But two NYC gals in our group were even more obsessed with rugs. Like, they were going to town for Berber rugs. One literally bought a rug right from under the two ladies who were giving us a demo on rug-making. See, these gals were serious. They probably bought enough rugs to start a shop back in Brooklyn.
Also, the owner of the store, a Berber man who was obsessed with Chuck (surprise surprise), thought it would be hilarious to put cotton batting on his face. It was. He looked like Black Santa. 🤣
Walking into the past at Aït Benhaddou
One of the last stops on our journey was to the famous ksar (fortified village) Aït Benhaddou. We didn’t have a ton of time to spend here, but we did do a quick meander through the narrow alleyways of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We climbed and climbed until we reached the ksar’s highest point to savour its 360° panoramic view of the “Route of a Thousand Kasbahs.” Up close you see the ksar’s earthen, mud-brick structures, the Ounila River Valley and the lush palm groves and arid landscapes within it. Look further, and you can catch a glimpse of the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas Mountains. This place and its surrounding Berber villages were the key caravan route that connected Marrakech to Merzouga/Sahara Desert over the centuries.
Aït Benhaddou is also a popular filming location. Movies and shows that have used this place include Lawrence of Arabia, The Jewel of the Nile, The Mummy, Gladiator, Alexander, The Odyssey and Game of Thrones.
At the peak in the High Atlas Mountains
The skies were clear, the air was fresh and the road wasn’t blocked from any weather. THANK GOD!
This was our last stop on the road to Marrakech. While up on the top, we snapped a few pics before heading to a traditional argan oil producing shop called Argane Tichka. I believe it’s a women-run cooperative. After giving us a quick tutorial on how to make argan oil the traditional way, we (mostly I) went to town in their store. We picked up cold-pressed argan oil, scalp oil, fresh mountain honey and a very coveted jar of amlou. Yum!
It was a short and sweet stop before heading down the mountain into the chaos that is the old medina of Marrakech.
Goodbye to these beauties and a fab tour
Whew! What a whirlwind that three-day journey from Fes was. It was HECTIC, but also SPECTACULAR.
By the time our group parted ways in Marrakech, it felt a bit like leaving family behind. Our group really was that great. The tour really was that great. It left us completely exhausted and deliriously happy. 😊
