Travel

Across Morocco: Desert to City

When we first started planning our 9-day trip to Morocco, we knew two cities had to be on our list: Marrakech, with its buzzing souks and colourful chaos, and Fez, Morocco’s cultural soul, full of winding alleys and ancient tradition. But we also couldn’t imagine visiting Morocco without experiencing the Sahara Desert. I wanted to see the golden dunes, starry skies, and the quiet, otherworldly beauty we’d only seen in photos.

Rather than backtracking or squeezing in a rushed day trip, we found the perfect solution: a three-day tour that connected Marrakech and Fez through the desert. It would allow us to see the High Atlas Mountains, explore ancient kasbahs, ride camels into the dunes of Erg Chebbi, and end our journey in Fez, turning what could have been a long transfer into one of the most unforgettable parts of our trip.

Here’s how our desert journey unfolded, day by day.

Day 1: From Marrakech to the Dades Gorges – A Journey Through Time

We left Marrakech just after sunrise. As we drove east, the red walls of the medina gave way to rolling hills and, eventually, the dramatic peaks of the High Atlas Mountains. The road snaked higher and higher until we reached the Tizi n’Tichka pass, the highest in Morocco. At over 2,200 meters, it offered sweeping views of valleys dotted with Berber villages, their stone houses clinging to the hillsides.

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Along the way, we passed shepherds, market stalls, and winding roads that made us feel like we were crossing into another world.

Our next stop was one of Morocco’s most iconic landmarks: the Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou. Perched on a hillside overlooking a dry riverbed, this ancient ksar (fortified village) is built entirely from mudbrick and straw, its crumbling towers and earthen walls blending seamlessly into the red tones of the surrounding landscape. As we approached on foot, crossing the shallow river via stepping stones, it felt like walking into a movie set. And in many ways, it was.

Aït Ben Haddou has served as the dramatic backdrop for countless films and series, including Gladiator, Babel, Lawrence of Arabia, The Mummy, and Game of Thrones (as the city of Yunkai). But beyond the Hollywood ties, the site holds centuries of history. Once a key stop along the trans-Saharan trade route, the village was a thriving hub where caravans loaded with gold, salt, and spices would rest on their way to Marrakech or Timbuktu.

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As we made our way to the top, the view opened up across the Ounila Valley, revealing rolling hills, distant Atlas peaks, and the scattered ruins of other kasbahs slowly being reclaimed by time.

It was easy to see why this place has captured the imagination of filmmakers and travellers alike. Standing at the summit, with the wind brushing past and the call to prayer echoing faintly in the distance, we felt completely transported, rooted in a moment suspended between history and myth.

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After exploring the ancient ksar, we made a quick stop in nearby Ouarzazate, often dubbed the “Hollywood of Morocco.” There, we visited Atlas Studios, one of the largest film studios in the world. Films and series like The Mummy, Kingdom of Heaven, and Game of Thrones were filmed here.

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That night, we stayed in a charming hotel nestled in the Dades Valley. The walls were warm with the colours of the earth, and dinner was a hearty Moroccan feast: slow-cooked tagine, fresh bread, and steaming mint tea. Tired but enchanted, we fell asleep surrounded by silence, under a sky full of stars.

Day 2: From Canyons to Dunes – Into the Heart of the Sahara

We woke to the soft morning light, surrounded by jagged cliffs and earth-toned kasbahs that seemed to grow out of the landscape itself. After breakfast at our hotel, we began the day’s journey, one that would take us from cool, green valleys to the glowing dunes of the Sahara.

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Our first stop was a nearby oasis town, where the stark desert was suddenly interrupted by a burst of life: rows of palm trees, small canals, and fields of crops fed by centuries-old irrigation systems. It was a vivid reminder of how resourceful and resilient these desert communities are. We stepped out to stretch our legs and take in the contrast — lush green framed by arid rock and dusty sky.

Next, we made our way to the Todra Gorges. Towering limestone walls reached over 300 meters high, with a narrow canyon walk winding between them. A shallow river ran through the base, and families picnicked in the shade as climbers tackled the vertical cliffs above. The air here was crisp, cool, and filled with the scent of water and rock.

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After a scenic walk through the gorge, we stopped for lunch at a small roadside restaurant. We sat on a terrace in the shade, enjoying freshly made vegetable tagine and flatbread while watching the world roll by slowly, as it seems to do in southern Morocco.

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In the afternoon, we continued to Erfoud, a gateway town to the desert. Known for its fossil trade, the area sits atop ancient seabeds rich with prehistoric life.

We stopped at a fossil workshop, where we were shown slabs of stone embedded with prehistoric life like ammonites, trilobites, and coral fossils millions of years old. The artisans there polished the fossil-rich rock into tabletops, sinks, and souvenirs, blending geology with craftsmanship in a way that was surprisingly beautiful.

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By late afternoon, we arrived on the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes, where the Sahara truly begins. The towering sand hills glowed in the low sun, shifting from gold to deep orange as the light changed. Our driver dropped us off at the desert’s edge, where we met our camel caravan and local Berber guides. While we began our camel trek into the dunes, our driver continued ahead, taking our luggage directly to the camp, where we would meet up again later.

The moment we set off, the world seemed to fall silent. The camels moved in a steady rhythm, their feet sinking gently into the sand as we swayed with each step. The scenery around us was nothing short of surreal. There were rolling dunes as far as the eye could see, sculpted by wind into smooth, flowing curves. As the sun slowly set behind us, casting long shadows across the landscape, the Sahara turned into a sea of amber and rose.

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As the sun set, we rode slowly through the dunes, the silence only broken by the soft padding of hooves on sand. The light turned from gold to deep orange, then violet. When we arrived at our desert camp, it felt like another world entirely.

That night, we dined on warm tagine beneath an open sky brimming with stars. Around a small fire, Berber music and drum rhythms echoed through the camp. We sipped sweet Moroccan tea, shared stories with fellow travellers, and eventually crawled into our nomadic tents, falling asleep to the hush of wind on sand.

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Day 3: From the Sahara to Fez – Through Mountains and Forests

We rose early to catch the desert sunrise. It was an otherworldly moment as light spilt slowly over the dunes. After a quiet camel ride back to the edge of Merzouga, we returned to our hotel for a warm shower and a final cup of mint tea before beginning our long journey north toward Fez.

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The landscapes grew greener as we entered the stunning Ziz Valley, with its endless date palm groves set against deep red rock formations. Every curve in the road offered new panoramic views such as villages clinging to cliffs, rivers winding through dry gorges, and distant mountains fading into haze.

We climbed the Tizi-n-Talghomt Pass, reaching nearly 1,900 meters, before descending into a different world entirely. Suddenly, pine forests lined the road, and the air was crisp. We passed through Azrou, known for its cedar forests and wild monkeys, and then through Ifrane, a shock to the system: alpine architecture, clean streets, and tiled rooftops that gave it the nickname “Moroccan Switzerland.”

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After hours of winding roads, changing landscapes, and a quick roadside nap or two, we finally reached Fez in the evening. Our driver dropped us off at our riad, tucked inside the ancient medina, where the chaos of the city felt a world away from the stillness of the desert we’d just left behind.

This 3-day adventure through Morocco’s interior was far more than a transfer between cities, bur rather it was a journey through history, geology, tradition, and dreamlike landscapes. And while the desert chapter of our trip had come to a close, we were just getting started in Fez, a city of stories, secrets, and centuries of culture. Stay tuned for my next post, where I’ll share what we discovered during our days exploring Fez’s winding alleys, vibrant souks, and rooftop views.


Is a camel ride through the desert dunes on your bucket list?

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