From Marrakech to Dades Gorge , overnight and 1 day trekking there, overnight and leave to Merzuga , overnight and camel trek, overnight and get to Fez ... Possible in 5 days by rented car???
Hello morocco funs!
me and my boyfriend are landing in casa early September for 10 days.
It's our first time to morocco and need some advice, mostly regarding traveling by car southeastern of the Atlas. We are thinking to spend 2 full days in Marrakech, then rent a car and get to Dades / Todra Gorge region via Ouarzazate. We would like to do some hikking, maybe for one day in the gorge and stay one night in some village off the beaten path. Then get to merzuga, maybe stay overnight in some oasis and do a one-day camel trek. Finally go straight to Fez, to spend two last days there. So we have 5 days from the moment we leave Marrakech, to the moment we reach Fez.
Has anyone done something similar? How is driving in morocco outside the major cities? ( I hope they don't drive as they do in india -been there, I know!) Do we need a jeep or a normal little car is ok? Most importantly, is it possible to cover all these distances in 5 days by rented car? We don't want to spend all our time driving. For example, how much time do you need to get from Marrakech to Boumaln Dades, or from there to Merzuga ? (We have seen the kilometric distances, but we cannot estimate the hours, because we dont know the conditions of the road.) If it's like a highway ok , but if it' s a narrow mountain road, we 'll never get there! Merzuga to Fez, do we need to be driving all day? (I think it's 400 klm?). Is it safe to drive at night to gain some time?
Thanks!!
[Edited: 2011 Jun 15 09:39 - mariarfd:201916 ]
Reply to this A few years ago, one winter, i did pretty much the same trip out to the desert that you're describing, but my friend and I did a tour from Marrakesh; we didn't rent a car. However, we went to these same places and did it all in a four-day tour, and we never drove at night. You might check out the itinerary of these tours to get an idea of what you could do--be warned: the distances are long, and I was glad I wasn't driving. I later took the fun, cheap train from Marrakesh to Fez. In Casablanca, visit the impressive mosque, the only one in the country open to us heathen, then book on out to the real Morocco. I loved the country and "inchala" (god-willing), hope you do too.
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