2 DAYS DESERT TOUR FROM FES TO MERZOUGA STARGAZING
Sahar Stargazing Experience
2 DAYS DESERT TOUR FROM FES TO MERZOUGA STARGAZING
The shortest way to reach the Sahara from Fes and return. Two days means the same long drive twice, but it also means you can build the desert into a trip that is otherwise based in Fes without rearranging everything around it.
The outward journey crosses the Middle Atlas through the cedar forests and drops down the Ziz Valley to Merzouga, arriving in time for a sunset camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes and a night in a desert camp. The next morning brings sunrise over the dunes before the return north to Fes.
If your schedule has any flexibility at all, the 3-day round trip is a considerably easier version of this. But when two days is what you have, this route makes them count.
Stargazing in the Merzouga Desert
Stargazing is one of the unforgettable experiences included in our Morocco desert tours. Rather than being a separate activity, it is part of your desert camp experience and takes place during your stay in the Erg Chebbi dunes, as outlined in your tour itinerary.
How Our Stargazing Experience Is Organized
After enjoying a traditional dinner at the desert camp, we gather together and take a peaceful 10-minute walk into the heart of the dunes. Away from any artificial lights, you’ll reach a quiet location where the night sky reveals thousands of stars in remarkable clarity.
Our experience begins with fascinating stories about the nomadic people of the Sahara and how they relied on the stars for navigation and orientation across the desert. You’ll learn about their traditions, legends, and their deep connection with the night sky.
Using a professional laser pointer, your guide will introduce you to the most prominent stars, constellations, and celestial objects visible above the Sahara. With virtually no light pollution, the Merzouga dunes offer one of Morocco’s most spectacular stargazing environments, making this a truly memorable part of your desert adventure.
Duration: 2 days / 1 night
Start: Fes
End: Fes
Tour Style: Private
Stargazing Experience : Merzouga Desert
HIGHILGHTES:
– Ifrane and the alpine architecture of the Middle Atlas
– Barbary macaques in the cedar forest near Azrou
– The Ziz Valley palm corridor
– Camel trekking into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset
– A night in a luxury desert camp with Berber music around the fire
– A guided stargazing session in the dunes
– Sunrise over the Sahara
– Return to Fes with stops along the route
TOUR Itinerary
- DAY 1: FES - IFRANE - CEDAR FOREST - ZIZ VALLEY - MERZOUGA
Your guide collects you early from your riad or hotel in Fes. An early start matters on this itinerary, particularly in winter, because the camels leave for the dunes before sunset.
The road climbs south into the Middle Atlas. The first stop is Ifrane, whose pitched roofs and cool climate look nothing like the rest of Morocco. Beyond it lies the cedar forest near Azrou, where Barbary macaques live in and around the trees along the roadside, one of the few places in the world the species can be seen in the wild.
Lunch is taken along the route, usually at Midelt. The afternoon carries you through the Tizi n’Tilghmt pass and down the Ziz Valley, a long green corridor of date palms cutting through bare rock.
You reach Merzouga at the western edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes in the late afternoon. Camels and a guide are waiting. The trek climbs into the dunes and pauses on a high crest for the sunset before continuing to the camp, where you are met with tea and shown to a private tent. Dinner is served, followed by Berber music around the campfire.
STARGAZING EXPERIENCE – MERZOUGA DESERT
After dinner, we gather together and walk for about 10 minutes into the dunes to a quiet, dark location where there is no light pollution.
We begin with an introduction to the mythology of the nomads and explain how they used the stars they observed at night to navigate during the day.
Using a professional laser pointer, we guide you through the night sky, introducing the most important stars and constellations.
- DAY 2: MERZOUGA - ZIZ VALLEY - CEDAR FOREST - FES
An early alarm for the sunrise over the dunes, which is the reason most people put up with the driving. Breakfast follows at the camp, and you leave either by camel again or by 4×4.
The return north retraces the Ziz Valley and climbs back through the Middle Atlas, with stops at the palm grove viewpoints and, if you missed them on the way down or want a second look, the macaques in the cedar forest. Lunch is taken along the route.
You arrive back in Fes in the late afternoon or early evening and are dropped at your accommodation.
- Includes & Not Includes
- INCLUDES
– Pick-up and drop-off at your accommodation in Fes
– Private air-conditioned vehicle with fuel
– English-speaking driver, or a driver and a separate tour guide
– One night in a luxury desert camp, private tent with en-suite bathroom
– Meals: 1 dinner and 1 breakfast
– Camel trekking experience in the Erg Chebbi dunes
– Sandboarding
– Stargazing experience in the Merzouga desert
- NOT INCLUDES
– Lunches
– Drinks and beverages
– Entrance fees where applicable
– Tips
- Book Now & Pay Later
Please fill out the form below to contact us, and we will respond as soon as possible. For a faster response please send a WhatsApp: +212661144620 message or call us at +212661144620 . We look forward to connecting with you. Email: saharastargazing@gmail.com
- important FAQS
How to pay for the tour?
Our payment process is simple and hassle-free. To confirm your booking, we require a small deposit, which can be easily paid via PayPal, bank transfer, or Wise at the time of reservation. The remaining balance is to be paid in cash to your driver or guide on the first day of the tour, in euros, US dollars, or the equivalent amount in Moroccan dirhams.
What currency is used, and how do I get money?
The currency in Morocco is the Moroccan Dirham (MAD). Credit cards are accepted in many hotels and larger businesses, but cash is needed in many smaller towns and markets.
Is it possible to customize the tour itinerary?
The currency in Morocco is the Moroccan Dirham (MAD). Credit cards are accepted in many hotels and larger businesses, but cash is needed in many smaller towns and markets.
What are the camps in the desert like?
You’ll spend the night in a traditional Berber desert camp featuring private tents. The camps offer essential comforts such as comfortable bedding, shared or private bathroom facilities (depending on the camp type), warm blankets, and a communal dining area for meals and relaxation.
Price & Booking Policy
As a staying guest of our hotel ,hotel KASBAH mohayut, we offer you a guided observation of the starry sky after dinner until midnight, seeing conditions permitting,
at 200
Dirhams per person.
As a non-staying guest of our hotel we offer a 3-course dinner with guided stargazing after dinner at 350 Dirhams per person. Only valid with a firm reservation and upon confirmation by hotel mohayut.
For passing through guests:
Price: 350 Dirhams pp.
Parking of the car and a guided observation after dinner for about an hour and a half .upon firm reservation confirmed by the hotel.
Occasional drive-by’s will not guarantee stargazing at SaharaSky.
Cancellations please 2 days before arrival date as confirmed by the hotel either by email to
saharastargazing@gmail.com or by SMS to 0661144620 .
How Our Stargazing Experience Is Organized
- Walk through the tranquil Erg Chebbi dunes under a sky filled with stars.
- Witness the spectacular Milky Way in a pristine dark-sky environment.
- Learn how Sahara nomads navigated using the stars for centuries.
- Guided constellation and planet tour with a professional laser pointer.
- Discover ancient Berber legends and celestial mythology.
- Perfect opportunity for unforgettable night photography and astrophotography.
- A romantic, peaceful, and unforgettable experience in the heart of the Sahara Desert.
- Related Tours
