Kid-friendly “car breaks”: stops between Merzouga and Fez

If you are traveling through Morocco, the Marrakesh –> Sahara (Merzouga) –> Fez –> Casablanca “square” is a common route. It’s really more of a quadrilateral, as these sides are *not* created equal, and none feels longer than then stretch between Merzouga and Fez. Unlike the stretch between Marrakesh and Merzouga, which has several notable stops, the 7.5 hour drive between Merzouga to Fez is comparatively monotonous. The changing landscape along this route is actually quite fascinating, from deserts to mountains to forests to farmland, but we all know landscape is lost on kids. 😉

The drive is very doable in 1 day (and recommended for kids old enough to handle the driving. This gives you more time for Morocco’s more interesting regions.) There are a number of stops you can make along the way to break up the drive. Some we feel are more worthwhile than others. Most can be quick stops and gives you the chance to stretch your legs and so the kids don’t go completely crazy cooped in the car. Don’t feel FOMO if you don’t stop at all of them – in fact, we recommend picking and choosing so not to add too many extra hours to your drive.

Our article travels counterclockwise from Merzouga to Fez. (Of course, do this in reverse if traveling the opposite direction!)

Visiting a fossil museum in Erfoud

Distance: 50 mins from Merzouga. 6.5 hours from Fez.

Erfoud is a town close to the Sahara. This area was once a seabed, and is considered one of the richest fossil sites in the world. For budding palaeontologists and geologists (and honestly, which kid doesn’t love fossils and cool rocks?) this can be a really interesting Merzouga day-trip activity that often gets overlooked in light of more “desert-y” things. If time permits, we would recommend a fossil hunting Sahara tour where kids can find and excavate their own fossils. Prehistoric cephalopods, ammonites, and trilobites are super common here.

If time does not permit, visiting a fossil museum in Erfoud will give you a condensed fossil history of the region. Kids can see and handle some fossils. The downside of this is most museums are basically glorified shops full of fossil products, from keychains to furniture. The fossil industry is still largely unregulated in Morocco, with frequent unethical practices (dangerous working conditions) and illegal fossil trade. We recommend buying from licensed shops only. Tahiri Museum of Fossils and Minerals is probably the most reputable and educational one.

This was an unexpectedly enjoyable stop for the kids. Although you don’t *need* to stop here as a “car-break” as it’s so close to Merzouga (and if coming from Fez, you probably want to get straight to the desert by this point). But if you can spare 30 minutes, we feel this is a refreshing stop and you might just learn something new!

Ziz Valley Lookout

Distance: 2.5 hours from Merzouga, ~5 hours from Fez

The Ziz Valley is Morocco’s largest oasis, along the Ziz river that flows through this part of Morocco. It’s actually a very beautiful stretch of the drive, with lush green palm trees, contrasting orange cliffs, and ancient kabash ruins. There is a very rural and traditional way of life here, and would make a great “slow travel” experience for a few days.

The Ziz Valley lookout is a pullover stop right by the road, with a large parking lot, some local vendors, and a restaurant/restrooms. If traveling counterclockwise, like we did, this is not an essential stop. The landscape is very similar to the Dades and Todra Gorge stretch of the Marrakesh to Merzouga drive, and we did not feel this view was particularly unique (but a very lovely view).

Zaida (the capital of BBQ)

Distance: 4.5 hours from Merzouga, 3 hours from Fez

This was honestly the kids’ favourite stop on this journey, and the most delicious lunch we had our entire trip.

Zaida is a small Berber town, originally known for its apple cultivation, but somehow has transformed into a BBQ haven. Along the main road you will find a row of butcher shops and grill shops. If feeling adventurous, you can order your meat directly from the butcher and have them grill it for you. Our driver recommended Restuarant Ben Omar – which in our opinion was an excellent choice! 😉

Kebobs are one of the most kid-friendly foods in Morocco. While Zaida is a bit far to stop for lunch coming from Merzouga, we feel it is worth it. (But be sure to tide the kids over with snacks. :P) Ours absolutely loved their meal and it completely re-energized them to continue on with the drive.

Azrou Cedar Forest (aka Monkey Forest)

Distance: ~ 6 hours from Merzouga, 1.5 hours from Fez

This stretch of road skirts Ifrane National Park territory, and is a lovely drive (especially if you consider 6 hours ago you were surrounded by sand dunes). The Azrou Cedar Forest is renowned for its tall cedar trees, as well as the Barbary Macaques that live there.

We did not enjoy this stop as much as expected. The kids were excited to see wild monkeys – we did, but it felt a bit gimmicky and, well, not wild. We pulled over by the road in an open field with quite a bit of trash (along with half a dozen other cars and tours, because there are locals feeding them peanuts.) There was a house just up the slope, and it felt a little like we were trespassing through someone’s front yard. Said locals are fairly aggressive trying to sell you peanuts. While the monkeys themselves are not aggressive, they were clearly only there for the nuts. We saw several people enticing the monkey with peanuts to jump on them. We only stopped here for a few minutes.

Not to be completely negative about the experience, we also spotted Barbary Macaques further down the road away from the commotion, and away from it all it’s a fairly peaceful drive.

Ifrane

Distance: 6 hours from Merzouga, 1.5 hours from Fez

A replica of a classic European alpine town in the middle of Morocco, sometimes nicknamed “Little Switzerland”. Novel, but weird. And very crowded.

This is not a gimmick. Ifrane was established by the French in the 1920s during their colonial rule in Morocco. It was designed to be a resort town, built high in the mountains as a summer retreat from Morocco’s dry, acrid climate. Now, it is mostly a tourist attraction – very green and well manicured. The pedestrian core is lined with shops, restaurants, and the only gelato shops we saw in Morocco. Some of the buildings are abandoned, and many of the roofs have been taken over by giant stork nests.

It feels very bizarre to be walking through cobblestone streets and gabled chalet houses (topped with stork nests in the chimneys) in Morocco. Not a necessary stop, but the kids enjoyed the walk, and that gelato sustained them the rest of the way into Fez.

To read more about Morocco for families, check out these posts.