Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Erfoud (Arfoud), Morocco, North Africa, Africa

Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Erfoud (Arfoud), Morocco, North Africa, Africa

Erfoud, also spelled Arfoud, is a town situated in the Meknes-Tafilalet region of Morocco, located between 31°26′10″ N latitude and 4°13′58″ W longitude. It is in the Sahara Desert region, located around 500 km east of the city of Marrakesh and 620 km southeast of Casablanca, the largest city of Morocco. Erfoud is one of the noted tourist destinations of Morocco as its nearness with the renowned Erg Chebbi Dunes. Due to its position in the picturesque desert region, Erfoud was the shooting spot of many English movies, including March or Die, Prince of Persia and The Mummy.

How to reach Erfoud?

Erfoud is served by the Moulay Ali Cherif Airport, situated around 70 km north of the heart of Erfoud. The airport handles seasonal flights from Casablanca, served by Royal Air Maroc Express and charter flights from Barcelona, catered by Royal Air Maroc.

By bus, Erfoud is linked to Marrakesh, Boumalne, Tinghir Ouarzazate, Er Rachidia, Meknes, Fez and many other northern and western Moroccan cities.

The prominent car rentals in Erfoud are:

Fox Cars
Brayouramecar

Culture, Shopping and Food of Erfoud:

Erfoud is home to the Annual Palm Date Festival or Erfoud Date Festival, which is celebrated in October / November annually with series of music, dance and other traditional activities.

Erfoud is famous among visitors for traditional shopping, mainly for the products like palm dates, tables and home accessories made by fossils, turbans, necklaces and olives.

Restaurant Pizzeria des Dunes is the prominent restaurant option in Erfoud, popular for mouthwatering traditional Moroccan dishes. Other nice food corners in Erfoud include:

Chez Rachid
Dakar Restaurant
La Jeunesse

Things to do in Erfoud:

Desert 4×4 Tour
Festival celebrations
Sahara Treasures Day Tours
Caracolatours Morocco Travel & Tours

Places to see in Erfoud:

Erfoud Royal Palace:

The Erfoud Royal Palace is the only imperial palace in Sahara Region belonging to Morocco. Visitors are not allowed inside, but they can have the beauty of the palace from outside illuminated gate.

Erfoud Market:

Located next to FAR Square, the Erfoud Market is a genuine Moroccan market, generally open on all days of the week, though, visitors can have the best experience of the market during Saturday 8am.

Maadid Ancient Ksar:

Maadid Ancient Ksar is an ancient fortified village, situated out of Erfoud on the way to Errachidia. It is considered as the largest of its kind in South Morocco.

Carrières de fossils:

Carrières de fossils are the precious fossils in Erfoud, of which many have around 500 million years of history. These unique fossils are located outskirts of Erfoud, can be explored best through a guided tour.

Borj Est Erfoud:

Overlooking the town of Erfoud, Borj Est Erfoud is a hill, situated left of Jewish Cemetery and in the vicinity of the river. There is a military strategic building atop of the hill, where visitors can have the great views of sunset over Erfoud, surrounding dunes and the flowing river.

Other places of interest in and around Erfoud include:

Jewish Cemetery
Erg Chebbi Dunes
Center Market Erfoud
Merzouga
Erg Chebbi Dunes Village

Best time to visit Erfoud:

From February to April and September to November is the best time to visit Erfoud and visitors can also consider December to January.

Accommodation Options in Erfoud:

Erfoud houses more than 30 standard accommodation centres, including hotels, holiday rentals, BB and inns. Hotels in Erfoud feature the blend of traditional Moroccan and modern facilities that are greatly enjoyed by visitors coming to the town. Some such top hotels in Erfoud are listed below: