Fes → Merzouga → Marrakech
Our 4-day Fes to Merzouga desert tour runs one way to Marrakech, with a whole day in Merzouga and a night at a desert camp.
We're still finishing the details on this page. Ask us and we'll send you what's included, the timings and the price in writing.
One-way tour: starts in Fes, finishes in Marrakech. Want to end somewhere else? Ask us for a custom route. Custom tour
This 4-day desert tour starts in Fes and finishes in Marrakech, crossing the Middle Atlas, the edge of the Sahara and the High Atlas. The difference from the 3-day version is a full day in Merzouga. You reach the dunes on the first evening and sleep in a hotel or auberge. The next day is yours to explore before you ride a camel out to the desert camp at sunset.
That extra day changes the feel of the trip. You're not jumping straight from a long drive onto a camel, and there's room for Rissani, the Gnawa musicians of Khamlia and a respectful visit to a nomad family. Quad biking or sandboarding can go in too, if you want them. Couples and families like this one, as does anyone who wants more than one evening in the desert without adding lots of days. Be aware that the first and last days are still long drives.
You can go private, with your own vehicle and driver, or join a shared tour with other travellers. Want to finish somewhere other than Marrakech, back in Fes for example? We can set that up as a custom tour.
Day 1
We pick you up in Fes in the morning and head up into the Middle Atlas. First comes Ifrane, a tidy town that looks more Alpine than Moroccan, then the cedar forest near Azrou, where you'll often see Barbary macaques. Watch them from a distance and please don't feed them; it's bad for their health and their behaviour. From there the road crosses the high plateau to Midelt and drops through the gorges and palm groves of the Ziz Valley, past Erfoud.
It's a long day in the car. The good news is there's no camel trek to catch tonight, so nobody has to hurry the stops. You reach Merzouga in the evening and sleep in a hotel or auberge right at the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes.
Stops: Ifrane · Azrou cedar forest (Barbary macaques) · Midelt · Ziz Valley gorges and palm groves · Erfoud
Day 2
No long drive today, just Erg Chebbi and the villages around it. We shape the day around what you like: the market town of Rissani, the village of Khamlia and its Gnawa music (a tradition with roots in sub-Saharan Africa), and a visit to a nomad area, arranged with families who are happy to have guests. If you fancy quad biking or sandboarding, we can add it on request; it's paid separately.
Late in the afternoon you get on your camel and ride out into the dunes. You stop on a high dune for the sunset, then carry on to the desert camp for dinner and the night.
Stops: Rissani · Khamlia (Gnawa music) · Nomad area (visit arranged with a host family) · Optional: quad biking or sandboarding · Sunset camel trek in Erg Chebbi
Day 3
An early start, because sunrise over the dunes is worth getting up for. You ride back to the edge of the erg for breakfast, then we drive west through Rissani and the oasis of Tinejdad towards Tinghir.
In the afternoon we stop at the Todra Gorge. The limestone walls close in tight around the river here, and there's time for a short walk between them. Then it's on to the Dades Valley for dinner and a night in a hotel, guesthouse or kasbah.
Stops: Sunrise over Erg Chebbi · Rissani · Tinejdad · Todra Gorge (short walk) · Dades Valley
Day 4
After breakfast we head west through the Rose Valley area around Kelaat M'Gouna and the palm groves of Skoura to Ouarzazate, where you can see the Taourirt kasbah from outside. Next is Ait Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-listed earthen ksar, and you'll have time to walk up through its lanes.
In the afternoon we cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass. Lots of bends, big mountain views. We get to Marrakech in the evening and drop you at your hotel or riad, which is where the tour ends.
Stops: Rose Valley / Kelaat M'Gouna · Skoura palm grove · Ouarzazate · Ait Ben Haddou (visit) · Tizi n'Tichka pass · Marrakech
You travel in an air-conditioned vehicle with a driver. On a private tour the vehicle is just for your group. On a shared tour you're in a minibus with other travellers. Tell us which language you'd like and we'll let you know which languages your driver speaks. Driving times are approximate and include stops.
3 breakfasts and 3 dinners are usually included. Lunch isn't, but your driver stops at local restaurants on the way.
No, it starts in Fes and ends in Marrakech. If you need to finish in Fes or somewhere else, ask us for a custom tour with a different ending.
If you can spare the day, yes. The extra day is spent in Merzouga, so you don't go straight from eight hours in the car onto a camel. You get time to look around and a calmer evening before the camp night.
No, they're optional extras you pay for separately. Mention them in your request and we'll add them to your quote. Ask us about helmets and minimum ages too and we'll give you the details.
We only visit families who are happy to have guests, and the payment goes to the family hosting you. Ask before you take photos, and expect simple living conditions.
Yes. A private tour gets its own vehicle and driver, any start date that suits you and the option of a luxury camp. Just say so in your request.
Background reading on Wikipedia and more packages on our other site.
3 daysFes → Merzouga → Marrakech
This 3-day Fes to Merzouga desert tour is a one-way road trip: you start in Fes, sleep a night in the dunes and finish in Marrakech.
from €120 per person
5 daysFes → Merzouga → Marrakech
Our 5-day Fes to Merzouga desert tour is the slowest way across to Marrakech, with a full day in Merzouga and a night at Ait Ben Haddou.
from €250 per person
4 daysMarrakech → Merzouga → Fes
Our 4-day desert tour from Marrakech to Fes goes at a calmer pace, with nights at Ait Ben Haddou, in the Dades Valley and at a Merzouga desert camp.
from €190 per person
Camel treksOur sunset camel trek in Merzouga is a slow, guided ride into Erg Chebbi that gets you to the top of a dune as the sun goes down.
from €20 per person
CultureGnawa music in Khamlia, a village just south of Merzouga: you sit down for mint tea and the local musicians play for you.
Request a quote
CultureA nomadic family visit near Merzouga: tea and conversation with a herding family by Erg Chebbi, with your guide translating.
Request a quote