3 days · Marrakech → Fes
3-Day Desert Tour from Marrakech to Fes
Overview
The smartest way to travel from Marrakech to Fes: instead of a long empty drive, you cross Morocco through its desert. Day one takes you over the Atlas to the Dades Valley, day two into the Erg Chebbi dunes for a night in camp, and day three north through palm oases and cedar forests to Fes.
Best for: Travellers going on to Fes, Chefchaouen or the north.
Highlights
- Tizi n'Tichka pass and Aït Benhaddou
- Skoura oasis, the Roses Valley and the Dades Valley
- Todra Gorge on foot
- Camel trek and a night in the Erg Chebbi dunes
- Ziz Valley palm groves, Barbary macaques in the Azrou cedar forest, and Ifrane
- Arrival in Fes, ready for the medina
Day by day
Marrakech – Aït Benhaddou – Ouarzazate – Dades Valley
We leave Marrakech over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, through the Glaoua region with its kasbahs and fortified granaries. At Aït Benhaddou, a set for Gladiator and Game of Thrones, you explore the ksar's alleys. Lunch in Ouarzazate, then the Skoura palm oasis and the Roses Valley. Night in a hotel or riad in the Dades Valley.
Dades – Todra Gorge – Erfoud – Merzouga desert camp
The road follows the green Todra Valley to the gorge, where you walk between the cliffs. Then the landscape opens into desert plains: through Erfoud, known for its fossils, to Merzouga. Leave your big luggage at a hotel and ride a camel into the dunes as the sun goes down. Dinner and music by the fire, night in a private tent.
Merzouga – Ziz Valley – Midelt – Ifrane – Fes
Sunrise over the dunes, breakfast, and back to Merzouga. Heading north, you stop at viewpoints over the Ziz Valley, a canyon of palms and kasbahs. Lunch in Midelt below the High Atlas peaks, then the cedar forests near Azrou, home to Barbary macaques, and Ifrane, the "Switzerland of Morocco". Your driver-guide drops you at your riad in Fes in the evening.
What's included
- Private air-conditioned car with your own English-speaking driver-guide, pickup in Marrakech, drop-off at your Fes riad
- 1 night in a hotel or riad, 1 night in a desert camp (private tent)
- Breakfast and dinner every day
- Camel ride, one camel per person
- Sandboarding and live Berber music at the desert camp
- Passenger insurance in the vehicle
Not included
Flights, lunches, drinks, entrance fees, tips and personal expenses and your Fes accommodation.
Questions about this tour
Can you book our riad in Fes too?
Yes. We book hotels for all our travellers and can add nights in Fes.
Is this tour available in the other direction?
Yes, Fes to Marrakech works the same way.
Will we see monkeys?
Often, in the cedar forest near Azrou, but they're wild, so not every time.
Where would your road take you?
Tell us your dates and group size. Abdou or one of the team will reply with a route and a price within 24 hours.