Our private Marrakech To Fes Desert Tour offers an immersive Moroccan experience. Five days links Morocco’s two greatest imperial cities with the Sahara in between. Our Marrakech to Fes desert tour is a private, one-way journey from Marrakech to Fes, taking in Ait Ben Haddou, the Dades and Todra gorges, two desert nights at Erg Chebbi, and the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas.
You cross the Tizi n’Tichka, sleep among the kasbahs of the Dades, walk the Todra Gorge, then ride camels into the Merzouga dunes for a camp run by people we know. A full 4×4 day explores the desert — Khamlia music, nomad tents, fossil beds — before the drive north past the macaques of Azrou into Fes, the oldest of the imperial cities. Private 4×4, English-speaking Berber driver, hand-picked riads.
Tighter on time? The 3-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour covers the same line in three.
Our private Marrakech To Fes Desert Tour offers an immersive Moroccan experience. This 5-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour packs an incredible variety of experiences into just three days.
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Marrakech → Tizi n'Tichka → Ait Ben Haddou → Ouarzazate → Dades Valley | the Dades Valley |
| Day 2 | Dades → Todra Gorge → Erfoud → Merzouga (sunset camel trek) | desert camp at Erg Chebbi |
| Day 3 | Sahara sunrise → Rissani → Ziz Valley → Midelt | Midelt |
| Day 4 | Midelt → Azrou cedar forest → Ifrane → Fes | Fes |
| Day 5 | Fes — guided city tour | guided city tour |
Departure at 8:00 AM from your Marrakech hotel or riad. We climb south over the High Atlas mountains via the winding Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m), enjoying views of traditional Berber villages built into the rocky cliffs. We descend to the historic Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage mud-brick village featured in films like Gladiator and Game of Thrones. After a guided walk and lunch, we continue past the oases of Skoura and the Rose Valley to arrive in the Dades Valley for dinner and a restful night.
Accommodation: hotel or riad in the Dades Valley (half board).
After breakfast, we drive past the famous Dades hairpins and the unique rock formations known as “Monkey Fingers”. We head to Tinghir Oasis for a scenic walk through the vertical 300-metre cliffs of the Todra Gorge. Continuing east, we pass through the desert town of Erfoud, famous for its ancient marine fossils, before reaching the Sahara outpost of Merzouga.
In the late afternoon, you will board a camel caravan for an enchanting 1.5-hour sunset camel trek into the golden Erg Chebbi dunes. We arrive at a luxury desert camp where you will enjoy a traditional Berber dinner, live drumming around the campfire, and an overnight stay in private tents with en-suite bathrooms.
Accommodation: desert camp at Erg Chebbi (half board).
Wake early to climb a dune and watch a spectacular Sahara sunrise, followed by a camel ride back to Merzouga for breakfast. We stop in Rissani, the historic cradle of the Alaouite dynasty, to see its traditional market. Our drive then leads north through the palm-deep Ziz Valley gorge, where red cliffs tower over a green ribbon of date palms. We pass through Errachidia and arrive by late afternoon in the mountain town of Midelt, famous for its apple orchards, nestled between the High and Middle Atlas ranges.
Accommodation: hotel in Midelt (half board).
We head north through the Middle Atlas mountains to the ancient Azrou cedar forest, where you can spot the Barbary macaques playing among centuries-old pine and cedar trees. We continue to Ifrane, the Alpine-style mountain resort known as the “Switzerland of Morocco” because of its clean streets and sloped red-tile roofs. By late afternoon, we reach the ancient imperial city of Fes and drop you off at your riad in the historic medina.
Accommodation: hotel or riad in Fes (half board).
A local expert guide leads you on an unforgettable walking tour of Fes el-Bali, the largest car-free medieval medina in the world. You will explore the historic Chouara tanneries, see the Al-Attarine and Bou Inania madrasas, and visit Al-Qarawiyyin, the oldest continuously operating university in the world, founded in 859 AD. We drop you off at your Fes hotel, riad, or the airport at the end of the tour. When you are ready, send us a message.
Our private Marrakech To Fes Desert Tour offers an immersive Moroccan experience.
Our private Marrakech To Fes Desert Tour offers an immersive Moroccan experience.
Our private Marrakech To Fes Desert Tour offers an immersive Moroccan experience.
See the full route of our 5-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour on the map below:
Route: Marrakech → Ait Ben Haddou → Ouarzazate → Dades → Todra Gorge → Merzouga → Ziz Valley → Midelt → Azrou → Ifrane → Fes
Total distance: ~1050 km (one-way)
