3 days desert tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga and Atlas Mountains
Tour Type
- Private tour for any group size
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Duration
Overview
3 Days Desert Tour from Marrakech to Fes: Overview
The 3 Days Desert Tour from Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga is the most practical and scenic way to travel between Morocco’s two premier imperial cities while crossing the Sahara Desert. Rather than taking a long train or internal flight, this classic tour transforms your transit into a bucket-list 3-day overland adventure.
Traverse the High Atlas Mountains, explore ancient UNESCO Kasbahs, walk towering river gorges, and sleep in a luxury desert camp in Erg Chebbi before crossing the Middle Atlas to arrive in historic Fes.
Tour Highlights & Sights
- Seamless One-Way Route: Connect Marrakech to Fes while exploring the best of southern Morocco.
- UNESCO Kasbah Ait Benhaddou: Tour Morocco’s most famous adobe fortress.
- Todra & Dades Gorges: Explore sheer 300-meter limestone cliffs and red rock canyons.
- Erg Chebbi Sunset Camel Trek: Ride camels into the golden dunes and sleep under Saharan stars.
- Middle Atlas & Cedar Forest: See wild Barbary macaques in Azrou and visit alpine Ifrane.
What is Included & What is Excluded
What is Included
- Private A/C 4×4 or deluxe van with professional Berber driver
- Pickup at Marrakech accommodation & drop-off at your Fes riad
- 1 Night in Dades Valley hotel (dinner & breakfast)
- 1 Night in Merzouga desert camp (private tent, dinner & breakfast)
- Sunset camel trek & sunrise camel ride in Erg Chebbi
- Guided tour of Kasbah Ait Benhaddou
What is Excluded
- Lunches and beverages
- Monument entrance fees (optional)
- Tips for driver and local guides
Tour Plan
Day 1: Marrakech – High Atlas (Tizi n'Tichka) – Kasbah Ait Benhaddou – Ouarzazate – Dades Valley
Pickup at 07:30 AM from your Marrakech riad. Cross the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260m) with photo stops at mountain viewpoints. Explore the UNESCO fortress of Ait Benhaddou with a local guide, have lunch, and continue past Ouarzazate into the scenic Dades Valley.
Overnight: Traditional hotel/kasbah in Dades Valley (dinner & breakfast included).
Day 2: Dades Valley – Todra Gorges – Erfoud – Merzouga & Erg Chebbi Desert Camp
Travel through Tinghir to the breathtaking Todra Gorges, walking between the 300m vertical cliffs. Drive through the palm oases of Tafilalet and the fossil workshops of Erfoud.
Arrive in Merzouga, mount your camel for a sunset trek across the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi, and spend an unforgettable night in a Berber desert camp with dinner, live drums, and stargazing.
Overnight: Private desert tent at Merzouga Sahara Camp.
Day 3: Merzouga Sunrise – Ziz Valley – Midelt – Cedar Forest of Azrou – Ifrane – Fes
Watch the magical desert sunrise, enjoy breakfast at camp, and return by camel or 4×4. Meet your driver and head north through the palm-filled Ziz Valley and Midelt for lunch.
Travel through the Middle Atlas, stopping to feed the Barbary macaque monkeys in the Cedar Forest of Azrou and seeing the alpine architecture of Ifrane. Arrive in Fes by early evening (around 18:30 – 19:00 PM) for direct drop-off at your Riad.
