3 Days Desert Tour from Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga

Your journey begins with morning collection from your hotel, riad or agreed meeting point in Marrakech. Head toward the High Atlas Mountains and follow the twisting road over the Tizi n’Tichka route, where small Amazigh villages and wide mountain valleys offer beautiful stops for photographs. The scenery changes as you cross the pass and reach the southern side of the mountains. Continue to Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO-listed fortified settlement built from earth and clay. You can walk through the village streets, learn about the region’s traditional architecture and enjoy the view over the surrounding valley. After a break for lunch, pass Ouarzazate, often called the gateway to the desert, and travel through the Skoura area and the Valley of Roses. By late afternoon you arrive in the Dades Valley. The striking rock formations, small farms and villages are a peaceful introduction to southern Morocco. Check in to your guesthouse or hotel for the first overnight stay. Exact stops depend on your travel pace and road conditions.

After breakfast, enjoy the scenery along Dades Valley before heading east toward Tinghir and Todra Gorge. The high rock walls at Todra make this a memorable place to stop, walk and take photographs. Continue through the southern oasis landscape, crossing villages known for palm groves, local markets and traditional mud-brick houses. Near Erfoud you pass an area famous for fossils and date palms, then drive onward toward the dunes around Merzouga. When the Erg Chebbi sand dunes appear on the horizon, the landscape changes completely. The afternoon is usually the best time for your camel ride into the Sahara, with a chance to watch the warm sunset colors over the dunes. Guests who do not want to ride a camel can request a 4x4 transfer when arranging the tour. Settle into your desert camp, enjoy dinner and spend the evening in the quiet atmosphere of the Sahara. The type of tent and other camp facilities depend on the package you confirm.

Wake up early if you would like to see sunrise over the Erg Chebbi dunes. After breakfast, leave the desert camp and begin the longest road section of this three-day Marrakech to Fes tour. The route follows the impressive Ziz Valley, where green palm groves stand out against rocky mountains and dry plateaus. Travel past Erfoud and toward Midelt, a town between the High and Middle Atlas regions that is a convenient place to stop for lunch. Continue north through cooler landscapes, cedar forests around Azrou and the Ifrane area, where the architecture and climate feel very different from the desert. Depending on weather and timing, you can make short photo stops or stretch your legs along the way. Arrive in Fes in the evening and end the tour at your agreed hotel or riad drop-off location. We do not recommend arranging an early evening train or flight on this final day, as drive times vary with traffic, breaks and mountain weather.