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Overview

This Marrakech to Fes desert tour is a comfortable 3-day Marrakech fes desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga and on to Fes, giving you an authentic taste of Morocco and the Sahara desert. We cross the Atlas Mountains and visit UNESCO-protected monuments along the way. The trip ends in the imperial city of Fes.

Highlights

Marrakech, High Atlas and Ouarzazate Dades and Todra Gorges, Erfoud Merzouga, Midelt and Fes Private driver-guide Authentic experience

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1

Marrakech, High Atlas, Ouarzazate, Skoura and Dades Gorges

Explore the Sahara on a tour from Marrakech with Local Morocco Tours, your private desert tour company. We leave Marrakech and head into the Atlas Mountains, with our first stop at the Aït Benhaddou kasbah. The drive over the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 metres offers breathtaking scenery. With a local guide, we tour the most impressive sections of Aït Benhaddou, one of Morocco's most magnificent kasbahs and a filming location for movies such as Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator. After lunch, we visit the city of Ouarzazate, home to several film studios. We then continue to Skoura and pause to admire the Valley of Roses before reaching Boulmane Dadès for dinner and overnight in a traditional kasbah.

Day 2

Dades Gorges, Todra Gorge, Erfoud and camel ride in Merzouga

After breakfast, we head into some of the most impressive rock canyons of the Dades and Todra Gorges before returning to the main road. Our 3-day trip from Marrakech to the Sahara and Fes continues with stops to see fossil workshops at Tinjdad, Jorf and Erfoud. We then drive to Merzouga, the gateway for camel rides into the Erg Chebbi dunes — among the most impressive in the country. After watching the sunset, we gather for supper. Local Morocco Tours can help you plan every detail of your trip. You will spend the night in a comfortable Saharan camp, with traditional drum music under the stars.

Day 3

Merzouga, Midelt and Fes

On the final day, we ride camels back from the dunes while watching the breathtaking sunrise, then enjoy breakfast. After a stop for lunch, we drive via Erfoud, Errachidia and Midelt before crossing the Middle Atlas Mountains and visiting the cedar forest at Azrou. After a quick stop in Ifrane, we drop you off in Fes. At Local Morocco Tours, we will do everything we can to tailor a holiday in Morocco that is perfect for you, your family, your friends or your group.

What's included

  • Transfers from/to the airport/hotels
  • Private travel to Fes in a comfortable air-conditioned 4x4 or minibus
  • Experienced local tour guide
  • All dinners and breakfasts
  • Overnight stays in hotels, riads and desert camp
  • Sahara desert guide and camel trek

Not included

  • Lunches and soft drinks
  • Admission fees and gratuities

Guide languages

English, Spanish, French, and more languages are available upon request.

Departure

We can leave whenever you choose, although we normally leave at 9 a.m.

Route map

Departing from Marrakech, ending in Fes

A Marrakech-to-Fes tour via the Sahara is one of the most logical routes in Morocco for travellers with a one-way itinerary: you start in Marrakech (the main southern gateway), cross the High Atlas to the Sahara at Merzouga, and end in Fes (the northern cultural capital), where you can fly home or continue north. The route is entirely point-to-point, no backtracking.

Departing from your Marrakech hotel on Day 1, the route crosses the Tizi n’Tichka, visits Ait Benhaddou and Ouarzazate, and arrives at the Merzouga dunes by evening. One night in a private desert camp, a sunset camel trek and a sunrise walk in the dunes precede the Day 2 push north. The second leg follows the Ziz Valley and Todra Gorge before descending through the Middle Atlas cedar forests to Fes.

This one-way format is particularly popular with travellers arriving in Marrakech and departing from Fes — or vice versa. Both cities have international airports and good rail connections. All accommodation, camel trek, breakfasts and dinners, and private vehicle throughout are included. Request a quote for your travel dates.

4.9 / 5 on Google★★★★★ 20 reviews
Licensed local guideMinistry licence MA76175
Reply within 24 hoursReal people, not a call centre
Private tours onlyYour own guide & vehicle
Local experts since 2012Marrakech-based team
No hidden feesTransparent, all-in quotes
Mohamed Chajia, licensed Morocco tour guide (licence MA76175)

Meet your guide

Mohamed Chajia

✓ Licensed guide · MA76175

Hi, I’m a legally certified tour guide in Morocco. I organise all kinds of holidays across the country — High Atlas trekking, desert and coastal treks, cycling tours, imperial-city tours, plus hand-picked hotels, camps and guest houses. I’ll build this trip around your pace and the things you actually care about.

Private guide in MarrakechAlso guides Fez, Merzouga, Ouarzazate, Chefchaouen, Agadir, Essaouira, Casablanca, Rabat, AtlasLanguages: Arabic · English · French · Spanish

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Before you go

Plan this trip properly

Practical guides written by our own guides — what the drive is really like, when to travel and what to bring.

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