5 Days Tour from Fes to Marrakech via the Merzouga Desert

This is a private 5-day tour from Fes to Marrakech that crosses the Middle Atlas, spends two nights at the Erg Chebbi dunes near Merzouga (one in a hotel, one in a desert camp after a camel trek), then follows the Todra and Dades gorges, the Skoura oasis and Aït Ben Haddou over the High Atlas to Marrakech. Only your own party travels in the vehicle with the driver-guide, and the plan below can be changed before you book. The starting price is €890 per person; the final quote depends on your dates, group size and hotel level.

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Route at a glance

What you see on this route

Middle Atlas and the Ziz Valley (day 1). Cedar forests around Azrou, the Zad pass at 2,178 m, lunch in Midelt, then the palm oasis of the Ziz Valley on the way down to Erfoud and the first view of the dunes.

Erg Chebbi dunes and desert camp (day 2). A morning 4×4 loop to the village of Khamlia, the nomad families on the plateau and the Tissardmine oasis, then a two-hour camel ride into the dunes at sunset. Dinner and the night are at a camp with Berber tents; sunrise over the dunes is the next morning.

Todra and Dades gorges (day 3). Fossil workshops in Erfoud and Rissani, the palm groves of Touroug and Tinjdad, lunch in the Todra Gorge between 300 m cliffs, then the Dades Valley to the gorge for the night.

Roses Valley, Skoura and Ouarzazate (day 4). The Aït Youl kasbah, an off-road stretch through the ksour of the Roses Valley to Kelaa M’gouna, and the Amridil kasbah in the Skoura palm grove before Ouarzazate.

Aït Ben Haddou and the High Atlas (day 5). Taourirt kasbah and the film studios in Ouarzazate, the UNESCO-listed ksar of Aït Ben Haddou, then the Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m) down to Marrakech.

What is included

• Pickup at your hotel, riad or the airport in Fes; drop-off at your accommodation in Marrakech
• Private air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide for all 5 days
• 4 nights: hotel in Merzouga, desert camp at Erg Chebbi, hotel in the Dades Gorge, hotel in Ouarzazate, with dinner and breakfast at each
• Camel trek to and from the desert camp
• Fuel, tolls and parking

Lunches, drinks, entrance tickets to monuments and the film studios, and tips are paid on the spot. Tell us about dietary, mobility or medical needs before you confirm and the days are planned around them.

Fes to Marrakech or Marrakech to Fes?

The same route runs in reverse if you arrive in Marrakech and fly out of Fes: see the 5-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour, which starts with Aït Ben Haddou and ends with the Middle Atlas, at the same price. If you have less time, the 4-day Fes to Marrakech desert tour makes the same crossing with one night fewer, and the 3-day Fes to Marrakech tour via Merzouga does it with a single desert night and longer driving days.

Best time to travel

October to April is the most comfortable period for this route: daytime temperatures in the desert stay below 30 °C and the camp nights are cool. In July and August the dunes reach 40 °C or more in the afternoon, so the camel trek moves to just before sunset. The Tizi n’Tichka and Zad passes can see snow between December and February; the road stays open but the driver may adjust departure times.

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5 Days Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga Desert

1. 1 Fes – Ifrane-Azrou – Midelt – Errachidia – Ziz Valley – Erfoud Merzouga After your breakfast, we leave Fes to Midelt through the mountains and green forests of the Middle Atlas. We will Pass by Ifrane, a charming ski resort, and by Azrou an important hand craft center specializing in the work of cedar wood. After passing by Zad (2178m/7146ft) we get to Midelt where we will have lunch. By the afternoon we leave to Erfoud, Errachidia and the Ziz valley with its beautiful palm oasis. Then we continue to the huge sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. Dinner and overnight in Merzouga.
2. 2 Merzouga – Erg Chebbi – Merzouga After your breakfast, we make a tour through the dunes of Erg Chebbi: the second oasis of Merzouga, the wandering deposit, KHAMLIA village ( inhabited by black Abiid from African origin), MIFISS. After that, we will join the desert plateau to meet the nomads of the Moroccon desert in this tour, TISSARDMINE oasis. After this tour we will get back to start your camel ride through the dunes to enjoy the wonderful view of the the sunset reflects the orrange colour of the dunes. 2 hours camel ride to join a wild oasis located 2 hours walking in the desert where we will spend the night in a camp with Berber tents; dinner is served at the camp.
3. 3 Merzouga – Rissani – Erfoud – Touroug – Tinjdad – Tinghir – Todra Gorges – Boumalne – Dades Valley – Dades gorges. After you enjoy the sunrise over the dunes, and eat your breakfast, we leave to Erfoud and Rissani to visit the factory of fossilized marble before we continue to the palm oasis of Touroug and Tinjdad. Lunch in Todra Gorge. In the afternoon, we continue to Dades gorges through Boumalne and Dades valley. Dinner and overnight in a hotel in the gorges.
4. 4 Dades Gorges – Dades Valley – Roses Valley – Kelaa M’gouna – Skoura – Ouarzazate After your breakfast, we return to Dades Valley to visit the kasbah of Ait Youl. We will take an off-road where you can enjoy the kasbahs and Ksours of the Roses Valley to join Kelaa M’gouna. After lunch we continue to Skoura where we will visit Amredhyle Kasbah, and arrive by late evening to Ouarzazate where we will spend the night.
5. 5 Ouarzazate – the Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou – Marrakech After your breakfast, we visit during the morning the most interesting sites of Ouarzazate: Taourirt Kasbah and the Atlas cinema studio. After that, we will leave to visit the village and the ancient Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou(listed as a world heritage by UNSICO). After lunch, we will leave to Marrakech through Tizi N’Tichka. We arrive to Marrakech around 16:00.