Desert Tour from Marrakech to Chefchaouen
Desert Tour from Marrakech to Chefchaouen : Explore the white and blue city of Chefchaouen during this Desert tour from Marrakech, and discover its art and traditions, Chefchaouen as in the Berber language, is one of the most beautiful cities in the mountains of the Rif. It is the last rampart before the Mediterranean and the Iberian Peninsula. do not miss the tours of Morocco desert adventures from Marrakech to Chefchaouen
This is a 5-day, 4-night private tour from Marrakech to Chefchaouen that crosses the High Atlas, spends one night in a camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga, one night in Fes and one night in Chefchaouen. You travel in your own air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver from Mhamid El Ghizlane; there are no other passengers and the daily stops are yours to decide. Price from €690, departing on the date you choose. If you would rather have a full day in Fes and a first night in Marrakech, see the 7-day version of this route.
5-day or 7-day: which one fits?
| 5-day tour (this page) | 7-day tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Nights | 4: Dades, Erg Chebbi camp, Fes, Chefchaouen | 6: Marrakech, Dades, Erg Chebbi camp, Fes ×2, Chefchaouen |
| Fes | One evening, no guided visit | Full day with a licensed city guide |
| Start | 7 am from your Marrakech hotel | Airport pick-up and a first night in Marrakech |
| Longest driving day | Day 3, about 7 h | Day 4, about 7 h |
| Price from | €690 | €970 |
| Suits | Travellers with a week or less who want desert, Fes and Chefchaouen in one loop | Travellers landing in Marrakech who want a slower pace and time inside the Fes medina |
Practical notes
- Where you sleep: 3-star hotels or kasbah guesthouses in the Dades Valley, a fixed camp with beds, linen and toilets in Erg Chebbi, and riads in the Fes and Chefchaouen medinas. Upgrades to 4-star hotels or a private luxury camp are available on request.
- Meals: breakfasts and dinners are included; lunches are on the road at your choice of restaurant (allow €8–15 per person).
- Vehicle: a 4×4 or minivan depending on group size, with your own driver for all five days.
- Best months: October to April for the desert. In July and August the dunes are above 40 °C by noon, so the camel ride and sandboarding move to early morning and late afternoon.
- Bring: a warm layer for the desert night (it drops to around 5 °C in winter), a scarf for the camel ride, and cash for lunches and tips.
What’s included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle and fuel for the whole route
- Pick-up from your hotel, riad or Marrakech airport; drop-off at your hotel or airport in the end city
- English-speaking Berber driver
- 4 nights’ accommodation: Dades Valley, Erg Chebbi desert camp, Fes, Chefchaouen
- 4 dinners and 4 breakfasts
- Camel ride to and from the camp; sandboarding in the Erg Chebbi dunes
- Music around the fire at the camp; soft drinks at the camp
- All stops along the route, including Aït Benhaddou and the Todra Gorge; stops when you ask
What’s not included
- Flights
- Lunches and drinks outside the camp
- Entrance fees (Aït Benhaddou kasbah, Volubilis) and a city guide in Fes, available on request
- Tips
Desert Tour from Marrakech to Chefchaouen
- 1
Marrakech – Ait Benhaddou – Dades valley - 310 km 5½-6 h
We start our tour at 7am from your hotel in Marrakech to chefchaouen. We drive through the high Atlas (2260m high) we make many stops for the pictures on the way, the biggest stop will be at Ait ben hadddou Kasbah for lunch(the Unisco world heritage site) place of the movies :Gladiator,Son of god, game of thrones … After lunch ,we’ll enjoy the beautiful natural landscapes and historical monuments of Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate and the Valley of the Roses, famous for its annual Festival of Roses. We’ll afterwards, pass through the Berber villages of El Kelaa des M’Gouna and Boumalene Dades by the Valley, where we will spend the night. Overnight : Dades Paradise or similar - 2
Dades Valley – Erg Chebbi Desert via Todra Gorge - 270 km 4½ h + 1½ h camel ride
leaving Boumalene Dades after breakfast, we will head to Merzouga passing through the Berber village of Tinghir and the Todra Gorge where the canyons dominate the skyline. We will then pass through several towns along the route, stopping for lunch at either Tinjdad, or Rissani in Tafilalet region, famous for serving the Berber pizza. After lunch we will make our way to Merzouga to start our camel trek. You will have a short rest with tea, then your luggage will be left in safe rooms at the hotel. The 90 minute of camel ride will take you to a Nomadic camp in the middle of the Erg Chebbi sand dunes, the highest in North Africa. The camp consists of a chain of tents equipped with mattresses and linen, a restaurant, a kitchen and toilet. During evening, you will have dinner and entertainment performed by Local staff around the camp fire. Overnight : Sakura Luxury Camp - 3
Erg Chebbi Desert – Fez - 470 km 7-7½ h
You’ll wake up early to attend the sunrise spectacle, then riding back the camels to your hotel. After having shower and breakfast, we leave Erg Chebbi to the north passing by the Ziz Valley and the Mid Atlas Mountains up to Fez. On our way, we will stop frequently to appreciate the Rocky mountains and plain areas. We will pause in Azrou to see the North Africa Monkeys on the wild inside a Cedar Forest. We arrive to Fes, and check in your riad. Overnight : Riad Dar Borj or similar - 4
Fez – Chefchaouen Medina (Blue city) - 200 km 3½ h
We will drive to the north of Morocco through the Rif Mountains, arriving at chefchaouen medina. A typical blue town by the mountains. The evening will be dedicated to exploring the simply but beautiful city of Chefchaouen medina where everything is set dramatically against the mountains. Things to see among many are the blue-tinted houses and cobbled streets with mountainous backdrop which create a photographic setting. Spend the night in a riad. Overnight : Riad Sultan or Riad Hicham or similar - 5
Chefchaouen to Marrakech, Meknes or any other city 200 km to Fes 4 h to Fes
After your breakfast in the riad, our journey will start towards volubilis, then driving forth via wazan and other rif villages Volubilis embodies the roman ruins and presents a unique archaeological site of Moroccan history, after the visit of the ruins we will shift our way to Meknes city, an imperial city in the 17th century, where we will hang around the historical huge walls of the medina, bab el mansour. Then we continue to Fes where the tour finishes.( We can finish with you in any other city you want).
Questions travelers ask before booking this tour
More private tours
Day trips and short tours from Marrakech
- Three Valleys day tripLalla Takerkoust lake, Moulay Brahim, Asni and the Ourika valley in the High Atlas; back in Marrakech the same evening.
- Telouet and Aït Ben Haddou day tripOver the Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m) to the Glaoui kasbah at Telouet and the Aït Ben Haddou ksar.
- Ouzoud Waterfalls day tripAbout three hours each way from Marrakech to the 100 m falls in the Middle Atlas, with lunch on a terrace above the water.
- Agafay Desert, 2 days / 1 nightA night in a camp in the stone desert outside Marrakech, with camel riding, quad biking and sandboarding.
Marrakech to the Sahara and on to Fes
- Marrakech to Fes via Dades Gorge and Erg ChebbiFirst night in the Dades Gorge, then the Erg Chebbi dunes and a desert camp before continuing to Fes.
- Southern valleys to Erg ChebbiThe valleys south of the Atlas on the way to the Merzouga dunes: camel trek, sandboarding and a night in camp.
- 4-day camel trek from MarrakechMarrakech, Ouarzazate, Agdz and Zagora to M’hamid, then on foot and by camel with a nomad guide, sleeping in desert camps.
Tours starting in Casablanca or Tangier
- Casablanca to Marrakech via Chefchaouen, 7 daysCasablanca, Rabat, Chefchaouen, Fes, the Merzouga dunes and the Dades Gorge, ending in Marrakech.
- Tangier to Marrakech, 4 daysTangier, Chefchaouen and Fes, then a night in the Merzouga desert, the Todra and Dades gorges and Aït Ben Haddou.























