5-day desert tour from Fes to Marrakech, with time to slow down in the Sahara

Overview

This 5-day desert tour from Fes to Marrakech takes the same road south as the shorter versions, but gives you two things they can't: a full, unhurried day in Merzouga and a night beside Aït Ben Haddou. The first day brings you over the Middle Atlas to a hotel at the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes. The second is yours to spend around the dunes, before you ride a camel out to camp at sunset.

From the desert you head west through the Todra gorge and the Dades valley, then along the kasbah road to Skoura and Ouarzazate. Instead of rushing past Aït Ben Haddou, you sleep next to it and see the ksar empty in the evening light. The last morning follows the quiet Ounila valley up to Telouet before crossing the High Atlas on the Tizi n'Tichka and dropping down to Marrakech.

The tour is private: your own vehicle and driver, your own pace. If you want to read up on the dunes before you go, our Merzouga desert travel guide covers the villages, the seasons and what there is to do around Erg Chebbi.

Highlights

• A free day in Merzouga: Gnawa music in Khamlia and the market town of Rissani
• Sunset camel ride into Erg Chebbi, dunes up to about 150 m high
• A walk between the walls of the Todra gorge, close to 300 m high
• The shaded paths and water channels of the Skoura palm grove
• A night at Aït Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar, after the day visitors leave
• The old caravan road through the Ounila valley to the kasbah of Telouet

Itinerary, day by day

1. 1

   Fes → Ifrane → Azrou → Midelt → Ziz valley → Merzouga

   Pickup around 8:00 at your riad or hotel in Fes. The road climbs quickly into the Middle Atlas: a coffee stop in tidy Ifrane, then the cedar forest near Azrou, where Barbary macaques often wait by the roadside. Lunch is usually in Midelt, on the high plateau under the snow line of the Ayachi. In the afternoon you drop through the Ziz gorges and follow the long ribbon of palms past Errachidia and Erfoud. The dunes appear late in the day. Tonight there is no camel ride yet: you check into a hotel at the edge of Erg Chebbi, have dinner and sleep in a proper bed.

   About 470 km · roughly 8–9 hours including stops · Overnight: a hotel at the edge of the dunes in Merzouga

2. 2

   A day around Merzouga → camel ride to camp

   No early start today. After breakfast your driver takes you round the dunes to Khamlia, a small village where families play Gnawa music over a glass of tea. Further north, Rissani is the old market town of the Tafilalet oasis; walk the covered souk for spices, dates and woven baskets. Back at the hotel, rest through the hottest hours. In the late afternoon you leave the main luggage in the vehicle, mount the camels and ride into Erg Chebbi as the sand turns orange. Dinner, drums and a sky full of stars at camp.

   Short drives only · Camel ride about 1 hour · Overnight: standard desert camp in Erg Chebbi (luxury upgrade available)

3. 3

   Sunrise in the dunes → Todra gorge → Dades valley

   Climb the dune behind camp for sunrise, then ride or walk back to Merzouga for breakfast and a shower. The road west passes the old khettara wells near Jorf, a line of shafts that once carried water underground to the oasis. At Tinghir you walk into the narrowest part of the Todra gorge, where the cliffs almost close overhead. In the afternoon you continue to Boumalne and up into the Dades valley for dinner and the night.

   About 6 hours including stops · Overnight: a hotel or guesthouse in the Dades valley

4. 4

   Dades → Skoura → Ouarzazate → Aït Ben Haddou

   An easier day on the "road of a thousand kasbahs". In Skoura you stretch your legs in the palm grove, following the earth channels that share out the water between fields. Ouarzazate, the door of the desert, comes next: choose between the courtyards of Kasbah Taourirt and a look round the film studios. You reach Aït Ben Haddou in the afternoon, cross the riverbed and climb to the old granary at the top as the day cools. After dinner, step outside to see the ksar lit up at night.

   About 4–5 hours including stops · Overnight: a guesthouse in the village of Aït Ben Haddou

5. 5

   Ounila valley → Telouet → Tizi n'Tichka → Marrakech

   Rather than the main road, you take the old caravan route north up the Ounila valley, past earthen villages and green terraces along the river. At Telouet, the crumbling kasbah of the Glaoui family hides rooms of carved plaster, tiles and painted cedar ceilings. The road then joins the Tizi n'Tichka, about 2,260 m up, and winds down through the High Atlas to Marrakech, where you arrive in the late afternoon.

   About 5–6 hours including stops · Drop-off at your accommodation in Marrakech

Hotels and desert camps on this tour

Standard accommodation is included in the price. You can upgrade to superior hotels and camp for €35 per person per night; choose it in the booking panel.

Good to know before you go

Route map

Fes → Ifrane → Azrou → Midelt → Erfoud → Merzouga → Rissani → Tinghir (Todra) → Dades → Skoura → Ouarzazate → Aït Ben Haddou → Telouet → Tizi n'Tichka → Marrakech

Questions about the 5-day Fes to Marrakech tour

What travellers say about our tours

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