2 to 5 days · back to Fes or on to Marrakech
Our desert tours from Fes all head for the same place: Merzouga, the village at the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes, where the sand rises to around 150 m. Getting there takes most of a day, about 470 km over the cedar-covered Middle Atlas and down the Ziz valley.
What you choose is the shape of the trip. Two days is the shortest round trip back to Fes; three or four give you real time in Merzouga. Or keep going west and finish in Marrakech, crossing the country in three to five days.
About 470 km and most of a day, with stops. It is a long drive, but rarely a dull one: the landscape you leave in the morning has nothing in common with the one you arrive in.
A neat mountain town in the Middle Atlas, with steep roofs that look more Alpine than Moroccan.
Cedar forest just outside town, where Barbary macaques often wait by the roadside.
A high plateau town between the Middle and High Atlas, a natural place to break the drive.
The road drops through the gorges into a long ribbon of date palms.
Market towns on the way south; Erfoud is known for its fossil workshops.
The village at the foot of Erg Chebbi, where the tarmac ends and the sand begins.
Leave Fes in the morning and you reach Merzouga in the afternoon, in time for the camel ride into the dunes and the sunset. On our multi-day tours, pickup is around 8:00 at your riad or hotel.
The Middle Atlas is where the weather changes most. In winter Ifrane and Azrou can be cold, while the desert further south is mild by day. In summer it works the other way round: fresh in the mountains, very hot in the Ziz valley at midday.
Curious about the stops? Our guide to Ifrane, Azrou and Midelt covers the mountain stretch, and the Merzouga desert guide explains what waits at the other end.
2 days · Fes → Fes
Out and back through Ifrane, Azrou and the Ziz gorges, with one night in a camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes.
Where you sleep: Desert camp, Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) (1)
3 days · Fes → Fes
Over the Middle Atlas and down the Ziz valley to the Erg Chebbi dunes and back, with more time in Merzouga than the two-day trip allows.
Where you sleep: Merzouga, at the edge of the dunes (1) → Desert camp, Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) (1)
4 days · Fes → Fes
The same round trip with shorter driving days, so there is time to explore around Merzouga and rest between the long stretches of road.
Where you sleep: Merzouga, at the edge of the dunes (1) → Desert camp, Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) (1) → Midelt (1)
3 days · Fes → Marrakech
Ifrane, Midelt and Erfoud on the way to Erg Chebbi, then the gorges and the High Atlas on the road to Marrakech.
Where you sleep: Desert camp, Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) (1) → Dades valley (1)
4 days · Fes → Marrakech
Fes to the Erg Chebbi dunes, then west through the Todra gorge and the Dades valley, with an extra day to reach Marrakech without rushing.
Where you sleep: Desert camp, Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) (2) → Dades valley (1)
5 days · Fes → Marrakech
The crossing at an easier pace, with a night near the kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou before the last stretch over the Tichka pass to Marrakech.
Where you sleep: Merzouga, at the edge of the dunes (1) → Desert camp, Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) (1) → Dades valley (1) → Aït Ben Haddou (1)
Starting in Marrakech instead? See desert tours and activities from Marrakech, or browse every tour we run.
Start with where you need to be when the tour ends. That one answer cuts the six routes down to three.
Merzouga to Marrakech is roughly 560 km, so on a 3-day crossing the last day is a long one. If you can spare an extra day, the slower versions are worth it.
The six routes differ in length, not in the basics. On every one you can expect:
Not included: lunches and drinks, tips, optional local guides at sites and entrance fees. Each tour page has the full list.
Every route on this page includes at least one night in a camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes. Our tours use a standard camp, with electricity and shared bathrooms; there is no Wi-Fi.
You can upgrade to a superior (luxury) camp, with a private bathroom with hot water, charging outlets and Wi-Fi. From November to February desert nights can drop close to 0 °C, so bring a warm layer whichever you choose. More in what to expect from a night in the Sahara.
The road and the camp are the same either way. What changes is who you share the vehicle with and how much say you have over the day. Each tour page shows which options it offers.
Once you are in Merzouga, on one of our tours or travelling on your own, you can add time in the dunes. Tell us when you book and we will fit it around your day.
About 470 km. With stops for photos, lunch and the macaques near Azrou, it takes most of a day: leave Fes in the morning and you reach the dunes in the afternoon.
If your time is short, yes: you sleep in the Erg Chebbi dunes and see the sunrise. But it means two long days on the road. With one more day, the 3-day Fes to Merzouga tour gives you time at the edge of the dunes without rushing.
Yes. The one-way tours go Fes → Merzouga → Marrakech in 3, 4 or 5 days, heading west through the Todra gorge and the Dades valley and over the High Atlas. Going the other way? The Marrakech to Fes desert tour runs the same road in reverse.
A standard camp has electricity and shared bathrooms, with no Wi-Fi. A superior (luxury) camp adds a private bathroom with hot water, charging outlets and Wi-Fi. The dunes and the stars are the same from both.
Spring and autumn are the most comfortable. In winter the days are often sunny, but desert nights are cold and the Middle Atlas can be chilly. In summer the middle of the day is very hot, so the dunes are best early and late. Our guide to the best time to visit Morocco goes season by season.
Say how many days you have and where you want to finish, Fes or Marrakech, and we will suggest the route that fits.