3-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour, with a night in the Merzouga dunes

Overview

This Marrakech to Fes desert tour crosses Morocco in one direction instead of looping back. You leave Marrakech over the High Atlas, spend a night in the Dades valley and a night in the dunes of Erg Chebbi, then drive north through the Middle Atlas and arrive in Fes on the evening of day three. No road is driven twice.

The first two days follow the classic southern route: the Tichka pass, the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, the Dades and Todra gorges, and a camel ride to camp at the edge of the sand. The third day is the one most visitors never see. From Merzouga it is about 470 km to Fes, past the palm gorges of the Ziz, the high plateau around Midelt, the cedar forest of Azrou and the alpine-looking town of Ifrane.

It suits travellers who fly into Marrakech and out of Fes, and anyone heading on to Chefchaouen and the north. If you want to know more about the dunes before you go, read our Merzouga desert travel guide.

Highlights

• Climb over the High Atlas on the Tizi n'Tichka pass, roughly 2,260 m high
• Explore the mud-brick lanes of Aït Ben Haddou, on the UNESCO list since 1987
• Walk the floor of the Todra gorge, with rock walls up to about 300 m
• Ride a camel to camp in Erg Chebbi and wake up for sunrise on the dunes
• Look down on the palm gorge of the Ziz valley and cross the Midelt plateau
• Meet the Barbary macaques of the Azrou cedar forest on the way to Fes

Itinerary, day by day

1. 1

   Marrakech → Tizi n'Tichka → Aït Ben Haddou → Ouarzazate → Dades valley

   We collect you from your riad or hotel around 8:00 with all your luggage, because you will not be coming back to Marrakech. The road winds up into the High Atlas past terraced fields and stone villages to the Tichka pass, then descends into dry, ochre country. After lunch you cross the river into Aït Ben Haddou and climb through the ksar to the old granary for the view. A short stop in Ouarzazate, the "door of the desert" and home of the film studios, then on past Skoura's palms to the Dades valley for dinner and the night.

   About 8 hours including stops · Overnight: a hotel or guesthouse in the Dades valley

2. 2

   Todra gorge → Merzouga → camel ride to camp

   After breakfast the road runs east to Tinghir, where you walk into the Todra gorge at its narrowest, between walls of up to about 300 m. The afternoon crosses open hammada and the oases around Erfoud before the orange line of Erg Chebbi rises ahead. In Merzouga your suitcases stay locked in the vehicle; you take a small bag, climb onto a camel and ride into the dunes as the light softens. Dinner at camp, a fire, and very little light between you and the stars.

   About 6 hours including stops · Camel ride about 1 hour · Overnight: standard desert camp in Erg Chebbi (luxury upgrade available)

3. 3

   Sunrise → Erfoud → Ziz valley → Midelt → Azrou → Ifrane → Fes

   Climb a dune for sunrise, then return to Merzouga for breakfast and a shower before heading north. After Erfoud and Errachidia the road follows the Ziz valley, where a ribbon of palms fills the gorge below the viewpoints. It then rises onto the plateau around Midelt, with the Jbel Ayachi on the skyline. In the cedar forest near Azrou we stop to see the Barbary macaques; please watch them but do not feed them, as it makes them sick and aggressive. A last pause in Ifrane, with its sloping roofs and clipped gardens, then down to Fes, where you arrive in the evening.

   About 470 km, most of the day on the road with stops · Drop-off at your accommodation in Fes

Good to know before you go

Route map

Questions about the Marrakech to Fes desert tour

Reviews of this tour

Rated 4.9/5 by 64 travellers on Tripadvisor.