Marrakech to Fes Desert Tour – 3 Days

Your 3 days tour from Marrakech to Fes Via Merzouga desert will begin at 08:00 am, when you’ll be picked up from your hotel or riad. Next, you’ll cross the High Atlas Mountains and Tizi N’Tichka Pass (2260m), enjoying one beautiful scenery after another. This journey will take you through mud-brick Berber villages, green plateaus with snow-topped peaks on the horizon, and shepherds grazing their flocks. There will be plenty of stops for photos, coffee, and stretching your legs.

By noon, you’ll arrive at the UNESCO world heritage village of Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou. This 11th-century fortified village served as a set for various Hollywood epics like Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, and the Game of Thrones. After a guided visit to the mud-brick Kasbah, you’ll continue to Ouarzazate (the Hollywood of Africa) – home to the most prominent film studios in Africa. After lunch (at your leisure), you’ll visit the oasis of Skoura and one of the best-preserved Kasbahs in Morocco: Amridil.

Your next stop will be Kalaa Mgouna, which you will reach by traveling through the Valley of Roses. Then, you’ll head to your lodge in Dades Valley for dinner.

After your nourishing breakfast, you’ll ascend out of the valley and traverse the spectacular Azzaden Valley as vistas open up with a surging mountain stream encircled by verdant walnut groves meandering towards Toubkal and her sister peaks at the apex of this gorgeous region. Finally, spend overnight in a village Gite in Ait Aissa after around five to six hours of wandering through nature’s beauty!

On the second day of your Sahara Desert tour from Marrakech to Fes, you’ll take a drive down the road of 1001 Kasbahs to Tinghir oasis. You’ll also see some of the remaining fortified villages used to host caravan roads back in the early 20th century. When you arrive at Tinghir, a military post during the French occupation, you’ll diverge into a tiny road to reach the oasis. Once there, feel free to trek next to the stream and watch the locals go about their farming and cattle herding activities. Your walk will end at one of the most magnificent scenes of your tour: Todgha Gorges.

After enjoying lunch at a local café, you’ll continue to Rissani – one of Morocco’s holiest towns. It is where “The Alaouites,” the founders of the dynasty currently ruling over the Kingdom, originated. Rissani is also famous for being the starting point of ancient caravan routes that used to cross the Sahara desert to Tombouctou.

You’ll cross some rocky terrain in the afternoon as you make your way to Merzouga. Your camel caravan will be waiting for you there, and before long, you’ll be enjoying a camel ride over the Erg Chebbi dunes. You’ll get to watch a fantastic sunset before arriving at your Sahara desert camp for the night. Next, you’ll have dinner under the stars while being entertained by your local nomad hosts playing drums all night long. Then, you’ll spend the night at your Sahara desert camp.

An early start this morning is rewarded with a tranquil and gorgeous sunrise. After a delicious breakfast in the camp, you can choose to leave the desert camp by camel trekking back or by a 4×4 vehicle. Leave Merzouga, driving to Fez. On the way, you’ll stop for a panoramic view of the Ziz Valley. The valley is full of palm trees and some Berber villages. In the Middle Atlas cedar forest, you may see some Barbary Apes; they’re one of the few species to live in a cold climate in Morocco. Finally, stop in Ifrane city for a break and a coffee. The town is called The Switzerland of Morocco, a winter ski resort for locals.

Arrive in Fez late in the afternoon, and your 3 days tour will end with a drop-off at your riad or hotel.