3-Day Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga & Erg Chebbi

Highlights

• One-way route from Fes to Marrakech, with no backtracking
• Cedar forests of the Middle Atlas and Barbary macaques near Azrou
• Camel trek and a night at a camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes
• Walk through the Todra Gorge and overnight in the Dades Valley
• Ait Benhaddou and the Tizi n'Tichka pass on the way to Marrakech
• Road of a Thousand Kasbahs via Skoura and Ouarzazate

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1: Fes – Ifrane – Azrou – Midelt – Merzouga (approx. 470 km)

   Pick-up from your hotel or riad in Fes is at around 07:00. Heading south, you pass through the mountain town of Ifrane and the cedar forest around Azrou, where Barbary macaques are often seen near the road. Lunch is in Midelt, then the route crosses the high plateau and follows the Ziz Gorges and the palm-lined Ziz Valley via Erfoud to Merzouga. There you mount a camel and ride into the dunes at sunset to reach your camp for dinner and the night. This is the longest day, with 8–9 hours of driving including stops.

2. 2

   Day 2: Merzouga – Tinghir – Todra Gorge – Dades Valley

   Wake early to see the sun rise over the Erg Chebbi dunes, then ride your camel back to the village for breakfast. The drive west takes you through Tinghir to the Todra Gorge, where you have time for a walk between its towering rock walls. In the afternoon you continue to the Dades Valley, known for its red-earth landscapes and unusual rock formations, where dinner and the night are at a hotel or guesthouse in a private room.

3. 3

   Day 3: Dades Valley – Ouarzazate – Ait Benhaddou – Tizi n'Tichka (2,260 m) – Marrakech

   After breakfast you follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs through Kelaat M'Gouna, Skoura and Ouarzazate. Next comes a visit to Ait Benhaddou, the UNESCO-listed fortified village of earth and straw. The final stretch climbs over the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, before descending towards the Haouz plain. You are dropped at your hotel in Marrakech between about 18:00 and 19:00, so remember to book accommodation there for the third night.

What’s included

Questions about this tour