4x4 beside a palm oasis at the foot of a rocky mountain

Private tour · 3 days

3-day desert tour from Fes to Merzouga

A private 3-day desert tour from Fes to Merzouga, round trip from Fes. Along the way: the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, the Ziz Valley, the Erg Chebbi dunes and the Gnawa music of Khamlia, and 2 nights in the desert. Three days are enough to travel without rushing and sleep among the dunes.

Tour highlights

  • The macaques of the cedar forest and the Ziz canyon
  • A nomad family, the Gnawa music of Khamlia and the Mfis mines
  • The Ziz Valley and the cedars of the Middle Atlas

Day-by-day itinerary

  1. Day 1 · Fes · Ifrane · cedar forest · Midelt · Ziz Valley · Merzouga

    Around 470 kilometres from north to south. We leave Fes for the Middle Atlas: Ifrane, the Switzerland of Morocco, and the Azrou cedar forest, where you can see Barbary macaques. We stop for lunch in Midelt, between the Middle and High Atlas, and drop down the Ziz Valley, with the Legionnaire’s Tunnel and its viewpoints over the palms. Via Errachidia and Erfoud we reach Merzouga for sunset: by camel over the dunes or by 4x4 to the camp.

    Night: Desert camp

  2. Day 2 · 4x4 excursion around Merzouga

    A full day to see what lies around the dunes. We head out by 4x4 on the tracks around Erg Chebbi and visit a nomad family, who still live in tents as they always have, for tea. In Khamlia, the Gnawa village, we listen to their music, which came from sub-Saharan Africa. Then the old Mfis mines, the black desert scattered with fossils and, if it has rained in winter or spring, the lake at Dayet Srij. In the afternoon, free time on the dunes: sandboarding or simply the sunset.

    Night: Merzouga

  3. Day 3 · Sunrise · Rissani · Erfoud · Ziz Valley · Midelt · Ifrane · Fes

    Sunrise on the dunes and breakfast before we leave. We head north through Rissani, cradle of the Alaouite dynasty, and Erfoud, then follow the Ziz Valley, a canyon of palms between mountains, through the Legionnaire’s Tunnel. We cross the Middle Atlas via Midelt, the apple town, and the Azrou cedar forest, home to Barbary macaques. We pass Ifrane, known as the Switzerland of Morocco, and reach Fes in the afternoon.

Barbary macaque on a snowy branch in the Azrou cedar forest, Middle Atlas
The Ziz Valley palm grove set between rocky plateaus
Crest of an Erg Chebbi dune lit by the orange evening light
Tents of a nomad family in the Merzouga desert

What’s included

Included

  • Pick-up from your accommodation in Fes and return
  • Private air-conditioned vehicle
  • Multilingual driver for the whole trip
  • Accommodation: 2 nights, including the nights in the desert
  • Breakfasts
  • Dinner at the desert camp

Not included

  • Lunches
  • Other dinners (on request: ask when you book)
  • Monument entry fees and local guides
  • Tips

Places along the route

Ifrane and the Azrou Cedar Forest

Ifrane surprises visitors with its steep-roofed houses and tidy parks, an Alpine feel that is unusual in Morocco. Close by, the Atlas cedar forest around Azrou is home to Barbary macaques, an endangered species living in the wild. It is a cool, green break on the way between Fes and the desert.

Ziz Valley

The Ziz river cuts through the eastern High Atlas, forming a canyon filled with palm trees that you can admire from viewpoints along the road towards Errachidia. On the way you pass through the Legionnaire’s Tunnel, cut into the rock during the French protectorate. It is a spectacular oasis landscape right on the road to the desert.

Erg Chebbi Dunes

Erg Chebbi is the great sea of orange sand dunes rising beside Merzouga, on the edge of the Moroccan Sahara. At sunrise and sunset the light shifts colour across the ridges, making it the perfect place to walk barefoot on the sand, ride a camel or simply soak up the silence.

Nomad Families

Around Merzouga, nomad families still move with their herds of goats and camels in search of water and grazing. Visiting their tent, sharing tea and seeing how they organise daily life in the open desert gives you a rare insight into a way of life that endures in very harsh conditions.

Khamlia

Khamlia is a small village near Merzouga known for its Gnawa community, descendants of people from sub-Saharan Africa. Here you can listen to their music, built on the guembri, metal castanets called qraqeb and call-and-response singing, over a glass of mint tea. It is a warm, close-up introduction to a musical tradition deeply rooted in Morocco.

Is this the tour for you?

It’s a well-balanced length: enough time to see the highlights of the route without spending the whole day in the car, and to enjoy sunset and sunrise on the dunes.

It includes a full day in Merzouga to explore the area around the dunes by 4x4: a nomad family, the Gnawa village of Khamlia, the Mfis mines and, if it has rained, the lake at Dayet Srij.

The night in the desert

You reach Merzouga in the late afternoon, in time for sunset over the dunes. The camel ride to the camp is optional: if you prefer, the transfer is done by 4x4 and you miss nothing.

At night, the desert sky with no lights around. In the morning it is worth getting up early: sunrise over Erg Chebbi is one of the best moments of the trip.

For a more comfortable night, we recommend Tassili Luxury Desert Camp, our sister camp in Erg Znaigui, with private-bathroom tents. Ask when you book and we will include it in the proposal.

Berber guide leading a caravan of saddled camels, with the dunes in the background

Time on the road

Fes to Merzouga is about 470 kilometres via Ifrane, Midelt and Errachidia: 8 to 10 hours with stops.

It is a private tour: we stop for photos, meals or a stretch whenever you like, and you set the pace of each day.

Make it yours

As the tour is private, the itinerary can change: start on another day, add or drop a night, or finish in a different city. These are the most requested options:

How to book

Message us on WhatsApp or by email with your dates, how many you are and where you are starting from. We reply with a proposal, a fixed price and what it includes, with no obligation.

Frequently asked questions

Is the tour private?

Yes. The vehicle and driver are for your group only, with no other travellers, so stops and timings adapt to you.

Do I have to ride a camel?

No. The camel ride is optional: if you prefer, the transfer to the camp is done by 4x4.

Where do we sleep?

There are 2 nights: the first at the desert camp and the second in Merzouga. The proposal tells you the exact accommodation for each night.

Which meals are included?

Breakfasts and dinner at the desert camp. Lunches are not, as we stop wherever you like along the way. Other dinners are on request: if you’d like them, tell us when you book and we’ll include them in the proposal.

What language does the driver speak?

Our drivers speak several languages, including English. If you need Italian, just ask when booking.

How much does the tour cost?

It depends on how many of you are travelling, the dates and the type of accommodation. The vehicle and driver are a fixed cost, so the more of you there are, the less it costs per person. Message us on WhatsApp and we’ll send you the price and availability the same day.

When is the best time to go?

Spring and autumn are the most pleasant; summer is very hot in the middle of the day, and winter nights in the desert are cold.

More tours from Fes

Tassili Luxury Desert Camp at dusk, with the tents lit up
The tents of Tassili Luxury Desert Camp among the dunes

Where to sleep in the desert

A night in a private tent

If you want to stay longer in the desert, Tassili Luxury Desert Camp has ten tents with private bathrooms in Erg Znaigui, away from the main camp area.

  • Ten private tents
  • A private bathroom in every tent
  • In Erg Znaigui, away from the main camp area
See the tents
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