5 days from Fes to Marrakech
Cedar forests of the Middle Atlas · Ziz Valley · Erg Chebbi dunes · Gnawa music of Khamlia · Rissani souk
Ends in MarrakechPrice on WhatsApp
Private tour · 6 days
6-day desert tour from Fes to Marrakech via Zagora
A private 6-day desert tour from Fes to Marrakech via Zagora. Along the way: the Erg Chebbi dunes, the Todra Gorge, the Erg Chigaga dunes and Ait Ben Haddou, and 2 nights in the desert. A long journey at your own pace, with the Merzouga desert at its heart.
Tour highlights
- The macaques of the cedar forest and the Ziz canyon
- The Rissani souk and the Todra Gorge
- M’hamid, where the road runs out
- The remote dunes of Erg Chigaga, reachable only by 4x4
- The dry lake of Iriqui
- Ait Ben Haddou early in the day
Day-by-day itinerary
-
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
-
Day 2 · Merzouga · Rissani · Erfoud · Todra Gorge · Dades Valley
After sunrise in the desert, we head west. In Rissani you can wander its souk, one of the largest in the south, and see the mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif. We pass Erfoud and follow the kasbah road to Tinghir and the Todra Gorge, explored on foot. The night is in the Dades Valley.
Night: Dades Valley
-
Day 3 · Dades · Ouarzazate · Agdz · Draa Valley · Zagora · M’hamid
We leave the gorges behind and head south via Ouarzazate and Agdz. The Draa Valley takes us between palm groves to Zagora and, at the end of the road, M’hamid, the last town before the open desert.
Night: M’hamid
-
Day 4 · M’hamid · desert tracks · Erg Chigaga
Beyond M’hamid there is no more tarmac: some 60 kilometres of 4x4 tracks to Erg Chigaga, a sea of dunes far more remote than Merzouga’s. The night is in a camp among the dunes, far from everything.
Night: Camp at Erg Chigaga
-
Day 5 · Erg Chigaga · Lake Iriqui · Foum Zguid · Ouarzazate
We leave the dunes across the dry lake of Iriqui, inside a national park, a white plain where mirages sometimes appear. Via Foum Zguid we return to the tarmac and drive up to Ouarzazate.
Night: Ouarzazate
-
Day 6 · Ouarzazate · Ait Ben Haddou · High Atlas · Marrakech
In the morning, Ait Ben Haddou: the earthen ksar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, explored on foot up to the granary at the top. Then we cross the High Atlas over Tizi n’Tichka, stopping at the viewpoints, and reach Marrakech in the afternoon.
What’s included
Included
- Pick-up from your accommodation in Fes and drop-off in Marrakech
- Private air-conditioned vehicle
- Multilingual driver for the whole trip
- Accommodation: 5 nights, including the nights in the desert
- Breakfasts
- Dinners 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
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.
Todra Gorge
Near Tinghir, the Todra river has carved a narrow canyon between limestone walls that rise almost vertically. Walking along the floor of the gorge, beside the stream and beneath those cliffs, is genuinely awe-inspiring, and the valley leading up to it is dotted with palm groves and mud-brick villages.
Dades Valley and Gorges
The Dades Valley opens out between the High Atlas and Jebel Saghro, lined with earthen kasbahs, small fields and strikingly shaped rock formations. Further up, the road squeezes into a gorge and climbs in tight hairpin bends to a well-known viewpoint, an ideal spot to stop and take in the scale of the landscape.
Draa Valley
The Draa is Morocco’s longest river, and its valley forms a long ribbon of date palms between Agdz and Zagora. Along the road you pass mud-brick ksour and kasbahs, gardens watered by irrigation channels and bare mountains behind, a contrast that sums up life in the south better than almost anywhere.
Erg Chigaga
Beyond M’hamid, where the tarmac ends, lies Erg Chigaga, a vast field of dunes that can only be reached by 4x4 along desert tracks. Its remoteness makes it a far quieter and wilder desert, perfect if you are looking for starry skies and the feeling of being truly far from everything.
Aït Ben Haddou
This earthen ksar, built on a hillside above the Ounila river, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Its mud-brick houses and towers, linked by lanes climbing to an old granary, have appeared in many films. Crossing the river and walking to the top rewards you with one of the south’s most photogenic views.
Is this the tour for you?
It suits travellers who want to see southern Morocco calmly: fewer hours in a row on the road, more stops and time to walk around each place.
As it ends in Marrakech, you don’t retrace your steps: it works well if your trip continues from there or your flight home leaves from Marrakech.
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.
Time on the road
Fes to Merzouga is about 470 kilometres via Ifrane, Midelt and Errachidia: 8 to 10 hours with stops.
The stretch to Erg Chigaga is on 4x4 tracks: there is no tarmac beyond M’hamid.
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 5 nights: the first at the desert camp, the second in the Dades Valley, the third in M’hamid, the fourth at the Erg Chigaga camp and the fifth in Ouarzazate. The proposal tells you the exact accommodation for each night.
Which meals are included?
Breakfasts and dinners 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.
Can it be done in 5 days?
Yes: we have the 5 days from Fes to Marrakech tour. With fewer days there are more hours of driving in a row, which is why this itinerary spreads the journey better.
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
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