9-day Morocco tour from Fes
Meknes · Volubilis · Chefchaouen · Rabat · Hassan II Mosque
Ends in FesPrice on WhatsApp
Private tour · 8 days
8-day desert tour from Fes to Marrakech
An 8-day Morocco itinerary from Fes to Marrakech that crosses the country from north to south through the desert: we pick you up at Fes airport, you visit Fes and Marrakech with a local guide, sleep two nights at Tassili Luxury Desert Camp and see the Ziz Valley, the Todra Gorge, the Dades and Ait Ben Haddou along the way. On day 8, transfer to Marrakech airport.
Tour highlights
- The Fes medina with a local guide
- The Ziz Valley palm groves and the first night in the dunes
- The sunset camel ride over the dunes and the evening by the fire
- The Rissani souk and the Todra Gorge
- Ait Ben Haddou and the High Atlas to finish
- The souks of Marrakech and Jemaa el-Fna square
Day-by-day itinerary
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Day 1 · Arrival in Fes
Pick-up at the airport or station and transfer to your riad in Fes. The rest of the day is free for a first stroll.
Night: Fes
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Day 2 · Guided visit of Fes · Middle Atlas · Midelt
In the morning, Fes with a local guide: the medina, the souks, the monuments and the artisan workshops. In the afternoon we set off for Midelt across the Middle Atlas, with the landscape changing along the way.
Night: Midelt
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Day 3 · Midelt · Ziz Valley · Erfoud · Rissani · Merzouga
We head down towards the Sahara through the Ziz Valley, famous for its palm groves and viewpoints. We continue through Erfoud and Rissani to the Merzouga region and arrive at Tassili Luxury Desert Camp, in the quiet Erg Znaigui dunes: a Moroccan dinner and a night under the desert sky.
Night: Tassili Luxury Desert Camp
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Day 4 · 4x4 Sahara excursion · nomads · sunset camel ride
After breakfast, a 4x4 excursion through the desert: the way of life of the nomad families, the Sahara landscapes and the Berber culture of the region; depending on the route, nearby villages too. In the late afternoon, a camel ride across the golden dunes to watch the sunset. Back at Tassili Luxury Desert Camp: dinner, traditional music and an evening around the campfire.
Night: Tassili Luxury Desert Camp
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Day 5 · 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
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Day 6 · Dades · Valley of Roses · Skoura · Ouarzazate · Ait Ben Haddou · Marrakech
Last day on the road of a thousand kasbahs. We pass the Valley of Roses and the Skoura palm grove, go through Ouarzazate and stop at Ait Ben Haddou to explore the ksar. In the afternoon we climb the High Atlas over Tizi n’Tichka and descend to Marrakech, where the trip ends.
Night: Marrakech
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Day 7 · Guided tour of Marrakech
A day with a local guide: the Koutoubia mosque, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian tombs and the souks of the medina with their craft guilds. At dusk, Jemaa el-Fna square at its liveliest.
Night: Marrakech
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Day 8 · Transfer to Marrakech airport
Breakfast and transfer to Marrakech airport.
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: 7 nights, including the nights in the desert
- Breakfasts
Not included
- Lunches
- Dinners (on request: ask when you book)
- Monument entry fees and local guides
- Tips
Places along the route
Fes el-Bali Medina
Fes el-Bali, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a vast car-free medieval medina packed with artisans’ workshops and winding alleys. It is home to Al Qarawiyyin, founded in 859, and to the Chouara tanneries, where hides are still dyed in colourful vats much as they were centuries ago.
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.
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.
Marrakech Medina
The medina of Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a maze of souks where leather, metal, wood and textiles are worked by hand. Above it rises the minaret of the Koutoubia, and just a few minutes away is the Bahia Palace, with its 19th-century courtyards, gardens and painted ceilings.
What this 8-day Morocco tour is like
Two imperial cities with a local guide, one at each end: Fes on day 2 (medina, souks, monuments and artisan workshops) and Marrakech on day 7 (Bahia Palace, souks, the Koutoubia from the outside and Jemaa el-Fna square). In between, southern Morocco.
The desert is done without rushing: you reach Merzouga via Midelt, the Ziz Valley, Erfoud and Rissani, and sleep two nights at Tassili Luxury Desert Camp, with a full day’s 4x4 excursion (nomad families, Sahara landscapes, Berber culture) and the sunset camel ride.
The way to Marrakech is the road of a thousand kasbahs: the Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley, the Valley of Roses, Ouarzazate, the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou and the Tizi n’Tichka pass.
Is this the tour for you?
A complete journey through Morocco: cities, mountains and desert in 8 days, with a driver just for you who adapts to your pace.
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
Marrakech to Merzouga is about 560 kilometres across the High Atlas: with stops, 10 to 12 hours on the road.
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
Does the tour start at Fes airport and end at Marrakech airport?
Yes. On day 1 we pick you up at Fes airport and take you to your riad or hotel; on day 8, after breakfast, we take you to Marrakech airport or to another departure point we agree on.
Where do you sleep in the desert?
Both desert nights are at Tassili Luxury Desert Camp, in the quiet Erg Znaigui dunes: a Moroccan dinner, traditional music and an evening around the campfire.
Which guided visits are included?
Fes, on day 2, with a local guide through the medina, the souks, the monuments and the artisan workshops; and Marrakech, on day 7: the Bahia Palace, the souks, the Koutoubia from the outside and Jemaa el-Fna square.
Why 8 days and not fewer?
Because that gives you a day to arrive, two cities with a guide, two nights in the desert with a full day’s excursion and the final transfer without an early start: the pace of a journey, not a race.
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 7 nights: the first in Fes, the second in Midelt, the third at Tassili Luxury Desert Camp, the fourth at Tassili Luxury Desert Camp, the fifth in the Dades Valley, the sixth in Marrakech and the seventh in Marrakech. The proposal tells you the exact accommodation for each night.
Which meals are included?
Breakfasts. Lunches are not, as we stop wherever you like along the way. 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