This 3 Days Morocco Tour from Fes to Marrakech is a one-way desert crossing of the country. You travel over the Middle Atlas through Ifrane and Azrou, down the Ziz Valley to the dunes of Merzouga for a night in a desert camp, then continue via Rissani, the Todra Gorges and the Dades Valley, Ouarzazate and the Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, before crossing the High Atlas to Marrakech.
We leave Fes in the morning and drive into the Middle Atlas Mountains, passing the alpine-style town of Ifrane, the “Switzerland of Morocco”, and the cedar forests of Azrou, where we stop to look for the wild Barbary macaques. We continue over the mountains and descend along the beautiful Ziz Valley, with its vast palm groves and panoramic viewpoints.
After a stop at Erfoud we reach Merzouga in the late afternoon, where a camel caravan takes us over the dunes of Erg Chebbi at sunset to our desert camp for dinner, music around the fire and a night under the stars.
After breakfast we leave Merzouga and drive towards the Todra Gorges, stopping first at Rissani, birthplace of the Alaouite dynasty, to explore its traditional market. We then reach the impressive Todra Gorges, a canyon with 300-metre limestone walls where we stop to walk and have lunch, before continuing along the road of a thousand kasbahs to the Dades Valley, where we spend the night.
This morning we drive through the Dades Valley towards Ouarzazate, the “Hollywood of Morocco”, and visit the nearby UNESCO-listed Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, one of the most beautiful fortified villages in the country and the setting of many famous films. Afterwards we cross the High Atlas Mountains over the Tizi n’Tichka pass, with panoramic stops, and arrive in Marrakech in the evening.
Is this a private tour?
Yes, all our tours are private — just you and your group with your own driver and vehicle, so the pace and stops can be adapted to you.
When do we ride the camels and sleep in the desert?
In the late afternoon a camel caravan takes you over the dunes of Erg Chebbi at sunset to the camp, where you spend the night.
What is the accommodation like?
You stay in traditional riads or hotels along the route and in a desert camp near Merzouga, with private tents and dinner and breakfast at the camp.
Will we have Wi-Fi in the desert?
There is usually service in Merzouga village, but deep in the dunes it is intermittent — a great chance to unplug and enjoy the stars.
