Marrakech to Fes via the Sahara · 3 days · 2 nights
A private one-way desert tour from Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga: the High Atlas, Ait Ben Haddou, the Erg Chebbi dunes and the Middle Atlas, with a driver, a local guide and a night in a desert camp.
Duration
3 days, 2 nights
Route
Marrakech - Ait Ben Haddou - Dades Valley - Merzouga - Middle Atlas - Fes
Guides speak
English and Spanish
Price
From €249 per person. Final price depends on your dates and group size. Free quote with no obligation.
Tour overview
The 3-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour is a private one-way Morocco tour package by Highlights Morocco Tours. You leave Marrakech, cross the High Atlas to Ait Ben Haddou and the Dades Valley, ride a camel at sunset in the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga, sleep in a desert camp and finish in Fes through the Middle Atlas. It includes a private driver and a local guide who speaks English or Spanish. The price is on request, with a free quote and no obligation.
This tour is for travellers who want to cross Morocco from Marrakech to Fes without going back to the start. Instead of returning along the same road, you finish in Fes after the desert, through the Middle Atlas, with its cedar forests and mountain towns. You can also do the tour in the opposite direction, from Fes to Marrakech.
The route has two long driving days and one shorter. If you prefer a slower pace, we can add a night. Our guide Merzouga or Zagora and the 3-day Merzouga round trip from Marrakech may also help you decide.
Photos
Highlights
Itinerary
Marrakech - Dades
Dades - Merzouga
About 460 km
Route map
The one-way route crosses the High Atlas, reaches the Erg Chebbi dunes and returns north through the Middle Atlas to Fes.
Marrakech
Start of the tour, with your private driver and local guide.
Tizi n'Tichka pass
The High Atlas road, with sweeping views.
Ait Ben Haddou
UNESCO-listed ksar of red-earth towers, once a stop on the caravan routes.
Dades Valley
First night on the road, with rock formations and palm groves.
Merzouga
Sunset camel ride and a night in a desert camp beside the Erg Chebbi dunes.
Middle Atlas
Mountain road to the north, through Midelt and the cedar forests.
Fes
End of the tour in the imperial city, with its medina and tanneries.
Caravan routes and kasbahs
For centuries, caravans crossed the Atlas Mountains between the Sahara and Marrakech. The ksour and kasbahs you pass on this tour, such as Ait Ben Haddou, grew along these trade routes, and a caravanserai was the roadside inn where caravans and their camels could rest.
Today you follow the same road by private car with a local guide, and finish where the caravans began their journey across the dunes: in Merzouga, at the edge of the Erg Chebbi.
Morocco tour package
Compare routes
Both options include the Sahara and a night in a desert camp.
| Route | Length | Best for | Ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga | 3 days, 2 nights | Crossing Morocco without going back | Fes |
| 3-day Marrakech to Merzouga | 3 days, 2 nights | Returning to Marrakech | Marrakech |
Your quote
Meals, extra stops and the type of camp are confirmed in your free quote. Tell us what you prefer.
Good to know
Tour guide
The 3-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour is a private one-way trip with your own driver and a local guide who speaks English or Spanish. You cross the High Atlas, see Ait Ben Haddou and the Dades Valley, ride a camel at sunset in Merzouga, sleep in a desert camp and finish in Fes through the Middle Atlas.
The 3-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour is a private one-way Morocco tour package by Highlights Morocco Tours. Instead of returning to your starting point, you travel from Marrakech to Fes through the Sahara, with your own driver and a local guide who speaks English or Spanish. The route passes Ait Ben Haddou, the Dades Valley and the Todra Gorges, reaches the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga and climbs through the Middle Atlas to Fes. It is about 560 km to Merzouga and about 460 km from Merzouga to Fes.
Day 1: Leave Marrakech in the morning, cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, visit Ait Ben Haddou and stop in Ouarzazate, then continue to the Dades Valley for the night. Day 2: Visit the Todra Gorges, drive across the desert plains of the south-east to Merzouga, ride a camel at sunset in the Erg Chebbi dunes, then have dinner and sleep in a desert camp. Day 3: Watch the sunrise over the dunes, have breakfast at camp and drive north towards the Middle Atlas, with a lunch stop in the mountains near the cedar forest area. Day 3 ends with your arrival in Fes in the evening, at the point agreed with you.
The 3-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour is made for travellers who want to link two imperial cities and see the Sahara on the way, without backtracking. It suits couples, friends and small families who accept long driving days: day 2 crosses from the Dades area to Merzouga, and day 3 is about 460 km to Fes. The reward is a varied route, from mountain passes to canyons and dunes. If you prefer short drives, a tour with a full rest day in the desert may fit you better.
Spring and autumn are usually the best seasons for the Marrakech to Fes desert tour, with warm days, cooler evenings and clearer light in the mountains and dunes. In summer the interior and the Merzouga desert can be very hot, which is tiring on a route with long drives. In winter, nights in the desert camp are cold, the Dades Valley can be chilly, and snow is possible on the High Atlas pass and in the Middle Atlas. Marrakech and Fes have their own climates, so the interior matters most.
For the Marrakech to Fes desert tour, pack all your luggage in a soft bag, since you will not come back to Marrakech. Bring light layers, a warm jacket or fleece for the Dades Valley and the desert camp, a scarf, sunglasses, sun cream and closed shoes. The tour does not include lunches, drinks, entrance fees or tips, so carry cash for meals on the road, Ait Ben Haddou and your driver and guide. Dinner and breakfast at the camp are included.
The 3-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour is priced from 249 euros per person. The final price depends on your dates and group size, and Highlights Morocco Tours gives a free quote with no obligation. You can request it through the contact form on the tour page, by WhatsApp or by email. The tour includes pick-up and drop-off at the agreed point, private transport, a local guide, a camel ride at sunset in the Merzouga dunes, a night on the road in the Dades Valley and a night in a desert camp.
Why book with us
Local agency
Highlights Morocco Tours is a private tour operator based in Marrakech.
100% private
Only your group, with your own driver.
English and Spanish
Local guides who speak English or Spanish.
Tailor-made
Ask us to add a night, change a stop or adjust the pace.
WhatsApp support
Support before and during your trip.
Free quote
Send your dates and group size. No obligation.
FAQ
About the trip, how to book it and who we are.
Yes, if you are travelling between Marrakech and Fes and want to see the Sahara on the way. You cross the High Atlas and the Middle Atlas and sleep in the desert without returning to the starting point.
Marrakech is about 560 km from Merzouga and Merzouga is about 460 km from Fes. The drive is split over three days, with two long days and one shorter, including stops.
The usual route crosses the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, visits Ait Ben Haddou, follows the Dades Valley and the Todra Gorges to Merzouga, and returns north through the Middle Atlas and its cedar forests to Fes. We adapt the stops to your pace.
Yes. The route also works in the opposite direction, from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga. Tell us your dates and we plan it.
You spend a night on the road, in the Dades or Todra area, and a night in a desert camp in Merzouga. We confirm the places in your quote.
The tour includes a camel ride at sunset in the Erg Chebbi dunes, which depends on the season and your arrival time. We confirm the details in your quote.
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are usually the most comfortable seasons. Summer is very hot in the desert and winter nights can be cold.
Light layers and a warm jacket for the desert night, a scarf, sunglasses, sun cream, comfortable closed shoes, a small bag for the camp, a phone charger and some cash for drinks and tips.
Send us your dates and number of travellers with the contact form, by WhatsApp or by email. We reply with a free, no-obligation quote and, once you are happy with it, we confirm the booking and the details of your trip.
The price depends on your dates, the number of travellers and the type of camp, so we quote on request. Quotes are free and come with no obligation.
The tour starts in Marrakech and ends in Fes (one-way, no return drive). We agree the pick-up point and time with you when we confirm your booking.
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Based in
Marrakech, Morocco
Support
Available 24/7 while you travel
Why travellers trust us
8+ years
Organising private tours across Morocco for many years.
Local Berber team
Brothers and friends who grew up in the desert and know every road and camp.
100% private
Your own driver and guide. Never a big shared group.
Talk to us directly
No call centre and no middleman. Free quote, no obligation.