3-Day Private Sahara Route: Fes to Marrakech
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- Duration
- 3 Days / 2 Nights
- Tour type
- Private
- Tour category
- Desert Tours
- Languages
- English, French, Spanish
About this tour
3 Days / 2 Nights from Fes to Merzouga and Erg Chebbi. From EUR 225 per person.
Tour highlights
- Two rides on camel back with a local Berber guide, in on the Day 1 sunset and out again at first light on Day 2
- Rissani and its dates market, and a walk through the Tinghir oasis
- The High Atlas taken at Tizi n'Tichka, 2,260 m up, past villages of stone and mud
- A private ensuite tent with real beds and a hot shower, dinner by the campfire and the stars afterwards
- Dropping down the Ziz Valley beyond Er-Rachidia, between red cliffs, old kasbahs and date palms
- Aït Ben Haddou, the ksar on the UNESCO list that stood in for Gladiator and Game of Thrones, near the Ouarzazate film studios
- Cedar forest and wild Barbary apes at Azrou, reached after a stop in alpine Ifrane
- A cooperative at El Kelaa M'Gouna where rose water is distilled
- The sunset camel trek into Erg Chebbi and a first night spent at a luxury desert camp
- A canyon walk in Todra Gorge under 300-metre limestone walls, with lunch inside the gorge
Route at a glance
3 Days / 2 Nights · Fes → Erg Chebbi
- Fes Starting point
- Merzouga
- Erg Chebbi
About this tour
The desert comes first on this one, and that shapes everything else. It is a private one-way run of three days from Fes down to Marrakech in an air-conditioned 4×4 or van with your own driver-guide. Day 1 leaves Fes for Ifrane and the cedar forest at Azrou, tops the Middle Atlas at Midelt and drops down the Ziz Valley to Merzouga, closing with a camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset and a night at a luxury desert camp.
On Day 2 you ride the camels back out at first light, then carry on to Rissani, the oasis at Tinghir and the Todra Gorge, with the second night spent in the Dades Valley. The last day works west through the Valley of the Roses and the Skoura oasis, pauses at Aït Ben Haddou, the ksar on the UNESCO list, and takes the Tizi n’Tichka pass across the High Atlas into Marrakech late in the afternoon. The rate takes in the vehicle and driver, half board on both nights, the two camel treks and the sandboarding. Lunches, entrance fees and tips sit outside it.
Day by day itinerary
Print this itinerary- Day 1 of 3
Fes - Ifrane - Azrou (cedar forest and apes) - Midelt - Ziz Valley - Merzouga - sunset camel trek (Cedar forests, the Ziz Valley and the sunset ride into the Sahara, approx. 8 hours drive)
An early collection from your Fes hotel or riad. The first stretch crosses the Saiss plains to Ifrane, a town whose alpine look has earned it the nickname "Switzerland of Morocco". After it you gain height, up into the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, with a halt at Azrou where Barbary macaques gather beside the road. Lunch is in Midelt, not included. Then the long drop towards the Ziz Valley: thousands upon thousands of date palms trace the river there, below red cliffs and old kasbahs. The route passes Er-Rachidia and Erfoud before reaching Merzouga. After a short rest, camels take you into the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset and on to the luxury desert camp. Every tent there is private and ensuite, with real beds, hot shower, and sockets for charging. Dinner is Moroccan, eaten under open sky, and Berber drumming carries on by the fire. You sleep at the camp, half board.
- Day 2 of 3
Merzouga - Rissani - Tinghir Oasis - Todra Gorge - Dades Valley (Sahara sunrise, the holy town of Rissani, gorges and the Valley of Kasbahs, approx. 4 hours drive)
Up early to ride the camels back across the dunes as the sun comes up, then breakfast at camp. Rissani is next, the holy town where the Alaouite dynasty of Morocco began, and its dates market is worth the browse for the sheer number of varieties grown across the Tafilalet. Tinghir comes next, an oasis town on the Todra river; the walk runs along the riverbank between palm groves and Berber villages while your guide talks through the town's Jewish heritage. The road then runs into Todra, or Todgha, Gorge, where the limestone climbs 300 metres on either side. Lunch, not included, is at a small cafe within the gorge. In the afternoon the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs carries you west to the Dades Valley, the gateway to the Dades Gorge. Dinner and the night are at a hotel there, in a private ensuite room with air conditioning, half board. An upgraded hotel in the same valley can be taken instead, which costs 40 EUR per person on top.
- Day 3 of 3
Dades - Rose Valley - Skoura - Aït Ben Haddou - Tizi n'Tichka - Marrakech (Rose Valley, a UNESCO ksar, the High Atlas crossing and arrival in Marrakech, approx. 6 hours drive)
Breakfast, then west along the Valley of the Roses as far as El Kelaa M'Gouna, where a cooperative shows how rose water and perfume are drawn out of the petals; spring, April into May, is when to see it. Skoura and its palm groves follow, on the way to Ouarzazate. Aït Ben Haddou takes the middle of the day, listed by UNESCO as World Heritage and well known from the screen: Gladiator, Game of Thrones, Lawrence of Arabia. You eat lunch, not included, looking across at the ksar, then walk over the river into the village itself. The afternoon is the High Atlas. The road tops out at Tizi n'Tichka, 2,260 m, then comes down past villages built of stone and mud into Marrakech, late in the afternoon, and the drop-off is made at your hotel or riad.
What's included
Included
- A private air-conditioned 4x4 or van with your own driver-guide for 3 full days, Fes through to Marrakech
- Collection from your Fes hotel or riad
- Night 1 at a luxury desert camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes, private ensuite tent with hot shower, half board
- Both camel treks: into the dunes at sunset on Day 1, back out at sunrise on Day 2
- Sandboarding on the Erg Chebbi dunes
- Night 2 at a hotel in the Dades Valley, private ensuite room with air conditioning, half board
- Drop-off at your Marrakech hotel or riad
Not included
- Lunches and drinks
- Entrance fees and local guides, both paid on the spot
- Optional activities: quad biking at approximately EUR 50 per hour, a 4x4 dune circuit
- Anything you decide to tip
- Travel insurance, which we recommend
What to bring
- A small bag holding what you need for the sunset camel trek: camera, water and something warm
Group rates
| Group size | Price per person |
|---|---|
| 1 person | €925 per person |
| 2 people | €495 per person |
| 3 people | €435 per person |
| 4 people | €395 per person |
| 5 people | €345 per person |
| 6 people | €295 per person |
| 7-9 people | €275 per person |
| 10-13 people | €245 per person |
| 14-17 people | €225 per person |
Frequently asked questions
How long is the desert road between Fes and Marrakech?
Roughly 1,030 km all told. Split across three days that works out at driving days of about 8 hours, then 4, then 6, with stops for the scenery built into each of them.
Is the camel ride compulsory?
No. If you would rather not ride, a 4x4 runs you out from Merzouga to the camp instead, at no charge, and the dunes are still yours to walk at sunset.
Are quad bikes available at Merzouga?
Yes. Your driver arranges them at around 50 EUR per quad per hour, which you pay to the supplier directly.
How long should I spend in Fes before setting off?
Two days works, one for a guided tour of the medina and one left free for the souks. Make it three if you also want the day trip to Chefchaouen, 200 km away.
What time does the car collect us in Fes?
00 AM in winter and 08:00 AM in summer. Leaving early is what gets you to Merzouga in time for the sunset.
Does this route work with children?
Yes. Child seats cost nothing if you ask, the trek on camel back can be made shorter, and the apes at Azrou usually win the day.
What does the desert camp include?
Your own ensuite tent, real beds, a hot shower, electricity, plus dinner and breakfast. Sandboarding comes with it.
Is there a longer, four-day version?
There is. A four-day Fes to Marrakech itinerary adds a whole day around Merzouga, with Khamlia village and its Gnaoua music, a lodge with a pool, and longer in the dunes before the run to Marrakech.
What does the three-day Fes to Marrakech route cost?
The per-person figure falls as the party grows: 925 EUR travelling alone, down to 225 EUR at the largest group sizes. It buys three days of the vehicle and driver-guide, dinner and breakfast on both nights, and the two camel treks. Lunches and entrance charges are on top.
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