Marrakech to Fes Sahara Crossing: 3-Day Group Tour

Duration: 3 Days / 2 Nights
Tour type: Shared / Group Tours
Tour category: Desert Tours
Availability: Daily departures.
Languages: English, French

Overview

One way across Morocco, ending in Fes rather than back where you started. The High Atlas at 2,260 m, Aït Ben Haddou, and the Sahara in the middle, shared with a minibus group.

Tour highlights

A one-way crossing of the Sahara from Marrakech through to Fes, on the same route as the private version
The Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, crossing the High Atlas
UNESCO-listed Aït Ben Haddou, on screen in Gladiator, and in Game of Thrones and Lawrence of Arabia
The Valley of the Roses, then the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs
A private ensuite room with AC at a boutique hotel in the Dades Valley
The Dades Gorge, then an hour walking the Tinghir oasis with a local guide
Todra Gorge, limestone cliffs standing over a narrow canyon you can walk
A camel trek at sunset over the Erg Chebbi dunes, then a private tent at a desert camp near Merzouga
Berber drumming at the campfire and a night out under the stars
A sunrise camel ride on Day 3
Date palm groves in the Ziz Valley, which only the northern one-way route reaches
The cedar forests of Azrou and their wild Barbary macaques
A shared modern minibus with air conditioning, and a bilingual driver, English and French
Maximum 17 travellers, daily departures, a fixed price and no single supplement
Flexible drop-off wherever you are staying in Fes

Route at a glance

3 Days / 2 Nights · Marrakech → Merzouga

Marrakech Starting point
Merzouga

About this tour

This is the one-way version of the Sahara run: you start in Marrakech and finish in Fes, three days later, in a shared air-conditioned minibus with a driver who works in English and French. Day 1 climbs the Tizi n'Tichka pass over the High Atlas and drops to Aït Ben Haddou, the UNESCO ksar, before following the Valley of the Roses to a night in the Dades Valley. Day 2 runs the Dades Gorge, walks the Tinghir oasis with a guide and takes in Todra Gorge before Merzouga, where camels carry you into the dunes at sunset and a desert camp takes you in for the night. On Day 3, after a sunrise ride and breakfast at the lodge in Merzouga, a fresh driver carries the Fes contingent north up the Ziz Valley, through Midelt and the cedar forests at Azrou, while the rest of the group turns back for Marrakech. Groups top out at 17 travellers, departures are daily, and the rate is fixed at 169 EUR per person, no single supplement. Accommodation is always private, a private room and a private tent.

Day by day itinerary

Print this itinerary

Day 01

Day 1 of 3

Marrakech - Tizi n'Tichka - Aït Ben Haddou - Rose Valley - Dades Valley (7h drive) / Atlas Pass, Earthen Ksar, Valley of the Roses

An early collection from your Marrakech accommodation sets the day going, then the road runs southeast through the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, with wide views and traditional Berber villages on the way up. Midday brings you to Aït Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar, where a local guide can be added for 3 EUR if you want the detail behind the walls, followed by lunch at your own pace. The afternoon crosses the Valley of the Roses, which holds a rose festival every year, and carries on down the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs into the Dades Valley. Dinner and the night are spent in a boutique hotel in the Dades Valley, in a private room with an ensuite bathroom and AC, half-board.
Day 02

Day 2 of 3

Dades Gorge - Tinghir Oasis - Todra Gorge - Merzouga - Erg Chebbi (5h drive) / Two Gorges, an Oasis Walk and Camels at Sundown

Breakfast, then the Dades Gorge, and on to Tinghir, where a local guide walks you through the oasis for an hour past palm groves, mud-brick villages and the irrigation channels that keep it all alive. Todra Gorge comes next, its limestone cliffs rising sheer above a narrow canyon you can walk into. Lunch is at leisure in Tinghir. The afternoon runs down to Merzouga, where the Sahara begins, leaving time for photographs and for getting ready. In the evening the camels carry you over the Erg Chebbi dunes as the sun drops, and the desert camp at Merzouga receives you with a traditional Moroccan dinner, Berber drumming at the fire and a night spent under the stars. Your tent is private; the deluxe and AC deluxe camps put an ensuite bathroom and a hot shower in it. Sandboards can be requested at the lodge. Overnight at a comfortable Merzouga desert camp, half-board. Optional upgrade to a deluxe desert camp at a supplement of 40 EUR per person, plus an optional AC supplement of 25 EUR.
Day 03

Day 3 of 3

Merzouga - Ziz Valley - Midelt - Azrou (cedar forest and Barbary apes) - Fes (8h drive) / Sunrise on the Sand, Then North to Fes

An early start, the camels back over the dunes for sunrise, then a return to the camp operator's lodge back in Merzouga for a shower, breakfast and the luggage stored there overnight. A different driver takes the Fes leg from here, while everyone else heads back towards Marrakech. The road runs northeast up the Ziz Valley, a fertile strip of date palms below dramatic cliffs. Lunch is at Midelt, a mountain town that sits between the Middle and the High Atlas. The afternoon carries on through the Middle Atlas and into the cedar forests of Azrou, stopping for the wild Barbary macaques, among the last populations anywhere in North Africa. Fes comes in the early evening, and you are dropped wherever you have chosen to stay.

What's included

Included

An air-conditioned modern minibus with a bilingual driver, English and French
Collection from your Marrakech hotel or riad
Night 1 in a boutique hotel in the Dades Valley, private ensuite room with AC, dinner and breakfast
Night 2 at a comfortable desert camp at Erg Chebbi: a private tent, real beds, a shared bathroom block, dinner
The sunset camel trek into Erg Chebbi on Day 2 and the sunrise camel ride on Day 3
A shower and breakfast on the Day 3 morning, at the operator's Merzouga lodge
Flexible drop-off at the address of your choice in Fes

Not included

Lunches and drinks over the three days
Camp upgrades if you want one, the deluxe ensuite camp at +40 EUR per person or the AC deluxe tent at +65 EUR per person
The optional local guide at Aït Ben Haddou, a 3 EUR fee
Personal spending of any kind
Optional quad biking at Erg Chebbi, settled directly with the supplier
Travel insurance, which we recommend

What to bring

A small bag holding what you need for the camel ride and the night at camp, since the main luggage is locked away at the operator's lodge back in Merzouga

Good to know

Published price table: 169 EUR per person, days of operation Daily, maximum 17 participants. Prices verified March 2026
The price holds at 169 EUR per person whatever the size of the group. No single supplement, no hidden fees
Only the transport is shared. Accommodation is private throughout: at the desert camp a tent of your own, and in the Dades Valley a private ensuite room
Camp upgrades: deluxe ensuite camp at +40 EUR per person, AC deluxe camp at +65 EUR per person. In the Day 2 block, though, that deluxe camp supplement is given as 40 EUR per person, with the AC option added at 25 EUR
Night 1 is in a boutique hotel in the Dades Valley. Night 2 is at a comfortable desert camp at Erg Chebbi
The group splits on Day 3: a new driver runs the Merzouga to Fes leg while everyone else returns to Marrakech
Luggage stays locked up at the camp operator's lodge in Merzouga for the night at camp, and is picked up the next morning
Each camel ride runs about 1 hour, one at sunset and one at sunrise, with the timing shifting by season
Quad biking can take the place of the camel ride if you tell the camp operator on arrival, and you pay the supplier directly

Frequently asked questions

Do I get my own room in the Dades Valley?

You do, a private room with an ensuite bathroom and AC in a boutique hotel. The minibus is shared, the accommodation never is.

Is the tent at the desert camp private?

Yes, at every camp tier. The comfortable camp covered by the 169 EUR price gives you real beds, with clean shared bathrooms a short walk from the tent. The deluxe camp (+40 EUR per person) puts an ensuite bathroom inside the tent, toilet and hot shower, while the AC deluxe camp, at +65 EUR per person, brings air conditioning and heating.

Does a bigger group mean a lower price?

No. The rate stays at 169 EUR per person no matter how many people are on the departure, with no single supplement and nothing hidden. The camp upgrades are the only optional extras: +40 EUR per person for the deluxe ensuite, or +65 EUR for the AC deluxe.

How does the Merzouga to Fes leg work on Day 3?

Once the camel ride at sunrise and breakfast at the lodge are behind you, a different driver picks up the run to Fes, and everyone else returns to Marrakech. The route goes by way of the Ziz Valley, then Midelt and the cedar forests.

Where does my luggage go while I am at the camp?

It stays locked up at the camp operator's lodge in Merzouga. Take a small bag with what you need for the camel ride and for the night, and collect the rest in the morning.

How many travellers are on board?

Up to 17, in a modern AC minibus with a driver who speaks English and French.

Could I quad bike instead of riding a camel?

Yes. Tell the camp operator when you arrive and they will set up a quad bike ride in the dunes lasting 1 hour, which you settle on the spot with the supplier.

How long are the camel rides?

Roughly 1 hour at sunset and another hour at sunrise, though the timing moves with the season.

Can the desert camp be upgraded?

Yes. The base price puts you in the comfortable camp, private tent with shared bathrooms. The deluxe camp costs 40 EUR per person and gives you a private ensuite tent with a hot shower. The AC deluxe camp costs 65 EUR per person, which buys air conditioning and heating. Choose when you book, or ask to change it later over WhatsApp.

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