3-Day Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech

Three days is the classic length for crossing from Fes to Marrakech through the Sahara, and it’s the one we recommend to most travellers. It gives you a night in the dunes of Erg Chebbi and a second night in the Dades Valley, so neither driving day runs too long, and it covers the great sights of the south: the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, the Ziz Valley, the Rissani market, the Todra Gorge, the Valley of Roses, Ouarzazate and the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou.

The tour is private, with your own driver and vehicle, so you set the pace. Stop for photos whenever you like, linger in the gorge, or skip what doesn’t interest you.

The route at a glance

• Day 1: Fes → Ifrane → Azrou cedar forest → Midelt → Ziz Valley → Merzouga, then by camel to camp (about 470 km)
• Day 2: Erg Chebbi → Rissani → Tinghir → Todra Gorge → Dades Valley (about 310 km)
• Day 3: Dades Valley → Valley of Roses → Ouarzazate → Ait Ben Haddou → Tizi n’Tichka → Marrakech (about 350 km)

Day 1: Fes to the Sahara

We leave Fes in the morning, from your riad or the medina gate nearest to it. The road climbs south into the Middle Atlas, and after about an hour you reach Ifrane, a mountain town of chalets and gardens that the French built as a summer retreat. Its nickname, “the Switzerland of Morocco”, fits surprisingly well.

Just past Azrou, you enter the cedar forest, where the trees can be hundreds of years old. It’s the best place in Morocco to see Barbary macaques in the wild, and your driver knows where the troops tend to gather. Then the forest ends and you cross the open plateau of the Middle Atlas to Midelt, where you stop for lunch below the peaks of the Jbel Ayachi.

The afternoon brings the first real taste of the south. The road follows the Ziz river through a narrow gorge, then opens onto a valley of date palms and earthen villages that stretches for miles. From the viewpoint over the Ziz palm grove, the contrast between the green valley floor and the bare desert around it is striking.

You reach Merzouga in the late afternoon. Your camels are saddled and waiting at the edge of Erg Chebbi, and you ride into the dunes as the light turns golden. Watch the sunset from a high ridge, then continue to camp for a traditional tagine dinner under the stars.

Day 2: Rissani and the Todra Gorge

Get up early for the sunrise, which lights the dunes in soft pink and orange, then ride back to Merzouga for breakfast. The drive west begins in Rissani, the historic heart of the Tafilalet oasis and the birthplace of the Alaouite dynasty. Its souk is one of the most authentic in the south, especially on market days (Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday), when farmers and nomads come in to trade.

From Rissani, the road crosses the stony plateau of the pre-Sahara to Tinghir, a long oasis town with palm groves spread below the mountains. Just north of it is the Todra Gorge, where the canyon walls close in to only a few metres apart and rise about 300 metres overhead. You leave the car and walk along the stream at the bottom, in the shade of the cliffs.

In the afternoon you drive on to the Dades Valley. The river here has carved the rock into strange shapes, including the rounded, knobbly formations known as the “monkey fingers”. Dinner and the night are at a traditional kasbah hotel in the valley.

Day 3: kasbahs, cinema and the High Atlas

After breakfast you follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs west, through the Valley of Roses around Kelaat M’Gouna. In late April and May the whole valley smells of the damask roses grown here for rosewater and oils.

In Ouarzazate you visit the Atlas Film Studios, where the sets of dozens of films and series are still standing in the desert. A little further on is Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified earthen village that has appeared in Gladiator, Game of Thrones and many other productions. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and you have time to cross the river and climb through its lanes to the old granary at the top.

The final stretch crosses the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka pass, at 2,260 metres, with views over deep valleys and terraced villages, before descending to Marrakech. You arrive in the evening at your accommodation.

Where you’ll sleep

• Erg Chebbi (1 night): our luxury desert camp, with a private tent for your booking, en-suite hot shower and flushing toilet, comfortable beds and electricity for charging. Heavy blankets are provided in winter, and family tents are available on request.
• Dades Valley (1 night): a traditional kasbah hotel with a private room and bathroom.

Dinner and breakfast are included on both nights.

Tailoring the route

Because the tour is private, you can shape it around your plans. We can pick you up at Fes Saïss Airport instead of your riad and start the tour straight from your flight. You can run the route in reverse, from Marrakech to Fes, with the same stops in the opposite order. And if you’d like more time in the Sahara, a second night at the camp adds a full day in the dunes, with a 4x4 excursion to nomad families and the Gnawa village of Khamlia; that’s the 4-day version of this tour.

Along the way, you can add a local guide at Ait Ben Haddou for the history of the ksar, or a quad bike session in the dunes on the evening of day one. At the end of the tour we can also book your riad nights in Marrakech and a guided walk through the medina. Tell us what you’d like when you send your dates, and we’ll build it into your quote.

Best time to go

Spring and autumn are ideal, with warm days and cool nights. Late April to mid-May is special, because the roses are in bloom on day three. Winter is sunny but cold at night, with occasional snow on the Middle Atlas and at the Tizi n’Tichka pass. In summer, the gorge walk and the sunrise are the most comfortable parts of the day, and we plan the driving around the afternoon heat.

Who this tour is for

Travellers heading from Fes to Marrakech who want the Sahara, the gorges and the kasbahs on the way, in just three days. It’s a good first desert trip for couples, families and friends, with a comfortable balance between driving and sightseeing.

Good to know

• Day one is the long one (about 7.5 hours), so we leave Fes in the morning.
• Barbary macaques are wild and endangered, so please don’t feed them. Watching from a respectful distance is the best way to enjoy them.
• Market day: start on a Saturday, Monday or Wednesday to be in Rissani on a souk day.
• More time in the desert? See the 4-day or 5-day versions.