4 days
Private Tour
English, Multilingual
48 H
The private 4-day desert tour from Marrakech to Fes is one of the greatest options for those who want to discover the Sahara desert and the south of Morocco. This tour includes a night in Dades Valley and two nights in Merzouga desert area. You’ll be traveling through the Atlas Mountains on the first day, and you’ll be visiting Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, Ouarzazate, Skoura, and then continue to Dades through its lush valley. The second day will be visiting Todra Gorges and the nearest villages before continuing south to Merzouga, where you’ll go on an overnight camel trek across the desert. The third day will have will be exploring the desert area, visiting the nomad families, abandoned villages, and fossil mines. The fourth day will be heading to Fes, passing by Ziz Valley, Medilt, Cedar forest, and Ifrane. For those who wish to upgrade their accommodation. We offer different options to upgrade your hotels and desert camp from standard to luxury.
| Day | Departure | Arrival | Distance |
| 1st | Marrakech | Dades | 260 km |
| 2nd | Dades | Merzouga | 300 km |
| 3rd | Merzouga | Merzouga Desert | 45 km |
| 4th | Merzouga | Fes | 471 km |
Good to know
We will pick you up from Marrakech at about 08:00 a.m. on the first day, and then we will travel south through the High Atlas Mountains and Tizi n'Tichka (the highest road pass). We will stop and enjoy the Atlas's impressive scenery, Berber villages, and for a coffee or tea break in a small restaurant with a view of the mountains. We will continue to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Benhaddou, a magnificent Kasbah and well-preserved fortress in Morocco. Many Hollywood films such as Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Game of Thrones, among others, were shot there. Our journey continues to Ouarzazate, also known as the "Holywood of Africa." We will visit its film studios and Taourirt Kasbah, a historic fortified residence, and then to Skoura, Mgouna Valley (Roses Valley), and other Berber villages before reaching Dades Valley, where we will spend the night in a hotel.
ACCOMMODATION:
Standard Option: Hotel Kasbah Didis or a similar
Superior Option: Hotel Ksar Sultan or a similar
On the second day, we will leave Dades Valley early in the morning and travel to Todra Gorges, one of Morocco's most scenic and spectacular canyons. There will be stops along the way to a walk through the Todra Oasis and then into the canyons before heading south to Erfoud, a small city known for its fossil factories. We will continue our journey more to the south, passing by the Saharian Oasis. Depending on when we arrive at Merzouga, you will have time to rest before getting on the camel who will take you on a desert adventure into the dunes, where you will spend the night in a tent. In the summer, the camel excursion begins around 17:00-18:00, and in the winter, around 15:00-16:00. After an hour of riding the camels, you will arrive at the camp, where you'll be greeted with a cup of tea while admiring the Sahara and the sunset. Dinner will be later at the camp's restaurant tent, followed by the music of Berber drums played by locals around the campfire. Don't forget to hike the dunes nearby, where you'll see the sky with millions of stars. Remember that the bonfire is during the colder months (at night), and no sand storms.
ACCOMMODATION:
Standard Option: Standard Desert Camp
Superior Option: Luxury Desert Camp
On the third day, we will wake you up early in the morning to enjoy the beautiful sunrise, and then you will have breakfast, shower, and begin your day. Today we have the whole day to explore the desert area on a 4wd adventure. Merzouga is a desert village surrounded by picturesque abandoned villages, Oasis, and landscapes. Our first stop will be at the seasonal lake of Merzouga known as Dayet Srij and, where we can see some flamingos and other birds with dunes in the background. The next stop is at Khamlia village, where the people are original from Sudan and Mali. We will stop to listen and dance to the rhythms of the African Music, which know as Gnawa music (optional), before continuing to M'fis. An old French village where we will discover some mineral and fossil mines. From there, we'll drive to a small hill with a panoramic and clear view of the dunes on one side and the Moroccan-Algerian border on the other. You'll have time to go fossil hunting before starting our journey to the nomad families who live in Berber-style tents on the feet of the Erg Chebbi dunes. We'll learn about their way of living and everyday routine. Following our tour, we will take a break in one of their tents to enjoy a cup of mint tea or a delicious Berber pizza for lunch (optional) before we continue driving off-road on the Dakar Rally road. We will be stopping at a desert oasis before returning to the hotel in Merzouga. After a short break, you can take a walk to the village or surrounding dunes to admire the peaceful sunset.
ACCOMMODATION:
Standard Option: Hotel L'homme du desert or a similar
Superior Option: Hotel Riad Madu or a similar
On the third day, we will start the day to Fes in the morning, after your breakfast and shower. We'll travel through Errachidia, the desert region's largest administrative city, and then we'll stop to enjoy the panoramic view of the beautiful Ziz Valley with its thousands of palm trees. Our journey continues to the city of apples Medilt, where we can have lunch. The next stop will be at Azrou's Cedar forest, which is home to wild monkeys. It would be a chance to take some pictures in the wilderness and feed the monkeys. Please bear in mind that they are wild animals and are not always around. We will continue driving towards Fes, passing by Ifrane, known as the Moroccan Switzerland. We will arrive around 18:00 and 19:00, depends on the length of the stops along.
You can upgrade the accommodations from standard to superior (luxury).
You can take two big and two small suitcases per person. If you have more luggage, please let us.
During the summer (June to mid-September), it is hot both during the day and at night (Day45°C/Night30°C), while during the winter (November to March), it is chilly at night and mild during the day (Day26°C/Night0°C). For the rest of the year, the temperature is nearly constant (between 24 and 30 °C).
- Closed shoes - Water - Flashlight - Sunscreen - Hat or scarf - sunglasses - Jacket & Gloves (during winter) - Backpack
Deposit: In order to confirm your booking, a deposit is requested to be paid in advance and the rest of the payment can be paid by PayPal, Credit card, Bank transfer, or in cash. We accept PayPal, Bank Transfer, and Western Union for deposits. Payments and terms of cancellations: For more information about the payments and cancellations, please check our payments & terms of cancellations page. Conditions: Usually, we don’t book any accommodations before your confirmation, thus if the accommodations listed above are already fully booked, we will book another one with the same category and services.
The last day of the tour will be from Merzouga to Fes, it does take about 7/8 hours, depending on the stops.
The tour starts at 08:00 am, and the pick-up will be from your accommodation in Marrakech. Please contact us if you want us to pick you up from a specific place (Airport, Bus/train station, etc.).
This is a private trip, therefore the only people on the tour will be you (your party) and the driver/guide.
Prices vary based on the number of travelers and the category of the accommodations. The hotels and desert camps can be upgraded from standard to mid-range or luxury.
Awesome tour from Marrakech to Fes