8-Day Desert Tour From Fes to Marrakech

Arrival at Fes Saiss Airport with 30-min transfer to hotel or riad. After check-in, relax or take a short neighborhood walk. Guide meets you at your accommodation to review the next day’s plan. Early arrivals may take a brief orientation walk and visit a café for mint tea and pastries. Dinner options include riad dining or local restaurants (guide provides recommendations).

• Driving Time: 30 minutes (airport transfer)
• Where You’ll Stay: Hotel or Riad in Fes
• Meals: None (recommendations available)
• Highlights: Initial orientation and first look at Fes

After breakfast, meet your local guide for a full-day (or Half-day) tour of Fes. Explore Fes el Bali (Old Fes), a UNESCO site and the world’s largest car-free urban area. Enter via Bab Boujloud (Blue Gate). Visit Medersas (Chahrij, Bou Inania, Attarine), showcasing Islamic architecture. See Al-Karaouine Mosque and University (est. 859 CE), viewable from outside.

Visit the traditional tanneries and observe leather processing from a terrace. Lunch in the medina, then continue through artisan souks (coppersmiths, weavers, potters, woodcarvers). Tour Fes El-Jedid (13th century), including the Royal Palace (Dar el Makhzen) and Jewish Quarter (Mellah). Return to your riad by early evening.

• Walking Time: Full-day with breaks
• Where You’ll Stay: Hotel or Riad in Fes
• Meals: Breakfast included
• Highlights: Fes el Bali, Medersas, Al-Karaouine Mosque, tanneries, artisan souks, Fes El-Jedid

Depart Fes heading south via the Middle Atlas Mountains. First stop: Ifrane Alpine-style town built by the French in the 1930s. Walk the town and see its stone lion statue. Continue to Azrou’s cedar forests to see wild Barbary macaques.

Proceed to Midelt (between Middle and High Atlas), known for apples and minerals. Lunch stop with traditional Berber dishes. Cross the Tizi-n-Tilghmt pass with mountain views. Follow the Ziz Valley oasis stop for panoramic views of palm groves against desert cliffs.

Pass Rich and Erfoud, then reach Merzouga by late afternoon. After rest, begin camel trek across Erg Chebbi dunes, timed with sunset. Arrive at desert camp near sunset, settle in, then enjoy dinner and Berber music around a campfire under Saharan stars. Camp includes beds and basic facilities.

• Driving Time: 7–8 hours with stops, 460 km
• Where You’ll Stay: Desert camp in Merzouga
• Meals: Breakfast and dinner included
• Highlights: Ifrane, Azrou Forest, Midelt, Ziz Valley, camel trek, Sahara sunset

Wake early for Sahara sunrise, then breakfast at camp. Begin 4×4 desert excursion. First stop: Dayet Srij Lake seasonal, sometimes home to flamingos. Continue to Khamlia village for live Gnaoua music by residents of Malian, Sudanese, and Nigerien descent.

Visit Berber nomad families in the desert mint tea in woven tents, learn about traditional lifestyles. Return to Merzouga in afternoon. Free time to relax; hotel guests may swim. Optional activities available: quad biking, buggy riding, sandboarding.

Late afternoon camel trek for sunset view from different dune. Return to camp for dinner, stargazing, and Berber music. Sandboarding included.

• Driving Time: 4 hours (4×4 excursion)
• Where You’ll Stay: Desert camp in Merzouga
• Meals: Breakfast and dinner included
• Highlights: Sunrise, Dayet Srij Lake, Khamlia music, nomad visit, sunset camel trek
• Optional Activities: Quad biking, buggy riding, sandboarding

Optional early sunrise over dunes, then breakfast at camp. Camel ride back to Merzouga. After freshening up, head west to Rissani former Tafilalet capital and Alaouite dynasty origin. Visit traditional souk (Tues, Thurs, Sun best) with spices, goods, and dates.

Continue to Erfoud, known for fossils and dates. Visit fossilized marble workshop. Pass palm groves of Touroug and Tinjdad, then reach Todra Gorges 300 m limestone canyon, 10 m wide in spots. Walk riverbed, visit shops or cafes.

Drive on to Dades Valley, noted for “monkey fingers” rock formations and kasbahs. Arrive before sunset to relax at hotel with valley views.

• Driving Time: 4–5 hours with stops, 270 km
• Where You’ll Stay: Hotel in Dades Valley
• Meals: Breakfast included
• Highlights: Morning camel ride, Rissani market, Erfoud fossils, Todra Gorges, Dades Valley

After breakfast, depart Dades Valley via the Valley of Roses known for its May Rose Festival and rose-product production. If in season, visit local cooperatives. Continue to Skoura oasis to see kasbahs and palm groves; highlight is Kasbah Amridil.

Next stop: Ouarzazate (“Hollywood of Africa”). Visit Kasbah Taourirt former Glaoui residence with painted cedar interiors. Optional visit to Atlas Film Studios (entry not included) with sets from Game of Thrones, Gladiator, The Mummy.

Proceed to Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah (UNESCO site), a fortified ksar and former caravan stop. Walk its alleys, climb for panoramic views. After lunch nearby, cross the High Atlas via Tizi n’Tichka Pass (2,260 m), stopping for photos en route.

Arrive in Marrakech late afternoon. Optional first walk to explore, e.g., Jemaa el-Fnaa square.

• Driving Time: 6–7 hours with stops, 350 km
• Where You’ll Stay: Hotel or Riad in Marrakech
• Meals: Breakfast included
• Highlights: Valley of Roses, Skoura, Ouarzazate, Kasbah Taourirt, Ait Ben Haddou, High Atlas, Marrakech arrival

After breakfast, meet guide for full-day Marrakech tour. Begin at Koutoubia Mosque (12th century, 77 m minaret view exterior). Visit Saadian Tombs (royal burial site, rediscovered 1917) with decorated interiors. Continue to Bahia Palace (19th century), known for Moroccan craftsmanship and courtyards.

Explore medina souks for spices, textiles, leather, metalwork. Lunch break near Jemaa el-Fnaa square (UNESCO site, active with performers and vendors). Afternoon visits may include Majorelle Garden (exotic plants, Berber Museum, YSL link) and Menara Gardens (reflecting pool, Atlas backdrop).

Post-tour free time to explore or relax. Evening options: return to Jemaa el-Fnaa or book cooking class, hammam, or cultural dinner show.

• Walking Time: Full-day with breaks
• Where You’ll Stay: Hotel or Riad in Marrakech
• Meals: Breakfast included
• Highlights: Koutoubia Mosque, Saadian Tombs, Bahia Palace, souks, Jemaa el-Fnaa, Majorelle Garden, Menara Gardens
• Optional Activities: Cooking class, hammam, cultural show

After breakfast, free time in Marrakech based on departure schedule. Options include last-minute shopping in souks, revisiting sites, or relaxing at riad. Popular souvenirs: leather goods, ceramics, textiles, spices, argan oil. Guide can suggest reputable shops.

Driver transfers you to Marrakech Menara Airport (~15–20 min from center).

• Driving Time: 15–20 minutes (airport transfer)
• Meals: Breakfast included
• Optional Activities: Shopping, relaxation