How many days for a Fes to Marrakech desert tour?

Three days is the rushed minimum and 4–5 days is more comfortable. Five days, like this trip, lets you slow down for the Middle Atlas, two nights at Erg Chebbi, the Dadès Valley, Ouarzazate and Aït Benhaddou.

What is included in the 5-day Fes to Marrakech tour?

Private transport with English-speaking driver, all transfers, four nights of accommodation (riads/hotels and a Berber desert camp), a camel ride into the Erg Chebbi dunes, and dinner and breakfast at the camp.

Is this trip suitable for families with children?

Yes — the relaxed pace works well for families. Children from around 5 do well; we add snack and photo stops, and younger kids can ride a shared camel with a parent at Merzouga.

Is the desert camp comfortable or can I upgrade?

Yes — Berber tents with proper beds, blankets, washbasins and shared dining are comfortable. Premium luxury camps with private en-suite tents and hot showers can be arranged on request.

Fes to Marrakech Desert Tour, 5 Days via Merzouga & Atlas

5-Day Fes to Marrakech Desert Tour via Sahara

English / French / Spanish Meet with guide 5 days

Fes, Morocco (168 Reviews)

5-day Fes to Marrakech Sahara desert tour — Merzouga and Atlas

Overview

This 5-day fes to marrakech desert tour is ideal for families exploring the best of Morocco in private travel — a slower version of the marrakech to fes desert tour, simply reversed and one of our most relaxed marrakech fes desert tours. We cross the Middle and High Atlas Mountains, ride camels into the Erg Chebbi dunes and reach Marrakech via Aït Benhaddou with Local Morocco Tours, running private trips since 2012. See more Fes tours or our wider tours from Marrakech page for shorter alternatives.

Highlights

Fes to Merzouga via Ifrane & Midelt Merzouga Desert Excursion Merzouga Erfoud Todra Valley Todra Dades Skoura Ouarzazate Private driver-guide

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1

Fes to Merzouga via Ifrane, Midelt and the Atlas Mountains

We explore the best places and destinations on a private Morocco tour from Fes. Leaving your hotel in Fes, we travel towards Ifrane, a beautiful mountain village often called "the Switzerland of Morocco". We then visit Azrou, set in the largest cedar forest in Morocco, where you can spot the resident Barbary macaques. We continue to Midelt for lunch before driving on to Errachidia and Erfoud, where you visit a fossil workshop. Arrive in Merzouga for an overnight stay in a local kasbah with dinner.

Day 2

Merzouga Desert Excursion

After breakfast we explore the Merzouga desert, including the Hassilabied nomad museum, then visit Khamlia village to meet the Gnaoua musicians. In the afternoon we head into the Erg Chebbi dunes by camel, watch the Sahara sunset and gather around traditional Berber music after dinner. Overnight in the desert tents on this 5-day Fes to Marrakech Sahara journey with Local Morocco Tours.

Day 3

Merzouga Erfoud Todra Valley

After watching the sunrise, we ride the camels back to the hotel for breakfast, then continue to Rissani for an optional visit to its souk. We head on to Erfoud, well known for its fossils, before reaching the Todra Valley, famous with rock climbers. Dinner and overnight in a local kasbah.

Day 4

Todra Dades Skoura Ouarzazate

After breakfast we drive along the famous Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, passing through Berber villages to reach the Skoura palm grove and Ouarzazate, where you visit the local film studios and the Taourirt kasbah. Dinner and overnight at a local hotel on our 5-day Fes to Marrakech Sahara desert tour.

Day 5

Ouarzazate, Aït Benhaddou and Marrakech

After breakfast, our 5-day Fes to Sahara and Marrakech tour continues with a visit to Aït Benhaddou kasbah, a UNESCO World Heritage site that has appeared in films such as "Gladiator" and "Lawrence of Arabia". We then continue to Marrakech across the High Atlas Mountains and drop you off at your riad or hotel. We will be happy to arrange the perfect private tour from Fes for your friends, family or group with Local Morocco Tours.

What's included

All hotel pick-up and drop-off transfers with local drivers
Comfortable private travel from Fes in an air-conditioned vehicle
Camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes
Overnight stays in riads/hotels and a Sahara desert camp
Dinners and breakfasts

Not included

Lunches and soft drinks
Admission fees and gratuities

Guide languages

English, Spanish, French, and more languages are available upon request.

Departure

We depart from your riad or hotel in Fes at your requested time — usually at 8:00 am. Send your dates to request a quote.

Departing from Fes, ending in Marrakech

Five days from Fes to Marrakech is the version with breathing room: time to stop at every site properly, explore the Sahara dunes at leisure, and arrive in Marrakech without rushing the final mountain pass. Starting from your Fes hotel on Day 1, the circuit takes you south through the Middle Atlas, across the Sahara, and back over the High Atlas — a complete north-to-south crossing of Morocco with all its terrain variation included.

The extra days compared to shorter Fes-to-Marrakech tours are felt most in the Sahara and in Fes itself. Five days allows two nights at Erg Chebbi (a sunrise and a sunset in the dunes), a stop at the Todra Gorge for a proper afternoon walk through the narrows, and time in the Draa Valley palm groves rather than just driving through them. Cultural stops — Ait Benhaddou, Ouarzazate and the Skoura oasis — get enough time to be memorable.

Fes is one of the best starting points for this circuit because it adds the imperial city context at the beginning: the Bou Inania Medersa, the Chouara tanneries, the spice souk, and the oldest active university in the world at the Al-Qarawiyyin. All accommodation, camel trek, breakfasts, dinners, and private vehicle are included. Request a quote for your travel dates.