3 Day Desert Tour from Fes to Merzouga
From the medieval lanes of Fes to the biggest dunes in Morocco, this private round trip crosses the Middle Atlas, the cedar forests and the long green ribbon of the Ziz Valley before reaching Merzouga. With two nights by the dunes, one in a riad at the edge of the sand and one in a desert camp, you have time to enjoy the Sahara instead of only passing through.
- Duration: 3 days, 2 nights
- Starts and ends: Fes
- Route: Fes → Ifrane → Midelt → Ziz Valley → Merzouga → Fes
- Driving: about 7 hours each way, broken by stops
- Price: on request, depends on group size and camp level
Highlights
- Ifrane, the tidy alpine-style town nicknamed the Switzerland of Morocco
- Barbary macaques in the Azrou cedar forest
- Viewpoints over the Ziz gorges and its endless palm groves
- A free afternoon at the dunes, with optional quad biking or sandboarding
- A sunset camel ride into Erg Chebbi and a night in a desert camp
- Rissani's old market and the Gnawa music village of Khamlia
Day by Day
Day 1: Fes → Ifrane → Midelt → Merzouga
Your driver collects you at your riad at 8:00. You climb into the Middle Atlas, stopping in Ifrane and in the cedar forest near Azrou, where macaques live among the trees. After lunch in Midelt, at the foot of the snowy Jbel Ayachi, the road descends through the Ziz gorges into the pre-Saharan oasis country. You arrive in Merzouga in the late afternoon and check in to a riad facing the dunes.
Day 2: Merzouga, the dunes and the camp
A morning around the dunes: visit the black-robed Gnawa musicians of Khamlia, see a seasonal lake that attracts flamingos, and stop at Rissani's busy souk, where farmers trade dates and livestock. The afternoon is free to relax by the pool or try sandboarding. Before sunset you ride camels into Erg Chebbi to your camp for dinner, drums and a sky full of stars.
Day 3: Merzouga → Erfoud → Fes
Climb a dune at dawn to watch the sunrise, then ride back for breakfast and a shower. On the way north you stop in Erfoud, famous for its fossil workshops, and at the Tizi n'Talghemt pass. Arrival in Fes in the early evening.
Included
- Private air-conditioned 4x4 or minivan with professional driver
- 1 night in a riad in Merzouga, with dinner and breakfast
- 1 night in a desert camp in Erg Chebbi, with dinner and breakfast
- Camel ride to and from the camp
- Fuel, tolls and bottled water
Not included: lunches, quad or sandboard hire, luxury camp upgrade, tips.
Good to Know
- Finish in Marrakech instead: the same desert nights can be part of a one-way trip from Fes to Marrakech via the Dades and Todra gorges. Ask us for that version.
- Shorter option: a 2-day Fes to Merzouga trip is possible, but it means two very long driving days back to back.
- Best time: October to April. Winter nights in the desert can drop close to freezing, and camps provide heavy blankets.
- Starting in Marrakech? See our 3 day desert tour from Marrakech to Merzouga.