4 Day Tour from Marrakech to Fes via the Sahara Desert
This is the unhurried way to cross Morocco from south to north. Instead of rushing the desert into three long driving days, four days give you time for the kasbahs, two gorges, a full evening in the dunes of Erg Chebbi and a relaxed crossing of the Middle Atlas before Fes. Your private driver handles the road; you just choose where to stop.
- Duration: 4 days, 3 nights
- Starts: Marrakech (hotel or riad pick-up)
- Ends: Fes
- Route: Marrakech → Ait Ben Haddou → Skoura → Dades → Todra → Merzouga → Midelt → Ifrane → Fes
- Price: on request, depends on group size and camp level
Highlights
- The High Atlas crossing over the Tizi n'Tichka pass
- A guided walk through the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou
- A night in the Dades Valley among red rock formations
- A morning walk between the cliffs of Todra Gorge
- Camel ride at sunset and a night in a desert camp in Erg Chebbi
- Cedar forests and Barbary macaques in the Middle Atlas
Day by Day
Day 1: Marrakech → Tizi n'Tichka → Ait Ben Haddou → Dades Valley
Leave Marrakech in the morning and climb through Berber villages to the Tizi n'Tichka pass. After a guided visit of Ait Ben Haddou, continue past Ouarzazate and the Skoura palm grove to the Dades Valley for the night.
Day 2: Dades Gorge → Todra Gorge → Merzouga
Drive the hairpin road up the Dades Gorge for the views, then walk the narrow canyon of Todra Gorge. In the afternoon you reach Merzouga, where camels carry you into the dunes for sunset, a Berber dinner and a night at camp.
Day 3: Merzouga → Rissani → Ziz Valley → Midelt
After sunrise over the dunes, ride back for breakfast and a shower. Visit Rissani, the old caravan town, then follow the Ziz Valley north with its palm-filled canyon to Midelt, at the foot of the Middle Atlas. A shorter driving day with a quiet night.
Day 4: Midelt → Azrou → Ifrane → Fes
Cross the Middle Atlas through the cedar forest near Azrou, where macaques live, and stop in Ifrane, the alpine-style town. Arrival in Fes around lunchtime, with the afternoon free.
Included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with professional driver
- 3 nights: hotel in the Dades Valley, desert camp (dinner and breakfast), hotel in Midelt
- Camel trek in Erg Chebbi
- Guide at Ait Ben Haddou
- Fuel and bottled water
Not included: lunches, dinners outside the camp, entrance fees, tips.
Good to Know
- Why four days: the extra night breaks the long Merzouga to Fes drive in half.
- Prefer it faster? The 3 day Marrakech to Fes desert tour covers the same route in fewer nights.
- Going the other way: see our 3 day Fes to Marrakech desert tour.