5 Day Desert Tour from Fez To Marrakech

Duration: 5 Days/4 Nights Distance: 1121 km

Start: Fez End: Marrakech

Type: Private Tour

Highlights at a Glance

Explore the medieval medina of Fez (UNESCO World Heritage & world’s first university)

Admire the landscapes of the Ziz Valley, the Cedar Forest with Barbary macaques & alpine Ifrane

Sunset camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes & overnight in a luxury desert camp

Walk through the stunning Todra Gorges and palm groves

Explore Ouarzazate, the “Hollywood of Africa” & Atlas Film Studios

Visit UNESCO site Aït Ben Haddou, famous film location (Gladiator, Game of Thrones)

Scenic drive through the High Atlas Mountains via Tizi N Tichka.

Tour Program

Distance: 350km Time on the road: 5h

Rise early to climb the golden dunes and witness an unforgettable Sahara sunrise. Return to your desert camp for a refreshing shower and hearty breakfast, then pack up for the next adventure. Choose between a scenic camel ride or a comfortable 4×4 transfer.

Meet your driver and journey toward Ouarzazate, stopping in Rissani to explore one of southern Morocco’s largest and most vibrant traditional souks. Continue through the breathtaking Draa Valley, lined with endless palm groves and stunning desert views.

Arrive in Ouarzazate and check into your hotel for a relaxing overnight stay.

Day 1 : Arrival at Fez airport - visit fez with local guide

Distance: 35km Time on the road: 45min

When you arrive at Fes Airport, our driver will transfer you to the hotel and our local guide will come to meet you at your Riad. We will go on a tour of the city that is the cultural and religious center of Bahrain. In this tour, you will be immersed in the enchanted atmosphere of a medieval oriental city, you will stroll through the winding and narrow streets of the ancient Medina, and you will become familiar with the numerous historical and architectural monuments that adorned the former capital of the Kingdom of the Sultans from the Merinid and Alaouite dynasties. The majority of these monuments are outstanding examples of the architectural style known as Moorish influence. During your trip, you will go to the Bu Inanya mosque, as well as the madrassas, which are Islamic educational institutions, Nejarin plaza, and the fountain. You will find yourself in the handicraft quarters, where artisans who deal with leather and ceramics do their work according to the techniques that they have acquired from their grandfathers and great-grandfathers. These techniques are carefully passed down from one generation to the next. Once it is done, we will go to the Jewish quarter that is still there at the current day. It demonstrates that the Jewish community and the Muslim community coexist in the same space. After a long day in the Medina, the driver will meet you, then he will pick you up to your hotel. Overnight in Fez.

Day 2 : Fes - Ifrane - Cedar Forest - Medelt - Ziz valley - Sahara Desert

Distance: 463km Time on the road: 7h:30min

Your authentic Morocco tour will take us to the direction of the desert. After having breakfast, we check out and make our way to Merzouga. Although it is one of the longest trips, which takes around seven hours to drive, we will enjoy the time since we will be seeing different landscapes. During our journey, we will make a stop in Ifrane, a town that is known as “Moroccan Switzerland” due to its European-like nature and temperature, parks that feature lakes and chalets, a ski resort, and an abundance of snow during the winter months. When we are on our way to Azrou, we will have the opportunity to feed the wild monkeys and observe the spectacular Atlas cedars that are located in the area around Ifrane. The monkeys are amicable, and they enjoy each other’s company when they are fed. We will restart our journey to Midelt, we will have lunch. In our route will drive through the valley and the canyon of the Ziz River, We will stop in one of the panoramic views in the valley to take some photos, after that we will continue to the desert, you will check into your hotel near the dunes.

Day 3 : Sahara Desert sightseeing

Following a typical breakfast at the hotel, you will tour Erg Echebbi’s neighborhood. You can learn more about culture, traditions and the way people live by visiting the Khamila village, where you can take in folk dances and black Gnaoua music. Then, you can explore the magnificent Merzouga. After that, we’ll return to the hotel, where you can leave your extra luggage because today you’ll have an unforgettable experience. Camels will be waiting to take you through the golden sand dunes of Erg Echebbi, transporting you to another world, while you’re perched atop one of the camels and admiring the spectacular sunset in the middle of the desert. You will eventually reach our customarily well-equipped camp, where you can partake in a traditional dinner in a convivial atmosphere while taking in a berberine music concert under the stars. Overnight in the camp.

Day 4 : Desert - Rissani - Toudra Gorges - Boumaln Gorges

Distance: 270km Time on the road: 5h:30min

Wake up early to witness the breathtaking sunrise over the Sahara dunes, a magical moment not to be missed. After enjoying breakfast at the desert camp, you will ride your camels back to Merzouga, where you can refresh before continuing the journey.

Our first stop will be Rissani, home to one of the oldest and most traditional souks (markets) in Morocco, where locals trade spices, livestock, and handicrafts. From there, we travel through Tinjdad on the way to the spectacular Todra Gorges, famous for their towering cliffs reaching up to 300 meters high. Here, you will have time to walk along the gorge and enjoy the stunning natural scenery.

The journey continues through the Dades Valley, where we will spend the night.

Day 5 : Dades - Ouarzazate - Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou - Marrakech

Distance: 323km Time on the road: 5h:30min

Our journey to Marrakch will begin with a brief stop in the Dades gorges. We are going to travel by Mgouna, which is the location of the flowers festival that takes place annually. After that, we continue to Ouarzazate. This city is often referred to as the “Hollywood of Morocco” owing to the fact that a great number of historical films were shot in the city. We have a stop Atlas film studio. Following that, we will take a short trip to Ait Ben Hadou, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The kasbah is famous for making series and films such us Game of Thrones and Gladiator. After our visit to the Kasbah, we will continue to Marrakech passing by the high Atlas Mountains, Tizi n-Tishka, which is located at an elevation of 2260 meters. Along the route, we will be stopping for photographs at several locations. There are vistas of the verdant river valleys with adobe settlements and the remnants of old kasbahs when traveling along this route, which is one of the most scenic ways in Morocco. Next, we will make our way in the direction of Marrakech. We will drop you off at your accommodation in Marrakech, and end of our services.

Accommodations

Category 1
Fez	Riad Tahra
Desert Night 1	Sahara Desert Luxury Camp
Desert Night 2	Riad Dar Hassan
Dades	Hotel Babylon Dades Gorges

Category 2
Fez	Palais Houyam
Desert Night 1	Caravanserai Luxury Desert Camp
Desert Night 2	Riad Chebbi
Dades	Riad Dades Paradise

Category 3
Fez	Palais Faraj
Desert Night 1	Desert Luxury Camp
Desert Night 2	Desert Luxury Camp
Dades	Eden Boutique Hotel

*In case the listed hotel is fully booked, we will provide a similar option of the same category and inform you accordingly.

What’s included in our Morocco desert tours

Pick up from the airport
Transport in a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle
Professional English-speaking driver/guide (or request other preferred language)
Dinners and breakfasts throughout the tour
Local guide in the Fez
Camel ride experience in the Sahara Desert
Overnight stay in a Merzouga desert camp
Accommodation in carefully selected hotels and traditional riads
Sandboarding