Fes desert tours compared: 2 to 7 days
| Tour | Route | Nights in the desert | Ends in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 days | Fes – Middle Atlas – Ziz Valley – Merzouga – Fes | 1 | Fes |
| 3 days | Fes – Ifrane – Merzouga – Todra Gorge – Dadès – Aït Benhaddou – Marrakech | 1 | Marrakech |
| 4 days | As 3 days, plus a full day in the desert with a 4x4 excursion and Rissani market | 2 | Marrakech |
| 5 days | As 4 days, plus the Valley of Roses, Skoura and a night in Ouarzazate | 2 | Marrakech |
| 6 days | Adds a night in Midelt on the way south for a gentler first day | 2 | Marrakech |
| 7 days | Guided Fes medina day, the desert route and a full guided day in Marrakech | 2 | Marrakech or Casablanca |
The 3-day tour is the most popular choice: it turns the journey between Morocco's two best-known cities into a crossing of the Atlas and the Sahara. Choose 4 days or more if you want time in the dunes rather than just a sunset and sunrise.
Fes to Marrakech desert tour or a return trip to Merzouga?
Fes is slightly closer to the Erg Chebbi dunes than Marrakech, so it is a convenient starting point for the Sahara. The question is where you want to end up.
- Return to Fes: the 2-day trip suits travellers who are based in Fes, fly out from Fes airport or are heading on to Chefchaouen and Tangier. It is fast-paced, with around 7 to 8 hours of driving each day.
- One way to Marrakech: the 3- to 6-day tours never backtrack. After the desert they follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs west to Aït Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass.
The drive south is one of the most varied in the country: Ifrane, nicknamed the 'Switzerland of Morocco', the Azrou cedar forest where Barbary macaques live, the apple-growing town of Midelt and the palm groves of the Ziz Valley. If you are still deciding on a desert, our Merzouga and Sahara desert guide explains what to expect.
Exploring Fes, the imperial city, before your tour
Allow at least one full day in Fes before or after a desert tour. Fes el-Bali, the walled medina, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world, with thousands of lanes, workshops, mosques and madrasas. Highlights include the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university, the Bou Inania and Al-Attarine madrasas, the Chouara tannery, the Bab Boujloud gate and the Mellah (the old Jewish quarter) beside the Royal Palace gates.
A local guide is genuinely useful in the medina, both for finding your way and for understanding what you see. Fes is also well placed for short excursions: the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the imperial city of Meknes, about an hour away, and Chefchaouen to the north. Read more in our guide to Fes and Meknes, Morocco's imperial cities, and see our tips on shopping in Morocco if you plan to buy leather or ceramics.
What is included, and practical tips for tours from Fes
Every tour is private, with a vehicle and driver-guide for your group only. As described on each tour page, packages cover transport and accommodation during your stay in Morocco, including the desert camp night and camel trek; international flights are not included. In the comfort camp each tent is private, normally for two people, with its own bathroom and toilet, and a partner camp with air-conditioned tents is also used. Merzouga has no luxury hotel category, so on luxury tours the upgrade applies in the Dadès Valley and at the camp.
- Camel ride: depends on camel availability that day; otherwise you reach camp by 4x4 with a sunset stop and ride the next morning.
- Weather: the Middle Atlas around Ifrane can be cold or snowy in winter, and the desert is very hot in summer. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons.
- Money: carry cash in dirhams (MAD), a closed currency, for lunches, entrance fees and tips.
- Languages: driver-guides work in English, French, Spanish and Italian; Spanish and Italian depend on availability for your dates.