6-Day Sahara Desert Tour: Fez to Marrakech
Fez → Sahara Desert → Marrakech
The reverse of our classic Marrakech-to-Fez route, for travellers whose flights land or leave from Fez. Two nights in the dunes, the Todra and Dades gorges, and a finish in Marrakech rather than a backtrack.
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Highlights
- The Middle Atlas cedar forests, home to Barbary macaques
- Two nights at a small, private desert camp near Merzouga
- A full day with no driving to actually be in the dunes
- The Todra and Dades gorges on the way south
- Arrive in Marrakech with time to explore before you fly home
Day by day
A working draft: the order and pace are ours to adjust once we know what matters most to you.
Fez to Merzouga
South through the Middle Atlas cedar forests and down the Ziz Valley's palm oases, arriving at Erg Chebbi, a dune field roughly 22 by 5 kilometres, piled up to 150 metres high by the wind, just as the dunes turn rust-coloured at dusk.
About 7-8 hours on the road, roughly 460 km
Desert camp, Erg Chebbi
In the dunes
A full day with no driving: sandboarding, a visit to a local Gnawa family, or simply time to sit still, closing with a shared tagine dinner and drumming around the fire.
No driving today
Desert camp, Erg Chebbi
Merzouga to Todra Gorge
West across the flat hamada into the Todra Gorge, cut by the Todgha River through the High Atlas to a narrowest point of about 10 metres with walls up to 160 metres high: worth a short walk on foot.
About 2.5 hours on the road, roughly 130 km
Guesthouse in the gorge
Dades Valley to Ait Benhaddou
Along the 'Road of a Thousand Kasbahs' through Skoura's palm groves and old fortified granaries, arriving at Ait Benhaddou in the afternoon, a UNESCO World Heritage ksar since 1987 and a filming location for Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator.
About 3 hours on the road, roughly 160 km
Guesthouse below the ksar
Ait Benhaddou to Marrakech
A morning walk of the ksar in the cool early light before crossing the High Atlas on the Tizi n'Tichka, North Africa's highest major pass, into Marrakech.
About 4 hours on the road, roughly 200 km
Riad, Marrakech medina
Marrakech
A guided morning through the souks and the Bahia Palace, built in 1866–67 and later expanded by Grand Vizier Ba Ahmed, then the Jemaa el-Fna as the food stalls set up, before free time until you fly home.
No driving today
Riad, Marrakech medina
Included
- ✓Private car and driver for the full route
- ✓5 nights' accommodation, breakfast included
- ✓1 camel trek and 1 desert camp dinner
- ✓Local guide for the Marrakech medina morning
Not included
- —International flights
- —Lunches and most dinners
- —Entry fees to monuments and museums
- —Tips for driver and guide
Questions about this route
Ask about this route
Send us your rough dates and what you'd want to change, and we'll come back with a real draft, not a form letter.
Tour at a glance
- Duration
- 6 days · 5 nights
- Transport
- Private car/4x4
- Languages
- English, French
- Availability
- Year-round
From the blog
Private or group: what actually changes on the road
The difference isn't comfort so much as control over the day.
By Omar Hafidi
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A first-timer's route through the Marrakech medina
Where to start when every street looks the same as the last.
By Anouar
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How many days do you actually need in Marrakech?
Enough to slow down, not so many that you run out of medina.
By Anouar
Read articleOther routes
4-Day Sahara Desert Tour from Fez
The most direct route to Erg Chebbi and back, for travellers based in Fez with four days rather than a week. The Middle Atlas cedar forests and Ziz Valley palmeries do a lot of the scenic work on the way down.
4-Day Imperial Cities Tour from Fez
The shortest way to see three imperial cities and the best Roman ruins in the country, without touching the desert or the coast further south: a good add-on to a Fez-based trip rather than a trip on its own.
4-Day Middle Atlas Tour from Fez: Ifrane and Azrou
A short trip into the cedar forests and mountain air of the Middle Atlas: Ifrane's alpine-style streets, Barbary macaques near Azrou, and a slower pace than the medina, an hour and a half from Fez.