5-Day Desert Tour from Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga

Day 1: Marrakech, Telouet, Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate

Your driver meets you at your riad or hotel in Marrakech. First, you cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 meters. Next, you visit Telouet, the old kasbah of the Glaoui family, and follow the Ounila Valley. Then, you explore the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou and spend the night in Ouarzazate. About 5 hours of driving.

Day 2: Skoura, Kasbah Amridil, the Rose Valley and the Dades Valley

After breakfast, you visit the 17th-century Kasbah Amridil in the Skoura palm grove. Then, you pass Kalaat M’Gouna, the Rose Valley, where roses bloom in spring. In the afternoon, you reach the Dades Valley and see the “monkey fingers” rocks. About 3 hours of driving.

Day 3: Todra Gorge, Erfoud and the Merzouga Desert Camp

After breakfast, you walk along the river in Todra Gorge. Next, you continue through Tinjdad and Erfoud to Merzouga. In the late afternoon, you ride a camel into the Erg Chebbi dunes for sunset. Dinner and Berber drums at the camp end the day. About 4.5 hours of driving.

Day 4: A Full Desert Day with Nomads and Khamlia

Wake early for sunrise over the dunes. After breakfast, a 4×4 takes you to a nomad family and to Khamlia, a village known for Gnaoua music. Then, you see the palm groves and the seasonal lake, which holds water only after rain. The night is in a hotel facing the dunes.

Day 5: Merzouga, the Ziz Valley, Midelt, the Cedar Forest and Fes

After breakfast, you follow the Ziz Valley north. After lunch in Midelt, you cross the Tizi n’Talghemt pass at 1,907 meters and the cedar forest of Azrou, where wild Barbary macaques live. Finally, you pass Ifrane and reach Fes by early evening. About 8 hours of driving.