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 in Marrakech around 8 a.m. First, you climb the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 meters, with stops at viewpoints over terraced valleys and Berber villages. Next, you follow the quiet Ounila Valley road past the Glaoui kasbah of Telouet, famous for its carved cedar ceilings and zellige, to the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou. You cross the river and walk up to the old granary for the classic view over the earthen village. In the afternoon, you reach Ouarzazate, with time for the Taourirt kasbah before dinner. About 4.5 hours of driving.

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

After breakfast, you visit Kasbah Amridil in the Skoura palm grove, a 17th-century family fortress with old tools for olive oil and grain, and rooms that show how families lived in the south. Then, you drive through Kalaat M’Gouna and the Rose Valley, where roses bloom in spring and cooperatives sell rose water, oils and creams all year. In the afternoon, you reach the Dades Valley and its monkey fingers rocks, with time to walk or enjoy the viewpoints before dinner. This is the shortest driving day of the tour, ideal for a relaxed pace. About 2.5 hours of driving.

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

In the morning, you drive to Tinghir and walk along the river in Todra Gorge, between limestone cliffs about 300 meters high, for about 45 minutes. Next, you pass the palm groves of Tinjdad and the fossil workshops of Erfoud, where ancient marine fossils are cut into polished stone. Around 5 p.m., you reach the Erg Chebbi dunes, leave your big luggage in the car and ride a camel for about an hour to your camp. Sunset from a high dune, dinner, Berber drums around the fire and a sky full of stars end the day. About 4 to 4.5 hours of driving.

Day 4: A Full Desert Day with Nomads and Khamlia

Wake early for sunrise over the dunes, then return by camel or 4×4 for breakfast. Next, a 4×4 takes you across the rocky desert to a nomad family, who welcome you in their tent for Berber tea and explain how they live with their animals. Then, you visit Khamlia, a village known for Gnaoua music, and listen to a short performance of the traditional rhythms. In the afternoon, you can try sandboarding on the dunes, walk in the palm groves or simply rest by the pool. The night is in a hotel facing the dunes, warmer and more comfortable than a second night in the camp.

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

Today is the longest day, so you leave early after breakfast. First, you pass Rissani and follow the Ziz Valley, where thousands of date palms fill the canyon floor, with a stop at a panoramic viewpoint. After lunch in Midelt, a town known for its apples, you cross the Tizi n’Talghemt pass and the cedar forest of Azrou, home to wild Barbary macaques; watch them from a distance and do not feed them. Finally, you pass Ifrane with its alpine houses and descend to the Saïss plain, reaching your riad in Fes in the evening. About 7.5 to 8 hours of driving.