Fez to Marrakech 3-day desert tour: Merzouga camel trek

High Atlas and Sahara crossing tour, trekking, desert camping and mountain riad stay, unique overnight experience

A 3-day guided tour from Fez to Marrakech through Morocco's Middle Atlas, Sahara Desert and High Atlas mountains, with camel trekking in Merzouga, overnight stays in a desert camp and a traditional riad in Dadès Valley, and visits to Todra Gorges, the Roses Valley and the UNESCO World Heritage kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou. The tour includes hotel pickup in Fez, an air-conditioned vehicle throughout, and a live guide in English, Spanish, Italian or French. Lunch is not included on any day.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Fes to Merzouga Desert and Camel Trek

• Pick up from hotel in Fes at 8am
• Travel to Ifran mountain village
• Stop at Azrou cedar forest
• Continue to Midelt town
• Drive through Tiz Ntalghamt pass and Ziz Gorge
• Lunch in Errachidia
• Travel along Ziz Valley to Erfoud and Rissani
• Arrive at Merzouga and welcome tea
• Camel ride in Merzouga sand dunes
• Dinner and overnight in Berber tent

Day 2: Merzouga to Dadès Valley via Todra Gorges

• Sunrise at high dune near camp
• Camel ride back to Merzouga
• Breakfast at camp
• Visit Rissani market
• Visit fossilized marble workshops in Erfoud
• Drive to Touroug and Tinjdad palm groves
• Visit Todra Gorges and short walk
• Lunch in Todra Gorges area
• Travel to Dadès Valley via Boumalne Dadés
• Stop at “monkey feat” viewpoint
• Dinner and overnight in Dadès Gorges

Day 3: Dadès Valley to Marrakech via Ouarzazate

• Breakfast and view Dadès Valley lookout
• Drive along “One thousand kasbahs road”
• Stop at Roses Valley and Skoura palm grove
• Visit Kasbah of Taourirt in Ouarzazate
• Optional visit to cinema studios and museum
• Visit Ait Ben Haddou ksar and kasbah
• Lunch in Ait Ben Haddou town
• Drive to Marrakech via Tizi Ntichka mountain pass
• Arrive in Marrakech and transfer to hotel

The experience

The tour picks you up at 8am from your Fez hotel and heads south through the Middle Atlas mountains toward the Sahara. The route passes through Ifran (a mountain village known as the Switzerland of Morocco), and Azrou, a Berber village in the largest cedar forest in Morocco where Barbary apes live. You'll drive through the Tiz Ntalghamt pass and Ziz Gorge, watching the landscape shift from green mountains to desert hints as you approach Errachidia. Lunch happens here, then the drive continues through the Ziz Valley to Merzouga, arriving in the afternoon.

In Merzouga, you're welcomed with mint tea before setting out on a camel trek guided by an experienced camel man across the golden sand dunes. Dinner is served in front of the tent where you'll spend the night in a luxury desert camp. The next morning starts before dawn. You climb a high dune to watch the sunrise, then return to camp for breakfast. After leaving the desert, you visit Rissani's market (if it's a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday), then Erfoud's fossilized marble workshops. The afternoon takes you to Todra Gorges, where a river has carved a cliff-sided canyon popular with climbers. There's free time to walk through and have lunch. You continue to Dadès Valley, also called the figs valley, stopping at the "monkey feat" rock formation before reaching your riad guesthouse in the Dadès Gorges for the night.

On the final day, you start with a view of Dadès Valley from a mountain lookout, then drive the "One Thousand Kasbahs Road" through the Roses Valley and Skoura palm grove to Ouarzazate. There you visit the Kasbah of Taourirt, the old residence of the Glaoui pasha (cinema studios and museum are optional). Half an hour further is Ait Ben Haddou, a fortified ksar and UNESCO World Heritage Site where films like Gladiator, The Mummy and Sahara were shot. Lunch is in town. In the afternoon, the route crosses the Tizi Ntichka mountain pass with photo stops before descending into Marrakech, arriving around 6pm and ending at your hotel.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup in Fez at 8am.
• an air-conditioned vehicle for all driving.
• a private tent with attached bathroom in a luxury desert camp in Merzouga.
• a camel trek guided by an experienced camel man.
• a private air-conditioned room with adjoining bathroom in a riad guesthouse in Dadès Valley.
• visits to Todra Gorges, Dadès Valley, Ouarzazate's Kasbah of Taourirt and the UNESCO kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou.
• a live guide in English, Spanish, Italian or French.
• sandboarding in the desert.

Before you book

Lasts 3d, runs every day at 07:30, from US$ 239 per person, with a live guide in English, Spanish, French and Italian, in groups of up to 9 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:30

Book up toStart time

GroupUp to 9

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French and Italian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 14 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by MOROCCO TRIP DESERT

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you want to sleep in the desert and the mountains rather than hotels each night: the overnight in a Merzouga tent and a Dadès riad means you experience the landscape from inside it, not just pass through. The fixed 3-day route and included transport mean the whole journey holds together without you arranging pickups, drivers or timing between stops.

Traveler reviews

4.51★★★★★★★★★★

112 verified traveler reviews

5 ★87

4 ★7

3 ★10

2 ★4

1 ★4

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French and Italian.

Where do I sleep on this tour, and what are the accommodations like?

You sleep in two different places. The first night is in a luxury desert camp in Merzouga in a private tent with an attached bathroom. The second night is in a riad guesthouse in Dadès Valley in a private air-conditioned room with an adjoining bathroom. Both are included in the tour price.

What is Ait Ben Haddou, and why is it worth visiting?

Ait Ben Haddou is a fortified village (ksar) and UNESCO World Heritage Site declared in 1986. It's a spectacular location where major films including Gladiator, The Mummy, The Jewel of the Nile and Sahara with Penélope Cruz were filmed. You visit on the final day and have time to explore the famous kasbah and have lunch in town.

Is lunch included in the tour price?

Lunch is not included on any of the three days. You'll have time to eat at each stop (Errachidia on day one, Todra Gorges on day two and Ait Ben Haddou on day three), but you'll need to arrange and pay for your meals separately.

Does the tour include a visit to the Rissani market?

Yes, the tour stops at Rissani's market on day two. The market operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, so you'll see it if your tour falls on one of those days. The stop includes time to browse before continuing to Erfoud.