4-Day Desert Tour from Casablanca: Sahara, Atlas & Fez

Cross the Atlas, ride camels at sunrise, walk through a UNESCO kasbah

A 4-day tour from Casablanca that crosses the High Atlas Mountains, visits the UNESCO-listed Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, descends into the Sahara Desert for an overnight in a Berber tent with a camel ride, and ends in Fez's old medina. The tour includes a private driver, hotel pickup and drop-off, and a guide who speaks English or French. You'll see the Todra Gorges, the Rose Valley, cedar forests, and the Ziz Valley on the drive between regions.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Casablanca to Ouarzazate via Atlas Mountains

• Pickup from Casablanca hotel
• Drive motorway to Marrakech
• Drive through High Atlas villages
• Stop for photos and breaks
• Pass village of Tdarat
• Drive Tizi-N-Tichka pass
• Lunch in High Atlas restaurant
• Visit Ait Benhaddou Kasbah
• Walk inside Kasbah and visit Berber family
• Drive to Ouarzazate
• Overnight at hotel

Day 2: Ouarzazate to Sahara Desert via Rose Valley

• Visit cinema studios and Taorirt Kasbah
• Drive through Rose Valley
• Stop at El Kelaa Mgouna for rose distillation demo
• Drive to Tinghir
• Drive dirt road to Todra Gorges
• Drive to Tinjdad or Touroug for lunch
• Drive through Erfoud and Rissani
• Arrive desert, have tea
• Camel ride to desert camp
• Overnight in Berber tent

Day 3: Sahara Desert to Fes via Ziz Valley and Atlas

• Wake early for sunrise at dunes
• Camel ride back for breakfast and shower
• Drive through Ziz Valley
• Pass Errachidia and Ziz gorges
• Cross Tizi N Talremt pass
• Lunch in Midelt
• Drive through Middle Atlas and Timhadite plateau
• Stop at Cedar forests to see Barbary apes
• Visit Ifrane mountain resort
• Drive to Fes
• Overnight in riad

Day 4: Explore Fes then return to Casablanca

• Visit Fes royal palace
• Explore Mellah Jewish quarter
• See Fes pottery
• Visit Tanneries and rooftop views
• Drive back to Casablanca

The experience

A private driver picks you from your hotel in Casablanca and drives you south through the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi-N-Tichka pass at 7,415 feet. You stop in villages on the northern slopes where corn dries on stone house roofs, then reach the Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO site used as a backdrop for films like Gladiator. You walk inside the kasbah and visit a Berber family who has lived there for centuries before driving 28 kilometers to Ouarzazate for the night.

On day two you visit the cinema studios and Taorirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate, then head east through the Rose Valley, stopping to see how roses are distilled. The route follows the Dades Valley to the Todra Gorges, where a dirt road runs 14 kilometers through palm-lined riverbanks. After lunch in Tinjdad, you drive through Erfoud and Rissani (where ruins of Sijilmassa, the first Muslim city in North Africa, still stand), and arrive at the desert edge for tea and a camel ride to your overnight Berber tent in the dunes.

Day three starts before sunrise: you walk up the dunes to watch the sun rise, return by camel for breakfast, then drive north toward Fez through the Ziz Valley and Ziz Gorges. The route crosses the Middle Atlas Mountains, passes through cedar forests where Barbary apes live, and stops in Ifrane, a mountain resort built in 1929 with European-style chalets. You reach Fez and stay in a riad in the old medina. On the final day you explore Fez: the royal palace, the Mellah (Jewish quarter), pottery workshops, and the Tanneries with their stone vats of red, yellow and brown dyes, before the driver takes you back to Casablanca on the motorway, a journey of three and a half hours.

What’s included

• Private air-conditioned vehicle and driver for all four days.
• hotel pickup and drop-off in Casablanca.
• one camel ride each in the Sahara.
• overnight stays in a hotel in Ouarzazate, a luxury desert camp in Merzouga, and a riad in Fez's medina.
• a guide who speaks English or French.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:30

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (19 to 50 years) · Under 19: can't be included in the booking

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and French

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 today

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Morocco First Gate

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to see the Sahara and the Atlas Mountains in one trip without arranging your own transport. The private driver handles all the driving, and the fixed itinerary fits the major sites into four days. The overnight in a Berber tent with a camel ride is the centerpiece. If you prefer to stay in hotels only, look for a different routing.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and French.

What's the Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou like when you walk through it?

Ait Benhaddou is a UNESCO-listed kasbah where you walk inside the ancient structures and visit a Berber family who has lived there for centuries. The site has been used as a filming location for major movies including Gladiator and The Sheltering Sky.

Do I ride a camel on this tour?

Yes, you get one camel ride in the evening when you arrive at the desert, riding out to your overnight Berber tent in the dunes. You ride camels again in the morning to return to the camp for breakfast before driving toward Fez.

Where do I sleep on this 4-day tour?

You stay in a hotel in Ouarzazate on night one, a luxury camp in the Merzouga dunes on night two, and a riad in Fez's old medina on night three. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Casablanca are included.

What is the Todra Gorges and how much time do you spend there?

The Todra Gorges are a narrow canyon carved through rock faces by a river lined with palm trees. You drive a dirt road for 14 kilometers through the gorge on day two as part of the route from Ouarzazate toward the Sahara.

How much driving is there each day?

Day one involves driving from Casablanca through the High Atlas to Ouarzazate. Day two is a long drive through the Rose Valley, Dades Valley, and Todra Gorges to the desert. Day three is the longest, crossing from the Sahara through the Middle Atlas to Fez. You'll pass the Ziz Valley, cedar forests, and Ifrane. Day four is a morning exploring Fez, then three and a half hours back to Casablanca.