Desert Tour Casablanca to Marrakech: Merzouga & Dades Gorge

Cross Morocco in four days: from Atlantic coast through mountain passes to desert camp and back.

This 4-day tour departs Casablanca and ends in Marrakech, passing through Fes, the Sahara Desert at Merzouga, and the Dades and Todra gorges. A local guide leads the group through Morocco's oldest medina, cedar forests and Berber villages, then a camel trek takes you into the Erg Chebbi dunes for a night in a desert camp. The return route crosses the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka Pass and stops at the Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Casablanca to Fes city tour

• Meet driver at Casablanca hotel
• Drive 3 hours to Fes
• Meet guide and explore Fes medina
• Visit Royal Palace gate and Jewish quarter
• See Al Qaraouine University and Tanneries
• Visit Moulay Idriss mausoleum and tile cooperative
• Enjoy panoramic view of Fes medina
• Overnight at Riad in Fes

Day 2: Fes to Sahara Desert via Atlas

• Breakfast in Fes
• Travel to Ifrane and cedar forest
• Stop at Azrou to see Barbary apes
• Drive to Midelt for lunch
• Travel through Tiz Ntalghamt pass and Ziz Gorge
• Stop for views in Ziz Valley
• Arrive Merzouga, welcome with mint tea
• Camel ride to Sahara desert camp
• Overnight at Berber camp in Erg Chebbi dunes

Day 3: Sahara sunrise and Dades Valley

• Early wake-up for Sahara sunrise
• Breakfast at desert camp
• Camel trek back to Merzouga village
• Meet driver and travel to Dades
• Optional stop at Rissani mausoleum
• Visit fossilized marble factory in Arfoud
• Lunch in Todra valley
• Walk and explore Todra gorges and palm grove
• Drive through Dades Valley rock formations
• Overnight at hotel in Dades

Day 4: Dades to Marrakech via Kasbah

• Breakfast in Dades accommodation
• Travel through Dades Valley to Ouarzazate
• Stop at Kalaat M’Gouna rose cooperative
• Visit Cinema Museum and Kasbah Tourirte in Ouarzazate
• Continue to Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah
• Drive through Tizi n’Tichka Pass
• Visit Berber women's argan oil cooperative
• Arrive in Marrakech

The experience

The tour starts with a three-hour drive from Casablanca to Fes, where your guide meets you to walk the medina's narrow alleys. You'll see the Royal Palace gate, the 14th-century Jewish quarter (the first Mellah in Morocco), Al Qaraouine University (the world's oldest), the Tanneries and Moulay Idriss mausoleum. After lunch, a visit to the tiles cooperative and a panoramic view over the whole medina rounds out the day. You stay overnight in a three-star riad in Fes.

Day two takes you southeast toward Merzouga through Ifrane, a mountain village known as the Switzerland of Morocco, and the cedar forest of the Middle Atlas where Barbary apes live. You'll pass through Midelt and the Ziz Gorge, watching the landscape shift from mountains to desert hints as you approach the southeast. By afternoon you arrive in Merzouga, where mint tea welcomes you before a camel ride into the Erg Chebbi dunes to reach your Berber camp for the night.

On day three, wake early to watch sunrise over the sand dunes: the itinerary calls it possibly the best of your life. After breakfast at camp, a morning camel trek takes you back to Merzouga village. You then drive to the Todra Gorge, the highest and narrowest gorge in Morocco, where a half-hour walk lets you see the vertical rock walls and palm groves at your own pace. The evening continues through Dades Valley, where rock formations called "monkey toes" line the road, and you overnight in a guest house overlooking the valley.

The final day drives west through Dades Valley (called the way of the thousand Kasbahs for its numerous fortified houses) toward Ouarzazate and Marrakech. A stop at Kalaat M'Gouna in the rose valley gives you the option to visit a cooperative and buy rosewater. In Ouarzazate, you can visit the Cinema Museum, Kasbah Taourirt or Cinema Studio if time allows. The route then passes the Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou, a 19th-century Berber fortress, before crossing the Tizi n'Tichka Pass at 2,260 meters through the High Atlas. A final stop at a Berber women's cooperative shows how argan oil, found only in Morocco, is produced, before arrival in Marrakech.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned transport throughout the four days.
• a local guide who speaks English, Spanish or French.
• hotel accommodation in Fes (three-star riad) and Dades Valley (guest house).
• a Berber camp night in the Sahara at Erg Chebbi.
• camel treks on days two and three.
• and hotel pickup from your Casablanca accommodation.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:00

Book up to1d before

AgesUp to age 90

GroupUp to 8

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and French

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 2 pickup points.

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

Paid on siteUS$ 13.21

Prices and times updated 14 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Massar Travel

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English, Spanish or French, so choose the language that matches your group. If your group mixes languages, confirm the guide's language at checkout: the commentary runs in one language throughout, and a multilingual guide is not guaranteed.

Traveler reviews

5.00★★★★★★★★★★

4 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and French.

What's the oldest university in the world, and where do you see it on this tour?

Al Qaraouine University in Fes is the world's oldest, founded in the 9th century. Your guide takes you through it during the medina walk on day one, along with the Royal Palace gate, the 14th-century Jewish quarter and the Tanneries.

Do you actually ride a camel into the desert, or just watch from a distance?

You ride a camel into the Erg Chebbi dunes on day two to reach your Berber camp, and again on the morning of day three for a trek back to Merzouga village after sunrise. Both rides are part of the tour.

What exactly is the Todra Gorge, and how much time do you spend there?

The Todra Gorge is Morocco's highest and narrowest gorge, carved by the Todra River into enormous vertical rock walls. You have roughly half an hour to walk through it at your own pace, guided through the palm groves and Jewish quarter of the valley.

Is the Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou just a quick photo stop, or do you actually go inside?

The itinerary includes a visit to the Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou, a 19th-century fortress built by a Berber chieftain. You pass through it on day four on the route to Marrakech, though the exact time spent there depends on the group's pace.

How much driving happens each day, and what's the longest stretch?

Day one is three hours from Casablanca to Fes. Day two is the longest, covering the distance from Fes through mountain passes and the Ziz Gorge to Merzouga: a full day of travel with stops at Ifrane, the cedar forest and Midelt. Days three and four involve shorter drives with multiple stops at gorges and valleys.