Fes to Marrakech: 3-Day Desert Tour via Merzouga & Camel Ride

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/50

Duration3d

GroupUp to 30

LanguagesEN · FR +1

Mobile ticketAccepted

Cross the Atlas Mountains, meet Berbers, ride camels at Merzouga dunes

You’ll cross Morocco from Fes to Marrakech by way of cedar forests, palm valleys, Saharan dunes and ancient kasbahs—with camel rides at sunset and sunrise in Merzouga, nights spent under desert stars, guided walks through Berber villages and gorges, plus pickup and local guides along every step.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Fez to Merzouga via Atlas Mountains

Depart from Fez
Short tour of Fez city
Visit cedar forest in Azrou
Feed Barbary monkeys
Cross Middle Atlas Mountains
Photograph Ziz valley palm grove
Lunch at local restaurant
Drive to Merzouga dunes
Check in at hotel and drink mint tea
Camel ride into desert
Overnight in desert camp

Day 2 — Merzouga to Dades Valley

Early sunrise camel ride
Drive towards Toudgha Gorges
Guided tour of Toudgha Gorges
Head to Tinghir for overnight

Day 3 — Tinghir to Marrakech via Ouarzazate

Drive early to Ouarzazate
Visit Taourirt Kasbah
Visit cinema museum and film studios
Visit Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah
Cross High Atlas Mountains
Optional lunch at Tichka Pass or Ait Ben Haddou
Drive to Marrakech and drop off

The Experience

I’ll admit, we almost missed the minibus in Fes because I couldn’t find my other shoe (classic me). Our driver just grinned and said, “No rush—Morocco waits for nobody but also for everyone.” That set the tone. The road out of Fes twisted through Ifrane—felt oddly European, all clean lines and pine trees—then into Azrou’s cedar forest. There were monkeys everywhere, swinging and snatching snacks from outstretched hands. I tried to feed one a bit of apple; it stared at me like I’d offered it homework instead of food. The air smelled sharp and earthy, colder than I expected. Our guide, Youssef, taught us how to say “thank you” in Tamazight—I definitely butchered it but he just laughed.

The drive to Merzouga felt endless in that good way where you can watch the landscape change every hour: green valleys fading to rocky plains, then suddenly those wild orange dunes rising up out of nowhere. When we finally got there, someone handed us mint tea before we even checked in—sweet and hot and honestly perfect after so many hours on the road. I changed in a hurry because camels were waiting (they really do look unimpressed by humans). Riding across Erg Chebbi at sunset felt surreal; sand everywhere except where the sky turned pink behind us. My phone died halfway through but I didn’t care—sometimes you just have to let your brain take the picture.

Sleeping in the desert was… weirdly peaceful? There was this hush at night except for distant laughter from another campfire and the wind brushing over canvas tents. In the morning, sunrise hit everything gold and our group shuffled back onto camels with sand still stuck between our toes. We stopped in Toudgha Gorges—a place that makes you feel tiny—and wandered with a local guide who pointed out how water shaped all those cliffs over centuries. Lunch somewhere near Tinghir tasted smoky and rich; I still think about that bread they served straight from a clay oven.

The last day was a blur of kasbahs—Ouarzazate’s movie studios (I recognized nothing but pretended I did), Ait Ben Haddou’s mud-brick towers glowing under harsh sun, then switchbacks over the High Atlas where villages clung to hillsides like they might slide off any minute. By the time we rolled into Marrakech my head was full of dust and stories. It wasn’t always comfortable or easy but honestly? That’s what made it stick with me.

What’s included

Your journey includes hotel pickup in Fes, air-conditioned transport across Morocco’s shifting landscapes, guided visits with locals at gorges and kasbahs, two nights’ accommodation—one under canvas at a desert camp in Merzouga (with sandboarding if you’re up for it), one at a comfortable hotel in Tinghir—and both sunset and sunrise camel rides through Erg Chebbi before arriving in Marrakech.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Morocco Global Adventures