Morocco » Northern Morocco » Fez | 🏛 Merzouga Tours

Fes to Marrakech Sahara Tour: Camel Trek & Desert Camp

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.87 (209 reviews) 92% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/10

Duration2d

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN · DE +5

PickupAt your hotel

From Fes through Atlas valleys to Merzouga dunes & Marrakech

You’ll cross cedar forests and palm valleys from Fes before camel trekking into Merzouga’s Sahara dunes for sunset and a night in a private tent—with Berber music by firelight. After sunrise breakfast in camp, journey on through Rose Valley and Atlas passes before arriving in Marrakech’s lively heart.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Fes to Merzouga via Atlas and Sahara

Pick up from Fes meeting point
Visit Ifrane and cedar forest
Spot Barbary monkeys
Drive to Midelt for lunch
Continue through Ziz Valley oasis
Stop at panoramic viewpoint
Arrive at Sahara desert
Camel ride to dune camp
Watch sunset from dune
Relax in private tent
Dinner at camp
Enjoy Berber music by bonfire

Day 2 — Merzouga to Marrakech via Atlas Mountains

Camel ride back to Merzouga
Breakfast and shower at hotel
Drive to Rose Valley
Lunch in Rose town
Travel to Ouarzazate via Berber townlets
Cross High Atlas Mountains Tizi n Tichka pass
Arrive in Marrakech

The Experience

Hands wrapped around a chipped mug of mint tea, I watched our driver, Youssef, laugh with a roadside vendor in Ifrane—he called it “the Switzerland of Morocco,” but honestly, it just felt like a cool breath after the dust of Fes. The air smelled faintly of cedar as we stopped in Azrou’s forest; Barbary monkeys darted between trees while a little girl tried to coax one closer with an apple slice. Didn’t expect that. Our group was quiet for a bit after—maybe just soaking up the hush before the desert.

The drive through Ziz Valley was long but never dull—palms everywhere and those layered red cliffs that look painted on. Lunch in Midelt was simple: tagine with bread you tear apart by hand (I got sauce all over my sleeve). By late afternoon, Merzouga’s dunes started glowing orange under a sky that felt too big for words. Climbing onto the camel felt awkward at first (my guide Hassan grinned and said “just lean back!”), but once we got moving, it was oddly peaceful—the only sound was soft sand shifting under hooves. That sunset? I still think about that light on everyone’s faces.

Dinner at camp tasted smoky and sweet—lamb and vegetables cooked slow while Berber music drifted out under the stars. Someone handed me a drum; I tried to keep up, mostly failed, but nobody seemed to mind. My tent was quiet except for wind against canvas. In the morning, sunrise turned everything gold and pink—hard to explain how good that first coffee tasted out there.

After camel-trekking back (legs wobbly), we showered off the sand in Merzouga and drove through Rose Valley toward Marrakech. The villages along the way blurred past—kids waving from doorways, laundry flapping on rooftops. Crossing Tizi n’Tichka pass felt like threading between worlds: snow patches still clinging to rock above green valleys below. We reached Marrakech tired but kind of wired from it all; Jemaa el-Fna square already humming with life as we rolled in at dusk.

What’s included

Your journey includes pickup from Fes, camel trek into Merzouga’s dunes with an overnight stay in a private tent at a desert camp, dinner under Saharan stars plus breakfast next morning—and all transfers onward to Marrakech via scenic mountain routes with stops for lunch along the way.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by love Morocco Desert