Fez to Marrakech 3-day desert tour with camel ride

You ride a camel into the Sahara at sunset and sleep in a desert camp.

A 3-day tour from Fez to Marrakech through the Merzouga Desert, with hotel pickup, an English-speaking guide, and a driver in an air-conditioned vehicle. You ride camels at sunset to reach a desert camp, wake early to watch the sunrise from a high dune, then ride back for breakfast. The route crosses the Todra Gorges and the Dades Valley, stops at Rissani market and the fossilized marble factories of Erfoud, and ends at the UNESCO-listed Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou before dropping you in Marrakech. Accommodation, dinners and breakfasts are included. You choose between a luxury or standard desert camp.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Fes to Merzouga Desert and Camel Ride

• Pick up from hotel in Fes
• Drive via Ifrane ski resort
• Visit Azrou cedar forest and feed monkeys
• Stop for lunch in Midelt
• Cross Tizi N' Talghoun pass and view Ziz valley
• Arrive Merzouga and camel ride to desert camp
• Feed camels and enjoy traditional dinner

Day 2: Merzouga Desert to Dades Gorges

• Watch sunrise from high dune
• Camel ride back to Merzouga and breakfast
• Visit Rissani market and fossil marble factories
• Explore palm groves of Touroug and Tinjdad
• Visit Todra Gorges and optional stroll
• Stop at Boumalne Dades and "monkey legs"
• Dinner and overnight in Dades gorges riad

Day 3: Dades Valley to Marrakech via Kasbahs

• Breakfast and view Dades valley kasbahs
• Drive along "One Thousand Kasbahs Road"
• Visit Ouarzazate and Kasbah of Taourirt
• Explore Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah UNESCO site
• Drive through Tizi N Tichka mountain pass
• Arrive Marrakech and transfer to hotel

The experience

The journey begins with a pickup from your hotel or riad in Fez, then heads south through Ifrane (a French-built ski resort from the 1930s designed to look like a Swiss town), and into the cedar forest of Azrou, where you can feed local monkeys. After lunch in Midelt, a town known for its fossils, you cross the Tizi N' Talghoun pass and descend into the Ziz Valley, where hundreds of date palms line the river. By late afternoon you arrive in Merzouga for the camel ride: you mount up as the sun sets behind the dunes and ride to the desert camp, where you also feed the camels before settling in for the night.

Day two starts before dawn. You climb a high dune near the camp to watch the sunrise, then ride camels back for breakfast. After eating, the route heads to Rissani to visit the marketplace (open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays), then moves through Erfoud's fossilized marble factories and the palm groves of Touroug and Tinjdad. By midday you reach the Todra Gorges, where a river has carved a cliff-sided canyon famous among climbers for its steep rock walls. A short walk through the gorge lets you take in the landscape. The evening continues through Boumalne Dades into the Dades Valley, also called the figs valley, with a stop at the "monkey legs" rock formation before you settle into a local riad for the night.

The final day moves west toward Marrakech. After breakfast you view the Dades Valley from a mountain vantage point, then follow the "One Thousand Kasbahs Road" through the Roses Valley and the Skoura palm grove to Ouarzazate, where you visit the Kasbah of Taourirt, the former home of the Glaoui pasha. The route then stops at Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage ksar (fortified settlement) that has been used as a film location for Gladiator, The Mummy, Sahara and other productions. In the afternoon you cross the Tizi N'Tichka mountain pass with photo stops, descending into the colorful landscape around Marrakech, where you arrive by 6 p.m. and are dropped at your hotel.

What’s included

• Hotel or riad pickup in Fez.
• air-conditioned vehicle with driver and English-speaking guide throughout.
• two nights of accommodation (private tent with ensuite bathroom at Merzouga desert camp, local riad in Dades Gorges).
• dinners and breakfasts on both nights.
• camel ride at sunset into the desert and return ride after sunrise.
• desert guides at the camp.

Options for this experience

2 options

Standard Desert CampGuide in English · 07:30Standard tent in Merzouga. Duration: 3 days, with 2 breakfasts and 2 dinners. Transport by minivan or minibus. Pickup is included.

Luxury Desert CampGuide in English · 07:30Private luxury tent (LUX). Duration: 3 days, with 2 breakfasts and 2 dinners. Transport by minivan or minibus. Includes pickup.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:30

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (18 to 20 years) · Youth (11 to 12 years) · Child (4 to 5 years) · Infant (under 2)

GroupUp to 123456789

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsNo refund if you cancel.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Merzouga Experience

Is this one for you?Choose the luxury desert camp if you want more comfort at night after a full day of driving and camel riding. The standard camp offers the same experience and inclusions at a lower price. Either way, the fixed 3-day schedule fits the major sites (Merzouga, Todra Gorges, Dades Valley, Ait Ben Haddou) into a single trip from Fez to Marrakech without backtracking.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (11 to 12 years); Child (4 to 5 years); Infant (under 2).

What's the camel ride actually like in Merzouga?

The camel ride lasts about an hour at sunset, carrying you from the edge of Merzouga into the desert to reach the camp. You also feed the camels as part of the experience, and the next morning you ride back to the camp after watching the sunrise from a high dune.

Do I need to be fit to do this tour?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. The camel rides are the main physical activity, and they happen at a walking pace. The rest of the days involve driving and short walks at stops like the Todra Gorges and Ait Ben Haddou.

What's included in the accommodation?

Two nights of accommodation are included: the first in a private tent with ensuite bathroom and shower at the Merzouga desert camp, and the second in a local riad in the Dades Gorges. Dinners and breakfasts are included both nights. Lunches are on your own.

When does the tour actually start and end?

Pickup happens from your hotel or riad in Fez on day one. The tour ends in Marrakech around 6 p.m. on day three, when you're dropped at your hotel.

What are the market days at Rissani?

Rissani market is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The tour visits the marketplace on day two, so the timing depends on which day you depart Fez.

Is Ait Ben Haddou really a film location?

Yes. The Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986, has been used to film Gladiator, The Mummy, Sahara, Obelix and The Jewel of the Nile, among others. You explore the ksar on the final morning before heading to Marrakech.