Fez to Marrakesh Desert Tour: Camel Trekking in Merzouga

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/19

Duration3d

GroupUp to 17

PickupAt your hotel

Camel trek across Erg Chebbi, a night under the stars, and the High Atlas in three days

A three-day desert tour from Fez to Marrakesh that crosses the Moroccan landscape from north to south, passing through the Middle Atlas, the Ziz gorges, and ending in the dunes of Merzouga where you trek by camel and camp overnight. The tour includes two nights' accommodation, all transport in an air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver, and stops at Todra Gorges, Dades Valley, Ouarzazate, and Ait Benhaddou. Pickup is included; children from age one are welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Travel to Merzouga and camel trek

Depart Fez at 8:00 AM
Pass through Ifrane and Azrou cedar forest
Lunch break in Midelt
Enjoy views of Ziz gorges and Palm oasis
Arrive Merzouga and have mint tea
Camel trek across sandy dunes
Overnight in desert camp

Day 2 — Sunrise, travel to Ouarzazate

Early sunrise camel ride
Return to hotel for shower and breakfast
Depart for Ouarzazate via Rissani and Erfoud
Stop for lunch and walk in Todra Gorges
Drive through Dadès Valley
Arrive Ouarzazate for dinner and overnight

Day 3 — Visit Ouarzazate and travel to Marrakech

Visit Kasbah of Taourirt and Atlas Studios
Lunch break in Ait Ben Haddou
Explore Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah
Drive through High Atlas and Tizi-n-Tichka pass
Arrive Marrakech in afternoon

The Experience

How do you cross Morocco in three days without arranging the transport, the camps, or the timing yourself? You start in Fez at 8:00 in the morning and head south through the Middle Atlas—past the cedar forests of Azrou, the jagged rock faces, and Berber villages—stopping for lunch in Midelt before the road opens onto the Ziz gorges and the palm oasis that announces Merzouga. By late afternoon you're at the desert camp, and after mint tea at a traditional kasbah, you mount a camel for a one-hour trek across the sandy dunes of Erg Chebbi. You sleep in a tent under the starry night, and the next morning you rise early to watch the sunrise before heading back to the hotel to shower and eat.

Day two takes you west through Rissani and Erfoud along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, then south through Todra Gorges—where you walk between the canyon walls—and into Dades Valley, where the landscape shifts to dramatic escarpments and small waterfalls. You reach Ouarzazate by afternoon and spend the night in a hotel. On the final day you visit the Kasbah of Taourirt and the Atlas Studios movie studios in Ouarzazate, then stop in Ait Benhaddou for lunch and a walk through the famous kasbah before climbing through the High Atlas and the Tizi-n-Tichka pass. The drive into Marrakesh takes the afternoon, and the tour ends when you arrive.

The vehicle is air-conditioned and the driver is professional, so the long hours of driving are manageable. Accommodation for two nights is included—a desert camp tent in Merzouga and a hotel in Ouarzazate—and the camel ride is part of the package. Lunches, monument fees, and drinks are not included, so you'll budget for those separately. The tour runs year-round and suits all fitness levels, though it is not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health because of the altitude and the physical demands of the camel trek.

What’s included

Two nights' accommodation (a desert camp tent in Merzouga and a hotel in Ouarzazate).
camel trekking across Erg Chebbi.
all transport in an air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver.
and hotel or riad pickup in Fez.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditions

Operated by 3T Travel

Is this one for you?Book the private option if you want to set your own pace and skip the group schedule; choose the small group tour if you prefer company but not a crowd; pick the budget shared option if cost matters more than privacy. The fixed three-day itinerary means the timing holds together without you building it—transport, camps, and the camel trek are all arranged, so you move from the Middle Atlas to the dunes to the High Atlas without negotiating logistics at each stop.