2-day Merzouga desert tour from Fez: Camel ride and luxury camp

Sunrise over the Sahara from inside a luxury tent

A 2-day guided tour from Fez to Merzouga crosses the Middle Atlas cedar forests and the Ziz Valley oasis, ending at a luxury desert camp where you ride a camel at sunset and sleep under the stars. The tour includes hotel pickup, air-conditioned transport to Merzouga, a 4x4 transfer to the camp, one night in a private luxury tent, dinner, breakfast and a camel ride. Your guide handles the full return route to Fez the next morning.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Fes to Merzouga via Atlas Mountains

• Pick up at hotel in Fes
• Drive to Ifrane, Little Switzerland
• Visit Azrou cedar forests and monkeys
• Stop for Berber lunch in Midelt
• Photo stops at Ziz Valley and Erfoud
• 4x4 ride to luxury desert camp
• Drop off luggage at camp
• Camel ride to watch sunset
• Dinner and entertainment at camp

Day 2: Sunrise and return to Fes

• Early wake-up to see sunrise
• Breakfast at desert camp
• Drive back to Fes via Merzouga and Rissani
• Drop off at accommodation in Fes

The experience

Your driver meets you at your hotel in Fez and the route heads south through the Middle Atlas, a mountain range that stretches over 350 kilometers across northern Morocco. The first stop is Ifrane, a city at 1,650 meters altitude known as Little Switzerland for its sloping-roof houses and ski resort, then Azrou and its cedar forests where wild monkeys live. You stop for a Berber lunch in Midelt, then continue through the Ziz Valley (a patchwork of palm trees, fruit orchards and grain fields), and the oasis town of Erfoud before arriving in Merzouga.

At Merzouga, you transfer to a 4x4 jeep for the ride to the luxury camp. After dropping your luggage, you mount a camel and ride into the desert dunes to watch the sunset, then return to the camp for dinner and the evening. The camp sits on the edge of the Sahara, and the night sky carries enough stars to spend hours counting them if you want to.

Your guide wakes you early the next morning so you can watch the sunrise from the dunes. The operator calls it what could be the best sunrise of your life, though that depends on the weather and your timing. After breakfast at the camp, you return to Fez by the same route, with stops in Rissani and other spots along the way. Your driver drops you at your accommodation in Fez.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup in Fez.
• air-conditioned transport through the Middle Atlas, Ziz Valley and Erfoud.
• 4x4 jeep transfer to the desert camp.
• one night in a private luxury tent.
• dinner and breakfast at the camp.
• a camel ride at sunset in the Merzouga dunes.
• return transport and drop-off at your Fez accommodation.

Before you book

Lasts 2d, runs every day at 08:00, from US$ 200 per person, with a live guide in English, Spanish and French, in groups of up to 15 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00

Book up to10h before

AgesAdult (4 to 80 years) · Infant (under 4)

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and French

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

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

Prices and times updated 10 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Bekben travel

Is this one for you?Your guide speaks English, Spanish or French, so choose the language that suits you when you book. The tour runs as a group, and the pace is set by the shared schedule: early wake-up on day two is built in, so if you prefer to sleep through sunrise, a private tour would give you that flexibility.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and French.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Infant (under 4).

What is the Ziz Valley and why do we stop there?

The Ziz Valley is a polyculture oasis in the Sahara where farmers grow palm trees, fruit trees, cumin, grains and other crops. The stop gives you a chance to see the landscape and take pictures of the contrast between the green valley and the desert around it.

Do I ride a camel on both days or just one?

The camel ride happens on the first evening after you arrive at the luxury camp in Merzouga. You ride out into the desert dunes to watch the sunset, then return to the camp for dinner. The second day focuses on the sunrise and the return journey to Fez.

Is lunch included in the price?

Lunch is not included in this tour. You stop in Midelt on the first day for a Berber lunch that you pay for separately. Dinner at the camp and breakfast the next morning are included.

What kind of vehicle takes us from Fez to Merzouga?

An air-conditioned car or minivan carries the group from Fez through the Middle Atlas and down to Merzouga. Once you arrive in Merzouga, a 4x4 jeep transfers you to the luxury camp in the desert.