Morocco Desert Tour Marrakech to Fez: Camel Rides Merzouga

Cross the High Atlas and sleep under stars in the Sahara, then wake to ride camels at sunrise before heading to Fez.

This 3-day guided tour departs Marrakech, crosses the High Atlas Mountains through Berber villages and the Tizi-N'Tichka Pass, stops at the UNESCO-listed Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou, descends into Dades Gorge for the first night, then reaches Merzouga Desert on day two for sunset and sunrise camel rides and an overnight stay in a Berber tent under the stars. The tour ends in Fez on day three. A driver and air-conditioned transport are included throughout. Meals, guides in English, Spanish, French or Arabic, and optional activities like sandboarding or ATV rental are available depending on the option you choose at checkout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Travel and visit kasbahs

• Pick up in Marrakech
• Drive through High Atlas and Tizi-N'Tichka Pass
• Visit Ait Benhaddou kasbah
• Enjoy traditional lunch
• See kasbah Taourirte in Ouarzazate
• Stop at Roses Valley and local cooperative
• Arrive and check in at hotel in Dades Gorge
• Dinner and overnight in Dades Gorge

Day 2: Explore gorges and desert camp

• Breakfast and depart to Todra Gorge
• Visit Todra Gorge
• Arrive at Merzouga near Erg Chebbi Dunes
• Sunset camel trek to desert camp
• Optional sandboarding and ATV rental
• Dinner with Berber music at camp
• Overnight in desert tent

Day 3: Sunrise and travel to Fez

• Sunrise camel ride
• Breakfast at camp lodge
• Travel through oases, gorges, and Azrou forests
• Arrive in Fez and drop off at accommodation
• End of tour

The experience

You're picked up in Marrakech and travel south through the High Atlas in an air-conditioned vehicle, passing Berber villages and crossing the Tizi-N'Tichka Pass. The route stops at Aït Ben Haddou, a UNESCO-listed kasbah that has drawn film crews from around the world, where you have time to explore before a traditional lunch at a local restaurant. From there, the road descends into the Roses Valley, where the tour pauses at a local rose cooperative (the valley supplies much of the region's rose products) before arriving at Dades Gorge for dinner and your first night in a hotel.

Day two takes you through Todra Gorge, then on to Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi Dunes at the edge of the Sahara. You ride a camel at sunset to a desert camp, where you sleep in a tent under the stars and wake before dawn for a sunrise camel ride back to the lodge and breakfast. The camp offers an authentic Berber experience: a tagine dinner cooked over a fire, Berber music and dancing, and the choice to add sandboarding or rent an ATV or buggy at your own expense if you want more time in the dunes.

On day three, the drive north to Fez takes you through oases, rocky gorges, and the cedar and oak forests around Azrou, where Barbary macaques live wild. You arrive in Fez in the early evening and are dropped at your accommodation or the nearest accessible point. The long distances mean your driver takes breaks to rest and let everyone stretch: a requirement built into the schedule to keep the journey safe and manageable.

What’s included

• Driver and air-conditioned transport throughout.
• hotel accommodation on night one in Dades Gorge.
• Berber tent accommodation on night two in Merzouga.
• sunset and sunrise camel rides.
• tagine dinner and Berber music on the second evening.
• breakfast on days two and three.

Options for this experience

3 options

Normal OptionGuide in 4 languages · 07:00 and 07:30includes pickup

Moyenne OptionGuide in 4 languages · 07:00 and 07:30includes pickup

Luxury OptionGuide in 4 languages · 07:00 and 07:30includes pickup

You pick the guide language when booking.

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

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 07:00 and 07:30

Book up to13h before

AgesAdult (19 to 65 years) · Senior (66 and older) · Youth (11 to 12 years) · Child (5 to 10 years) · Infant (under 5)

GroupUp to 17

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French and Arabic

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 12 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats available

Operated by Marrakech City Travel

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you're arriving in Marrakech and want to reach Fez without renting a car or arranging your own transport: the route, the camel rides, and the desert camp are all set, so you move through three regions and two very different landscapes without building the itinerary yourself. The 3-day length gives you time to cross the mountains, spend a full day and night in the desert, and still reach Fez by evening, which a shorter tour can't do.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French and Arabic.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (11 to 12 years); Child (5 to 10 years); Infant (under 5).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What's included in the 3-day tour from Marrakech to Fez?

The tour includes driver and air-conditioned transport for all three days, accommodation in a hotel on night one and a Berber tent on night two, sunset and sunrise camel rides in Merzouga, and a tagine dinner with Berber music on the second evening. Meals beyond dinner, a live guide, and optional activities like sandboarding or ATV rental depend on which option you select at checkout.

Do I need to book the camel rides separately, or are they part of the tour?

The sunset and sunrise camel rides in Merzouga are included in the tour. You don't book them separately. They're part of the desert camp experience on day two.

What's the accommodation like in the Merzouga Desert?

On night two, you sleep in a local Berber tent in the desert camp with no air conditioning or heating. It's an authentic experience under the stars, with a tagine dinner and Berber music and dancing around a fire before bed.

Can I add sandboarding or rent an ATV in the desert?

Yes, sandboarding and ATV or buggy rentals are available in Merzouga, but they're at your own expense and not included in any tour option.

How long is the drive each day, and are there rest stops?

The distances are long: day one covers the route to Dades Gorge, day two goes to Merzouga, and day three returns to Fez. Your driver is required to take breaks to rest and allow passengers to get fresh air, so the schedule builds in time to stretch and recover.