Marrakech to Fez Desert Trip: Kasbahs, Camel Ride & Gorges

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/21

Duration3d

GroupUp to 17

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Cross the Atlas to Fez with kasbahs, camel rides and desert nights

You’ll wind from Marrakech over the Atlas Mountains to Fez, pausing for mint tea at Tizi-n'Tichka Pass, exploring ancient kasbahs like Aït Ben Haddou, sleeping under Saharan stars after a camel ride across Erg Chebbi dunes, and sharing laughter (and bread) with Berber hosts along the way.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Marrakech to Dades Gorge via Kasbahs

Meet at Marrakech hotel after breakfast
Drive through Tizi-n-Tichka pass
Stop for mint tea and scenery
Visit Ait Benhaddou Kasbah
Lunch at Ait Benhaddou
Visit Ouarzazate and Atlas Studios
Drive through Valley of Roses and Dades Valley
Arrive at Dades Gorge for sunset
Dinner and overnight at traditional hotel

Day 2 — Dades Gorge to Merzouga Desert Camp

Breakfast at hotel
Walk through Todra Gorges
Drive road of 1000 Kasbahs via Tineghier village
Arrive in Rissani for lunch
Walk in Rissani market and visit Kasbahs
Drive to Merzouga before sunset
Leave car at hotel
Camel ride into Erg Chebbi dunes
Dinner and overnight in Berber tent

Day 3 — Merzouga to Fez via Ziz Oasis

Wake up for sunrise over dunes
Camel ride back to hotel
Breakfast and shower
Depart towards Fez via Rissani
Pass through Ziz Valley
Lunch in apple village
Drive through mountains and cedar forest
Arrive in Fez in afternoon

The Experience

The first thing I remember is the sound of tires crunching gravel as we left Marrakech behind — our driver Youssef humming something I didn’t recognize. The road climbed fast into the High Atlas, where the air thinned and changed from city dust to something sharper, almost cold. We stopped at Tizi-n'Tichka Pass for mint tea — honestly, it tasted sweeter than any I’d had in Marrakech. I tried to say thank you in Arabic and got a smile back that said I’d mangled it. The light on the mountains kept shifting colors; I kept trying (and failing) to catch it on my phone.

Aït Ben Haddou was next — all sun-baked mud walls and quiet corners that felt like they belonged in another century. Our local guide pointed out where “Gladiator” was filmed (I pretended not to be impressed but, yeah, it’s cool). Lunch was simple: bread still warm from the oven and a tangy salad with olives. By late afternoon we were winding through the Valley of Roses, which actually did smell faintly floral even though it wasn’t peak season. That night in Dades Gorge, dinner came with laughter from the kitchen and a sky so dense with stars it almost looked fake.

The second day started early — Todra Gorges echoing with birdsong and our footsteps on damp stone. We passed through Tineghier village; kids waved at us like we were celebrities or maybe just oddities. After lunch in Rissani’s market (dates everywhere), we reached Merzouga just before sunset. Camels aren’t as comfortable as they look but riding into Erg Chebbi’s dunes felt surreal anyway. Our Berber hosts welcomed us at camp with music around a fire; someone handed me bread baked in hot sand — gritty but good. I still think about that silence after everyone went quiet under those stars.

Sunrise in the Sahara is cold — nobody tells you that part. Our camel guide woke us gently (“shwiya shwiya,” he said) so we could climb a dune before breakfast. The way back toward Fez cut through Ziz Oasis (palms everywhere) and Medilt’s apple orchards. Somewhere between naps in the van and watching cedar forests blur past, I realized how much ground we’d covered since Marrakech. It’s a lot to take in — not everything fits into photos or even words sometimes.

What’s included

Your journey includes hotel pickup in Marrakech by air-conditioned minibus with an English-speaking driver.
two nights’ accommodation (one traditional hotel near Dades Gorge and one Berber tent camp at Erg Chebbi), two breakfasts and two dinners along the way.
all application taxes.
plus your sunset camel ride into the Sahara before returning by camel at sunrise toward Fez.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Marrakech desert tour