3 Days Desert Tour from Marrakech to Fes
3 Days Desert Tour from Marrakech to Fes Overview
The 3 day desert tour from Marrakech to Fes is one of the most popular and spectacular desert tours from Marrakech that connects the two imperial cities. This Desert Tour from Mouravid capital Marrakech to Idrissid Fes lets you discover a big part of the south of Morocco and it hidden tresures, starting with the escaping from the bustle city of Marrakech, cross the beautiful scenery of Atlas mountains and its traditional villages, drving along the curvy roads of Tiz n’Tichka with breaks in different panoramic spots for pictures, to the famous and preserved kasbahs of Ait benhaddou fortified village and Ouarzazate with its cinematic attractions and studios. you will spend the first night in the heart of the Dades gorges in a traditional but comfortable hotel. The second day will give you the chance to enjoy a short walk along the gorgeous Todra canyons which reach about 300m high and which become a destination of climbers. You will head towards Merzouga passing through stunning scenic views. Once you arrive Merzouga Erg Chebbi dunes you will ride the camels towards the heart of the desert to spend a night in a luxury camp. During your camel trekking, you will enjoy one of the most spctacular sunset in the high dunes. Enjoy a starry night under a clear and peaceful sky, spend unforgotable authentic sahara time with nomads playing Berber Saharan music around fire after a delicious dinner.
Day 01 Marrakech - High Atlas Mountains - Ait Ben Haddou - Ouarzazate - Dades 330km
- Meet your driver at your Riad and pick you up at 08:00 am from your accommodation.
- Start your 3 days desert tour from Marrakech to Fes heading to the Dades Gorges;
- Cross the Tizi-n-Tichka pass of the high Atlas Mountains with an altitude of 2260m.
- Enjoy views across the mountains.
- Explore the traditional High Atlas Berber villages.
- Visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ait benhaddou, that gives birth to some universal films such as the “Gladiator”, “Lawrence of Arabia”.
- You will have lunch in one of the local restaurants at the foothills of the Kasbahs.
- After lunch you will drive to Ouarzazate with option to visit the Atlas Studios and Taourirt Kasbah.
- Continue to Dades gorges through the vast palm-groves of Skoura Oasis.
- Drive through the rose valley stretching along the M’Goun river ( they blossom between April and mid-May ).
- You will drive up the valley of Dades to reach your hotel with a couple of stops to enjoy the beautiful views of the valley.
- Enjoy bizarre rock formation known as “The monkey feet” .
- Explore Dades Gorges and and panoramic viewof Zig zag road.
- Overnight in hotel in Dades.
Day 02 Dades Gorge - Todra Gorge - Erfoud -Risani - Erg chebbi dunes in Merzouga. 304km
- Have your delicious breakfast.
- Meet your driver and depart at 9:00 Am.
- Drive from Dades gorges to Erg chebbi Sahara desert at Merzouga.
- Head up the Todra gorges for a while to reach the immense cliffs.
- Break in the panoramic view of Todra palm groves.
- Arrive Todra gorges where you will enjoy a short walk of one hour and having some lovely photos.
- Continue your desert tour through Berber villages along the way.
- Lunch time in Tinjdad local restaurant.
- Drive through Jorf and Erfoud city where the Saharan oasis of Tafilalt and its immense arid plateaux begin.
- Once you arrive to Merzouga, you will drive through a small off-road that takes you to the edge of the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi.
- Drive your camels to the deep of Sahara, while the luggage will be transported in a 4×4 to the camp.
- Enjoy camel ride over the dunes and watch a majestic desert sunset on the way to the camp.
- Once you reach your nomadic lux camp, you will be greeted with tea and nomadic smiles.
- Have your beautiful comfortable private tents equipped with ensuite bathrooms and showers to relax before having your delicious dinner time.
- After a delicious dinner meal, fire will be burned and muisc will be played by nomads under stary sky.
- free time to walk over the dunes and enjoy soft sand.
- Overnight in private desert tent.
Day 03 Merzouga - Erfoud - Errachidia - Midelt - Cedar Forest ( monkeys) - Fes. 532km
- Wake uo early morning to witness and experience majestic sunrise in the sand dunes.
- Have your rich breakfast in the camp.
- Pack and go back either on camels or by 4×4 leaving the dunes behind.
- Back on the asphalt roads to head north towards Fez via Tizi Talghomt; the second gate of Sahara.
- Drive through Tafilalt oasis and palm groves of Ziz valley and its palm grove.
- Pass through Zaabel tunnel.
- You will drive through Middle Atlas and pass through Midelt which famous for production of apples.
- Continue throught Timahdit which famous for Petroleum Rocks.
- Break in Azrough ceder forest to feed Barbarey Apes and explore Cedar Guru Tree(800 years old)
- Visit Ifrane city which known as Moroccan Switzerland.
- Drive the lovely scenic views of Imouzzar Kander toward Fez.
- Arrive cultural capital of Fez.
- Drop you off at your accommodation.
Private Tours:
- An air conditioned 4×4 or Minivan, depending on the number of the group
- Fuel
- English/French/Spanish speaking driver during the tour
- Pick up & Drop off at your Marrakech & Fes accommodations
- Overnight in Dades gorges or Skoura in a traditional comfortable Hotel. Possibility to upgrade to a deluxe hotel on a private tour
- Camel Trek to overnight in Luxury Camp with Ensuite-bathroom and shower
- Private rooms/tents
- Dinner and breakfast are included with the overnights
- Free time to explore the sites such as Ait BenHaddou kasbah, Walks, Canyons, Breaks for photos,..Etc
- Local guide in Ait Ben Haddou
- No forced Shopping
- No hidden costs
- Lunch (Full Menus cost an average of 10€, and you can order “á la carte” in most places)
- Drinks ( if you drink a lot of water, you can purchase a package of 6 bottles from a small shop)
- Entrance fees to optional ouarzazate and Skoura visits:
- Cinema Museum : 30MAD per person
- Kasbah Taourirte: 20MAD per person
- Atlas Cinema studio : 50MAD per person
- CLA cinema studio : 50MAD per person
- Amridil Kasbah in Skoura: 20MAD per person
- Gratuities (optional)
What’s the difference between private and shared tours?
The main differences between private and shared tours are the vehicle, you will only be sharing the transportation, rooms and tents are private, and even for meals you can chose to stay separated from the group if that is your preference. The other difference is that private tours are guaranteed, once you confirm your booking, we are commited to offer the tour, however shared tours depend on demand and require a minimum of 4 participants to run, if the minimum number is not met, you have the choice between a free cancellation or negotiate a deal to continue as a private tour.
Is it possible to have vegetarian/vegan food?
Yes it is possile to provide vegetarian or vegan food during the tour, all you need is to let us know during the booking process and maybe remind your driver during the tour.
Is it possible to reach the camp without riding the camel?
Yes the camp has a dedicated 4×4 car to transport the luggage and clients who are not interested in riding the camels at all or at least do it only once. If you go on a private tour, you will be traveling in a comfortable 4×4 car that can access the camp if needed.
Does the camp have private bathrooms ?
Yes our camp is considered a luxury camp yet we include it in our basic packages without a significant raise in the price, all the tents are equipped with ensuite bathroom and showers
How to pay for the Tour?
To confirm any tour or activity, we require a small deposit to be paid over PayPal to our account, the balance is due in cash at the pick up, to be paid to your driver in euros or equivalent in dirhams
Credit cards :
Unfortunately we do not accept payments with credit cards because they are not very popluar nor practical in Morocco and they generate so many fees and hold some security risks
Is it possible to pay the total with PayPal:
Normally we ask for the balance payments in cash because paypal also has many transaction fees and operational delays since it’s an international institution. We can in some cases accept the full payment via paypal however a 5% fee will be applied to cover the extra transaction charges. In case you are considering this method, it is best to arrange the payment before the tour.