3 Days Fes Desert Tour

Experience the journey with local hosts

Returning to Fes makes sense if your riad, your flight, or your wish to keep exploring the medina lives there. The middle day is for dunes, 4x4 and villages, not for more highway.

A strong choice for guests already staying in Fes who want the Sahara without relocating their bags to Marrakech.

Places on this tour: Ifrane & Azrou · Merzouga

This is a private tour with Moroccan Travel. See all multi-day tours from Fes, or browse Morocco desert tours.

Useful official background for places on this route: Visit Morocco guide to Errachidia, Midelt and Merzouga (Visit Morocco — Errachidia, Midelt and Merzouga).

Private & Flexible Local Drivers Comfortable Transport Authentic Experiences

Tour Highlights

Traverse the Middle Atlas cedar forests

Follow the Ziz Valley palmeraie

Camel trek at Erg Chebbi

Sunset and sunrise on the dunes

Night in a Sahara camp

Optional 4x4 instead of camel

Itinerary

Day1

Fes → Ifrane → Midelt → Ziz Valley → Merzouga desert camp

Approx. driving time: Approx. 470 km / 8 hours plus camel trek

Pickup at your Fes riad after breakfast. You leave the medina behind and climb into the Middle Atlas, a cooler world of cedar and oak. Ifrane, built like a small alpine town, is a coffee stop; Azrou’s forest often offers a glimpse of macaques. The air is noticeably fresher than the plains.

South of Midelt the landscape dries. Apple trees give way to steppe, then to the first views of the Ziz gorges — a break in the plateau where the river has cut a deep green trench of palms. We pause at a belvedere before continuing through Errachidia and Erfoud, towns that live off dates, fossils and the desert road.

Erg Chebbi comes into view in the late afternoon. After a short rest in Merzouga, you mount camels and ride into the dunes for sunset. Dinner, Berber music and a night under an enormous sky follow at camp. If you would rather skip the camel, a 4x4 can take the same route into the sand.

MealsDinner

AccommodationSahara camp at Erg Chebbi

Day2

Erg Chebbi free day: dunes, villages, 4x4 & camp

Approx. driving time: Local 4x4 circuits around Merzouga

A full day among the dunes changes the trip from a transit into a stay. After sunrise you can sandboard, walk a ridge in silence, or return to bed for a late breakfast. The heat of midday is best spent in shade — at camp, or at a kasbah hotel with a pool on the edge of the erg.

In the afternoon a 4x4 circuit can take you to nomad tents, the village of Khamlia known for Gnawa music, seasonal lakes if it has rained, and fossil workshops in the hamada. These visits are arranged at a human pace, with tea rather than a checklist.

Sunset is again in the dunes, perhaps from a different ridge than yesterday. A second night in camp lets the desert settle in: you start to recognize the shape of the nearest dune, and the night sky feels less like a spectacle and more like a place you are sleeping inside.

MealsBreakfast, Dinner

AccommodationDesert camp or kasbah hotel in Merzouga

Day3

Merzouga sunrise → Ziz Valley → Midelt → Ifrane → Fes

Approx. driving time: Approx. 470 km / 8–9 hours with stops

Sunrise over Erg Chebbi is the last desert moment of the trip. After breakfast and a shower at the camp or a nearby hotel, you drive north along the Ziz Valley, a green corridor of date palms cut through red escarpments. The viewpoint above the palmeraie near Errachidia is a natural pause for photographs.

The road then climbs toward the High Plateau around Midelt, where apple orchards and mud-brick villages sit under Jebel Ayachi. Lunch is typically in Midelt. In the afternoon you enter the Middle Atlas: cedar forest, the highland town of Ifrane with its red roofs, and often a short stop near Azrou if Barbary macaques are feeding at the forest edge.

Fes appears in the late afternoon, a vast medina in a bowl of hills. We take you to your riad, help with luggage through the lanes if needed, and leave the evening free — many guests go straight to a rooftop for the sunset call to prayer. Tomorrow, if your itinerary includes it, the medina deserves a slow morning.

MealsBreakfast

AccommodationRiad in Fes medina or Ville Nouvelle

What’s Included

Hotel or airport pickup and drop-off
Private air-conditioned vehicle for the itinerary
Professional driver-guide
Fuel and road taxes
Overnight accommodation as outlined (standard category, upgradeable)
Daily breakfasts
Luggage transportation
Flexible sightseeing stops along the route
Camel trek in the dunes (or 4x4 alternative on request)
Night in a Sahara camp with dinner when the itinerary includes the desert
Sandboarding at Erg Chebbi when conditions allow

Not Included

International and domestic flights
Lunches and drinks unless specified
Monument and museum entrance fees
Travel insurance
Tips for drivers, camp staff and local guides
Personal expenses and souvenirs

Accommodation

We offer a choice of standard, comfort or luxury options to suit your style of travel.

Comfortable Moroccan riad bedroom — **Comfortable Hotels & Riads**Handpicked stays with warm Moroccan hospitality.

Desert camp tents in the Sahara — **Desert Camps**Authentic camps in the Sahara with private tents and comfortable beds.

Good to Know

This is a private tour, flexible to your pace and interests.
Long driving days with scenic stops — we never treat the road as filler.
Desert nights can be cold even in summer. Bring a layer, closed shoes, sunscreen and a scarf.

Responsible travel

We support local communities and family-run accommodation.
Please respect local customs and traditions.
Reduce plastic use and leave no trace on the dunes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this tour private?

Yes. You travel in a private air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver. Dates, pace and stops are yours — we do not combine you with other bookings.

Can we customize this itinerary?

Yes. Nights, hotel category, camel versus 4x4, extra cities and slower driving days can all be rewritten before you book. This outline is a starting point.

Is the camel trek required?

No. The usual sunset ride into Erg Chebbi lasts about 45–90 minutes at walking pace. You may take a 4x4 to camp instead — say so when you inquire.

What should we pack for the desert nights?

Layers, closed shoes, a scarf for wind, sunscreen and a small torch. Camps provide blankets. Duffels move more kindly than hard suitcases. Nights can be cold even after hot afternoons.

Real experiences from our travelers

Read traveler notes on independent platforms. We do not publish invented star ratings.

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