4-Day Desert Tour from Marrakech to Fes

Today we will depart Marrakech in the morning, taking the southern-route alternative to the classic desert crossing. We cross the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi n'Tichka Pass, the highest major mountain pass in North Africa at 2,260 metres, with sweeping views over terraced Berber villages, before continuing past Ouarzazate and turning south into the Draa Valley, Morocco's longest river valley and one of its most striking, a green ribbon of date palm groves — home to some of the country's finest dates — winding through an otherwise stark, rocky landscape flanked by dramatic kasbahs and fortified ksour villages built by generations of Berber and Amazigh communities along this historic caravan route to sub-Saharan Africa. We pass through Agdz, a small oasis town known for its Wednesday market, before continuing to Zagora, historically the last major stopping point for camel caravans heading toward Timbuktu — a signpost on the edge of town, though now largely symbolic, once famously read '52 days to Timbuktu by camel'. We check in to a kasbah-style hotel for the night, with time to relax and enjoy the palm-shaded surroundings before tomorrow's continuation into the dunes. Lunch today is usually taken in Agdz or Zagora, a good opportunity to sample the Draa Valley's own local cuisine.

This morning we continue deeper into the pre-Saharan landscape, driving through increasingly dramatic scenery as the palm groves of the Draa Valley give way to hamada — the flat, stony desert plateau characteristic of this southern region — before turning east across desert tracks toward the dunes of Erg Chebbi near Merzouga. This southern approach offers a genuinely different perspective on the Moroccan Sahara compared to the more commonly travelled northern route via the Ziz Valley, passing through smaller, less-visited settlements and a more remote, open landscape. We arrive in the Merzouga area in the mid-to-late afternoon, where camel handlers meet us for an unforgettable sunset trek across the dunes, the changing colours of the sand as the sun drops toward the horizon difficult to describe and impossible to forget. After roughly 45-60 minutes of gentle camel trekking, we arrive at our exclusive desert camp among some of the highest dunes in Morocco, reaching over 150 metres. Enjoy a traditional dinner cooked over an open fire, and later, gather around the campfire as Berber musicians play traditional drums under one of the most spectacular starscapes anywhere on Earth. This southern approach to the dunes offers a genuinely different perspective on the Sahara, with far fewer other vehicles on the tracks than the busier northern route.

For early risers, this morning offers the chance to climb a nearby dune in the dark and watch the sunrise transform the desert from soft pink to deep gold. After a simple Berber breakfast at camp, we say goodbye to our camel guides and begin the long drive north toward Fes, following the dramatic Ziz Valley, a ribbon of palm groves and mudbrick ksour villages, before climbing into the Middle Atlas via Er-Rachidia and Midelt, where we typically stop for lunch. The landscape shifts noticeably as we continue through Azrou's cedar forests, home to wild Barbary macaques, and the alpine-style town of Ifrane, before descending toward the plains surrounding Fes. We arrive in the early evening with time to check in to your riad and take an easy orientation walk. Lunch en route to Fes is typically a simple stop in Er-Rachidia or Midelt, breaking up this long final drive north.

This final morning offers a little extra time in Fes before your onward journey — perhaps a short stroll through the medina to pick up ceramics or leatherwork, or, if time allows, a brief guided visit to Bab Boujloud, the ornate blue-and-green tiled 'Blue Gate' marking the entrance to Fes el-Bali, the UNESCO-listed old city. If your flight departs from Fes-Saïs Airport, your private driver will transfer you directly, a journey of around twenty minutes from the medina; if your onward travel is from Marrakech or Casablanca, we can arrange a connecting transfer according to your preference. Over these four days, you will have crossed the High Atlas Mountains, journeyed the length of the striking Draa Valley past kasbahs and palm groves, experienced the Sahara from its lesser-travelled southern approach, slept beneath the stars among the dunes of Erg Chebbi, and crossed the Middle Atlas into the imperial city of Fes — a genuinely distinctive route through Morocco's south. On behalf of your driver, guides, and the entire Marokko Travel team, thank you for travelling with us on this distinctive southern-route desert crossing.