Finest 4-Day Desert Tour from Marrakech to Fes

Marrakech → High Atlas → Ait Ben Haddou → Dades

Your 4-day tour from Marrakech to Fes begins with an 8:00 am pickup, then heads south over the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi n’Tichka pass — Morocco’s highest road — with a coffee or tea break at a viewpoint over the peaks.You’ll reach the spectacular kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven and Game of Thrones were filmed, then continue to Ouarzazate, “the Hollywood of Africa,” and its film studios. Before an overnight in the Dades Valley, you’ll pass through Skoura and the Mgouna Rose Valley.

Accommodation: Riad Paradise Dades or similar

Boumalne Dades → Tinghir → Erfoud → Sahara desert

This morning you’ll leave the Dades Valley for the Todra Gorge, one of Morocco’s most beautiful canyons, with a walk through the Todra oasis and its towering cliffs before continuing south to Erfoud, famous for its fossils.Crossing the Saharan oasis, you’ll reach Merzouga with time to rest before mounting your camel for the ride into the dunes. After an hour’s camel trek you’ll reach camp, welcomed with tea as the sun sets over the sand. Dinner is served in the camp’s restaurant tent, with Berber drums around the fire and a starry sky overhead. Overnight in the desert.

Accommodation: Riad Paradise Dades or similar

Merzouga explore — Gnawa music & nomad families

After an early sunrise and breakfast, you have the whole day for a 4x4 excursion through the desert around Merzouga — stunning scenery, oases and abandoned villages. First stop is the seasonal lake, where flamingos and other birds gather against a backdrop of dunes.Next is Khamlia, whose people originally came from Mali and Sudan, where you’ll take in the rhythms of Gnawa music. Stop for an optional lunch of Berber pizza or mint tea in a tent, then continue off-road along the Dakar Rally route, pausing at a desert oasis before returning to your Merzouga hotel. In the evening, stroll to the village or nearby dunes for a serene sunset.

Accommodation: Tawada Desert Camp or similar

Merzouga → Errachidia → Midelt → Azrou → Fes

After breakfast you’ll set off for Fes. Passing through Errachidia, the desert’s main administrative centre, you’ll stop for the sweeping view over the Ziz Valley and its palm trees, then continue to Midelt, the city of apples, for lunch.Next is the Azrou cedar forest, home to wild monkeys — a chance to photograph the woodland and feed the (sometimes shy) macaques. Continuing toward Fes you’ll pass Ifrane, “Moroccan Switzerland,” arriving around 6–7 pm depending on stops — the end of your 4-day tour from Marrakech to Fes.