This is a customized 5-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour. Get ready for an amazing 5-day and 4-night trip in Morocco. During this journey, you will see unique sites! This includes; the High, Middle, and Anti Atlas mountains. Impressive Kasbahs and Berber villages like Ait Benhaddou. Moreover, you are going to explore unique places and hidden gems like the Atlas studios in Ouarzazate, the curves of Tissdrine in Boumalne Dades, and the Todra Gorges in Tinghir. Furthermore, we will head deeper into the south of Morocco for the highlight of our trip, the Merzouga desert. Here, you will ride camels and spend a magical desert night in a traditional camp under the stars.
Our adventure doesn’t finish here, there is more to discover! You will have a free day dedicated to exploring the desert and its hidden gems. This trip ends in Fes, and on the way there, you will see charming places like Ziz Valley, the Cedar Forest, and the Wild Monkeys. In addition to the little Switzerland of Morocco, Ifrane. Above all, this trip has it all, something for every type of traveler. Book yours now with Morocco Vacations; contact us!
Here are the tour highlights:
Our Moroccan tour starts by picking you up from your hotel or the airport! First, we leave Marrakech and drive through the High Atlas Mountains. Here, we will cross over a famous mountain pass called Tizi n’Tichka. It is a curvy road that goes up high in the mountains, the highest point we will reach is around 2260m. In fact, it is considered the highest road in Morocco. Once we reach this altitude, we will make a stop to enjoy the views and stretch a leg.
Next, we head to visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the fortress of Ait Ben Haddou! The largest and most famous Kasbah in all of Morocco. This place has an interesting history, as it was built to host trading camel caravans in the past. Nowadays, it is a destination for making movies and TV series. For example, it was featured in movies like Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, Game of Thrones, and many more. You can take a hike inside this historic fortress to learn more about its architecture and history.
Moving on to our next destination, Ouarzazate. This city has its own charm and it is often nicknamed the Hollywood of Africa. It is known for its Atlas Studios, where they prepare the place for shooting movies and series. You can take a locally guided trip on one of them and maybe see where they filmed one of your favorite movies.
Finally, as the day comes to an end, we will head to Boumalne Dades, crossing through the Oases of Skoura and the Rose Valley. We arrive in Boumalne Dades and spend the night.
After having breakfast in Boumalne Dades, we head to Tinghir and Todra Gorges. First, we will cross through the Valley of Tinghir with its thousands of palm trees, making some stops for panoramic views. Secondly, we will arrive at Todra Gorges, an impressive canyon crafted by the river. Here, you will have some free time to walk and enjoy the attraction.
Our 5-day tour from Marrakech to Fes continues towards the majestic Merzouga desert, passing by several Berber villages and oases. On the way, we can make a short stop at the old irrigation systems in Fzna. After that, we will drive to Erfoud. A desert town famous for fossil discoveries. If you are interested, you can visit one of the factories and see the process of extracting the fossils from the big rocks.
In the late afternoon, we will arrive in the desert, where our camels await! We will ride camels and cross the golden sand dunes of Merzouga to reach our desert camp. Check-in your tent and enjoy the desert. We recommend climbing one of the nearby dunes to watch the beautiful sunset. Also, you can take the sandboards, slide, and watch the sun go down over the dunes. Finally, you will enjoy a traditional dinner followed by a Berber party around the campfire.
Today is dedicated to exploring the desert of Merzouga. After having a delicious breakfast in the camp, you can choose to ride the camels again or start the 4×4 offroad trip from the camp.
We will go deeper into the Sahara to visit the nomads. These are the original people of the Moroccan desert and most of them speak one language, Berber. With the help of our experienced guides, you will learn more about their simple lifestyle, as they still live in Bedouin tents.
We continue our offroad adventure, this time we will visit the mines of Mascra in Mifis. Here, you can take a hike to explore the area and learn more about the mines. Not far from this attraction, there is a factory that was owned by the French in the past. It is where they used to extract the Mascara powder from the mines.
Furthermore, we will drive to a village called Khamlia to meet the Gnawas. Get ready to discover another lifestyle in the heart of the desert. These people have an entertaining center where they show their unique music and spiritual dances. Afterwards, we can head for lunch. You will experience desert cuisine. For example, you can order the Berber pizza, it is different than the Italian pizza but definitely worth trying.
Moreover, we will take you to see the biggest oases in the area. Feel free to go for a walk and see what the locals plant in the desert.
Finally, we will head to the hotel. Check-in and relax by the swimming pool. You will have a free evening where you can do some activities like ATVS or just climb up the dunes for the sunset.
Day 4 of our 5-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour takes us on a journey to Midelt. Along the way, we are going to make some interesting stops. First, you will have a free morning to more fully enjoy the desert. Afterwards, we will drive to Rissani. This city played an important role in the history of Morocco. It is the homeland of the founder of the Alaouite dynasty, Moulay Ali Cherif. Not to mention that it hosts one of the biggest traditional markets in Morocco. If you are lucky enough to be there on a market day (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday), it gets very busy with local people. Here, you can take a walk around the market and see where the local people buy things. We can have lunch somewhere here!
Furthermore, we will continue driving towards the northwest of Morocco, passing through the Atlas Mountains. We will make a stop at the Ziz Valley, one of the biggest sources of dates in the country. Take a moment to enjoy the views of this canyon with its palm groves.
Finally, we will arrive in the capital of Apples, Midelt, check in at the hotel, and restore our energy.
On the last day of our trip from Marrakech to Fes, we are going to visit the cedar forest, Ifrane, and Meknes.
First, we are going to drive through the Middle Atlas mountains. Keep an eye for the Berber nomads with their tents settled in the middle of nowhere. Our first stop is the cedar forest. Here, you will have the chance to meet the Barbary macaques. Feel free to feed them if you want, they are super friendly.
Second, we will cross the forest and head to the little Switzerland of Morocco, Ifrane. It is a little town nestled in the Middle Atlas mountains and is considered the cleanest city in Africa. If you are visiting in the winter, you might encounter snow. The city attracts lots of people from all over Morocco who come to go skiing. In general, feel free to have some time to explore and walk around to stretch a leg.
Afterwards, we head to our next destination. The imperial city of Meknes. We will take you to visit the main attractions like Bab Mansour, Lhdim Square, Qara Prison, and many more.
Finally, we will hit the road to Fes, where our 5-day tour from Marrakech comes to an end. We will drop you off at your accommodation.
“This is by far one of the best 5-day desert tours you can book from Marrakech to Fes, we are so happy about the travel to the Sahara Merzouga and the people we met. The guides were excellent, and Hassan is so kind and a person who will make your experience in Morocco way better. The sandboard is funny too. Don’t think twice about booking. Morocco Vacations is the best travel agency you can have.”
“Hassan was a great guide! He was always looking out for everyone, so everyone would feel comfortable. Our kids (10, 13, 15) enjoyed the tour as well and were well taken care of. You can tell Hassan knew his way around, I feel like he knows people everywhere we stop. We did the tour from Marrakech to Fes through the desert, the hotels were nice and comfortable. We highly recommend this travel agency.”
To book this tour, use the contact form above, email, WhatsApp, or our social networks, and provide us with your chosen tour, number of travelers, type of accommodation (standard, luxury, etc.), and your tour date (if known). To confirm your tour, we require a deposit. The rest of the payment is paid in cash when you meet your driver.
The cost of the 5-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour varies depending on the number of participants and your chosen accommodation type. Generally, larger groups benefit from a more economical price per person. Request a complimentary quote today to determine your personalized rate!
Your money will be refunded only if you cancel the tour 20 days before your arrival. (20-day money-back guarantee). If the tour is postponed, your deposit will still be available for future use.
