3 day Desert to Marrakesh Tour

“Detour to the Desert”

3 days, 2 nights

Start: Fes
End: Marrakesh

Overnight stays in: MERZOUGA/ERG CHEBBI – DADES GORGE

Introduction

Relax and enjoy your private, guided 3 day Fes desert tour while we take care of every detail and cater to your every need. We’ll customise our 3 day Desert to Marrakesh Tour from Fes (for free!) in order to ensure that your 3 day trip to the incredible Sahara Desert exceeds all your expectations.

If you look at the map, you’ll see that the Sahara Desert is not really “on the way” between Fes & Marrakesh. That’s why we call this tour “Detour to the Desert”! First, you’ll cross the Middle Atlas Mountains to the Sahara. Then, after your desert adventure, you’ll wind through Dades Valley to Ouarzazate before crossing the High Atlas Mountains to reach Marrakesh.

This 3-day, 2-night Fes desert tour may be short, but it’s packed with amazing activities, such ascamel-trekking in the big dunes of Erg Chebbi and visiting a local souk (market). You’ll also tour a film studio, explore Ait Ben Haddou and more! Prefer different activities? Let us know during the planning phase and we’ll build the changes in to your custom 3 day desert itinerary.

Outline

Your 3 day Desert to Marrakesh Tour, “Detour to the Desert” starts from Fes in the morning of Day 1 as you head towards the Sahara Desert. On your way through the Middle Atlas Mountains, stop to see the Barbary apes that live in the forests. Reach the Sahara Desert in late afternoon in time to go camel-trekking at sunset in the big dunes of Erg Chebbi. Afterwards, enjoy a traditional Moroccan dinner followed by African drumming entertainment.

On Day 2, leave the Saharan dunes behind. Visit a local souk in the town of Rissani (a unique experience!), then start winding your way into the Atlas Mountains. Spend the night at the spectacular Dades Gorge.

Day 3 of your 3 day Fes desert tour is a full one! First, travel to Ouarzazate, the “Hollywood of Morocco” for a film studio tour. Next, explore the 17^th century Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Later in the afternoon, cross over the High Atlas Mountains. Arrive in Marrakesh in the evening, bringing your 3 day Desert to Marrakesh Tour, “Detour to the Desert” to an end.

Tour Highlights

Go camel-trekking in the Sahara at sunset
Enjoy African drumming entertainment
Visit a local souk (market)
Spend the night at Dades Gorge
Tour a film studio in Ouarzazate, the “Hollywood of Morocco”
Explore Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Cross the Tizi-n-Tichka pass over the High Atlas Mountains

For more information…

For more details about this tour, see the tabs further down this page. You’ll find a detailed itinerary, a route map, & a list of what’s included & excluded in the cost.

Questions?

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Other short tours from Fes

3 days from Fes to Sahara Tour – “Mountains & Merzouga”
This round-trip 3 day desert tour from Fes contrasts the dunes of the Sahara with the peaks of the Middle & High Atlas Mountains. Highlights include camel-trekking & a trip to a local souk.

2 day Sahara Tour from Fes – “Nomad for a Night”
This overnight desert tour from Fes is an unforgettable trip to the Sahara Desert. It features camel-trekking in the dunes, African music, a night in a desert tent camp, & more.

Back to all Tours from Fes

See all 2-3 day tours

Longer tours from Fes

Can you spare an extra day or two? Check out these 4-day & 5-day tours from Fes:

4 day Fes Desert Marrakesh Tour – “Sounds of the Sahara”
This 4 day Sahara tour from Fes provides a deeper, richer Sahara experience featuring live African music. It also showcases the scenery of the Atlas Mountains & Sahara Desert.

5 days Fes to Marrakesh Tour – “Shifting Sands & Mud Bricks”
This 5 day tour from Fes features 2 nights in the Sahara & stays in Valley of the Roses and Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou in the Atlas Mountains. It ends with a night in Marrakesh.

See all 4-5 day tours

Details

Itinerary

Route map

Includes/Excludes

Itinerary

Route map

Includes/Excludes

Day 1 :

FES – AZROU – MIDELT – ZIZ VALLEY – MERZOUGA/ERG CHEBBI

Your 3 day Desert to Marrakesh Tour - "Detour to the Desert" starts from Fes. We'll pick you up at your hotel/riad after breakfast and start our drive to the Sahara Desert. You’ll see the amazing changes in the landscape as we travel through the Middle Atlas Mountains. Along the way, we’ll make a rest stop in Azrou to see the Barbary apes that live in the cedar forests that cover the mountainsides. Lunch will be in Midelt, the “apple capital” of Morocco. We’ll pass through Erfoud, famous for its Date Festival each October and known for its fossils and fossil products, then turn off the highway and travel across flat rocky desert to the Merzouga region of the Sahara Desert, towards the magnificent sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. Erg Chebbi has the highest dunes in North Africa, and the sight of them rising suddenly out of the desert floor never fails to impress! In late afternoon, we’ll reach the desert hotel, where your camels will be waiting. You’ll leave civilization behind and camel-trek into the high dunes, where you’ll see the sands change colour as the sun moves across the sky. You’ll have time to explore, take pictures, and watch the sunset before returning by camel to the desert camp. After enjoying a traditional Moroccan meal, you’ll be entertained with African music – drumming and singing and dancing – around a campfire. You’ll spend the night in tents in the desert camp, surrounded by small dunes.

Day 2 :

MERZOUGA – RISSANI – TODRA GORGE – DADES VALLEY/GORGE

Day 2 of your 3 day Fes desert tour starts with breakfast in the desert. We’ll then drive to the town of Rissani. There, you'll have a chance to visit the local souk (market), where local people buy everything from vegetables to clothing to livestock. On Tuesdays, the travelling market arrives, and people flock from nearby villages to shop. We’ll continue on our way to Tinghir and the Todra Gorge. You’ll hardly believe you started the day in the Saharan dunes when you see the lush green oasis full of palm trees and farmers’ crops. The steep walls of the Todra Gorge are 300 metres high. This is a popular spot for rock climbers, as well as Moroccan families enjoying a picnic by the river. Here we’ll stop for lunch at a nearby restaurant, and you’ll have a chance to walk along the river. From there we’ll drive through the Dades Valley, known as the "Valley of the Thousand Kasbahs", following the winding road through the mountains. You’ll stay the night in a Berber guesthouse overlooking the spectacular Dades Gorge. Nearby you’ll see the rock formation known as “Monkey Toes”.

Day 3 :

DADES GORGE – KALAAT M’GOUNA (VALLEY OF THE ROSES) – OUARZAZATE/FILM STUDIO – AIT BEN HADDOU – MARRAKESH

The final day of your 3 day Desert to Marrakesh tour showcases Morocco’s amazing diversity. Stark desert, green valleys & rugged mountains. Modern film studio and historic Kasbah. Sparsely populated rural areas and the bustling urban streets of Marrakesh. In the morning you’ll have a chance to go for a walk in Dades gorge before we continue our journey to Kalaat M’Gouna, the “Valley of the Roses”, Morocco’s rose-growing region. Millions of rose petals are harvested each year to produce a huge array of rose-infused products for culinary and cosmetic use. The harvest culminates in May with the annual Rose Festival – worth attending if you can arrange your visit around this popular festival. We'll make a stop here so that you can see, smell, and, if you wish, purchase some products made from local roses. Our tour continues to Ouarzazate, known as the "Hollywood of Morocco". Ouarzazate is home to several film studios, both Moroccan and international. The surrounding landscape is a popular on-location site and has been used to portray everything from the Egyptian desert to the surface of Mars. You’ll tour one of the Moroccan film studios. We’ll then drive to Ait Ben Haddou, the oldest Kasbah in the south of Morocco, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although the village was originally built in the 17th century, people still live and work there today, their homes built right into the rock or with mud bricks, which are made locally using the same methods as in ancient times. Ait Ben Haddou has also featured in many films, including The Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven. We’ll have lunch in the village, and you’ll have time to explore the Kasbah. It’s a gentle climb through winding streets to the top, where you can see in all directions. We’ll then head into the High Atlas Mountains, crossing over Morocco’s highest road pass – the Tizi-n-Tichka pass at 2260m. We’ll stop at the top of the pass for refreshment and to take pictures of the stunning views before descending towards Marrakesh. We’ll reach Marrakesh in the evening and drop you off at your hotel/riad to bring your 3 day Desert to Marrakesh Tour, "Detour to the Desert" to an end.

3 day Desert to Marrakesh Tour