6 Days from Fes to Marrakech (with sightseeing)

Overview

In short: Private tour · 6 days / 5 nights, from Fes to Marrakech — about 1,185 km and 21 places, including 2 nights in the desert.

Duration

6 days / 5 nights

Starts

Fes

Ends

Marrakech

Tour type

Private tour

Group size

Up to 50 travellers

Language

Flexible, on request

Distance

≈ 1,185 km in total

Stops

21 places

A relaxed crossing of Morocco's 'Great Hidden South' from Fes to Marrakech: a hotel night in Merzouga, a full desert day ending with a sunset camel ride and a night in camp, then the Todra and Dades gorges, the Valley of Roses, Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou, and a final city day in Marrakech.

Compared with the 5-day version it adds a Marrakech sightseeing day and splits the gorges over two shorter driving days.

Highlights

• Barbary macaques in the Azrou cedar forest
• Panoramic view of the Erg Chebbi dunes
• Sunset camel ride in Merzouga
• Dinner and Amazigh drums around the campfire
• Night in a Merzouga desert camp
• Desert exploration and a nomad family visit
• Atlas Studios and Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate
• Ait Ben Haddou (UNESCO)
• Atlas Mountain views

Route

• Day 1
• Day 2
• Day 3
• Day 4
• Day 5

Lines join the stops in order; they are not the exact roads. Distances are road estimates. Open the route in Google Maps

Day by day

1. Day 1Fes – Ifrane – Midelt – Erfoud – Rissani – Merzouga

   Fes › Ifrane › Azrou › Midelt › Ziz Gorges › Errachidia / Ziz › Erfoud › Merzouga

   Ifrane and the cedar forest with its Barbary macaques, then the Tizi n'Talghemt pass and Ziz gorges to Midelt (photo stops and mint tea).

   On to Merzouga for dinner in a local restaurant and a night in a traditional riad.

   ≈ 470 kmOvernight: Riad in MerzougaMeals: Dinner
2. Day 2Desert day – camel ride into Erg Chebbi

   Merzouga › Khamlia › Rissani › Merzouga

   Exploring the Erg Chebbi dunes and the nomad way of life; Khamlia, the 'black village' of Gnawa music.

   Lunch of madfouna ('Berber pizza') in Rissani, the old capital of Tafilalet.

   Late-afternoon camel ride, sunset over the dunes, and a tagine dinner by the campfire with Amazigh music.

   ≈ 100 kmOvernight: Desert campMeals: Breakfast + dinner
3. Day 3Todra Gorge – Dades Gorge

   Merzouga › Erfoud › Tinjdad › Tinghir › Todra Gorge › Boumalne Dades › Dades Gorges

   Sunrise, breakfast and a shower at a nearby hotel, then west through Tinghir and the Todra Gorge into the Dades Valley.

   ≈ 305 kmOvernight: Hotel in the Dades GorgeMeals: Breakfast + dinner
4. Day 4Dades – Valley of Roses – Kelaat M'Gouna

   Dades Gorges › Boumalne Dades › Kelaat M'Gouna

   The Road of a Thousand Kasbahs through the Valley of Roses, famous for its annual Rose Festival, to Kelaat M'Gouna.

   ≈ 35 kmOvernight: Hotel near Kelaat M'GounaMeals: Breakfast + dinner
5. Day 5Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou – Tizi n'Tichka – Marrakech

   Kelaat M'Gouna › Skoura › Ouarzazate › Ait Ben Haddou › Tizi n'Tichka › Marrakech

   Ouarzazate's Atlas Studios and Taourirt Kasbah, then the UNESCO Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, backdrop for Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and Game of Thrones.

   Over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Marrakech.

   ≈ 275 kmOvernight: MarrakechMeals: Breakfast + dinner
6. Day 6Marrakech city tour

   Jemaa el-Fna, the Koutoubia, the souks, the Royal Palace area and museums, then the Menara Gardens and Majorelle Garden in Gueliz, before your hotel or the airport.

   Meals: Breakfast

What’s included

Good to know

• Best season for the desert: October to April. In summer daytime heat often exceeds 40°C; in winter nights at camp can drop close to freezing.
• The Tizi n'Tichka pass (about 2,260 m) can get snow or brief closures in winter; the driver adjusts timings to road conditions.
• Pack a small daypack for the camp night (water, charger, warm layer, toiletries). Large luggage stays in the vehicle or hotel.
• Essentials: sunscreen, sunglasses, a scarf/cheche against sand, comfortable shoes and a warm jacket for the evening.
• Mountain roads are winding; bring motion-sickness medication if you need it.
• Carry small dirham notes for tips, purchases and meals that are not included; ATMs are scarce in villages and in the desert.
• Always ask before photographing people, especially women, children and nomad families.
• In the old medinas (Marrakech, Fes, Chefchaouen) wear comfortable shoes; alleys are narrow and unsuitable for wheeled suitcases — riads usually arrange porters.

Guided visits on this route

Our local guides also lead these walks and day trips in towns this tour passes through. Ask us to add one.

Read before you go

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