Three tested 5-day routes with a map, driving hours for every day, where to sleep and what it costs, from the Marrakech team that drives them.
The best 5 day Morocco itinerary for most visitors is a day in Marrakech followed by four days across the High Atlas and the Sahara to Fes, with two nights at the same desert camp. If you must fly home from Marrakech, choose the wild desert loop to Erg Chigaga, or two days in the city followed by the classic 3-day desert loop.
Five days is enough for Marrakech and the Sahara, not for the whole country. Each route below has a map, the driving hours for every day, the hotels our tours use and what it costs. We are a tour operator based in Marrakech and these are the routes we drive. For more time, see the 7 day Morocco itinerary.
Route 1Our pickOur pick: two desert nights, no doubling back
Route 2Remote dunes, off-road tracks
Route 3More city, one desert night
Five days is enough for Marrakech and the Sahara, not for the whole country. The choice is about flights and how much desert you want; our Sahara desert guide compares Erg Chebbi and Erg Chigaga.
Switch between the routes, then tap a stop to see where it is.
Morocco 5-day routes
The Sahara is far from every city: whichever route you choose, two or three days are spent on the road. Route 1 avoids doubling back by ending in Fes; Route 3 keeps two full days in Marrakech but pays for it with a 9 to 10 hour drive home.
Hours on the road, day by day
Route 1 · Our pick: two desert nights, no doubling back
A day in Marrakech with a licensed guide, then four days one way across the High Atlas and the Sahara to Fes: the Telouet Kasbah and Ait Benhaddou, a night in the Dades Valley, and two nights at the same desert camp with a full day around the dunes in between.
On foot in the city
About 4 hours on foot with a licensed guide: the Koutoubia gardens, the Saadian Tombs, the Mellah, the Bahia Palace, the souks, the Ben Youssef Madrasa and Jemaa el-Fna. More ideas in our Marrakech itinerary.
Marrakech riad
About 330 km · 6.5 h
An 08:00 start over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, the minor road to the Glaoui kasbah at Telouet, midday at Ait Benhaddou, then the Dades Valley.
Hotel Babylon Dades or Xaluca Dades
About 250 km · 4.5 h
A walk under the 300 m cliffs of the Todra Gorge, fossils in Erfoud, then the dunes of Merzouga and the camp.
Desert camp, private tent
Off-road by 4x4
Gnawa music in Khamlia, the black hamada and the old M'Fis mines by 4x4, and sandboarding before a second night at the same camp.
Same camp
About 459 km · 7.5 h (longest day)
North through the Ziz Valley date palms, lunch in Midelt, the Azrou cedar forest, and your riad in Fes by evening.
Do this as a private tour
4 Days Desert Tour from Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga
from $540 per person for two travellers sharing: private 4x4, driver-guide and three nights. Add the Marrakech city tour (from $50) for day 1.
Route 2 · Remote dunes, off-road tracks
A loop from Marrakech to the remote dunes of Erg Chigaga, with no paved road to the camp: the Draa Valley to M'Hamid, 60 km of sandy tracks, two nights at a wild camp, and back across the dry bed of Lake Iriqui.
About 270 km · 5.5 h
The Tizi n'Tichka pass, the Telouet Kasbah, Ait Benhaddou, then a historic kasbah hotel in the Agdz palm grove.
Kasbah hotel in the Agdz palm grove
About 200 km · 5 h, 60 km off-road
South along the Draa River to Zagora and the Tamegroute potters. At M'Hamid the tarmac ends: tyres down, 4WD on, and 60 km of tracks to the dunes.
Wild desert camp, private tent
About 40 km of desert driving
A nomad family, fossil hunting and a picnic at the Oum Lâalag oasis, far from any road.
Same camp
About 300 km · 6.5 h, 90 km off-road
West over the flat, dried mud of Lake Iriqui to Foum Zguid, then Taznakht and Ouarzazate.
Riad or hotel, Ouarzazate
About 200 km · 4.5 h
The Atlas Film Studios or the Fint oasis in the morning, then the High Atlas to Marrakech by about 17:30.
Do this as a private tour
5 Days Desert Tour from Marrakech to Erg Chigaga
from $690 per person for two travellers sharing: private 4x4, driver-guide and four nights with dinner and breakfast.
Route 3 · More city, one desert night
Two days in Marrakech, then the classic 3-day desert loop: Ait Benhaddou and the Dades Valley, a night in the Erg Chebbi dunes, and a long drive back through the Anti-Atlas. Day 5 is 9 to 10 hours on the road, so plan your flight for day 6.
Airport transfer only
Check in to a medina riad and spend the evening at Jemaa el-Fna.
Marrakech riad
On foot in the city
The Koutoubia, the Saadian Tombs, the Bahia Palace, the souks and the Ben Youssef Madrasa, then a free afternoon for the Majorelle Garden.
Marrakech riad
About 330 km · 6.5 h
The Tizi n'Tichka pass, the Ounila Valley and Ait Benhaddou, then the Dades Valley.
Hotel Babylon or similar, Dades Valley
About 250 km · 4.5 h
The Todra Gorge, Devonian fossils in Erfoud, then a camel ride to a camp in Erg Chebbi.
Private tent, Merzouga camp
About 590 km · 9 to 10 h
Sunrise on the dunes, then a different road back through Alnif and the volcanic Anti-Atlas, the Draa Valley and the High Atlas.
Do this as a private tour
3 Days Desert Tour from Marrakech to Merzouga
from $395 per person for two travellers sharing: private 4x4, driver-guide and two nights. Add the Marrakech city tour (from $50).
March to May and September to November, when the desert is warm by day and mild at night. In July and August the Sahara passes 40°C and time on the dunes moves to early morning and evening; in winter, nights at the camp drop close to freezing. More in the best time to visit Morocco.
When to go, region by region
Tap a month to see its temperatures.
Marrakech in OctoberIdeal
Warm days and mild evenings: the best weather for the medina and souks.
Average high 28 °C, low 15 °C (Marrakech).
The private desert tours behind these routes cost from $395 (3 days), $540 (4 days to Fes) and $690 (5 days to Erg Chigaga) per person for two travellers sharing, nights included. On Routes 1 and 3 you add your Marrakech nights and the city tour from $50. Here is Route 2, which includes every night. More in Morocco tour prices.
Example: two travellers on Route 2
| Private tour, Route 2 (2 × $690) | $1,380 |
|---|---|
| 5 lunches each (100–120 MAD a meal) | $100–$120 |
| Driver-guide tip, 5 days (150–200 MAD a day) | $75–$100 |
| Entrance fees, drinks, souvenirs | Your choice |
About $1,555–$1,600 for the two of you, before entrance fees and shopping.
What is not in a tour price
No train reaches the desert, so every 5-day route needs a car. Route 2 needs a real 4x4 and someone who knows the tracks to Erg Chigaga. Shared desert tours from Marrakech exist but run on fixed group schedules. For self-drive, read driving in Morocco.
| How you travel | Route 1Marrakech to Fes via the Sahara | Route 2Erg Chigaga wild desert | Route 3Marrakech plus a desert loop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private driver-guideDoor to door, your own pace | Works well | Works well | Works well |
| Self-drive rentalPossible on paved roads | Possible, with trade-offs | Does not work | Possible, with trade-offs |
| TrainNo line to the desert | Does not work | Does not work | Does not work |
| Shared desert tourCheapest, fixed group schedules | Possible, with trade-offs | Does not work | Possible, with trade-offs |
Stay in Marrakech and take day trips to Imlil, the Ourika Valley and Essaouira.
Marrakech itineraryMerzouga is too far for 2 days from Marrakech; the Zagora dunes are reachable.
2 days Zagora tourReverse Route 1: Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga in four days.
4 days Fes to Marrakech tourShorter drives and a family camp make the desert easier with children.
8 days family tourThe Erg Chebbi dunes are too far from Marrakech for a 2-day round trip. With 5 days, give the desert at least three.
The drive back to Marrakech on Route 3 takes 9 to 10 hours. Book your flight for the next day.
Five days fits Marrakech and the desert, or the desert and Fes, not all of it.
Flying into Marrakech and out of Fes, as on Route 1, saves a full day of driving.
The same format for every length of trip, from a few days in Marrakech to two weeks across the country.
Five days is enough for Marrakech and the Sahara, or for the Sahara and Fes, but not for the whole country. A week adds Fes and Chefchaouen or the Draa Valley; 10 days covers the main regions.
Yes. Every route on this page spends one or two nights in the dunes: Erg Chebbi near Merzouga on Routes 1 and 3, Erg Chigaga on Route 2. Merzouga is about two days' drive from Marrakech, so plan at least three days for the desert.
A day in Marrakech, then four days to Fes: Telouet and Ait Benhaddou to the Dades Valley, the Todra Gorge to Merzouga, a full day in the Sahara, and the Ziz Valley and Middle Atlas to Fes. It gives two desert nights without driving back the same way.
Erg Chebbi near Merzouga is reached by paved road and has more camps. Erg Chigaga is reached by about 60 km of sandy tracks from M'Hamid, so it is quieter and more remote, and our route there spends two nights at a wild camp.
The private desert tours behind these routes cost from $395 (3 days), $540 (4 days to Fes) and $690 (5 days to Erg Chigaga) per person for two travellers sharing, nights in the desert included. Lunches add 100 to 120 MAD per person per meal, and a driver-guide is usually tipped 150 to 200 MAD a day.
Not at Merzouga, which is too far for a 2-day round trip. In two days you can reach the smaller dunes near Zagora, in the Draa Valley.
March to May and September to November. In July and August the desert passes 40°C, so time on the dunes moves to early morning and evening; in winter, nights at the camp drop close to freezing.
Want your 5 days planned for you?
Build a day-by-day plan with real drive times in the trip planner, or book one of the routes above as a private tour.