2 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Merzouga
Through the Middle Atlas to a camel ride and a night at a camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes, and back to Fes
Tour Overview
This 2 days desert tour from Fes to Merzouga is a private round trip of about 920 km. You cross the Middle Atlas and the Ziz Valley to the Erg Chebbi dunes, ride a camel to a desert camp for sunset and a night under the stars, and drive back to Fes the next day.
It is the shortest way to see the Sahara from Fes, but both days are long drives of about 7.5 hours. If you have one more day, the 3 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Merzouga and Back adds a full day in the dunes. If you are travelling on to Marrakech, the 3 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech ends there instead.
The tour comes in two accommodation tiers on the same route. Luxury uses a camp with an ensuite bathroom in your tent. Standard uses a comfortable desert camp with private tents. Everything else, the driver, the vehicle and the camel ride, is identical.
- Route: Fes → Ifrane → Midelt → Ziz Valley → Merzouga → Fes
- Length: 2 days, 1 night
- Start and end: pickup and drop-off in Fes, at the airport or your hotel
- Group: private, 1 to 6 travellers in one vehicle
- Price: from $280 per person in the Standard tier, based on two travellers sharing. Prices are indicative: the final price is set once the itinerary is personalised. The Luxury tier is quoted on request.
- Best months: March to May and September to November. Summer days in the desert pass 40°C and winter nights at the camp drop close to freezing, but the tour runs all year.
- Customisable: add a night, a 4x4 tour of the dunes or a stop in Rissani.
Highlights
Ifrane and the Azrou cedar forest: Look for Barbary macaques in the Middle Atlas.
Ziz Valley: Follow a ribbon of palm groves through the gorges south of Errachidia.
Erg Chebbi: Ride a camel into dunes up to 150 meters high for sunset.
A night at a desert camp: Dinner, music and a sky full of stars.
Sahara sunrise: Watch the sun come up over the dunes before breakfast.
Why Choose a Private Tour?
Detailed Itinerary
The Journey
"Your driver collects you in Fes in the morning. You stop in Ifrane, then in the Azrou cedar forest to look for Barbary macaques, cross the Middle Atlas and have lunch in Midelt. In the afternoon the road follows the palm groves of the Ziz Valley south through Errachidia and Erfoud to Merzouga. Camels wait at the edge of Erg Chebbi for a sunset ride of 1 hour or 90 minutes, as you prefer, to your desert camp. Dinner is served under the stars."
The Journey
"Wake early to watch the sunrise from the dunes, then ride back to Merzouga for breakfast. The road north follows the Ziz Valley, climbs the Middle Atlas past Midelt and passes through the cedar forest near Azrou and the alpine town of Ifrane. You arrive in Fes in the early evening, where your driver drops you at your riad or at Fes-Saïss Airport (FEZ)."
Trip Logistics & Comfort: What to Expect
VIP Airport Welcome
Your private driver meets you in Fes with a sign bearing your name, at the airport, the train station or your hotel.
Your Private Vehicle
Your Driver & Guide
"Your driver is more than a chauffeur; he is your local host."
Transparent Pricing & Inclusions
The price covers your private vehicle, fuel, driver-guide, 1 night at a desert camp in the tier you choose and the camel ride. You pay separately for lunches, drinks, entrance fees and tips.
What is Included
- Private TransportationToyota Land Cruiser Prado with A/C, fuel and highway tolls included.
- Driver-GuideEnglish-speaking driver-guide dedicated to your group for both days.
- Door-to-Door ServicePickup and drop-off at Fes-Saïss Airport (FEZ) or your hotel in Fes.
- Accommodation (1 night)Luxury tier camps are listed below. Standard tier uses a comfortable desert camp with private tents. A similar camp is booked if one is full.
- • Night 1 (Erg Chebbi, desert camp): Sahara Magic Luxury Camp or Golden Sand Oasis Camp.
- Meals
- • Dinner and breakfast at the desert camp.
- Experiences
- • Camel ride into Erg Chebbi at sunset (1 hour or 90 minutes, as you prefer) and back at sunrise.
What is Not Included
- LunchesAllow approximately €10–€12 (100–120 MAD) per person, per meal. (We stop at clean, local restaurants).
- DrinksWater, soda, and alcohol at hotels and camps.
- Entrance FeesAny optional visits along the way.
- TipsDiscretionary tips for your driver, camel guides and camp staff.
- Flights & InsuranceInternational or domestic flights and travel insurance.
Booking, Payment and Cancellation
- Price basis
- Prices are per person, based on two travellers sharing. Larger groups pay less per person; a solo traveller pays more. The final price is confirmed in your written quote.
- Currency
- Tour prices are in US dollars. Meals, entrance fees and tips during the trip are paid in Moroccan dirhams (MAD).
- Deposit and balance
- A 15% deposit confirms the booking (PayPal, bank transfer or credit card). The balance is paid on arrival in Morocco.
- Cancellation
- Tell us in writing. Your deposit is fully refundable.
- Travel insurance
- Required, covering medical expenses, emergency repatriation and personal liability.
Full details: booking terms and how tour prices work.
Questions About This Tour
It is enough to ride a camel into Erg Chebbi at sunset, sleep at a desert camp and see the sunrise, but both days are long drives of about 7.5 hours. With one more day, the 3 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Merzouga and Back (from $370 per person) adds a full day in the dunes.
About 459 km each way, roughly 7.5 hours with stops: Ifrane and the Azrou cedar forest, lunch in Midelt and the Ziz Valley on the way down, the same road back to Fes on day 2. The round trip is about 920 km.
$280 is per person in the Standard tier, based on two travellers sharing. It includes the private Toyota Land Cruiser Prado with fuel and tolls, your driver-guide for both days, the night at a desert camp with dinner and breakfast, and the camel ride at sunset and back at sunrise. Lunches, drinks, entrance fees and tips are extra. The Luxury tier, with an en-suite tent, is quoted on request.
Yes, but it takes at least three days because Marrakech is on the other side of the High Atlas. See the 3 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga (from $430 per person).
March to May and September to November. Summer days in the desert pass 40°C and winter nights at the camp drop close to freezing, but the tour runs all year.
Tour Details
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