4 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga
Two nights by the Erg Chebbi dunes, then the gorges and kasbahs of the south on the way to Marrakech
4 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga at a Glance
| Private tour, price per person | From |
|---|---|
| 2 travellers | $540 per person |
| 3 to 4 travellers | $485 per person |
| 5 to 6 travellers | $405 per person |
| 7 or more travellers | Ask us |
Fes to Marrakech Desert Tour: 3 or 4 Days?
Both lengths follow the same road and end in the same city. The extra day is spent in the desert, not in the car.
3 days, from $430
1 night at a camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes, 1 in the Dades Valley.
The fastest way: Fes to the dunes on day 1, the gorges on day 2, Marrakech on day 3.
See the 3-day tour4 days, from $540
1 night at a hotel by the dunes, 1 at the camp, 1 in the Dades Valley.
A full day around Erg Chebbi before the camp, so you are not in the car every day.
You are viewing this tourAbout the 4 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga
This 4 days desert tour from Fes to Marrakech is a private, one-way trip of about 1,040 km with two nights at Merzouga. It crosses the Middle Atlas to the Erg Chebbi dunes, then follows the Todra and Dades gorges and Aït Benhaddou to Marrakech.
It is the longer version of our 3-day Fes to Marrakech desert route, with a full day in the Sahara instead of arriving at sunset and leaving at sunrise. You travel in your own vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide, and nobody else joins your group.
The tour comes in two accommodation tiers on the same route. Luxury uses boutique riads, Relais & Châteaux properties and a private-bathroom desert camp. Standard uses comfortable, well-reviewed riads and hotels in the same towns. Everything else, the driver, the vehicle and the visits, is identical.
- Route: Fes → Ifrane → Merzouga (2 nights) → Todra Gorge → Dades Valley → Aït Benhaddou → Marrakech
- Length: 4 days, 3 nights
- Start and end: pickup in Fes, drop-off in Marrakech, at the airport or your hotel
- Group: private, 1 to 6 travellers in one vehicle
- Price: from $540 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 nights, swap a stop or change the pace. The route is a starting point, not a fixed package.
Highlights
Ifrane and the Azrou cedar forest: Stop in the Middle Atlas town known as Little Switzerland and look for Barbary macaques.
Ziz Valley: Follow a ribbon of palm oases and fortified ksour on the road south.
Erg Chebbi: Two nights by the dunes, one at a hotel at their edge and one at a desert camp after a sunset camel ride.
Khamlia: Listen to Gnawa music in the village founded by descendants of West African musicians.
Todra Gorge: Walk the riverbed between limestone walls that rise more than 300 meters.
Aït Benhaddou: Climb through the UNESCO-listed earthen ksar used as a film set for Gladiator, then cross the High Atlas to Marrakech.
Why Book the 4 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga with MoroccoMagics?
4 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga: Day-by-Day Itinerary
The Journey
"This is the longest drive of the tour, broken into easy stages. 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 to Merzouga. You arrive in Merzouga in the late afternoon and check in to a hotel at the edge of the dunes, with time to watch the sunset over Erg Chebbi."
The Journey
"A full day around Erg Chebbi with your driver: the Gnawa village of Khamlia, a nomad family, the black stone desert and sandboarding on the dunes. In the late afternoon you ride a camel for 1 hour or 90 minutes, as you prefer, to your desert camp for sunset and dinner under the stars."
The Journey
"Wake early to watch the sunrise from the dunes, then ride back to Merzouga for breakfast. The road west passes through Tinghir to the Todra Gorge, where you walk along the river between cliffs more than 300 meters high. You continue to the Dades Valley, known as the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, and stay overnight among its red rock formations."
The Journey
"You drive through the Rose Valley around Kelaat M'Gouna and on to Ouarzazate. Next is Aït Benhaddou, a UNESCO-listed earthen ksar used as a film set for Gladiator and Game of Thrones. In the afternoon you cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass and descend to Marrakech, where your driver drops you at your hotel or at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK)."
Places on this route: Fes · Ifrane · Merzouga · Dades Valley · Aït Benhaddou · Marrakech
What to Expect on the 4 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga
VIP Airport Welcome
Your private driver meets you in Fes with a sign bearing your name, at the airport, the port or your hotel.
Your Private Vehicle
Your Driver & Guide
"Your driver is more than a chauffeur; he is your local host."
4 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga: Price and What Is Included
The price covers your private vehicle, fuel, driver-guide, 3 nights of accommodation in the tier you choose, the camel ride and the visits listed below. 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 all 4 days.
- Door-to-Door ServicePickup at Fes-Saïss Airport (FEZ) or your hotel in Fes, and drop-off at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) or your hotel in Marrakech.
- Accommodation (3 nights)Luxury tier properties are listed below. Standard tier uses comfortable riads and hotels in the same towns. Similar properties are booked if one is full.
- • Night 1 (Merzouga, by the dunes): Riad Serai Merzouga or Dar Morocco Boutique Riad.
- • Night 2 (Merzouga, desert camp): Sahara Magic Luxury Camp or Golden Sand Oasis Camp.
- • Night 3 (Dades Valley): Xaluca Dades Hotel or Hotel Kasbah Tizzarouine.
- Meals
- • Breakfast every day.
- • Dinner at Merzouga (Nights 1 and 2) and in the Dades Valley (Night 3).
- Experiences
- • Camel ride into Erg Chebbi at sunset (1 hour or 90 minutes, as you prefer) and back at sunrise.
- • A full day around Erg Chebbi by 4x4, including Khamlia and a nomad family.
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.
- Entrance FeesMonuments, museums and gardens, such as the Hassan II Mosque, the Bahia Palace and the Majorelle Garden.
- TipsDiscretionary tips for your driver, local guides and porters.
- Flights & InsuranceInternational or domestic flights and travel insurance.
Know Before You Go: 4 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga
Hot days and cold nights, even in spring: a warm layer for the camp, a scarf against sun and sand, sunglasses and sun cream.
Keep what you need for the night in a small bag; the main luggage stays in the vehicle.
The desert is far from the cities, so expect several hours on the road each way, broken by stops in the gorges and kasbahs.
Lunches, drinks and tips are paid in dirhams, so take out cash before you leave the city. See the money guide.
March to May and September to November are the most comfortable; summer passes 40°C and winter nights are close to freezing. More in our Sahara guide.
Compare the 4 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga with Similar Tours
| Tour | Length | From, per person |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga (this tour) | 4 days | $540 |
| Chefchaouen Day Trip from Fes | 1 day | $95 |
| Volubilis & Meknes Day Trip from Fes | 1 day | $80 |
| 2 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Merzouga | 2 days | $280 |
Before and After the 4 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga
A day in Marrakech
- Imlil & Atlas Mountains Day Trip from Marrakech$80
- Ourika Valley Day Trip from Marrakech$70
- Essaouira Day Trip from Marrakech$125
- Ouzoud Waterfalls Day Trip from Marrakech$105
- Agafay Desert Camel Ride and Sunset Dinner from Marrakech$95
- Marrakech Hot Air Balloon Ride at Sunrise$230
- Marrakech City Tour & Medina Walk with a Licensed Guide$50
A day in Fes
Every route we run to the dunes, with the nights in the desert and prices side by side: Morocco desert tours from Marrakech and Fes.
Want a different route or extra days? With a private driver in Morocco you set the itinerary, from a day trip to two weeks across the country.
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.
4 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga: Your Questions
The extra day is spent around Erg Chebbi rather than on the road: Khamlia, a nomad family, the black stone desert and sandboarding, with a night at a hotel by the dunes before the night at the camp. The 3 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech (from $430 per person) covers the route faster.
Day 1 is the longest, about 459 km (7.5 hours) from Fes to Merzouga. Day 2 has only short drives, day 3 is about 250 km (4.5 hours) to the Dades Valley, and day 4 about 330 km (6.5 hours) via Aït Benhaddou to Marrakech.
$540 is per person in the Standard tier, based on two travellers sharing. It includes the private 4x4 with fuel and tolls, your driver-guide for 4 days, three nights (a hotel by the dunes, a desert camp and the Dades Valley), breakfast every day and dinner each night, the camel ride and the full day around Erg Chebbi. Lunches, drinks, entrance fees and tips are extra. The Luxury tier is quoted on request.
At your hotel in Marrakech or at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) on day 4, after the crossing of the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass.
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.
Our 5 day Morocco itinerary drives this road the other way, from Marrakech to Fes, with a day in Marrakech first.
Tour Details
Fill in the details below. We'll send your personalized itinerary and quote by email (usually within 24h).
Open it in our trip planner: add nights, swap places or change the pace, and see the new plan and price straight away.
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