Is this tour private?

Yes. Every journey we operate is private by default: your own vehicle, your own driver-guide and your own pace. Shared departures can be arranged on request for solo travellers who prefer to join others.

Can the itinerary be customised?

Completely. Most travellers adjust something — an extra night in the desert, a slower morning in Dades, a detour to the Valley of Roses or Skoura palm grove. Tell us what matters to you and we rebuild the route around it.

Are camel rides included?

A camel excursion into the dunes at sunset or sunrise is included on every itinerary that overnights in Merzouga. If you prefer not to ride, a 4x4 transfer to the camp is arranged instead at no extra cost.

What type of accommodation is provided?

Carefully selected riads, kasbah hotels and guesthouses along the route, plus a luxury Sahara camp with private en-suite tents, real beds and hot water. Standard and premium options are available for every journey.

How much driving is involved?

Southern Morocco is vast and beautiful, and part of the experience is the road itself. Expect four to six hours of driving on the longer days, broken up by viewpoints, villages, tea stops and photo moments.

Layers. Days are warm, desert nights are cool, and the High Atlas can be cold in winter. Bring comfortable shoes, sunglasses, sunscreen, a scarf for the wind, and a light jacket even in summer.

Private journeyClassic RouteSahara ExperienceCultural Discovery

3-Day Marrakech to FesClassic Sahara Route

Our most requested journey — the classic desert crossing.

The route

Marrakech→High Atlas→Ait Ben Haddou→Ouarzazate→Dades Valley→Todra Gorge→Erfoud→Merzouga→Ziz Valley→Midelt→Ifrane→Fes

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Tour overview

Why travellers choose this journey

Three days, two countries' worth of landscape. This is the route most travellers picture when they imagine crossing Morocco: the Atlas, the kasbahs, the gorges, a night in the dunes and a final drive through cedar forest into Fes.

It is efficient without being brutal. Day two is the heart of it — Todra in the morning, the desert by afternoon, camp by dark — and day three rewards you with the Ziz Valley and the Middle Atlas before the medina.

Perfect for: Travellers with a week in Morocco, first-timers, friends travelling together and anyone wanting the desert crossing in one continuous line.

Journey at a glance

Duration: 3 Days / 2 Nights
Start city: Marrakech
End city: Fes
Sahara experience: Sunset camel trek and one night in a luxury Sahara camp
Accommodation: Dades kasbah hotel · Luxury Sahara camp · Fes riad
Transportation: Private air-conditioned vehicle with English-speaking driver-guide
Ideal for: Travellers with a week in Morocco, first-timers, friends travelling together and anyone wanting the desert crossing in one continuous line.
Main destinations: Ait Ben Haddou · Ouarzazate · Dades Valley · Todra Gorge · Erg Chebbi · Ziz Valley · Ifrane

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Day by day

The itinerary, hour by hour

A clear picture of every day: the road, the stops, the landscapes and where you sleep.

Day 1: Marrakech → High Atlas → Ait Ben Haddou → Ouarzazate → Dades Valley

Day01

Day 01

Marrakech→High Atlas→Ait Ben Haddou→Ouarzazate→Dades Valley

Across the Atlas to Dades

We leave Marrakech in the morning and climb the Tizi n'Tichka through terraced Berber villages to the pass, stopping wherever the view demands it. Ait Ben Haddou follows: an hour or two to walk up through the ksar and out onto the ramparts. After Ouarzazate the landscape flattens into kasbah country — Skoura's palms, the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs — and finishes among the red monoliths of Dades at sunset.

Along the way

Tizi n'Tichka pass
Ait Ben Haddou ksar
Ouarzazate and Skoura palm grove
Dades rock formations

Meals

Dinner at the hotel

Overnight

Kasbah hotel in Dades Valley

Day 2: Dades Valley → Todra Gorge → Tinghir → Erfoud → Merzouga

Day02

Day 02

Dades Valley→Todra Gorge→Tinghir→Erfoud→Merzouga

Todra Gorge and the Sahara

Todra Gorge first, walking between cliffs that narrow to a few metres, then the palmery at Tinghir and the long eastward road across the hamada. Erfoud's fossil workshops make a good break before the dunes of Erg Chebbi appear. Camels take you over the sand to camp; dinner is tagine under canvas, and the evening ends with drums, tea and an unreasonable number of stars.

Along the way

Todra Gorge
Tinghir oasis panorama
Erfoud fossils
Camel trek and desert camp night

Meals

Breakfast · Dinner at the desert camp

Overnight

Luxury Sahara desert camp, Merzouga

Day 3: Merzouga → Ziz Valley → Midelt → Ifrane → Fes

Day03

Day 03

Merzouga→Ziz Valley→Midelt→Ifrane→Fes

Ziz Valley, the Middle Atlas and Fes

Sunrise over the dunes, breakfast at camp, then the road north. The Ziz Valley viewpoint is the morning's highlight — a hundred thousand palms in a canyon of bare rock. Lunch in Midelt, the cedar forest and its macaques after, and Ifrane before the descent to Fes, where you arrive in the early evening.

Along the way

Dune sunrise
Ziz Valley viewpoint
Cedar forest and Barbary macaques
Ifrane and arrival in Fes

Meals

Breakfast

Overnight

Riad in Fes

Dates are limited

Like this itinerary? Secure your dates for the 3-day Marrakech to Fes route.

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Route map

Follow the journey across Morocco

The real road from Marrakech to Fes — roughly 1118 km of driving, mapped stop by stop in travelling order. Tap any marker to see which day you reach it.

12 stops · 1118 km · approx. 18.3 h on the road

Start & finish Stop

Marrakech→Tizi n'Tichka Pass→Ait Ben Haddou→Ouarzazate→Dades Valley→Todra Gorge→Erfoud→Merzouga→Ziz Valley→Midelt→Ifrane→Fes

Tour gallery

Scenes from this journey

Every image below belongs to this route — the passes, the kasbahs, the gorges and the dunes you will actually see.

Along the way

Experiences woven into the route

Camel trekking

Riding into Erg Chebbi as the dunes turn copper.

Sahara camp night

Private tents, fire, drums and an unpolluted sky.

Moroccan table

Tagine, bread from the village oven, endless mint tea.

Local encounters

Time with the families and guides who know this land.

What's included

Comfortable air-conditioned transportation throughout the journey
Experienced English-speaking driver or driver-guide
Accommodation according to the selected package
Breakfast according to the accommodation plan
Dinner in Dades Valley where specified
Dinner at the Sahara desert camp where specified
Overnight Sahara camp experience with traditional music
Camel excursion at sunset or sunrise where included

What's not included

Lunches along the route
Drinks unless specified
Monument and museum entrance fees
Personal expenses
Gratuities for driver and camp team
Travel insurance
International and domestic flights
Optional activities such as quad biking or sandboarding

Good to know

Important information

Driving times shown in each itinerary are approximate and measured between the main stops.

Daily timing may change depending on traffic, group pace and the time you wish to spend at each stop.

Weather, seasonal snowfall in the High Atlas and road conditions can occasionally require a route adjustment.

Photo stops and short visits may vary slightly so that the day remains comfortable rather than rushed.

Accommodation may change depending on availability, particularly in high season.

Whenever a substitution is necessary, a property or camp of a similar or higher standard will be provided.

Questions

Frequently asked

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Other Sahara journeys

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Marrakech to Merzouga

4 Days / 3 Nights

Marrakech to Fes

4 Days / 3 Nights

Fes to Marrakech

Ready when you are

Ready to experience Morocco?

Tell us your dates and we'll hold this 3 days / 2 nights journey for you — private driver-guide, desert camp and every stop on the route, arranged by the team who lives here.

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3 Days / 2 Nights

Marrakech to Fes

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3-Day Marrakech to FesClassic Sahara Route

Why travellers choose this journey

The itinerary, hour by hour

Across the Atlas to Dades

Todra Gorge and the Sahara

Ziz Valley, the Middle Atlas and Fes

Like this itinerary? Secure your dates for the 3-day Marrakech to Fes route.

Follow the journey across Morocco

Scenes from this journey

Experiences woven into the route

Camel trekking

Sahara camp night

Moroccan table

Local encounters

Important information

Frequently asked

Is this tour private?

Can the itinerary be customised?

Are camel rides included?

What type of accommodation is provided?

How much driving is involved?

What should I pack?

Is the Sahara camp comfortable?

Can families join?

Can dietary requirements be accommodated?

Other Sahara journeys

Marrakech to Merzouga

Marrakech to Fes

Fes to Marrakech

Ready to experience Morocco?

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