Marrakech to Fez via the desert in 3 days
Erg Chebbi, the Ziz & the Middle Atlas- From
- €650 per person€1,300 for 2 · shared room and private vehicle.
- Duration
- 3 days / 3 nights
- Group
- Private · 2 to 6 travelers
- Route
- Marrakech → Fez
01 / About this journey
Leave Marrakech, sleep in the dunes, reach Fez without driving the same pass twice.
This 3-day desert tour starts in Marrakech and finishes in Fez, so the last day covers new country instead of repeating the first. Roughly 4 hours of driving on day 1, 6 h 30 on day 2 and 7 h 30 on day 3. That is still a lot of road, but every hour of it is new: the Atlas, the kasbahs, the dunes, then the Ziz palm groves and the cedars of the Middle Atlas. Your first night in Fez is included, in a riad inside the medina.
Three days by private 4×4, from one imperial city to the other: the Tizi n’Tichka, Aït Ben Haddou, the Todgha gorges, a night under canvas at Merzouga, then north through the Ziz and the Middle Atlas to a riad in the Fez medina.
What’s included
- Private English-speaking driver-guide for all three days
- Air-conditioned 4×4, fuel and tolls included
- 1 night in a kasbah at Aït Ben Haddou, 1 night in a luxury desert camp at Merzouga, 1 night in a riad in the Fez medina
- 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches (including Midelt on day 3) and 2 dinners
- Camels and a guide for the sunset ride into the dunes
- Village guide at Aït Ben Haddou
- Bottled water on board throughout
- Pick-up at your Marrakech hotel or riad, drop-off in Fez with a porter to the riad door
The moments that stay
01Reach Aït Ben Haddou in the early afternoon and climb to the ksar’s granary with a village guide, once the coaches have already left.
02Walk half an hour along the floor of the Todgha gorges, between three-hundred-metre walls, with the river as the only sound.
03Ride into camp by camel for the last hour of daylight, then eat around the fire in a camp of about ten tents.
04Head north to Fez through the Ziz valley and the Azrou cedars, where macaques sometimes cross the road, instead of driving back the way you came, and end the day in a riad inside the medina.
02 / Your itinerary
Your itinerary
3 days / 3 nightsMarrakech → Fez · Easy · a lot of driving
We leave your riad around eight, with the driver-guide who will take you all the way to Fez. Marrakech falls behind quickly and the road starts to climb. It takes about two hours to reach the Tizi n’Tichka at 2,260 metres, on a switchback road where you pass mostly trucks and the occasional geode seller at the roadside. After the pass, the southern slope is drier and the earth turns red. Lunch in a village on the way down. You reach Aït Ben Haddou in the early afternoon. A village guide takes you across the riverbed, often dry, and you climb together to the fortified granary at the top of the ksar. Late in the day there are fewer visitors and the light is better. In the evening you eat in a rammed-earth kasbah, facing the lit-up ksar.
You leave early and head east along the kasbah road. First the Skoura palm grove, then the Dades valley, where the earthen kasbahs are the same colour as the mountain. At the Todgha gorges you leave the car and walk half an hour along the canyon floor, between three-hundred-metre walls. The ground is flat and it is often cooler there than on the road. Lunch in Tinghir, then the road continues east through Erfoud, across increasingly empty country. Around five you leave the 4×4 at the edge of the Erg Chebbi and ride to Camp Chebbi by camel. The ride takes about an hour, while the sun goes down over the dunes. For dinner you will have chosen couscous, a tagine or a barbecue, served with Moroccan salad and tea. Afterwards, stay by the fire or walk a little way from camp to see the stars better.
You wake before sunrise to climb the dune behind camp. The sand is still cold and the climb takes about twenty minutes. Breakfast at camp, then you head north around half past eight. After Erfoud the road follows the Ziz valley: a long strip of palms at the bottom of a canyon, with earthen ksour along its edges. A stop at the viewpoint above the palm grove, then through the Legionnaire’s Tunnel, cut through the rock in the 1920s. Lunch in Midelt, included, at the foot of Jebel Ayachi: a tagine, or Middle Atlas trout when it is in season. In the afternoon the road crosses the Tizi n’Talghemt pass and enters the Azrou cedar forest, where Barbary macaques often wait by the road. Ifrane, with its pitched roofs and lawns, looks more like an Alpine resort than a Moroccan town. You reach Fez in the late afternoon. Your driver drops you at the medina gate nearest the riad, and a porter walks you to the door. The evening is yours, and the next morning breakfast is served in the courtyard or up on the roof terrace, over the medina rooftops.
03 / Where you’ll stay
A kasbah, a tent in the dunes, a riad in Fez
The first night in a rammed-earth kasbah facing the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou, with cool rooms and a pool. The second at Camp Chebbi in the Erg Chebbi: about ten wool tents with a real bed, sheets, a private bathroom and hot water. No noisy generator, no sound system. The third in a riad inside the Fez medina: an old house built around a courtyard, with zellige, carved cedar and a roof terrace. It is a few minutes’ walk from the gate where the car stops. If you want to stay on in Fez, we book the extra nights in the same riad.
04 / The route, at a glance
The route, at a glance
Stops are indicative and can be adapted to your pace.
Marrakech → Fez
05 / Before you go
Before you go
- Three days, three long driving days: 4 hours, then 6 h 30, then 7 h 30. It is easier than a round trip because nothing repeats, but you will still spend much of the trip in the car. If you want more time on the ground, a fourth day adds a night in the Dades and slows things down.
- October to May is the right window. In summer the dunes often pass 40°C; in winter the Tizi n’Tichka and the Middle Atlas pass can close for a few hours after snow. We watch the roads and tell you before you leave if a pass is shut.
- The camp is comfortable: a real bed, sheets, a private bathroom and hot water. Nights from December to February are cold in the erg, so pack a fleece.
- Cars cannot enter the Fez medina. We drop you at the gate nearest the riad, where a porter meets you with a handcart for the bags. Allow five to ten minutes on foot.
- Morocco tips. Your driver, the camp team and the village guide all expect it, and we tell you the usual amounts before you leave.
What’s not included
- Flights and airport transfers
- Dinner in Fez and drinks
- Extra nights in Fez (on request)
- Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
- Tips and personal expenses
- Quad biking, sandboarding and other dune activities
To prepare for this journey
Marrakech to Merzouga: 3 or 4 days?Your questions
Why finish in Fez rather than go back to Marrakech?
Because the Merzouga – Marrakech return is nine hours on a road you have already driven. The drive to Fez takes about 7 h 30 and shows you the Ziz, the Middle Atlas and its cedars. If your trip continues north, to Chefchaouen, Meknes or Rabat, or your flight leaves from Fez, it is the obvious choice. If you have to be back in Marrakech, take our round-trip version instead.
How much does the 3-day Marrakech to Fez tour cost?
€650 per person based on two travellers, €585 from four and €555 from six. That is €150 more than the round trip from Marrakech: the driver drives back empty from Fez, and the price also covers your night in a medina riad and lunch in Midelt. Shared minibus departures cost €100–200 on the big booking platforms. The difference is the private vehicle, the camp we use, and a day that moves at your speed rather than a group’s.
Can we do it the other way, from Fez to Marrakech?
Yes, at the same price. The longest day then becomes the first. Our six-day Casablanca to Marrakech route runs in that direction too. Just tell us which way you want to go when you book.
Can the mountain passes close?
It happens a few days each winter, mostly from December to February. The Tizi n’Tichka and the Tizi n’Talghemt, between Midelt and Azrou, usually close for a few hours after snowfall, rarely more than a day. We watch the roads and, if needed, move the departure time or take another route. You always hear about it beforehand.
Where do we sleep in Fez, and how do we reach the riad?
In a riad inside the medina, which we book for you. Cars cannot enter the medina, so your driver stops at the nearest gate, often Bab Bou Jeloud, Bab Guissa or Bab R’cif. A porter takes your bags on a handcart and walks you to the riad where we have booked your night. If you are staying on in Fez, we can extend your stay in the same riad.
What should I pack?
A small bag for the night at camp, which also does for Fez; your suitcase stays in the 4×4. Bring closed shoes, a hat, sunscreen and a warm jacket. The Middle Atlas can be fifteen degrees colder than the dunes on the same day. A head torch is handy at camp.
Is it the same driver for the whole trip?
Yes. The driver-guide who meets you in Marrakech stays with you until Fez, in the same vehicle. By the third day, they already know the pace you like to travel at.
What does this trip support locally?
We give ten per cent of what we earn to small cooperatives in the regions we drive through, to help them grow their own business. It is not a line added to your invoice — it comes out of our side of it.
Your journey starts here
Let’s plan your journey.
Your dates, your wishes, your pace. Tell us what matters to you and our local team will reply with a personal proposal.
Your circuit is booked once you accept the quote and we receive a 30% deposit or full payment. Any remaining balance is due before the circuit starts.
Free cancellation up to 48 hours before departure: a full refund, including your deposit. View terms
Customise with the detailed planner (optional)Or write to uscontact@kasbahroute.com
