Trip overview
Four private days from Fez to Marrakech: two nights in an Erg Chebbi tent, a free day around Khamlia and Rissani, the Todra, the Dades and the High Atlas crossing.
- Duration4 days / 3 nights
- Starts inFez
- GroupPrivate or shared · 1–16 people
- DifficultyEasy
- LanguageEspañol
- DeparturesDaily departures all year round
Highlights
- Two nights in a row at the same Erg Chebbi camp
- Ifrane and the Azrou cedars, with Barbary macaques
- The Ziz canyon and its palm grove
- Gnawa music in Khamlia and the Rissani souk
- Sunset walk to the high dunes
- Walking along the riverbed of the Todra
- The Valley of Roses and the kasbahs of Skoura
- The ksar of Aït Ben Haddou and the climb to the Tichka
- Duration
- 4 days, 3 nights
- In the desert
- 2 nights in the same tent
- Driving
- ≈ 23 h in total
- Route
- Fez to Marrakech, one way
Private or small group
You can book this route either way, on this same page.
Private
A vehicle and driver just for you: you choose the start time and the stops. The price per person drops the more of you there are.
Small group
A seat in a shared minibus with other travellers on the same itinerary. Daily departures; the price is the same even if you travel alone.
What you do each day
Why two nights at the same camp
With two nights in the same tent you don't move in the middle of your free day, and the afternoon walk doesn't end with a rush to pack. For anyone who wants a hotel bed on the second night there are guesthouses right by the sand, and the rest of the programme stays as it is. The cold, the noises and the timings of a night at the camp are covered in sleeping in the Moroccan desert.
When to go
- March – MayGood timeMild days and roses in bloom in Kalaat M'Gouna around April and May.
- June – AugustMixedOver 40 °C in Merzouga at midday; the walk is done as the sun goes down.
- September – NovemberGood timeGood temperatures in the dunes and in the gorges.
- December – FebruaryMixedFreezing nights in the tent and possible snow in Ifrane and on the Tichka.
Before you book
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Fez – Ifrane – Azrou Cedars – Midelt – Ziz Canyon – Merzouga Camp
We pick you up at around 7:30 from your riad or the medina gate closest to it, with all your luggage, as you won't be coming back to Fez. In a little under an hour we're in Ifrane, at about 1,650 metres, with steep-roofed houses that look more like Switzerland than Morocco. Shortly afterwards we stop in the cedar forest near Azrou to see the macaques; it's better not to feed them.
Lunch is in Midelt, on the plateau that separates the Middle Atlas from the High Atlas. In the afternoon the landscape dries out, we go through the Legionnaire's Tunnel and down the Ziz canyon and its palm grove to Errachidia and Erfoud. In Merzouga your suitcase stays in the car: you get on the camel with a small backpack and reach the camp with the sun already low. Dinner and a night in a tent. It's 8 to 9 hours with stops.
Day 2: A day in Merzouga: Khamlia, Rissani and a walk through the Erg Chebbi dunes
If you're up in time, you can climb the dune behind the camp for sunrise; nobody makes you. After breakfast your driver waits for you at the edge of the sand. First we go to Khamlia, a village of mud houses where several Gnawa families play for visitors with drums and qraqeb, a kind of iron castanets. It's customary to leave them a voluntary contribution.
We carry on to Rissani, the old centre of the Tafilalet. If it's a souk day, there are donkeys tethered at the entrance and heaps of dates for sale. We have lunch there (not included) and go back to the camp to spend the hottest hours in the shade.
At around 17:00 you set off on foot with someone from the camp towards the highest dunes. It's an hour and a half of walking and the sand tires your legs. Second night in the same tent.
Day 3: Erg Chebbi – Oasis Route – Todra Gorge – Dades Valley
Today you leave the dunes by camel or 4x4, your choice, and have breakfast at the camp before we load the car. We take the road west through Erfoud, Jorf and Tinejdad, a plain of dark stone with scattered palm groves. Near Jorf you can see the holes of the khettaras in the ground, channels that carried water underground for kilometres.
In Tinghir we pull over above the palm grove for the view; then, once inside the Todra Gorge, the last stretch is done on foot along the riverbed, with water up to your ankles in spring and climbers on the walls for much of the year. We have lunch there (not included).
Later in the afternoon, past Boumalne, we follow the Dades Valley up to the Tisdrine bends, where the road zigzags over the rock. You sleep at a hotel in the valley, with dinner included. About 5 hours of driving in total.
Day 4: Dades – Kalaat M'Gouna – Skoura – Ouarzazate – Aït Ben Haddou – Tizi n'Tichka – Marrakech
We leave at around 8:00 because it's the busiest day. We drive down the valley to Kalaat M'Gouna, the town of roses: from late April into May the rose hedges are in flower, and at the cooperatives they show you how rose water is distilled. Further on we cross the Skoura palm grove, where the Amridil kasbah rises out of the trees, and pass through Ouarzazate without stopping at the studios.
At midday we reach Aït Ben Haddou. You cross the river, climb up through the ksar to the hilltop granary and have lunch in the village (not included). Then the climb to the Tizi n'Tichka begins, at 2,260 metres, with stops at whichever viewpoints you ask for. You reach your accommodation in Marrakech between 19:00 and 20:00, after about 8 hours on the road. In winter there is sometimes snow on the pass and the driver adjusts the timing.
What's included
Included (8)
- Collection from where you stay in Fez and drop-off where you stay in Marrakech
- Private car with air conditioning and a driver who speaks Spanish
- Fuel, tolls and parking
- Camel ride to the camp (one animal per person) and the ride out by camel or 4x4
- 2 nights at the same Erg Chebbi camp with dinner and breakfast
- 1 night at a hotel in the Dades, with dinner and breakfast
- Walk through the dunes with camp staff on the second day
- Visit to Khamlia and Rissani in the private car
Not included (7)
- Lunches and drinks
- Entry to kasbahs and monuments
- Local guides in the Todra and Aït Ben Haddou (optional)
- Voluntary contribution to the musicians in Khamlia
- Quad, buggy or sandboard outings
- Tips
- Accommodation in Fez and Marrakech
Important information (6)
- For the two nights in the desert, bring just a backpack; your suitcase travels in the car with the driver.
- From November to February nights in the dunes can drop below 5 °C. The tents have thick blankets, but bring a fleece.
- The Rissani souk is usually held on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday; if your dates allow, we order the visits so you arrive on one of those days.
- Phone signal at the camp comes and goes, and not every Standard tent has a socket.
- If you're travelling with young children, let us know: on days 1 and 4 we add more stops and leave a little earlier.
- A vegetarian menu is available if you ask when booking.
Prices per person
Private
The vehicle and driver are paid per day and shared between the travellers, so the price per person goes down the more of you there are. Accommodation is charged per person per night (3 nights).
| Travellers | Standard | Superior |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | €880 | €1,015 |
| 2 people | €500 | €635 |
| 3 people | €373 | €508 |
| 4 people | €310 | €445 |
| 5 people | €272 | €407 |
| 6 people | €247 | €382 |
- Standard: Comfortable hotels and riads, standard desert camp
- Superior: More characterful accommodation and a superior desert camp
- Children aged 3 to 11: 3% less than an adult.
- Groups of more than 7 people travel in two vehicles. The booking calculator takes this into account.
Small group
Small group
A seat in a shared minibus with other travellers, the same price even if you travel alone. Daily departures.
Payment and cancellation
You pay a 15% deposit when you book. The rest is paid on the first day of the trip, in cash or by bank transfer. You can also pay it by PayPal or card, with a 5% surcharge.
Private: free up to 48 hours before the start. Group: free up to 10 days before departure. If you cancel in time, we refund the full deposit.
Extras you can add
Chosen when you book and added to the total. You can also ask for them later, subject to availability.
Quad bike in the Merzouga dunes
Guided quad ride around Erg Chebbi, helmet included
Dune buggy in Merzouga
Two-seater buggy with a guide through the dunes, helmet included
Upgrade the accommodation
More characterful hotels and riads, and a superior desert camp On the group booking; for a private trip choose the Superior option.
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Leave a reviewFrequently asked questions
How is it different from the 3-day route from Fez to Marrakech?
It has one more day, and you spend all of it around Merzouga. You sleep two nights in a row at the same camp, visit Khamlia and Rissani without watching the clock and walk to the high dunes in the afternoon. The driving hours don't change, but you reach the Todra and the Dades rested instead of after only a few hours' sleep in the tent.
Why two nights at the camp and not one in a hotel?
Because that way you don't change accommodation in the middle of your free day, and you make the most of the afternoon on the sand. On the first night you arrive late and tired; you enjoy the second one more. If you'd prefer a hotel bed and a long shower for the second night, we swap it for a guesthouse next to the dunes and the rest of the programme stays the same.
Which is the hardest day?
The first, for hours in the car, 8 to 9 with stops, and the last, for the number of visits: the roses of Kalaat M'Gouna, the Skoura palm grove, Aït Ben Haddou and the Tichka. Neither is dangerous or demands any fitness, but they are days of early starts and arriving at nightfall. If that worries you, the five-day version spreads the end out better.
What happens if it's very hot or windy on the second day?
In summer the walk is pushed back until the sun drops, and in the morning we leave earlier for Khamlia and Rissani. If there's a sandstorm, which happens on some days in spring, we swap the dune walk for a drive round the nearby villages and try again at sunrise the next day.
Can I finish at Marrakech airport?
Yes, we can drop you at the airport instead of your accommodation. Bear in mind that we reach Marrakech at around 19:30, and in winter the Tichka can delay arrival. To avoid cutting it fine, we recommend a flight the next day or, at the earliest, one leaving after 23:00.
