5-Day Tour from Marrakech to Fes via the Sahara Desert

Experience Itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1 — Marrakech to Foum Zguid via Telouet and Ait Ben Haddou

   • ›After breakfast at 8:30 am, leave Marrakech by 4x4 and drive south over the stunning Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m).
   • ›The road winds through small Berber villages and changing landscapes.
   • ›Take a small road to the old Glaoui Kasbah of Telouet, then continue to the 12th-century UNESCO Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou for a full guided visit.
   • ›Continue to Ouarzazate, then southeast via the carpet village of Tazenacht, known for its hand-woven Berber rugs.
   • ›Arrive in the evening at the edge of the desert in Foum Zguid.
   • ›Overnight in a hotel with swimming pool.
2. 2

   Day 2 — Foum Zguid to Erg Chegaga

   • ›After breakfast, head off-road into the desert.
   • ›Drive across the Hammada (stone desert), small oases and the dry lake of Iriqi.
   • ›Continue deeper into the Sahara until you reach Erg Chegaga, the largest dune sea in this part of Morocco, with dunes up to 300 m high.
   • ›Afternoon activities include camel trekking, sandboarding and a sunset walk on the highest dune.
   • ›Traditional dinner with local Berber music and songs.
   • ›Overnight in nomad tents in a bivouac.
3. 3

   Day 3 — Erg Chegaga to Todra Gorge

   • ›Morning departure across the desert to the nomad village of M'hamid.
   • ›After a short rest, head north and stop in Tamegrout to visit the famous old pottery workshop with its green-glazed ceramics.
   • ›Continue to Zagora, then drive along the Draa Valley with its long palmeraie and Berber villages.
   • ›Cross the Saghro Mountains and arrive in the late afternoon at the high orange cliffs of the Todra Gorge.
   • ›Dinner and overnight in Todra.
4. 4

   Day 4 — Todra Gorge to Midelt via Rissani

   • ›After breakfast, take an optional walk along the river inside the Todra Gorge — the cliffs rise up to 300 m on both sides.
   • ›The vehicle picks you up at the end of the walk.
   • ›Continue through fossil-rich areas, small villages and palm oases.
   • ›Lunch break in Rissani with a visit to the old palace and kasbah, the historic capital of the region.
   • ›Drive north along the Atlas Mountains to Midelt, a quiet town between the Middle and High Atlas.
   • ›Dinner and overnight in Midelt.
5. 5

   Day 5 — Midelt to Fes via Azrou

   • ›Drive north by 4x4 across the Middle Atlas, with views of green valleys and pine-covered mountains.
   • ›Short break and lunch in the small Berber village of Zaida.
   • ›Continue to the cedar forests around Azrou, where you can stop to watch the wild Barbary macaque monkeys living free in the trees.
   • ›Arrival in Fes in the late afternoon, with drop-off at your hotel or riad.

Know Before You Go