6 Days Desert
Tour Fes to Marrakech
Overview
Six days from Fes
to Marrakech
via the Sahara
The most rewarding way to experience Morocco's two greatest imperial cities and the Sahara in one seamless journey. Begin in Fes with a full guided day in the medieval medina, cross the Middle Atlas to ride camels into the great dunes of Erg Chebbi, follow the legendary Road of a Thousand Kasbahs through Todra and Dades Gorges, stop at UNESCO Aït Benhaddou, and arrive in Marrakech for a full guided day in the Red City before your departure.
Six days gives you time to slow down: a proper day exploring Fes el-Bali, a luxury desert camp under the stars after a sunset camel trek, a night above the Dades Valley, and a full day with a private guide in Marrakech to take in the Bahia Palace, Majorelle Garden, the souks and the legendary spectacle of Djemaa el-Fna at sunset. The final day is yours to relax before your airport transfer.
All transport in a private air-conditioned 4×4 vehicle, accommodation in handpicked riads, kasbah hotels and a luxury Sahara camp, and a private licensed guide-driver throughout in English, French or Arabic.
What You'll Experience
Tour Highlights
Day by Day
Your Itinerary
Fes
Arrival & Discovery of the Ancient Medina
Arrive in Fes and meet your private guide. After settling into your traditional riad in the heart of the medina, set off on a full guided walking tour of Fes el-Bali — the 9th-century UNESCO World Heritage medina and one of the world's most extraordinary urban environments. Visit the Chouara tanneries from leather-scented rooftop terraces above the vivid dye vats. Explore Al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 AD and widely considered the world's oldest continuously operating university. Wander the souks of leather, ceramics, brass and spice with your guide as interpreter. End at the Merenid Tombs above the city for golden-hour panoramas over the medieval skyline. Welcome dinner at a traditional restaurant inside the medina.
Fes → Ifrane → Midelt → Merzouga
Across the Atlas to the Edge of the Sahara
Early morning departure from your Fes riad. Head south through the rolling foothills of the Middle Atlas. First stop: Ifrane — a charming alpine town with red-roofed chalets and a famous stone lion sculpture, often called the "Switzerland of Morocco." Continue through ancient cedar forests where Barbary macaques roam roadside. Cross Midelt's high plateau between the Middle and High Atlas ranges, with a lunch break before the dramatic descent through the spectacular Ziz Gorge and its endless palmery corridor — a sea of date palms stretching to the horizon. Arrive Merzouga in the late afternoon as the great dunes of Erg Chebbi flush gold and amber at dusk. In late afternoon, mount your camels for a 90-minute trek deep into the great dunes, watching the sunset paint the sand from camelback. Arrive at your luxury desert camp as the stars emerge. Dinner around the fire with traditional Berber music — a memory that stays for life.
Merzouga → Todra Gorge → Dades Valley
Sahara Sunrise & the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs
Wake before dawn to climb the great dune behind your camp for the Sahara sunrise — one of the most transcendent experiences on earth. Watch the desert turn from violet to amber as the sun rises over Algeria. Camel back to where your 4×4 is waiting, then drive west through Rissani — Morocco's old caravan capital — and along the legendary Route des Kasbahs. Stop at Todra Gorge, where sheer canyon walls rise 300m on either side of a shallow palm-lined river — time to walk into the gorge with your guide. Continue to the rose-red Dades Valley with its dramatic switchback roads and bizarre rock formations known as "Monkey Fingers." Sunset at the Dades viewpoint. Overnight in a kasbah hotel above the gorge.
Dades → Skoura → Ouarzazate → Aït Benhaddou → Marrakech
UNESCO Kasbah & Over the High Atlas
After breakfast, drive through the Valley of Roses (famous for the spring rose harvest and rosewater products) and the Skoura palm grove with its scattered ancient kasbahs. Continue to Ouarzazate, the "Hollywood of Africa" where Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and Game of Thrones were filmed. Visit Kasbah Taourirt and (optional) the Atlas Film Studios. Stop at Aït Benhaddou — the magnificent UNESCO fortified ksar of pisé earth towers — to walk through the labyrinth of mud-brick buildings with your guide and climb to the top for panoramic valley views. Cross the High Atlas via the spectacular Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260m) with sweeping mountain views and Berber villages clinging to the slopes. Stop at a women's argan oil cooperative. Descend to the ochre plains and arrive in Marrakech in the early evening — drop-off at your medina riad.
Marrakech
Full Guided Tour of the Red City
A full guided day in Marrakech with a licensed local expert to bring the Red City to life. Begin at the ornate Bahia Palace, with its hand-carved cedar ceilings and zellige courtyards. Visit the golden cedar of the Saadian Tombs and the imposing Koutoubia minaret. Continue to the extraordinary Majorelle Garden — 12 acres of cobalt-blue architecture and exotic plants created by Jacques Majorelle and rescued by Yves Saint Laurent — and the adjacent YSL Museum. Lunch in a hidden riad. Afternoon walking tour of the historic souks of the medina with your guide decoding every alley, craft and scent: spice merchants, weavers, lantern makers and leather workers. As the sun sets, take your place in the legendary spectacle of Djemaa el-Fna square — storytellers, snake charmers, musicians, acrobats, and the rising smoke of a hundred food stalls. Farewell dinner on a rooftop overlooking the square.
Marrakech → Departure
Last Moments & Departure
Time at leisure in Marrakech depending on your flight schedule. Final breakfast at your riad, last-minute souk shopping for spices, leather and crafts to bring home, or a quiet morning on a rooftop terrace. Whenever you're ready, your private driver will collect you from the riad and transfer you to Marrakech Menara airport for your onward flight. End of services — a head full of stories, a phone full of photographs, and a Morocco that won't leave you.
Practical Information
Included & Excluded
Included
- Private licensed guide-driver throughout (6 days)
- Air-conditioned 4×4 private vehicle
- 5 nights accommodation — Fes riad, luxury desert camp, Dades kasbah hotel & Marrakech riad
- Full guided day in Fes medina with local expert
- Full guided day in Marrakech with local expert
- Camel trek into Erg Chebbi at sunset & return at dawn
- Dinner at the desert camp with Berber music
- Daily breakfast at all accommodations
- Aït Benhaddou UNESCO entrance & guided walk
- Bahia Palace & Majorelle Garden entrances
- Pickup in Fes & departure transfer to Marrakech airport
- Tour available in English, French or Arabic
- 24/7 WhatsApp support throughout the trip
Not Included
- Lunches and dinners (except desert camp dinner)
- Drinks and beverages at restaurants
- Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
- Personal expenses, tips & gratuities
- Khamlia Gnawa music village (optional add-on)
- Quad bike or sandboarding (optional add-ons)
- Single-room supplement
- Anything not explicitly listed in "Included"
Visual Journey
Gallery
Erg Chebbi — Merzouga
Chouara Tanneries — Fes
Camel Trek — Sahara
Aït Benhaddou UNESCO
Marrakech
Ready for the Dunes?
Begin Your Escape
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