Fes Desert Tour Round Trip: 3-Day Sahara & Merzouga Loop (2026)

At 7.30 AM, your Fes desert tour round trip begins with a pickup from your hotel or riad. Then, you will leave the ancient medina for the vast expanses of the Middle Atlas Mountains. Ifrane, known as the ‘Switzerland of Morocco,’ is the first taste of the country’s surprising geographical diversity. Set at 1,665m, it’s a town of alpine-style chalets, sloping red-roofed buildings and tidy, flower-lined avenues. You will visit the city’s famous stone lion sculpture, then travel further into the dense cedar forests of Azrou, home to native Barbary macaques playing among centuries-old Atlas trees.

You will pause for a laid-back lunch before continuing through the dramatic red rock formations of the Tizi n’Talghamt pass to the high plains and Midelt, a mountain town famous for its apple orchards and rich mineral deposits. The highlands soon give way to desert country and the spectacular Ziz Valley, a vast green ocean of over a million date palms, cutting through towering limestone gorges. Arrive in Merzouga by late afternoon, the gateway to the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi, where you’ll trade four wheels for a traditional camel trek. Led by a local Berber nomad across the shifting sands, as the setting sun paints the desert in shades of gold and crimson, to your luxury desert camp, where you’ll be welcomed with fresh mint tea. You end your evening around a warm campfire under a canopy of stars as traditional Berber drum rhythms reverberate through the silent dunes. Your multi-course Moroccan tagine dinner is served inside your private en-suite tent.

You wake up early in the quiet darkness of Erg Chebbi and witness an amazing sunrise over the desert as the first rays of light turn the big dunes a wonderful gold color. After a full camp breakfast, a short transfer takes you back to Merzouga to visit the nearby village of Khamlia, where descendants of sub-Saharan Africans keep alive the soulful rhythms of Gnaoua music, using metal castanets (qraqeb) and traditional three-stringed lutes (guembri). You will be transferred from Khamlia to Rissani, the historic cradle of the Alaouite Dynasty, which rules Morocco today. Here you will discover the authentic and vibrant market where local villagers and nomads trade spices, crafts, and livestock in the presence of the famous donkey parking area. The route then heads west to Tinghir and the magnificent Todra Gorge, with its 300-meter-high sheer red limestone cliffs flanking a narrow river valley ideal for a peaceful afternoon stroll along the canyon floor. After a day to remember, you will check into a boutique kasbah in the Tinghir or Dades area. As evening approaches, you will unwind with a multi-course dinner.

After a leisurely breakfast at your hotel, you begin your return journey to Fes along scenic mountain corridors, enjoying new perspectives along the way on the northern leg of your journey. Back in the High Atlas range, the road bypasses Errachidia and the turquoise waters of the Hassan Addakhil Reservoir, set among the rugged, reddish brown mountain peaks. After enjoying the panoramic views, you will stop for a relaxing lunch in a rustic restaurant on the high pass. The final part of the drive features a changing scenery of fragrant cedar forests that gradually give way to the green, fertile plains around Fes. Your driver will be right there to take you back to your riad, hotel, or Fes-Saïss Airport in the early evening, finishing your Fes desert tour round trip in style and unforgettable fashion.