Fes to Marrakech Desert Tour: 9 Days Through the Sahara and the Ksar Route

Your Fes to Marrakech Desert Tour at a Glance

This Fes to Marrakech desert tour is built for travelers who want to see Morocco properly instead of rushing between cities. You start in the imperial city of Fes, cross the Middle Atlas to the Sahara, sleep in a private tent among the dunes of Erg Chebbi, follow the Route of a Thousand Kasbahs through the Dades Valley and Ouarzazate, and finish in Marrakech with a day trip to the coast. It is one of the most complete private Morocco tours we run at Morocco Time Travel, and every day is arranged around you.

Looking for something shorter? Our 4-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour covers the same Sahara highlights in a quicker loop.

Why Travelers Choose This Fes to Marrakech Desert Tour

If you are still choosing destinations, our guides to the best cities to visit in Morocco and the best places to see in Morocco show how this route fits into a wider trip.

Day-by-Day Itinerary: Fes to Marrakech Desert Tour in 9 Days

Here is exactly how the Fes to Marrakech desert tour unfolds. Timings stay flexible, so we can adjust stops to your arrival time, interests and travel style.

Day 1

Arrive in Fes

Fes airport or station to your hotel in the medina

Your guide meets you at the airport or train station and takes you to your hotel in the historic medina. Depending on when you land, you can take a first walk through the old streets or simply rest after your journey.

Overnight: Hotel in Fes

Day 2

A full day in Fes

Fes medina, tanneries and artisan quarters

Fes is the artisan capital of Morocco. Today you explore one of the largest car-free medinas in the world, with its leather tanneries, potters, spice stalls, mosques and one of the oldest universities in the world. Dinner is included before your second night in the city.

Overnight: Hotel in Fes

Day 3

Fes to Merzouga across the Middle Atlas

Fes – Ifrane – Azrou cedar forest – Midelt – Ziz Valley – Merzouga

Leave Fes after breakfast and drive south on roads once used by camel caravans. You pass the alpine-style town of Ifrane and stop in the Azrou cedar forest, home to wild Barbary macaques. After lunch in Midelt you cross high desert, follow the green Ziz Valley with its palm groves and clay ksour, and watch the mountains give way to the dunes of the Sahara. In Merzouga you are welcomed with mint tea and snacks.

Overnight: Hotel in Merzouga

Day 4

Merzouga, Khamlia and your desert camp night

Merzouga – Khamlia – Dayet Srij lake – Rissani – Erg Chebbi camp

After breakfast you visit Khamlia, a village known for Gnawa music, and enjoy a short live concert over mint tea. Then comes Lake Dayet Srij, where birds gather when there is water, and the market town of Rissani with one of the oldest authentic souks in the country. Later you mount your camel and ride across the Erg Chebbi dunes to your luxury camp for dinner, live music and a night in a private tent.

Overnight: Luxury desert camp, private tent

Day 5

Sunrise, Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley

Erg Chebbi – Rissani – Tinghir – Todra Gorge – Dades Valley

Wake early for sunrise over the dunes, ride back to the hotel for breakfast and a shower, then begin the drive toward Marrakech. After Rissani and Tinghir you have lunch at Todra Gorge and walk beside the river that carved some of the tallest and narrowest canyon walls in the country. The afternoon road through the Dades Valley passes Berber villages, palm groves and the rock formations known as monkey fingers.

Overnight: Hotel overlooking the Dades Valley

Day 6

Route of a Thousand Kasbahs to Ouarzazate

Dades Valley – Kalaat M’Gouna – Amridil Kasbah – Ouarzazate

Today follows the Route of a Thousand Kasbahs, and the name is no exaggeration. In Kalaat M’Gouna, the Rose City, you learn how roses become rose water and essential oils. Then you visit Amridil Kasbah, once the home of a Berber chieftain and later of the Glaoui family, and a fine example of traditional earthen architecture. You finish the day in Ouarzazate.

Overnight: Hotel in Ouarzazate

Day 7

Ait Ben Haddou, Tizi n’Tichka and Marrakech

Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou – Tizi n’Tichka pass – Marrakech

Visit the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose clay towers have appeared in films such as Gladiator. Then cross the Tizi n’Tichka pass, which reaches 2,260 meters, with as many photo stops as you like. You arrive in Marrakech in the late afternoon and check in to your hotel or riad.

Overnight: Hotel or riad in Marrakech

Day 8

Day trip to Essaouira

Marrakech – Essaouira – Marrakech (about 2.5 hours each way)

Drive to the windswept Atlantic town of Essaouira. Walk its blue-and-white medina, see the Portuguese-influenced ramparts and visit a women’s argan oil cooperative. Lunch is on your own in the medina or at the port, and you return to Marrakech in the afternoon.

Overnight: Hotel or riad in Marrakech

Day 9

Marrakech and your departure

Menara – Saadian Tombs – Bahia Palace – Koutoubia – Majorelle – Jemaa el-Fna

Spend your last full day in the Red City. Typical stops include the Menara gardens, the Saadian Tombs, Bahia Palace, the Koutoubia Mosque and Majorelle Garden, and at sunset you join the storytellers, musicians and food stalls of Jemaa el-Fna. On your departure day we keep the schedule open, so you can shop or relax before we take you to the airport in time for your flight. For more ideas, see our guide to the things to do in Marrakech or add a quad ride in the Marrakech Palmeraie.

Overnight: Hotel or riad in Marrakech (9 nights in total)

Ksar, Kasbah and Ksour: The Earthen Villages You Will See

This Fes to Marrakech desert tour passes some of the best-preserved clay architecture in North Africa, so it helps to know the terms. A ksar (plural ksour) is a fortified village of clay and straw, built so a whole community could live and defend itself behind one wall. A kasbah is a fortified residence or citadel, often belonging to a chieftain or a powerful family.

Walking through the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou on Day 7 is the highlight for many guests. We take you up through the lanes at a relaxed pace so you can see how the families who lived inside the ksar stored grain, collected water and defended their homes. For more landscapes like this, read our guide to the 3-day Marrakech to Merzouga tour, which visits the same ksar in the opposite direction.

What Is Included in Your Fes to Marrakech Desert Tour

Want to add something? Ask us about extras such as a quad or buggy ride in Marrakech, and we will fit it into your free time.

Price and How to Book Your Fes to Marrakech Desert Tour

We quote every Fes to Marrakech desert tour individually because the price depends on your group size, the hotel level you choose and your travel dates. A private tour shares the cost of the vehicle and guide across your group, so the price per person drops as more travelers join. You can also run this tour as a private departure or join a group.

1. Send us a message. Tell us your travel dates, the number of travelers and where you land, on WhatsApp.
2. Receive your tailored quote. We confirm availability and send a clear itinerary and price for your group.
3. Confirm and relax. Once you approve the plan, we reserve your guide, vehicle, hotels and desert camp, and we meet you on arrival in Fes.

Compare Desert Tours: Which One Fits Your Trip?

Not sure about the length? Here is how this Fes desert tour compares with our other Sahara trips.

You can browse all of them on our Marrakech Sahara desert tours page, or start from the Morocco Time Travel homepage. If you plan to land in Casablanca first, see our Morocco tours from Casablanca.

Best Time for a Fes to Marrakech Desert Tour and What to Pack

Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are the most comfortable seasons for a Sahara desert tour from Fes. Summer in Merzouga is very hot, and winter nights in the desert and the Middle Atlas around Ifrane can be cold, so pack accordingly.

• Layers, including a warm jacket for the desert night
• A scarf, hat and sunglasses for the dunes
• Comfortable closed shoes for gorges and ksar lanes
• A small overnight bag for the camp, since your main luggage stays in the vehicle
• Cash for lunches, drinks and optional tips

Spending time in Fes before you leave? Read our guide to the things to do in Fes. If your tour runs in reverse, our Marrakech excursions are a good way to fill spare days.

Fes to Marrakech Desert Tour: Frequently Asked Questions