How long is the Marrakech to Fes desert tour?
This private tour runs 3 days and 2 nights, starting in Marrakech and ending in Fes, with one night in the Dades Valley area and one night in a desert camp near Merzouga. It covers the same desert route as our round-trip Marrakech to Merzouga tours, but continues north to Fes instead of returning south, which saves a full day of backtracking if Fes is already on your itinerary.
Why go one way instead of looping back
Most desert tours from Marrakech return to Marrakech, which makes sense if that’s also where your flight out departs from. This itinerary is built for the opposite case: travelers who are heading to Fes, Chefchaouen or the north next and would rather not spend a day driving back to a city they’ve already seen. Ending in Fes instead of Marrakech turns what would otherwise be a there-and-back desert side trip into forward progress on a longer Morocco itinerary.
Route and stops
The first two days match our round-trip Marrakech to Merzouga tours exactly: the Tizi n’Tichka pass, Ait Ben Haddou, the Dades Valley and the Todra Gorge, ending with a camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes. The difference comes on day 3, when the route continues north from Merzouga through the Ziz Valley and Midelt into the Middle Atlas, rather than retracing the road back over the Tizi n’Tichka pass to Marrakech.
What the pace feels like
The final day is the longest single stretch of driving on this itinerary, covering the Merzouga-to-Fes leg in one push with stops built in roughly every two hours. If a single long driving day isn’t appealing, our 4- and 5-day versions of this same route split that stretch across an extra day, without changing where the tour starts or ends.
Who this itinerary suits
This is the route we suggest for travelers building a longer trip around Morocco who want the desert covered efficiently on the way from Marrakech to Fes, rather than as a separate round trip. If your plans call for returning to Marrakech afterward instead, our 3-day Marrakech to Merzouga tour covers the same desert stops as a loop.
