How long is the 4-day Marrakech to Fes desert tour?
This private tour runs 4 days and 3 nights, starting in Marrakech and ending in Fes, and follows the same route as our 3-day version but spreads the final drive north over an extra day.
Why choose 4 days instead of 3
The 3-day version covers the same distance but asks you to drive from Merzouga to Fes in a single stretch, right after a night in the desert. The 4-day version breaks that leg in two with an overnight in the Ifrane or Midelt area, so neither driving day runs long and there’s a natural stopping point partway through the Middle Atlas.
Route and stops
The route is identical to the 3-day tour for the first two days: Marrakech, the Tizi n’Tichka pass, Ait Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, the Dades Valley, the Todra Gorge, and Merzouga for the desert camp. The difference is entirely in how day 3 is paced — this version stops overnight partway through the Middle Atlas instead of continuing straight to Fes.
A cooler stop in the Middle Atlas
The overnight in Ifrane or Midelt also works as a change of scenery from the desert heat, sitting at a noticeably higher elevation among cedar forests rather than sand. It’s a practical stop rather than a sightseeing day in its own right, but it does put you in range of the Azrou cedar forests, where wild Barbary macaques are a common roadside sight the next morning.
Who this itinerary suits
This is the version we suggest for travelers who want the same Marrakech-to-Fes desert crossing as our 3-day tour but would rather not do the longest driving day of the trip immediately after a night camping in the dunes. If a guided day in the Fes medina also matters to you, our 5- and 6-day versions of this route add that on at the end.
