2-Day Marrakech to Fes Express Desert Tour

This is our fastest way to fit a night in the Sahara between Marrakech and Fes. It’s a private, door-to-door transfer with the best part of Morocco in the middle: one day over the High Atlas and across the south-east to the dunes of Erg Chebbi, a sunset camel ride and a night at our desert camp, then a second day north through the Ziz Valley and the Middle Atlas to your riad in Fes.

It’s not a relaxed itinerary, and we won’t pretend otherwise. You spend a lot of time in the vehicle. But if you only have two days to get from one city to the other, it turns an ordinary transfer into the highlight of your trip.

The route at a glance

• Day 1: Marrakech → Tizi n’Tichka → Ait Ben Haddou viewpoint → Ouarzazate → Dades Valley → Tinghir → Erfoud → Merzouga, then by camel into Erg Chebbi (about 560 km)
• Day 2: Erg Chebbi → Erfoud → Ziz Valley → Errachidia → Midelt → Azrou cedar forest → Ifrane → Fes (about 470 km)

Is two days worth it?

Here’s an honest comparison to help you decide.

Two days works well if your schedule is fixed and the Sahara night is your priority. If you can spare one more day, the 3-day Marrakech to Fes tour adds a night in the Dades Valley and proper time at each stop. The 4-day tour gives you a whole day in the desert.

Day 1: racing the sun to the Sahara

We collect you from your riad or hotel early, around 6:30am, because the aim of the day is to reach Merzouga in time for the sunset camel ride. As the city wakes up behind you, the road climbs into the High Atlas, and you usually cross the Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m) in the soft morning light, with a stop at the top for photos.

On the southern side, your driver stops at a viewpoint over Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified earthen village made famous by films and listed by UNESCO, so you can see it across the river without the time needed for a full visit. From there the day becomes a journey along the great southern oases: past Ouarzazate and the kasbahs of Skoura, along the Dades Valley and the palm groves of Tinghir, and out across the stony plateau via Tinejdad and Erfoud. Lunch is at a local restaurant along the way, wherever it suits you.

You reach Merzouga in the late afternoon. Your main luggage goes to camp by 4x4, and you climb onto your camel for the ride into Erg Chebbi. As the sun drops, your handler stops on a high dune so you can watch the sand change colour from gold to red. At camp, dinner is followed by Berber drumming around the fire, and then there’s nothing but silence and stars.

Day 2: from the dunes to the medina

Sunrise is the reward for an early alarm. Climb the dune beside camp and watch the first light spill across the erg. Then ride back to the village for breakfast and a hot shower before the drive north.

The second day feels completely different. After Erfoud, the road follows the Ziz river, which has carved a deep valley lined with date palms and earthen villages; stop at the viewpoint above it for one of the finest panoramas of the trip. Beyond Errachidia, the road climbs steadily to Midelt, a highland town on a plateau between two mountain ranges and a good place for lunch.

Then come the Middle Atlas: rolling pastures, shepherds with their flocks and, around Azrou, forests of Atlas cedar where Barbary macaques gather near the road. A last coffee in Ifrane, with its European-style chalets and gardens, and then it’s a short descent to Fes. You arrive in the late afternoon, and your driver takes you to your accommodation or the nearest point to it.

Timing your trip

Because day one is planned around the sunset, the season matters.

• In summer, the sun sets late, so there’s more slack in the day and the camel ride is in the cooler evening air.
• In winter, the sun sets early, around 5:30pm, so we keep the stops tight to reach the dunes in time. Nights at camp are cold, sometimes close to freezing, and heavy blankets are provided.
• Spring and autumn (March to May, September to November) are the most comfortable seasons for both the drive and the desert.

Try not to plan anything important on the evening you arrive in Fes: after two long days, most travellers are happy with a quiet dinner at their riad.

Where you’ll sleep

Your one night is at our luxury desert camp in Erg Chebbi. Each booking has a private tent with comfortable beds and an en-suite bathroom with hot shower and flushing toilet, and there’s electricity to charge your phone and camera. Families can ask for a family tent with extra beds.

Who this tour is for

Travellers heading from Marrakech to Fes who have only two days but still want a real night in the Sahara. Instead of a train or a flight, you get the High Atlas, the dunes and a desert camp on the way. It suits confident travellers who don’t mind long days in a comfortable vehicle.

Good to know

• These are two long driving days. We keep the stops short so you reach the dunes before sunset. If you’d like more time at Ait Ben Haddou, the Todra Gorge or the Dades Valley, choose the 3-day version instead.
• Best months: March to May and September to November. Summer days in Merzouga often exceed 40°C, so in June to August we plan the camel ride for the cooler hours.
• Lunch stops are at local restaurants along the way and aren’t included, so you can choose what and how much to eat.
• Travelling the other way? We can run the same express route from Fes to Marrakech.