6 Day Sightseeing Tour from Fez to Marrakech — Sahara & Imperial Cities

Overview

Morocco’s south has long been described as a world apart — ancient caravan routes, cloud-scraping kasbahs, Berber villages untouched by modernity, and one of the world’s most celebrated deserts. This 6-day private tour from Fez to Marrakech immerses you fully in that world. You travel at a pace that allows genuine exploration: two nights in the Merzouga desert, a full morning in the Dadès Gorge, an afternoon at Africa’s most prolific film studio, and an unhurried final day in the medinas and gardens of Marrakech. This is Morocco as it was meant to be experienced.

Tour Highlights

• Barbary apes in the cedar forests of Ashlow near Azrou
• Panoramic views over Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset
• Camel ride and overnight in a Merzouga desert camp
• Gnawa music village and nomadic desert exploration
• Todgha Gorge walk and Dadès Valley drive
• The Rose Festival route through Kalaat M’Gouna
• Ouarzazate’s Atlas Studios and Kasbah Taourirt
• UNESCO-listed Aït Ben Haddou Kasbah
• Tizi n’Tichka pass across the High Atlas
• Guided city tour of Marrakech: Jemaa el-Fna, Koutoubia, Majorelle Gardens

What’s Included

• Private air-conditioned 4WD or minivan (fuel included)
• Hotel/riad pickup in Fez; drop-off at Marrakech airport or hotel
• Licensed multilingual driver-guide
• Official heritage guide at Aït Ben Haddou
• Camel ride (one camel per person)
• 4×4 transfer to/from desert camp
• 4 nights in hotel/riad (dinner & breakfast)
• 1 night in desert camp (dinner & breakfast)
• Complimentary bottled water
• Unlimited scenic photo stops

Not Included

• Soft drinks
• Lunches
• Gratuities
• Travel insurance
• Optional activities

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1 — Fez › Ifrane › Midelt › Erfoud › Rissani › Merzouga

The journey begins with a morning drive from Fez into the Atlas Mountains. Ifrane is the first scheduled stop — a strikingly un-Moroccan town of red-roofed chalets, wide boulevards, and manicured parks built by the French in the 1930s as a mountain retreat. Beyond Ifrane, the cedar groves of the Ashlow Forest host large troops of Barbary macaques that have become well used to kind visitors. The Tiz Ntalghamt pass offers sweeping views before you descend into the semi-arid Tafilalet basin. A stop in Midelt for local mint tea and a fossil market browse gives way to the dramatic Ziz Gorge and the lush palm oasis of Erfoud. Arriving in Merzouga before dinner, you settle into a traditional riad overlooking the dunes.

Day 2 — Into the Heart of the Merzouga Desert

Today is your desert day. Morning begins with a drive to the Camria (Khamlia) village, where the descendants of sub-Saharan traders have maintained the hypnotic Gnawa musical tradition for generations. Musicians play the guembri bass lute and heavy metal krakeb castanets in a mesmerising collective trance. After visiting local artisans, your 4×4 heads into the open desert toward a nomadic encampment where a family graciously invites you into their tent for tea and conversation. The return route swings past the ancient salt lake of Dayet Srji — a flamingo habitat when it fills in winter. The late afternoon sees you mounted on camels for a sunset ride deep into the dunes. A campfire dinner in the Berber tents follows, with traditional drum music and a star display that will stay with you long after you’ve returned home.

Day 3 — Merzouga › Todgha Gorge › Dadès Gorge

After watching the dawn ignite the dunes, return to the lodge for breakfast. Today’s drive takes you west to the Todgha Gorge where the river has sliced a narrow passage between walls that glow ochre and amber in the morning light. Lunch at one of the small riverside restaurants here is a treat. The afternoon route follows the Dadès Gorge road — arguably the most spectacular valley drive in Morocco — where the tarmac snakes between eroded rock fingers called “monkey paws” and through hanging Berber villages. Overnight in Boumalne Dadès.

Day 4 — Dadès › Rose Valley › Ouarzazate

After breakfast, the day’s route winds through the Valley of Roses, passing fields of flowering Damascene roses and cooperative distilleries. The medieval fort-village of Kalaat M’Gouna hosts Morocco’s famous annual Rose Festival each May. Continue to Ouarzazate, where a visit to the celebrated Atlas Studios — the largest film studio in the world by area — and the nearby Kasbah Taourirt rounds out an absorbing afternoon. Overnight at a hotel in “the door of the desert.”

Day 5 — Aït Ben Haddou › Tizi n’Tichka › Marrakech

A short drive from Ouarzazate brings you to the extraordinary Ksar of Aït Ben Haddou, whose rammed-earth towers have appeared in everything from Gladiator to Game of Thrones and have earned UNESCO World Heritage status. Your guide takes you through its four-tiered street system and up to the granary at the summit for a 360° panorama. From here, the High Atlas crossing via the Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m) is a thrilling drive through hairpin bends, Berber shepherds’ villages, and — in winter — snow fields. The descent into Marrakech arrives in the late afternoon. Overnight at your riad.

Day 6 — Marrakech City Tour

Your final day is dedicated to Marrakech. A local guide leads you through the unmissable highlights: the pulsating theatre of Jemaa el-Fna square, the cool interior of the Koutoubia Mosque, the silk-hung halls of the Bahia Palace, the dazzling tiled courtyard of the Saadian Tombs, and the colourful lanes of the souks. The afternoon brings calmer pleasures: the serene Menara Gardens with their olive groves and reflecting pool, or the electric-blue oasis of Majorelle Garden — once owned by Yves Saint Laurent — with its cacti and vibrant cobalt walls. Your guide returns you to your hotel or the airport as evening falls.

Tour Information