5 Days Tour From Fes To Marrakech

Overview

This 5-day tour from Fes to Marrakech allows you to explore a big part of the Sahara Desert via the Middle Atlas Mountains, verdant valleys, and Kasbahs. You will visit towns like Ifrane and Azrou, home to cedar forests and Barbary apes.

Enjoy a scenic drive through the winding Tizi-n-Talghemt pass and descend into the lush Ziz Valley oasis. A highlight is reaching the famous Erg Chebbi dunes in Merzouga, where you’ll experience the thrill of a camel ride to see the beautiful sunset and spend a night in a traditional desert camp.

Get to know the Todra Gorges with Dades Valley and Valley of Roses. Venture into remote areas to interact with nomadic Berber families and witness the ingenious khettarat water channels. Explore Ouarzazate film studios and the UNESCO-listed Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah. Then we’ll arrive in Marrakech in the afternoon.

Highlights

5 Days Tour From Fes To Marrakech

Day 1 : Fes → Ifrane → Azrou → Midelt

Your 5-day trip from Fes to Marrakech begins at 8:00 am when your driver picks you up from your hotel or riad in Fes. We leave Fes to Midelt through the mountains and green forests of the Middle Atlas Mountains.

Our first stop is Ifrane, a charming ski resort town known as the “Little Switzerland of Morocco” due to its low temperature, snow, and Swiss-inspired houses. Here you can stretch your legs and grab a quick coffee or snack.

Continuing our journey, we’ll make our way to Azrou, granting you the opportunity to spot the famous Barbary apes, also known as Macaque monkeys. If you wish, we can take a short walk into the cedar forests to feed them and take pictures.

After Azrou, we’ll follow the N13 road south, crossing over the Middle Atlas Mountains. Enjoy a nice drive through Berber villages. Lunch will be in the town of Timahdite. Then we resume our journey towards Midelt, which is called “the apple capital” of Morocco. Upon arrival, you’ll check into a local guest house and enjoy a traditional Moroccan dinner.

Day 2 : Midelt → Ziz Valley → Merzouga

After breakfast at your accommodation, we depart from Midelt towards Merzouga. The first leg heads south over the winding Tizi-n-Talghemt mountain pass, earning its nickname as the “she-camel” for the way the road undulates over the peaks and valleys.

Descending from the High Atlas, we’ll enter the verdant Ziz Valley oasis cutting through the arid landscape, with lush date palm groves lining Ziz River. We’ll stop for some panoramic sceneries of innumerable “ksars”, mud-brick villages dotting the valley.

Our next stop is the mining town of Er Rachidia, where you can learn about the region’s mineral extraction industry. From there, we proceed to Erfoud, famous for its pottery and fossil mining. There is no obligation to buy anything in the markets!

We continue to Rissani, once a booming trading hub along the trans-Saharan caravan routes. You will visit the weekly market if it is one of the market days (Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday).

Finally, we arrive at the highlight of our day – the famous Erg Chebbi dunes in Merzouga. You have the option to embark on a camel ride, which will take you to our desert camp. Alternatively, you can choose to travel to the camp by 4×4 vehicle. A stop will be made for you to enjoy the magical sunset on top of a high dune.

Once at the camp, you will be welcomed with a refreshing cup of traditional Moroccan mint tea. After dinner, sit around the campfire and watch performers play traditional Berber drum music. Finally, retreat to your nomadic tent and sleep under the stars.

Day 3 : Merzouga → Tinghir → Dades Gorges

Wake up early to catch the sunrise over the massive orange sand dunes of Merzouga in the Sahara Desert. After breakfast at your desert camp, ride camels or transfer by 4WD back to the starting point in Merzouga. Meet your driver and depart for Tinghir, a charming town known for its beautiful Todra valley full of palm groves and Todra caves.

Our route takes us past the ingenious khettarat – still-functioning underground water channels developed by the Arabs over 1,000 years ago to irrigate the arid desert regions. Take a short guided walk to learn how this 14th-century technology channeled water from the mountains, enabling crop cultivation in the dry valleys. The tunnels can extend over 20 miles long in some cases.

Then it’s on to the impressive Todgha Gorges located in the feet of the High Atlas Mountains. Go on an easy 1-2 hours guided hike along the river through the gorges to admire the stark rock formations (600 ft high) and see small villages built into the gorges.

We’ll have a break for lunch then we continue to Boumalne Dades crossing the Dades Valley, another beautiful area of the Atlas Mountains known for its unique rock formations and traditional Kasbahs. Overnight in a hotel or Kasbah.

Day 4 : Dades Gorges → Ouarzazate

Begin the fourth day of your 5-day Marrakech Desert Tour with a scenic morning hike through the Dades Valley and a visit to Monkey Fingers Canyon. Next, we go off-road on the Boutaghar piste (desert track) to visit a nomadic Berber family living in caves carved into the mountainside. Experience their traditional way of life as you join them for a glass of mint tea and learn about their nomadic existence in this harsh environment.

Continuing on, we’ll drive through the famous Valley of Roses. Stop at a rose collective to see the production of rose water and rose oil – valuable exports from this region. Free time for lunch. Then continue driving through the palm groves of Skoura and tour the 17th-century Kasbah Amredhil, one of Morocco’s best-preserved kasbahs.

Finally, we reach Ouarzazate, where we have dinner and spend the night in a hotel.

Day 5 : Ouarzazate → Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah → Telouet → High Atlas Mountains → Marrakech

After breakfast at your hotel in Ouarzazate, we’ll begin our exploration of this city known as the “Hollywood of Africa” and a gateway to the desert. We will visit the Taourirt Kasbah and the Atlas Studios, one of the largest movie studios in the world, where many famous films were shot.

Then we’ll depart for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, a remarkable ksar (fortified village) that dates back to the 17th century. This iconic location has been featured in numerous movies, including “Gladiator,” “Lawrence of Arabia,” and “The Mummy.”

Following our exploration, we will traverse the majestic High Atlas Mountains en route to Marrakech. Our scenic journey includes stops at picturesque viewpoints of Ounila Valley and a stop at Telouet Kasbah, where we’ll visit the former palace of the powerful Glaoui family.

Then, we’ll begin our ascent into the High Atlas Mountains, crossing the breathtaking Tizi-N-Tichka Pass, one of the highest major mountain passes in North Africa. Along the way, we’ll make stops to enjoy the stunning scenery, take photographs of interesting spots, and have lunch. Finally, we drop you off at the airport or your accommodation in Marrakech. End of 5 Days Itinerary from Marrakech.