The 2 Days Sahara Desert Tour from Fes exists for one reason: you have two days and you want to stand on a real dune. Erg Chebbi is the tallest sand sea in Morocco, and this itinerary reaches it in a single long day of driving through some of the best scenery in the country.
The road climbs out of Fes into the Middle Atlas past Ifrane and the cedar forest at Azrou, crosses the plateau at Midelt, then drops into the Ziz Valley, a green corridor of date palms cut between bare cliffs. By late afternoon you are at Merzouga with a camel waiting.
You sleep in a private tent in a camp on the sand, eat tagine under canvas, and wake for sunrise before the drive back north.
An early pickup from your riad or hotel in Fes. The road climbs quickly into the Middle Atlas and reaches Ifrane, a town built in the 1930s with steep roofs and clipped lawns that looks nothing like anywhere else in Morocco.
A short drive on is the cedar forest near Azrou, where some trees are several hundred years old and a well-known troop of Barbary macaques comes down to the roadside. Lunch is usually taken at Midelt, the apple town on the plateau halfway between the mountains and the desert.
The afternoon crosses the Tizi n Talghomt pass and descends into the Ziz Valley, where hundreds of thousands of date palms follow the river between red cliffs. There is a viewpoint above the gorge worth the stop.
You reach Merzouga in the late afternoon. Leave the heavy luggage at the hotel, take a small overnight bag, and set off by camel into Erg Chebbi. The caravan reaches camp around sunset, with time to climb a crest before dinner. Tagine under the tent, drums around the fire, and a night in a private tent.
Accommodation: Berber desert camp, Erg Chebbi
Wake before dawn to climb a dune for sunrise, the best twenty minutes of the trip. The camels then carry you back to Merzouga for breakfast and a shower at the hotel.
The return route stops at Rissani, the old caravan town that was the seat of the Alaouite dynasty and still holds one of the busiest covered markets in the south. There is usually time to look at the date souk.
From there the road retraces the Ziz Valley north, with lunch at Midelt, then crosses the cedar forest and Ifrane before the descent into Fes. Arrival is in the evening, with drop-off at your accommodation.
Around eight hours with stops at Ifrane, the cedar forest, Midelt and the Ziz Valley. It is a long day, but the scenery changes constantly and the stops break it up.
It is enough to reach the dunes, ride a camel, sleep in the desert and see both sunset and sunrise. It is not enough to explore the region. If you can spare a third day, the 3 Days Morocco Desert Tour from Fes adds a full day around Merzouga.
Back in Fes. If you would rather continue to Marrakech, take the 3 or 4 day Fes to Marrakech versions, which cover the same desert and carry on west instead of doubling back.
Private sleeping tents with real beds and blankets, a dining tent, and shared washing facilities. Luxury camps with private bathrooms and hot water are available for a supplement.
A small overnight bag with a change of clothes, a warm layer for the evening, a torch, and any medication. Everything else stays in the vehicle.
Yes. A 4×4 can take you to the camp instead. Tell us in advance if anyone has back problems or is travelling with very small children.
Most travellers in Fes assume the Sahara is out of reach without three or four spare days. It is not. Two days gets you to Erg Chebbi and back, and the drive itself takes in the cedar forest, the high plateau and the Ziz palm groves rather than empty motorway.
Departures are private, so the timing bends around your schedule and you can leave earlier to gain daylight in the dunes.
