The 4 Days Desert Tour from Fes to Marrakech takes the same one-way route as the three-day version and adds the day most travellers wish they had: a full day at Erg Chebbi rather than a sunset arrival and a dawn departure.
That day is where the desert stops being scenery. You take tea with a nomad family on the open hamada, cross the black volcanic desert, visit the abandoned mines at Mfis, and spend the late afternoon at Khamlia listening to Gnaoua music.
Either side of it, the route covers the Middle Atlas cedar forest, the Ziz palm groves, Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley, Ait Ben Haddou and the Tizi n Tichka pass into Marrakech.
Early pickup in Fes, then the climb into the Middle Atlas past Ifrane and the cedar forest at Azrou, where Barbary macaques gather by the road.
Lunch at Midelt on the high plateau, then down through the Tizi n Talghomt into the Ziz Valley, a green corridor of date palms between bare cliffs, with a viewpoint above the gorge.
Arrival at Merzouga in the late afternoon and the camel ride into Erg Chebbi, reaching camp at sunset. Dinner under the tent, drums around the fire, and a night on the sand.
Accommodation: Berber desert camp, Erg Chebbi
Sunrise on the dunes, camel ride back, then breakfast and a shower at your hotel.
The day is a 4×4 circuit of the erg and the country around it: tea with a nomad family, the seasonal lake at Dayet Srji, the black volcanic desert and the abandoned kohl workings at Mfis.
Late afternoon at Khamlia, a village founded by descendants of sub-Saharan Africans, for a Gnaoua session, then a second sunset at the dunes.
Accommodation: Hotel or kasbah in Merzouga
West after breakfast, with stops at Rissani and its covered souk and at Erfoud for the fossil workshops.
In the afternoon you reach Todra Gorge, where the canyon narrows to a few paces beneath limestone walls of about 300 metres. A walk on the valley floor is the right way to see it.
A short drive on brings you to the Dades Valley, where the road winds between red cliffs and the eroded towers known locally as the monkey fingers.
Accommodation: Hotel or guesthouse in the Dades Valley
The kasbah road west through El Kelaa des Mgouna, where most of the Moroccan rose crop is distilled, and the Skoura palm oasis with Kasbah Amerhidil.
Ouarzazate for lunch, with the Taourirt Kasbah and the film studios, then Ait Ben Haddou, where you cross the riverbed and climb through the ksar to the granary at the top.
The last stage crosses the High Atlas by the Tizi n Tichka pass, with viewpoints on the descent into Marrakech. Arrival in the evening.
A full day at Merzouga instead of arriving at sunset and leaving at dawn. Nomad camps, the black desert and Khamlia, plus a second sunset on the dunes.
Yes, in either direction at the same price.
One night at the camp and one at a hotel or kasbah in Merzouga, which gives you a hot shower mid-trip. Two camp nights are available on request.
Yes. Car seats can be provided and the camel ride can be replaced by a 4×4 transfer to the camp for small children.
From December to February it can approach freezing after dark. Camps provide thick blankets, but bring a warm jacket. Summer nights stay mild.
Dinner and breakfast every night of the tour. Lunches are taken at stops along the road so you can choose freely.
Three days across Morocco works but is a lot of road for the time. Four days keeps the same route and gives the Sahara a day of its own, which is where most travellers say the trip actually turned into something memorable.
Private vehicle, private driver, one-way logistics handled, and you finish in Marrakech with your bags rather than back where you started.
