The 7 Days Morocco Desert Tour from Fes is the long southern crossing. It reaches Erg Chebbi for two nights, then instead of turning straight for Marrakech it drops south into the Draa Valley, the longest oasis in the country, as far as Zagora.
That means two different deserts in one trip: the tall sand of Erg Chebbi and the palm-and-ksar country of the Draa, which sees a fraction of the traffic. Between them come Todra Gorge, the Dades, the Valley of Roses and the kasbahs of Skoura and Ouarzazate.
The week ends with a guided day in Marrakech, so the trip finishes in the city rather than arriving there exhausted on the last evening.
Early pickup in Fes and into the Middle Atlas past Ifrane, then the cedar forest at Azrou where Barbary macaques gather by the road.
Lunch at Midelt on the plateau, then down through the Tizi n Talghomt into the Ziz Valley and its long belt of date palms, with a viewpoint above the gorge.
Arrival at Merzouga in the late afternoon and the camel ride into Erg Chebbi, reaching camp at sunset for dinner and drums under the tent.
Accommodation: Berber desert camp, Erg Chebbi
Sunrise from a dune crest, camel ride back, breakfast and a shower at your hotel.
A 4×4 circuit fills the day: tea with a nomad family on the open hamada, the seasonal lake at Dayet Srji where flamingos stop in spring, the black volcanic desert and the abandoned kohl mines at Mfis.
Late afternoon at Khamlia for a Gnaoua session, then a second sunset at the edge of the erg.
Accommodation: Hotel or kasbah in Merzouga
West after breakfast, with stops at Rissani and its covered market and at Erfoud for the fossil workshops.
The morning reaches Todra Gorge, where the walls rise about 300 metres and the canyon narrows to a few paces above the stream. A walk on the valley floor is the best of the day.
The afternoon brings you to the Dades Valley, with time for the winding gorge road above your hotel and its view over the switchbacks.
Accommodation: Hotel or guesthouse in the Dades Valley
A short day. El Kelaa des Mgouna first, where most of the country damask rose crop is distilled into water and oil, then the Skoura oasis and Kasbah Amerhidil among the palms.
Arrival in Ouarzazate in the afternoon, with time for the Taourirt Kasbah in the old quarter and the Atlas film studios, where sets from several international productions still stand.
Ouarzazate sits at the junction of the two southern roads, which is why the night here matters: tomorrow you take the one most tours skip.
Accommodation: Hotel in Ouarzazate
South over the Tizi n Tinififft pass and down into the Draa Valley, the longest oasis in Morocco, a thin green line of date palms and mud-brick ksour running through otherwise bare country.
You stop at Agdz below the Jbel Kissane, where the palm grove begins, and can walk into one of the fortified villages along the river.
Arrival in Zagora in the afternoon. The old sign pointing to Timbuktu, fifty-two days by camel, stands on the edge of town, and the palm grove is at its best in the last hour of light.
Accommodation: Kasbah or hotel near Zagora
North again through the Draa, with time for the ksour and palm groves you passed the other way.
Beyond Ouarzazate you turn off for Ait Ben Haddou, cross the riverbed and climb through the earthen ksar to the granary at the top, with the Ounila valley below.
The last stage crosses the High Atlas by the Tizi n Tichka pass, with viewpoints on the descent into Marrakech. Arrival in the evening.
Accommodation: Riad or hotel in Marrakech
The final day is spent in Marrakech. The morning circuit takes in the Koutoubia minaret, the Saadian tombs, the Bahia Palace and the Ben Youssef Madrasa, with a local guide if you want the history.
The afternoon is free for the souks, the Majorelle garden and the Yves Saint Laurent museum, or a hammam after a week on the road.
Transfer to Marrakech airport or to your hotel at the end of the day, depending on your flight.
They are different deserts. Erg Chebbi is tall sand, the Draa is oasis and kasbah country. Seven days is the first length with room for both, and the Draa road carries far less traffic.
Yes. A camp night in the Zagora sands can replace the kasbah hotel, giving you two desert camps in different landscapes.
Day one is about eight hours. The rest are three to five, and two days involve almost no transfer.
Yes, with a guided day in the city on the last day. If you need to return to Fes we can add the transfer or a flight.
Breakfast daily plus dinner at the desert camp, in Merzouga, the Dades, Ouarzazate and the Draa. Marrakech dinners are left open.
Yes. Every departure is private. Common changes are a second Merzouga camp night, an extra Marrakech day, or adding Essaouira at the end.
Seven days from Fes covers everything the shorter crossings do and adds the Draa, which is the part of the south most itineraries never reach. Nothing is driven twice except the short Draa stretch, and that is worth seeing in both directions.
The week also ends properly, with a day in Marrakech rather than an arrival at nightfall and a flight the next morning.
