2 Days Fes to Merzouga Desert Tour

This 2-day round trip is for travellers staying in Fes who want to see the Sahara without committing to a longer tour. It is honest about what it is: two long days in the car, rewarded with a sunset camel ride and a night between the dunes of Erg Chebbi.

Fes to the dunes in one day

We pick you up from your riad or hotel in Fes at around 7:30. The route climbs into the Middle Atlas to Ifrane, sometimes called the Switzerland of Morocco for its pitched roofs and clean streets, and then through the cedar forest near Azrou, home to wild Barbary macaques. We stop for lunch in Midelt, a town known for its apples and mineral stones, before following the Ziz Gorges and the long palm oasis of the Ziz Valley south to Erfoud and Merzouga.

The distance is about 470 km, and with stops it takes eight to nine hours. We plan the day so you arrive in time to ride camels for about 1.5 hours into the dunes as the light softens.

Evening and sunrise in the Sahara

Our camp sits in a sheltered hollow of Erg Chebbi, a sea of dunes around 22 km long with peaks reaching about 150 m. We welcome you with mint tea, then dinner of soup, tagine and fruit. On a clear night the stars are extraordinary because there is almost no light pollution. Before dawn we wake you so you can climb a dune and watch the sun rise over the Algerian border region to the east.

The return to Fes

After a camel ride back, breakfast and a shower at our guesthouse, we drive north the same way, arriving in Fes in the late afternoon or early evening.

Who should choose a longer trip

If you have an extra day, the drive is far more relaxed on a longer itinerary, and the 3-day Fes to Marrakech desert tour lets you continue south to the gorges instead of backtracking. For this 2-day tour, bring a warm jacket from November to March, a scarf against sun and sand, and a small overnight bag; larger luggage can stay in the vehicle.