From the medina of Fes to the great dunes of Erg Chebbi and back — the Sahara as a round trip.
Our 3-day desert tour from Fes is the most direct way to reach the great Erg Chebbi dunes if Fes is your base and you want to return there afterwards — no one-way logistics, no backtracking by bus. In three private days you cross the Middle Atlas cedar forests, descend the dramatic Ziz Valley to the Sahara at Merzouga, ride camels into the dunes for sunset and a night in a Berber camp, then loop back north through the Todra Gorge and the Ziz palm groves to Fes.
Like every Morocco Tours journey it is 100% private — your own native driver-guide and air-conditioned vehicle, no commission stops, and a pace that bends entirely to you. It's the ideal short Sahara escape for travellers flying in and out of Fes, and you pay no deposit until your itinerary is approved.
Private local Berber & Arab guides who know every kasbah, dune and shortcut.
Reserve your dates now and pay nothing until your itinerary is approved.
Every stop, hotel and pace is built around you — never a fixed coach group.
Reachable on WhatsApp before and during your trip, day or night.
We leave Fes around 8am and climb steadily into the Middle Atlas, the landscape shifting from olive groves to pine and cedar. Our first stop is Ifrane, an improbably tidy alpine town built in the 1930s and nicknamed 'little Switzerland' for its pitched roofs and clean mountain air. A little further on we walk among the great cedars of Azrou, where troops of Barbary macaques gather by the road. We descend through Midelt — the 'apple town' between the Middle and High Atlas — for lunch, then follow the dramatic Ziz Valley, its red gorges lined with thousands of date palms, all the way to Merzouga. Arriving mid-afternoon, you meet your camels for a sunset trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes and reach the Berber camp as the sand turns crimson. Dinner is a tagine around the fire, followed by drumming and exceptional stargazing. (approx. 7 hrs driving, with stops)
Wake before dawn for sunrise over Erg Chebbi — the highlight of the trip for many — then ride your camel back to Merzouga for breakfast and a shower. We drive west via Rissani, the old caravan town and ancestral home of Morocco's ruling dynasty, where the labyrinthine market still trades dates and spices much as it has for centuries. Continuing along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs we reach the magnificent Todra Gorge, where limestone walls rise some 300 metres on either side of a narrow river; there's time to walk into the canyon on the flat valley floor and feel its scale. By late afternoon we settle into a guesthouse in the rose-coloured Dades Valley, with its surreal wind-sculpted rock formations. (approx. 5 hrs driving)
After breakfast we begin the scenic return north, retracing a different line through the high country so the views feel fresh. We climb back over the Middle Atlas, pausing again in the cedar forest and at panoramic viewpoints where the Ziz threads green through the rock far below. There's time for a relaxed lunch en route — perhaps grilled lamb in a roadside Berber café — and photo stops wherever the light is good. We aim to reach Fes in the early evening, dropping you at your hotel or riad (or the nearest medina access point) with the desert still in your eyes. Your guide is happy to suggest where to eat and what to see if you have more time in the city. (approx. 6–7 hrs driving)
You sleep in hand-picked riads and boutique hotels, plus a comfortable Sahara camp with private en-suite tents, real beds and a Berber dinner under the stars. Choose standard, superior or luxury and we match it.
Travel in a private, air-conditioned 4x4 or modern minivan with your own English-speaking driver-guide. No shared coaches and no waiting — you set the pace and stop wherever you like for photos.
Choose your comfort level — Comfort, Superior or Luxury — and we hand-pick every riad, kasbah hotel and desert camp to match. Exact properties are confirmed on your personalised itinerary.
| Night | Area | Where you stay | Board |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) | Luxury desert camp · private en-suite tente.g. Riad Azawad / Kasbah Mohayut & a luxury Erg Chebbi camp | Half-board · dinner & breakfast |
| 2 | Erg Chebbi (Merzouga) | Luxury desert camp · private en-suite tente.g. Riad Azawad / Kasbah Mohayut & a luxury Erg Chebbi camp | Half-board · dinner & breakfast |
Accommodation on this tour is chosen for character and comfort rather than chain uniformity. Your desert night is spent at a Berber camp tucked among the Erg Chebbi dunes: the included standard camps have private walk-in tents with real beds, warm blankets and shared washrooms, while luxury en-suite camps with finer dining and rugs underfoot are available on request. In the Dades Valley you stay in a welcoming local guesthouse or small hotel with hot showers and home-cooked dinners.
Because the trip is fully private and tailor-made, you approve the accommodation list before you pay a deposit. Tell us whether you'd prefer simple and authentic, boutique riads, or a touch of luxury, and we'll match the standard — and the price — to you.
Most desert tours from Fes are one-way crossings that end in Marrakech, which is perfect if you're flying out of there — but not everyone is. If Fes is your base, or you fly in and out of the same airport, a round trip removes the awkward logistics of relocating and lets you reach the very same dunes without a long bus transfer at the end.
The route is also designed so the return feels like new country rather than a rewind: you head south down the Ziz and back north through the Todra and Dades, seeing the Middle Atlas, the gorges and the oases from different angles. If you'd rather end in Marrakech, see our one-way Fes-to-Marrakech tours; if Fes-return suits you better, this is the trip.
Rated 5.0/5 by 164 travellers on this and similar private tours. Read traveller reviews →
See our reviews on TripAdvisorVisit Maghreb is a small, licensed travel agency based in Marrakech, run since 2008 by native Moroccan guides born and raised across the regions you'll explore — the High Atlas, the southern kasbah valleys and the Sahara. Every itinerary is designed and led by people who actually live here, never resold from a call centre abroad.
Your private guide speaks your language and personally knows the families who run the riads and desert camps you'll stay in. Pricing is fully transparent with no hidden extras, you pay no deposit until your itinerary is approved, and we're reachable on WhatsApp before and throughout your journey.
Yes — we collect you from your Fes hotel or riad on day one and drop you back in Fes on the evening of day three, so there's no one-way relocation to arrange.
Yes. Three days is the minimum we recommend to reach Erg Chebbi, enjoy a sunset and sunrise in the dunes, and travel the scenic route rather than rushing. With an extra day we can slow the pace or add the Dades and Todra in more depth.
It can — that becomes our one-way Fes-to-Marrakech desert tour, usually for the same price. Just tell us your start and end cities and we'll plan accordingly.
A comfortable standard camp with private tents, real beds and blankets is included; luxury en-suite camps with finer dining are available on request, and we'll quote both.
Send your dates and wishes on WhatsApp or the form — free and no obligation.
We design a day-by-day plan and refine it until it is exactly right.
Approve the itinerary and reserve with a small, secure deposit.
Your private guide meets you on arrival — everything is handled.
Flexible cancellation: reschedule or cancel free up to 30 days before departure. No deposit is taken until you approve your itinerary, and every price is transparent with no hidden extras.
Bestseller
Cross the High Atlas, walk through Aït Ben Haddou's kasbah, descend the Dades Valley and sleep two nights under the stars at Erg Chebbi.
One Way
Cedar forests of Ifrane, an Erg Chebbi camel trek, Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley and Aït Ben Haddou — ending in Marrakech.
Popular
All the icons of the 3-day tour plus the Valley of Roses and a slower rhythm — ideal if three days feels rushed.
