Fes: 3 Days Desert Tour from Fes back to Fez

The best part of this three-day desert tour is the change in scenery: snowy-looking mountain towns and cedar forests give way to palm-filled valleys, fortified villages, and the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi. Your sunset camel ride ends at a desert camp, with dinner, music, and a clear view of the night sky.

I like the mix of stops, especially Ifrane and the Azrou cedar forest on the way south. I also like that the tour includes a proper night in Merzouga rather than rushing into the dunes and leaving at once. Drivers such as Bader, Mohammed, Mounir, and Mustapha have been praised for being kind, punctual, helpful, and generous with information about Moroccan culture and nature.

The trade-off is the road time. Fes to Merzouga is a long haul, and the return to Fes on day three is also mostly a driving day. Lunches, drinks, quad biking, and the 4×4 desert tour cost extra, so your final bill can rise above the advertised $204 per person.

Key points to know before booking

• Sunset camel ride into Erg Chebbi: You ride for about one hour across the dunes before reaching the desert camp.
• A full first day on the road: Ifrane, Azrou, the Middle Atlas, Midelt, the Ziz Valley, and Erfoud fill the route south.
• One night in a desert camp: Dinner, mint tea, a campfire, and traditional music are included.
• Day two has optional extras: The 4×4 tour and quad biking are not included in the base price.
• Small-group transport: The group is limited to 14 people, with an air-conditioned vehicle and fuel included.
• Pickup depends on your accommodation: Medina hotels and riads use a nearby meeting point, while places outside the Medina receive direct pickup.

From Fes to the Middle Atlas on day one

Your driver collects you after an early breakfast. The exact time and pickup point are sent one day before departure, which matters in Fes because vehicles cannot reach every street inside the old Medina.

If your riad is inside the Medina, you use a nearby meeting point rather than waiting at the door. If you stay outside the Medina, the vehicle comes directly to your accommodation. I would confirm the meeting point the night before and allow extra time to reach it with luggage.

The first major stop is Ifrane, a town built by the French in the 1930s and styled after a Swiss alpine village. Its tidy streets, chalet-like buildings, and cooler mountain setting make it feel quite different from Fes.

Ifrane is not an old Moroccan medina, and you should not expect the same atmosphere as Fes. Its value is as a quick visual reset at the start of the trip. Within a short time, the city gives way to wooded slopes and mountain roads.

The route continues toward Azrou and its cedar forest. This is one of the most memorable stops for many people because the forest is home to Barbary macaque monkeys. You may spot them near the road or among the trees, but wildlife sightings are never something to treat as guaranteed.

The Middle Atlas section gives you a good sense of how varied Morocco is. You pass mountain springs, rocky ground, forest, and traditional Berber villages. The road is scenic, but this is still a transfer day, not a slow walking tour. You will spend long stretches in the vehicle.

Midelt lunch and the long road south

Around midday, the group stops in Midelt for lunch. The town is known for fossils and rocks and sits roughly halfway between Fes and Merzouga, making it a useful break rather than a long sightseeing visit.

Lunch is not included, and neither are drinks. That keeps the base price low, but you should budget for your midday meals on both driving days. The itinerary gives you a planned lunch stop, yet it does not name a specific restaurant or set a fixed menu.

After Midelt, the scenery becomes drier and more open. The road heads toward the Ziz Valley, one of the strongest parts of the drive. Tall palm groves line the valley, while old fortified villages and kasbahs appear along the route.

A panoramic stop overlooking a wide palm oasis gives you a chance to stretch your legs and take in the scale of the valley. This viewpoint is especially useful because it shows how the palms are concentrated around water in an otherwise dry region.

The route then continues toward Erfoud before reaching Merzouga in the late afternoon. By this point, you have had a long day in the vehicle, but the change from mountain forest to desert makes the journey feel like a story rather than a simple transfer.

A sunset camel ride into Erg Chebbi

When you reach Merzouga, you receive mint tea before meeting the camel caravan. The camel ride lasts about one hour and crosses the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi, ending at the desert camp around sunset.

This is the tour’s headline moment, and timing is important. The ride is not only about the camels. It gives you a slow way to watch the light change over the dunes, with the camp as the destination rather than the starting point.

A camel ride can be less comfortable than it looks in photographs, especially when the animal rises or sits down. Still, the pace is gentle, and the ride offers a very different view from a vehicle or quad bike. If you prefer a more active option, quad biking is available on day two, but it costs extra.

The camp is described as a luxury Berber camp. Your evening includes tea, dinner, a campfire, and traditional music. The camp atmosphere is one of the areas that has received especially strong praise, along with the warmth of the staff.

Do not assume that luxury means a hotel-style desert resort. The point is to sleep in the dunes with more comfort than a basic camping setup, while still keeping the desert setting at the center. Facilities and exact tent features are not specified, so it is sensible to ask the provider for current details if room standards matter to you.

Sunrise, breakfast, and a slower Merzouga morning

Rise early for sunrise over the Sahara. This is one of the few moments on the trip that asks you to trade sleep for the view, but the reward is the quiet color change across the dunes.

After sunrise, breakfast is served at camp. You then move to Hotel Mamouche or a similar property for the daytime program and the second night of accommodation.

The included accommodation covers one desert camp night and one hotel night. The package also includes two breakfasts and two dinners. Lunches and drinks remain your responsibility, so keep some local currency available.

One practical point comes from the experience of people who booked the extra activities: cash can become an issue. One guest ran short of local currency, and Mohammed helped arrange another payment method. I would still avoid relying on that. Carry enough money for optional activities, food, drinks, and small purchases.

Day two: the desert beyond the main dunes

The second day is less about crossing Morocco and more about seeing the communities and places around Merzouga. The optional 4×4 desert tour can include visits to nomadic Berber families, the village of Khamlia, and fossil sites.

Khamlia is known for Gnawa music, a Moroccan musical tradition with strong rhythms and distinctive instruments. This stop adds cultural value to the desert visit. It also helps you see that Merzouga is not only a set of dunes for photographs, but a region with local communities and working traditions.

The 4×4 option is not included in the $204 price. That is worth noting when comparing this tour with other desert packages. The base rate covers transport, accommodation, meals listed above, and the camel ride, but the more active desert exploration comes with an additional charge.

Sandboarding is also available from the dunes. It is a simple thrill rather than a full sports activity, and the effort is often in climbing back up after each run. You can decide if you want the extra activity once you see the dunes and understand the day’s pace.

Lunch is at a local restaurant before the afternoon break. Later, you can relax at the hotel or take a guided walk in the dunes. Quad biking is another optional activity, and some people choose to schedule it around sunset. That timing can produce striking light, though you will pay separately.

The flexible timing is useful. You are not forced to fill every hour with paid activities, and you can choose a quieter afternoon if the long first day has caught up with you. On the other hand, if you want the 4×4 tour, sandboarding, and quad biking, day two can become busy and more expensive.

Day three is mainly a return drive

After breakfast at the hotel, you meet your driver and begin the journey back to Fes. The route retraces the southern Moroccan scenery, including the long passage through the dry interior and the Middle Atlas.

There is no major sightseeing program described for this day. Treat it as a necessary transfer rather than another full excursion. If you have only three days available, this format lets you reach Merzouga from Fes, but it leaves limited time for independent exploration in the desert region.

This return drive is the main drawback for anyone who dislikes long vehicle journeys. An air-conditioned vehicle helps, and the group is limited to 14 people, but the distance remains substantial. The trip suits you best if the desert night is the priority and you accept that two of the three days contain a lot of road time.

Drivers, languages, and group size

The driver speaks English or French, and Spanish is also listed among the available languages. The named drivers in recent bookings include Bader, Mohammed, Mounir, and Mustapha, though the person assigned to your vehicle may be different.

The strongest praise has focused on driver attitude and communication. Mohammed has been singled out for clear English, useful explanations about Moroccan life and nature, prompt messages, and practical help when payment became difficult. Ali and Mohammed have also been praised for their kindness and for explaining local culture.

That personal contact matters on a route this long. A good driver does more than handle the road. You rely on that person to explain what you are seeing, keep the day moving, and help with small problems. Still, driver assignments can vary, so I would not book on the assumption that a particular named driver will be assigned to you.

A maximum of 14 participants makes this a small group rather than a private tour. You gain a lower price and shared transport, but you lose some control over stops and timing. For solo visitors or couples who want company, that is often a fair trade.

What the $204 price really covers

At $204 per person, the tour offers solid value if you want transport from Fes, two nights of accommodation, two breakfasts, two dinners, and a camel ride without arranging each piece yourself.

The air-conditioned vehicle and fuel are included, as is the driver. You also get the main route through Ifrane, Azrou, Midelt, the Ziz Valley, Erfoud, and Merzouga. Organizing that route independently would take more planning, especially if you want to include a desert camp.

The price does not cover lunch, drinks, quad biking, or the 4×4 desert tour. These exclusions are normal for a low-cost desert package, but they change the final value. If you want a simple camel ride and camp night, the base price works well. If you want every desert activity, set aside extra money before you leave Fes.

Two dinners and two breakfasts are included, but the information does not specify menus or exact accommodation features. You should ask about dietary needs and the current hotel or camp setup before booking if those points affect your decision.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later. That gives you useful flexibility while your Morocco plans are still taking shape.

Who should choose this Fes desert tour?

I would recommend it to you if:

• You are staying in Fes and want to reach Merzouga without arranging several separate transfers.
• You want a first taste of the Middle Atlas, Ziz Valley, and Sahara in one compact trip.
• You like having a driver who can explain local culture and help manage the route.
• You are comfortable with long driving days.
• You want a desert camp night and camel sunset without paying for a private itinerary.
• You prefer a small group to a large coach tour.

I would think twice if you want several days in the dunes, long walks, or a slow stay in each town. The itinerary covers a lot of ground, but it does not give you much free time in Fes, Midelt, Erfoud, or the Ziz Valley.

It may also be less suitable if you do not want optional costs. The camel ride is included, but the 4×4 tour, quad biking, lunch, and drinks are not. Decide before departure which extras matter to you, then compare the total cost rather than the headline price.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if the main goal is a well-organized Fes to Merzouga route with strong scenery, a sunset camel ride, and one night under the desert sky. The combination of the cedar forest, Ziz Valley, Erg Chebbi dunes, and local music in Khamlia gives you more variety than a trip focused only on the Sahara.

The main question is not quality but pace. You must be happy spending much of day one and day three on the road. If you are, $204 is a reasonable starting price, particularly with accommodation, dinners, breakfasts, fuel, a driver, and the camel ride included.

FAQ

How long is the tour?

The tour lasts three days and includes two nights of accommodation.

Where does the tour start and end?

It starts in Fes and returns to Fes after the desert stay.

Is pickup included?

Yes. Accommodation outside the Fes Medina receives direct pickup. For hotels or riads inside the Medina, a nearby meeting point is used because of vehicle restrictions.

Which languages are available?

The driver service is listed as available in English, French, and Spanish.

How large is the group?

The tour is limited to 14 participants.

Is the camel ride included?

Yes. A camel ride in the Sahara is included, with the sunset ride lasting about one hour before reaching the desert camp.

Are quad biking and the 4×4 desert tour included?

No. Quad biking and the 4×4 desert tour are optional activities that cost extra.

What meals are included?

The package includes two breakfasts and two dinners. Lunches and drinks are not included.