Fes to Marrakech via Sahara

If you are flying into Fes and out of Marrakech (or the other way), this is the route. Five days of real Morocco: cedar forests and wild macaques, the Ziz Valley palms, a night on the Erg Chebbi dunes, the Dades Valley kasbahs, and the Tizi n'Tichka pass into the red city.

• Duration: 5 days, 4 nights
• Start: Fes · End: Marrakech (reversible)
• Group size: Private
• Best season: September to May
• Pace: Three driving days, two settled nights in the desert region.
• Pricing: Starts from [CHECK: 5-day per-person price from 2 travelers sharing].

Day 1 — Fes to Midelt. Morning pickup. South through Ifrane, the Switzerland of Morocco, with a stop in the cedar forests to see Barbary macaques. Lunch in Midelt. Afternoon into the Ziz Valley, a green ribbon of date palms cutting through the red rock. Overnight in a Midelt or Errachidia hotel.

Day 2 — Ziz Gorge to Merzouga. Wind through the Ziz Gorge. Visit the Tafilalet oasis, once the heart of trans-Saharan caravan trade. Arrive Merzouga by afternoon. Camel string into the dunes for sunset. Dinner and overnight in the desert camp.

Day 3 — Desert to Dades. Sunrise over Erg Chebbi. West through the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, lunch at Tinghir, and a walk into Todra Gorge. Evening in a Dades Valley kasbah hotel.

Day 4 — Dades to Marrakech. Morning at Ait Ben Haddou, the UNESCO clay-brick kasbah. Over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, the highest road pass in North Africa, into Marrakech by early evening. Overnight Marrakech.

Day 5 — Marrakech departure. Morning free for the medina or a hammam. Transfer to the airport at your flight time, or extend with our Marrakech day package.

This route reverses easily. If you are flying into Marrakech and out of Fes, we just run it backward.