3-Day Marrakech to Fes Desert Tour via Merzouga

Leaving Marrakech behind, the road climbs into the High Atlas Mountains and crosses the dramatic Tizi n'Tichka Pass, the highest paved mountain pass in North Africa, with sweeping views over Berber villages clinging to the slopes. A stop at the crumbling Telouet Kasbah reveals the faded grandeur of the Glaoui dynasty, while a short detour to Ait Benhaddou — the UNESCO-listed fortified village famous from Gladiator and Game of Thrones — is a highlight for photography lovers. After lunch in the former garrison town of Ouarzazate, the route continues along the Skoura palm oasis and through the fragrant Valley of Roses before reaching Boumalne Dades at the entrance to the dramatic Dades Gorges, where the night is spent in a kasbah-style guesthouse.

The morning begins with a drive through the dramatic Dades Gorges, where windsculpted cliffs form the famous “Monkey Fingers” rock formations, before continuing to the narrow, towering Todra Gorge for an optional short walk between 300-metre limestone walls. The route then crosses the palm groves around Tinghir and the fossil- rich town of Erfoud, where workshops cut and polish 350-million-year-old marine fossils into tables and sinks. Passing through Rissani, once the capital of the Tafilalt oasis and cradle of the Alaouite dynasty, the first golden crests of the Erg Chebbi dunes appear on the horizon. Late afternoon, a camel trek carries travellers deep into the dunes to a desert camp, where dinner is served under the stars around a campfire with traditional Gnawa music.

Heading north from the dunes, the route follows the spectacular Ziz Valley Gorges, a ribbon of palm trees threading through red sandstone cliffs, before climbing onto the Middle Atlas plateau. A stop in Ifrane, nicknamed the “Switzerland of Morocco” for its Alpine-style architecture and stone chalets, offers a striking contrast to the desert. Just beyond, the Azrou Cedar Forest is home to wild Barbary macaques that often approach the roadside. The journey concludes in Fes, Morocco's spiritual and cultural capital and home to the world's largest car-free urban area.