Three days gives you the desert properly: the drive down, a full day in and around the dunes, and the drive back, without the forced march that the two-day version becomes if the group wants to see everything.
Day one runs south through the cedar forest, Midelt and the Ziz gorges to Merzouga, with a camel trek into the erg for sunset and the first night in camp. Day two is the one that makes the trip. You watch the sun come up over the sand, then spend the day out there: the black village of Khamlia and its gnaoua musicians, a nomad family still living in a tent in the hamada, the old mining tracks and the fossil beds, sandboarding or a four-wheel drive run through the dunes, and Rissani market if the day falls right. Second night in the desert again.
Day three brings you home through Erfoud and the Ziz, with stops for the fossil workshops and the viewpoints over the palm groves. You are back in Fez in the evening, and there is no night driving at either end.
Good to know before you book
- Length
- 3 days · 2 nights
Highlights
- Relaxed driving days with extra stops
- Valleys, kasbahs or gorges, depending on route
- More time in Merzouga: dunes, village, Gnawa music
- Sunrise and sunset photography
The route
- i.Pick-up at your riad, south through Ifrane
- ii.Cedar forest, Midelt lunch, the Ziz gorges
- iii.Camel trek into Erg Chebbi for sunset
- iv.Dinner and first night in the desert camp
- i.Sunrise over the dunes and breakfast
- ii.Khamlia village and its gnaoua musicians
- iii.Tea with a nomad family in the hamada
- iv.4x4 run, fossil beds and the old mines
- v.Sandboarding, sunset and a second night in camp
- i.Erfoud fossil workshops
- ii.North through the Ziz valley and Midelt
- iii.Arrive Fez in the evening
Included & not included
Included
- Private transport and driver (3 days)
- 1 hotel/riad night and 1 desert camp night
- Camel trek to and from camp (or 4×4)
- Camp dinner and breakfasts
Not included
- Lunches and drinks
- Entrance fees and local guides (if added)
- Optional desert activities
- Tips
Good to know
Do we come back to Fez?
Yes. These are round trips and you are returned to your riad in Fez. The journeys listed under Morocco Tours end in Marrakech instead.
Is the camel trek compulsory?
No. A 4x4 can take you to the camp instead — tell us when you book.
How cold does it get at night?
Genuinely cold from November to February, whatever the daytime forecast says. Bring layers.
