Travel guide · 6 min read

Fes to Marrakech via the Sahara Desert: Routes and How Many Days You Need

Written by the Kasbah Trails team

Published October 26, 2026

Camel trek crossing the Erg Chebbi dunes near Merzouga in the Sahara desert

Fes and Marrakech are the two cities most travellers want to see, and they sit at opposite ends of the country. The direct road between them takes most of a day. The desert route takes longer, but it passes Ifrane, the Ziz Valley, the dunes at Merzouga, the gorges and Aït Ben Haddou on the way. Here is how that crossing works and how many days to give it.

The direct road and the desert road

Between Fes and Marrakech there is a fast route through Beni Mellal that skips the south entirely. The desert route is a different trip rather than a slower version of the same one: it loops east through the Middle Atlas to Merzouga, then turns west along the southern edge of the High Atlas through the valleys and kasbah country before crossing the mountains back to Marrakech.

Three days: the shortest version

Our 3-day Sahara desert tour from Fes to Marrakech runs from Fes through Ifrane to Merzouga for the first night in a desert camp, then back via the Todgha Gorge and the Dadès Valley, and finishes with Ouarzazate and Aït Ben Haddou before the drive into Marrakech. It covers the whole arc, with long days in the car. The same route works in reverse as the 3-day tour from Marrakech to Fes.

Four days: one more night in the south

The 4-day desert tour from Fes to Marrakech adds a full day around Merzouga. That is the day with the room to ride out to the dunes at a calm pace, rather than arriving late and leaving early, and it is the change most travellers find worth the extra night.

Six days: starting in the cities

If you would rather give Marrakech and the coast a proper look first, the 6-day desert tour from Marrakech to Fes opens with the city and a day in Essaouira, then heads south and east through Aït Ben Haddou, the Dadès Valley and the Todgha Gorge to Merzouga, and finishes in Fes via the Ziz Valley and Ifrane.

Which direction to travel

Either direction covers the same ground, so the practical question is where you land and where you fly out. Starting in Fes puts the long Atlas crossing at the end; starting in Marrakech puts the dunes in the middle of the trip. Choose the direction that matches your flights, and our advice on Fes versus Marrakech can help if you can only add one of the two cities.

Planning notes

Allow for long driving days on any version of this route; the desert is far from both cities.
Pack for temperature swings between the Middle Atlas, the desert at night and the High Atlas passes; see what to pack for a Sahara tour.
Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons, as covered in the best time to visit the Sahara.

Every route above is private, with a driver-guide throughout, and can be changed to fit your dates. Browse all desert tours or message us with your flights and we will suggest a direction.