Marrakech to Fes Sahara Tour Review: A 6-Day Moroccan Adventure

You know, people often ask me what the 6-day drive from Marrakech over the mountains and through the desert to Fes is really like. Honestly, it’s one of those trips that sort of sticks with you. Basically, you’re trading the wild energy of Marrakech’s main square for something a whole lot bigger and, well, a whole lot quieter. The whole point of a private tour, at the end of the day, is that you get to see things on your own time. We found that the freedom to just stop whenever we saw something amazing was, frankly, worth every penny. For example, our driver, Hamid, knew all these little spots that just weren’t in any guidebook. So, this is kind of a look back at our 2025 trip, with some thoughts that might just help you out if you’re thinking about it.

Day 1 & 2: From the Red City to the High Atlas Passes

First, leaving Marrakech is almost an event in itself. You basically watch the city’s red walls fade away in the rearview mirror, which is a bit of a moment. Soon, pretty much, the road starts to climb. And I mean, it really does climb. The Tizi n’Tichka Pass is just this winding ribbon of road that offers up some frankly incredible views. You tend to feel very small against the size of the Atlas Mountains. Of course, the main stop on this leg is Aït Benhaddou. You’ve almost definitely seen this place in movies, like Gladiator and Game of Thrones, you know. Actually walking through it, however, is a completely different thing. The old kasbah is literally a village made of earth and clay, and climbing to the top for the view is pretty much a requirement. We spent the night in a small, family-run guesthouse nearby, and honestly, the home-cooked tagine was a highlight. The next day, you sort of continue through more of these amazing valleys, like the Dades Valley, often called the ‘Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs’, and it’s really easy to see why.

Day 3 & 4: Into the Desert’s Embrace

Alright, so this is what most people are here for. The drive to the desert is pretty long, but in a way, the changing scenery keeps you glued to the window. You actually go through the Todra Gorge, where these massive canyon walls just tower over you. Then, you really start seeing the landscape flatten and turn to gold. By the time you get near Merzouga, you see them: the Erg Chebbi dunes, which are these seriously giant waves of sand. The next part is, obviously, the camel ride. I mean, it’s not the most comfortable seat in the world, to be honest, but the experience is just something else. Your guide leads you into the dunes as the sun starts to set, and honestly, the silence is what gets you. It’s a very profound kind of quiet. We finally arrived at our desert camp, which was actually quite comfortable. We had a private tent with a real bed and stuff, so it was pretty good. At night, after dinner, some of the local Berber guides played drums around a campfire, and just looking up at the Milky Way without any light pollution is, well, it’s a memory that is pretty hard to describe.

The Sahara Experience: What It’s Really Like

Okay, let’s talk about the desert camp for a minute. You really have a few choices here, more or less. You can get a standard camp, which is fairly basic, or you can go for a ‘luxury’ camp, and the difference is pretty significant. The luxury ones often have en-suite bathrooms with hot water, which is actually a big deal out there. Frankly, it’s still camping, you know? Sand gets into pretty much everything. So, just be ready for that. In the desert, the temperature changes are really extreme. It’s usually very hot during the day, and then it can get surprisingly cold once the sun goes down, so packing layers is something you should definitely do. You also get up really early the next day. But, you know, seeing the sunrise over the Algerian border from the top of a dune is arguably one of the most amazing things you will ever see. It really makes the early wake-up call worth it. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now ([Sahara Desert Private Tour Options])

“At first, the silence of the desert is almost deafening. Then, after a while, you start to hear everything: the whisper of the wind over the sand, the crackle of the fire, your own heartbeat. It’s just a different world, you know.”

Day 5 & 6: The Winding Road to Fes

So, after that amazing sunrise, you have your breakfast and then, well, you start the long drive towards Fes. It’s a full day of driving, so you just have to be prepared for that. The landscape, once again, completely changes. It’s sort of wild how you can go from desert dunes to lush cedar forests in just a few hours. A really cool stop is in the cedar forests near Azrou, where you almost always see the Barbary macaque monkeys just hanging out. They are very used to people, so you can get pretty close for pictures and stuff. Another stop is usually in Ifrane, a town that honestly looks like it was plucked right out of Switzerland. It has these alpine-style houses and it feels completely different from anywhere else in Morocco. As you get closer to Fes, the landscape turns green and agricultural again. Arriving in Fes feels like a bit of a shock to the system after the open spaces. It is a completely different kind of old city from Marrakech, almost like stepping into another time entirely.

Is This Private Tour Right for You?

At the end of the day, you have to decide if this kind of trip fits what you’re looking for. A private tour like this is honestly perfect for people who want to see a huge part of the country without the stress of renting a car or figuring out public transport. You just get to sit back and watch Morocco unfold from your window. You typically get a lot more insight from a local driver than you ever would from a guidebook, which is a pretty big plus. On the other hand, it’s definitely a lot of time spent in a car. So, if you’re someone who gets restless easily, that’s just something to think about. You’re more or less on a set path, too, so it’s not for the super independent traveler who wants to figure everything out on their own. But for a comfortable, deeply insightful look into the heart of the country, it’s pretty hard to beat, I mean it. Read our full review: [Marrakech to Fes Private Tour Full Review and Details].

Key Things to Keep in Mind

• The amount of driving is significant, so just be prepared to spend several hours in the car each day, basically.

• Packing layers is really smart; you know, for the extreme temperature swings between the desert day and night.

• Having a private driver offers incredible flexibility for photo stops and little detours, which is actually a huge benefit.

• The “luxury” desert camp upgrade, frankly, might be worth considering for the comfort of a private bathroom.

• The cultural shift from Marrakech to the Berber villages and finally to Fes is, honestly, one of the most interesting parts of the whole experience.