Fez Desert Tour 4 Days 3 Nights: A 2025 Look

From Fez’s Medina Maze to the Open Sands

So, you are probably thinking about getting out of the city for a bit, right? Honestly, Fez is incredible, but its medina, you know, can be a little much after a few days. It’s almost like a beautiful puzzle you can get happily lost in. This 4-day, 3-night trip out to the Merzouga desert is, frankly, the perfect way to reset. It’s not just a change of scenery; it’s almost a change in how you experience time itself. You go from these very narrow, ancient alleyways to what is, basically, one of the biggest open spaces on the planet. As I was saying, the expectation of seeing those huge dunes for the first time is pretty much what this is all about. You kind of spend the first couple of days getting more and more excited about it. The idea of trading the city’s sounds for the quiet of the desert is, in a way, really appealing. It’s actually a pretty big drive, so having four days makes it feel more relaxed and less like a mad dash, you know what I mean?

Day 1: Crossing the Atlas Mountains into a Different World

Okay, so on the first day, you more or less get picked up early and just head south out of Fez. Almost right away, the whole feeling of the area changes. You pretty much leave the city behind and start climbing into the Middle Atlas mountains. Seriously, the change in the air is something you can actually feel. For instance, you make a stop in Ifrane, and to be honest, it doesn’t look like Morocco at all. They sort of call it “Little Switzerland” because the buildings have these slanted roofs, which is just really different. It’s very green and clean, unlike anything you’ve seen so far. Anyway, after that, you get to the cedar forests near Azrou. This is where, usually, you stop to see the Barbary macaque monkeys. They are literally just hanging out by the side of the road, and you can, like, get pretty close. It’s a nice little break from being in the car. The rest of the drive that day is, basically, a slow-motion film of the landscape becoming more and more dry. The buildings change, the colors change, and you kind of end up in a town called Midelt for the night, which is really just a stopping point, but it’s a very welcome one.

Day 2: Todra Gorges and the Path to Merzouga’s Dunes

Alright, day two is when things start to get a little epic. You actually leave the mountains and start driving through these amazing valleys, like the Ziz Valley, which is just full of palm trees. It’s a very thin ribbon of green in the middle of all this rocky, reddish-brown space. It’s pretty amazing, honestly. The main event for this day, really, is arriving at the Todra Gorges. I mean, the pictures you’ve seen don’t totally prepare you for it. You basically drive into this crack in the earth, and the canyon walls are, like, incredibly high on both sides. You get out and walk along the little river at the bottom. The scale of it is just hard to get your head around; you feel very, very small. It’s obviously a popular spot, so you will see other people and maybe some local folks with their goats. After that, you are really on the final stretch to the desert’s edge. You pass through a few more towns, and then, you know, you see it. The first appearance of the Erg Chebbi dunes. They don’t just pop up; they seemingly rise out of the flat ground like this huge, orange wave. It is definitely one of those moments that kind of sticks with you.

Day 3: A Full Day in the Sahara’s Embrace

This is, at the end of the day, what everyone comes for. You wake up at the edge of the dunes, and the day is pretty much dedicated to the desert. Instead of just passing through, you get to spend some proper time here. Often, you will visit a local Gnaoua family to hear some of their music, which is just a really powerful experience. Or maybe you’ll drive around a bit more of the area, seeing things you can’t get to on foot. As a matter of fact, the highlight for almost everyone is the camel ride. Late in the afternoon, you just get on a camel and start walking out into the dunes. It’s slightly clumsy at first, but you sort of get the hang of it. The quiet is what’s so incredible. All you hear is the sound of the camels’ feet in the sand. You stop at a high point to watch the sunset, and the colors on the sand are, well, completely unreal. Then you carry on to your desert camp. The camps are pretty amazing these days, with good beds and stuff. You have dinner, usually a tagine, and then everyone sits around a fire while the guides play drums and sing. And the stars… I mean, seriously, with no city lights, you see so, so many stars. It’s absolutely magical.

Day 4: Sunrise over Erg Chebbi and the Return North

Naturally, waking up early is not always fun, but you absolutely have to do it on this day. They wake you up before dawn so you can see the sunrise over the dunes. It’s arguably even more stunning than the sunset, in a way. You watch the sun come up and basically paint the whole desert in these soft pink and orange colors. It’s very quiet and still. After that, you typically have breakfast back at the camp. Then you pretty much say goodbye to the desert and start the long drive back towards Fez. It’s a very long day in the car, to be honest, so you should be prepared for that. But you are just sort of processing everything you saw. It’s almost like you’re a different person coming back. The views on the way back are still great, just seen from a different perspective now. You usually get back to Fez in the evening, feeling really tired but also incredibly full from the whole experience. You will definitely need a shower and a good night’s sleep, for sure. It’s more or less the perfect end to a really amazing few days away from it all.

You know, the thing that stays with you is the quiet. In your normal life, there is always some sound. Out in the middle of those dunes, there is just nothing. It’s a kind of peace you don’t really find anywhere else.

Read our full review: [2025 Fez Desert Tour 4 Days 3 Nights Review Full Review and Details]

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