This Fes to Marrakech route connects two imperial cities the long way round, through forests, oases, gorges and the Sahara, instead of just hopping on a plane.
Fes – where the road story starts
Your Fes to Marrakech journey begins in one of Morocco’s oldest cities, a maze of medersas, tanneries and alleyways that feels centuries deep. Leaving Fes behind and heading south makes the whole Marrakech Desert Tour feel like you’re slowly stepping out of the old medina and into a completely different Morocco.
Middle Atlas – Ifrane, Azrou & the cedar forests
Soon the landscape turns green and cool. You pass through Ifrane, with its alpine-style houses, then into the cedar forests near Azrou, home to the Barbary macaques. It’s a calm, fresh start to the Fes to Marrakech road trip, nothing like the desert you’re heading toward, which is exactly what makes the contrast so good later.
Ziz Valley – palm groves in the middle of nowhere
Further south, the road drops into the Ziz Valley, where date palms, villages and old ksour line the river. It’s one of those stretches where you keep wanting to ask the driver to stop for “just one more photo,” and a reminder that a Marrakech Desert Tour is as much about oases as it is about dunes.
Merzouga & Erg Chebbi – your Sahara gateway
At Merzouga, the green finally gives up and the Erg Chebbi dunes take over. This is the classic camel-trek image: long lines of camels, rolling orange sand and a sunset that looks edited. It’s the desert chapter of your Fes to Marrakech trip, with a night in a Sahara camp under a sky that doesn’t bother with light pollution.
Tinghir & Todra Gorge – cliffs, palms and river
On the way out of the desert you hit Tinghir, an oasis town wrapped in palm gardens, and then Todra Gorge, where sheer rock walls close in around a small river and walking path. It’s one of the most dramatic stops on any Marrakech Desert Tour, and a good place to stretch your legs between drives.
Dades Valley & the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs
Next comes the Dades Valley, a mix of red rock formations, villages and old kasbahs strung along the river. This is classic “Road of the Kasbahs” territory – the kind of scenery that makes the Fes to Marrakech route feel like a rolling postcard.
Skoura, Ouarzazate & Ait Benhaddou – oasis and movie set country
Further west you pass Skoura Oasis with its palm groves, then Ouarzazate, the film hub, before reaching Ait Benhaddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar used in countless movies and series. Walking its mud-brick lanes is a must on any serious Marrakech Desert Tour.
High Atlas & Marrakech – the big finish
The last stretch takes you over the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi n’Tichka pass, past small Berber villages and big views, before dropping into the red city of Marrakech. After forests, oases, dunes and gorges, arriving here wraps up your Fes to Marrakech journey with rooftop cafés, busy souks and that famous evening chaos in Jemaa el-Fnaa.
