Fes is the quieter, more atmospheric place to begin a Moroccan desert adventure. While most visitors picture Marrakech as the launch pad for the Sahara, the labyrinthine medina of Fes actually sits closer to the great dunes of Erg Chebbi, and the road south from here is one of the most varied drives in the country. You leave the tanneries and tilework behind, climb into cedar forests where Barbary macaques cross the road, and then drop through the dramatic Ziz Valley toward the edge of the sand.
The single smartest decision a Fes-based traveller can make is to treat the desert not as a round trip but as a one-way journey. The classic three-day crossing that finishes in Marrakech means you never retrace a single kilometre: you collect the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, the palm canyons of the Ziz, the towering dunes of Merzouga, the gorges of Todra and Dades, the kasbahs of Ouarzazate and finally the High Atlas pass into the Red City. It is, in effect, a complete tour of southern Morocco bundled into a single desert trip, and it is why we recommend it more often than any other option.
That said, not everyone has three days or wants to change cities, and the two-day express still delivers a genuine night under the stars at Erg Chebbi. Below are the three tours we arrange most often from Fes, from a shared minibus dash to a fully private luxury crossing with an en-suite tented suite. Each lists realistic durations and what is actually included, so you can compare like for like rather than chase the lowest headline price. Whichever you choose, we set up private departures so the pacing, pickup and stops suit your group.
from 1,500 MAD per person
