Fes to Marrakech Desert Tour & Luxury Camp Experience

4.95

(21 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We rolled out of Fes just after sunrise, the city still half-asleep behind us. Our driver, Youssef, had this easy way of pointing out things you’d never notice — like the weirdly Alpine rooftops in Ifrane (honestly, it looked more Swiss than Moroccan). The air changed as we climbed; pine and cedar mixed with something colder. We stopped for mint tea near Azrou and watched monkeys dart between trees, snatching snacks from a guy’s open backpack. I tried to get a photo but mostly caught blurry tails.

The real shift hit in Merzouga. Sand everywhere — not just underfoot but in the air, in your shoes, even in your hair if you’re unlucky like me. Our camels waited with their big sleepy eyes. The guide handed me a scarf (“for the wind,” he said), and we set off into the dunes just as the sun started dropping. Riding a camel is… well, it’s not elegant, but there’s something about that slow sway and the quiet that settles around you. By the time we reached camp, my legs were jelly and my head was full of colors I didn’t know sand could be. Dinner was tagine under stars so sharp they almost hurt to look at — I still think about that sky.

The next day blurred into kasbahs and gorges: Rissani’s market with its loud bargaining (I tried to buy dates and ended up with twice as many as I wanted), then Todra Gorge where everything echoed — footsteps, laughter, even your own breath if you listened close enough. Our hotel that night felt like an oasis: hot shower, thick blankets, and this quiet hum from somewhere outside (frogs? Maybe).

On our last stretch toward Marrakech, we stopped at Atlas Film Studios — apparently half of Hollywood has filmed here but it’s so dusty and surreal you almost expect someone to yell “cut!” Ait Ben Haddou was all sun-baked mud walls and narrow alleys; our guide told us stories about movie sets and Berber families who still live there. The road twisted through mountains until suddenly Marrakech appeared — noisy and bright after all that desert hush. I didn’t expect to miss the silence so much.