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Merzouga Desert Tours›The Fes route Updated 2026-09-03

Fes to the Merzouga Desert: The Route in 8 Stops

Distances, drive times and access verified by the Merzouga Desert Tours team — last checked 2026-09-03

A mud-brick kasbah among date palms below bare mountain slopes
Short answer. Fes to the Merzouga Desert is about 470 km and seven to eight hours on the N13. The road climbs through Ifrane and the Azrou cedar forest, tops out on the 2,178 m Col du Zad, passes Midelt, then drops through the Ziz gorges to Errachidia, Erfoud and the sand. Every Fes departure drives it in one day.

The Fes road is the quieter of the two ways in. The itineraries name its stops without telling you what any of them are, so here they are in road order, with what you will see at each and which trips pull over. Pick the best Merzouga Desert tour for you once you know what the road holds.

Drive it on the three-day crossing from Fes to MarrakechRated 4.8 from 1,261 reviews. From $225 per person.
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The Fes road at a glance

Eight places in road order, north to south.

The Fes to Merzouga road, north to south

StopWhat is thereAltitudeOn the Fes itineraries
IfranePitched-roof town, stone lion1,650 mEvery Fes itinerary
Azrou cedar forestAtlas cedars, Barbary macaques1,250 m at AzrouThe two-day trip and the luxury three-day
Col du ZadHighest point of the road2,178 mDriven over, not a stop
MideltApple town on a high plain1,508 mEvery Fes itinerary
Tizi n’Talghemt and the tunnelHigh Atlas pass, Legion tunnel1,907 mDriven through
Ziz gorges and ErrachidiaPalm gorge, regional capital1,009 m at ErrachidiaThe two-day trip and the luxury three-day
ErfoudFuel, cash machines, fossil workshops—55 km before Merzouga
RissaniOld Tafilalet capital, souk—35 km before Merzouga

How long is the drive from Fes to Merzouga?

About 470 km and seven to eight hours at the wheel, nearly all of it on the N13. That is about 90 km shorter than the Marrakech road, which runs 560 km and takes nine to ten hours. With the stops it still fills your day. Pick-up in Fes is between seven and eight in the morning, and you reach the dunes in the late afternoon.

FromDistanceDrivingRoad
Fes to Merzougaabout 470 km7–8 hoursN13 through Ifrane and Midelt
Errachidia to Merzougaabout 150 kmabout 2 hours 30 minutesN13 via Erfoud
Erfoud to Merzougaabout 55 kmabout 45 minutesN13, then the desert road
Rissani to Merzougaabout 35 kmabout 30 minutesR702

If you are flying in or taking the bus instead, getting to the Merzouga Desert covers the airport at Errachidia and the coach south.

1. Ifrane, the town at 1,650 metres

The French administration established Ifrane in 1929, and it still looks the part. Pitched roofs and cedar forest on every side earned it the nickname Little Switzerland. The stone lion, carved in 1930, is the photograph every stop here makes.

Ifrane also holds the lowest temperature ever recorded in Africa: −23.9 °C, on 11 February 1935. Snow can fall here from as early as October and lie well into spring. Every Fes itinerary names the town. Treat it as a short leg-stretch, not a visit.

2. Azrou and the cedar forest

Azrou sits at 1,250 m, about 89 km south of Fes, and its name means “rock” in Tamazight. South-east of the town is the Cèdre Gouraud forest, where Barbary macaques live among the trees. The forest lies inside Ifrane National Park, created in 2004 and enlarged since to 125,000 hectares.

It is also part of the Atlas Cedar Biosphere Reserve, which UNESCO designated in 2016. The reserve holds 75 per cent of the world’s Atlas cedars.

This is the stop where you need to read the itinerary. The two-day trip from Fes names “Ifrane National Park and the cedars”, and the luxury three-day names the Azrou cedar forest. The three-day crossing names only Ifrane and Midelt. If the forest matters to you, check the day-one line before you pay.

Watch the macaques, and do not feed them. The Barbary macaque has been listed as Endangered since 2008, and feeding by visitors stresses the animals and changes how they behave. Keep your food in the vehicle and give them room.

3. Col du Zad, the top of the road

South of Azrou the cedars thin out and the N13 climbs to the Col du Zad, at 2,178 m. It is the highest point of your whole drive. No itinerary stops here, but you will notice it, because the forest gives way to bare high plateau.

The pass also sets the record straight on altitude. The Fes road is the lower of the two, but only just: it tops out about 80 m below Tizi n’Tichka, which is 2,260 m on the Marrakech side.

4. Midelt, between two mountain ranges

Midelt stands at 1,508 m, which makes it one of the highest large towns in Morocco. It sits on the high plain of the Moulouya, with the Middle Atlas behind you and the High Atlas ahead. The country around it is known for apples.

Every Fes itinerary names Midelt. No Fes fare includes lunch, so carry dirhams for the midday stop.

5. Tizi n’Talghemt and the Legionnaire’s tunnel

South of Midelt the road crosses the High Atlas at Tizi n’Talghemt, 1,907 m, and then follows the Ziz river down. At Foum Zabel it runs through a tunnel about 62 m long, 6 m wide and 4 m high. You are through it in seconds, so have your camera ready on the approach.

Forty legionnaires cut the tunnel in about six months. A sapper company of the French Foreign Legion arrived in July 1927 and broke through in March 1928. The inscription at the northern entrance records that the mountain barred the way, the order was given to pass, and the Legion carried it out.

6. The Ziz Valley and Errachidia

The Ziz is a 282 km river that rises in the High Atlas. Below the tunnel it runs through a gorge filled with date palms, and that view is what an itinerary means by the Ziz Valley. The Hassan Addakhil dam, in service since 1971, holds the river back near Errachidia and waters the valley below it.

Errachidia itself stands at 1,009 m and is the capital of the Draa-Tafilalet region. It was called Ksar es-Souk until about 1975, and it has the nearest airport to the dunes.

7. Erfoud, the last town of any size

Erfoud is 55 km north of Merzouga, about 45 minutes out. It has the fuel, the cash machines and the fossil-marble workshops, so it is where you sort out anything you forgot. For what is worth your time in both towns, see the fossils at Erfoud and the souk at Rissani.

8. Rissani and the last 35 km

Rissani is the old capital of the Tafilalet. It took over the trans-Saharan trade after nearby Sijilmasa was destroyed in the 14th century, and the mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif stands on its southern edge. The souk is liveliest on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

From Rissani it is 35 km and about 30 minutes on the R702. Erg Chebbi comes into view on your left before you reach the village. The Merzouga map shows which village your camp is near.

Which trips drive this road?

Each of the departures from Fes drives it southbound on day one. They differ in what comes after.

  • The two-day trip from Fes, from $118. You are on a camel the first evening and sleep in a tent on the dunes, with dinner and breakfast in the fare. The group is capped at 15, and it is rated 4.9 from 209 reviews.
  • The luxury three-day, from $225. Its transport is wheelchair-accessible and sandboarding is in the fare. Your second night is a hotel in Ouarzazate, and the trip finishes at Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakech.
  • The three-day crossing from Fes to Marrakech, from $225. It gives you ten hours at the dunes. It then runs west through Todra Gorge, Ait Ben Haddou and Tizi n’Tichka into Marrakech.

The road also runs the other way. The crossings that start in Marrakech and end in Fes drive it northbound on their last day, through the Ziz, Midelt and Ifrane or through Rissani and Azrou.

The shortest way to drive this road: two days from FesCamel trek, a night in a tent, dinner and breakfast. From $118 per person.
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Does the Fes road close for snow?

It can. Ifrane gets snow from as early as October well into spring, and the road passes 2,000 m once, at the Col du Zad, and 1,900 m once, at Tizi n’Talghemt. Like any Atlas crossing, it can be slowed or shut in midwinter.

What separates it from the Marrakech road is about 80 m of altitude, not a different climate. Your operator decides on the day whether to delay or reroute. Summer and winter in the Merzouga Desert takes you through both seasons, and the month-by-month weather has the temperatures.

Fes or Marrakech: which road should you take?

Take the Fes road if you want the shorter day, the cedar forest, the macaques and the Ziz gorges. You will not see the ksar, the Tichka pass or the Todra on it. Take the Marrakech road if those three are what you came for, and accept the longer drive.

The one-way crossings give you both roads in a single trip. The Marrakech route, stop by stop sets out the other side.

Driving it yourself

You can. The N13 is sealed the whole way and there is fuel in every town. The last 35 km from Rissani on the R702 is good tarmac. What you cannot do is drive into the erg, because the camps are inside it.

Tour or self-drive weighs the costs and the time both ways. Merzouga Desert Tours lists every guided departure that drives this road.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Fes to Merzouga?
About 470 km and seven to eight hours on the N13, before stops. Tours collect between seven and eight in the morning and reach the dunes in the late afternoon.
What are the main stops between Fes and Merzouga?
Ifrane, the Azrou cedar forest, Midelt and the Ziz gorges, then Errachidia, Erfoud and Rissani. Ifrane and Midelt are on every Fes itinerary. The cedars and the Ziz are named on some itineraries and not on others.
Can you get from Fes to the Merzouga Desert in one day?
Yes. The three-day trips from Marrakech break their road with a hotel night around Tinghir, but the Fes road is driven in one day. The two-day trip from Fes puts you on a camel the same evening.
Will you see monkeys on the way?
Barbary macaques live in the cedar forest south-east of Azrou. They are wild and have been listed as Endangered since 2008, so watch them and do not feed them. Only the itineraries that name the cedar forest promise you the stop.
Is there snow on the road from Fes to Merzouga?
In winter, yes. Ifrane gets snow from as early as October into spring, and the N13 reaches 2,178 m on the Col du Zad. Your operator delays or reroutes on the day if the road is affected.
Is the Fes road better than the Marrakech road?
It is shorter, at 470 km against 560, and it is different. You get cedar forest and the Ziz gorges instead of the Tichka pass, the ksar and the Todra. The three-day crossings from Fes to Marrakech give you both.

Trips that drive the Fes road