Marrakech, Fes, Agadir or Casablanca: which city should your desert tour start from?

Start where you land

The desert is in the middle of the country and every big city is a day from it. So the first rule: start from the city your flight lands in, and if you are seeing two cities, let the desert be the road between them. Nobody should take a train to Marrakech to begin a desert tour when they landed in Fes or Casablanca.

From Marrakech

The classic: the Tichka pass, Aït Ben Haddou, the kasbah road, the Dades and Todra gorges, then Merzouga. Three days as a loop, four with Skoura and a lodge night. The road is the most varied of the four and the most travelled. Daily shared departures; private any day. → Shared 3-Day Marrakech to Merzouga

From Fes

The Middle Atlas: Ifrane, the cedar forest and its monkeys, Midelt, the Ziz Valley — one long day (7–8 h) that ends in the dunes. We don't run a Fes loop: from Fes the natural trip is one way to Marrakech, because the road back would be the same one. → Shared 3-Day Fes to Marrakech

One way between Marrakech and Fes

The best use of three days if you are visiting both cities: Marrakech → desert → Fes, or the reverse. Nothing driven twice, and you arrive in the other city rather than returning to the first. Marrakech → Fes puts the dunes on night two and ends with the cedar forest; Fes → Marrakech puts them on night one and ends with the Atlas pass. Either is right; choose by flights. Four-day versions add Skoura or a lodge night. → Shared 3-Day Marrakech to Fes · Private 4-Day Fes to Marrakech

From Agadir

The southern road: Taroudant's ramparts, saffron at Taliouine, the Anti-Atlas to Ouarzazate — without touching Marrakech. Three days to Merzouga and back is a marathon (8 / 6 / 10 h); the one-way to Marrakech or Fes is kinder, and the private four-day is kindest. From Agadir, Erg Chigaga is a day closer than Merzouga and worth considering. → Agadir tours

From Casablanca

The airport. Private tours start at arrivals: to Fes on day one, the desert on day two, the gorges on day three, Marrakech on day four — or six days with Chefchaouen, Volubilis and Meknes first. No shared departures (flight timing) and no transfer day lost. → Private 4-Day Casablanca to Marrakech · Private 6-Day Casablanca to Marrakech

Which direction