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By Car from Fez to Marrakesh – Morocco Road Trip

More than 1,500 kilometers by car from Fez to Marrakesh through the Sahara desert and over giant mountains. We slept outside at the campfire, got in a heavy sandstorm, and arrived in Marrakesh with the last drop of fuel. By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip.

I start my next big adventure today with two German guys I met in Chefchaouen.

We rent a car in Fez and want to drive in 5 days through the Sahara Desert to Marrakesh.

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The first stop is a big supermarket where we buy everything we need for the next few days.

With more than 40l of drinking water, our trip can start.

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By Car from Fez to Marrakesh – Morocco Road Trip

Equipped only with a map, we decide to drive from Fez to the mountains.

Most streets in Morocco are terrible, and we are sometimes unsure if it is the right one or just a dirt road to a secluded village. 

We get a first impression of what to expect during the next few days. It is a fascinating landscape.

The villages get smaller and smaller, and we meet fewer and fewer people. From now on, we are on our own, and I hope the map is up to date.

With every kilometer, not only the villages but also the roads become smaller and worse.

There are no road signs, and we must orientate in the cardinal direction.

Natural Car wash

We meet a few people from time to time, primarily farmers with sheep. They seem to be pretty surprised; probably, not that many people are driving along these streets.

Some of them even wave and are happy to face other humans. One man came out of a pretty old and small shed. 

He was wearing broken shoes and only spoke a few words of Spanish.

We could not help him with new shoes, but I am sure he was really happy talking to us.

By Car From Fez To Marrakech - Morocco Road Trip
By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip
By Car From Fez To Marrakech - Morocco Road Trip
By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip

We drive on and are almost at the peak of a huge mountain when we encounter a great water jet coming down in the middle of the road.

Someone wanted to divert the stream to protect the road—a good idea but, sadly, a faulty design.

Creative as we are, we used it to clean our car … and to take a shower.

By Car From Fez To Marrakech - Morocco Road Trip
By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip

Freshly showered and with a more or less clean car, we start looking for a place to sleep. The first night in the car was quite uncomfortable.

Two of us slept in the front and one in the back seat. We arrived when it was already dark, so everything was way more complicated.

However, we found a good spot on a small forest trail with enough wood to make a fire. Today there is nothing right and left on the street.

No trees, no hills, only a lot of small rocks and dry ground.

After a long search, we find a small hill apart from the road. It is not a perfect place, but we have no choice.

We prepare something to eat and look for wood which is not an easy task here. During such a trip, you learn to appreciate things like water or a piece of wood.

We enjoy the calm and stress-free atmosphere—only we …. and suddenly hundreds of huge, black, and loud screaming beetles.

By Car From Fez To Marrakech - Morocco Road Trip
By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip

Stopped by the Moroccan police

This night I slept despite the many beetles much better. Well recovered and with new energy, we want to drive to the Erg Chebbi dunes near Merzouga.

We are back on the main road and come fast closer to the dunes. Well … a bit too fast.

After a sloping curve, two Moroccan policemen are waiting for us, equipped with a radar gun. 50 km/h too fast.

They ask for our driving license, and we must pay 300 Dirham (about 27 Euros).

We try to explain that we do not have that much money with us with a mix of English, Spanish, and French.

They get angry and want to collect our driving license, which we can then pick up in the next city on the next day.

It is a strange situation, and it seems they want to pocket the money. We agree on paying in the next city.

The police officers are less than thrilled and let us go without paying anything, which seems to approve our assumption.

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By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip
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By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip
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By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip

Suddenly in a heavy sandstorm

This night we want to sleep only with our sleeping bags outside in the Erg Chebbi dunes.

From Merzouga, we take the road to Taouz and find a path from the main road to the dunes. The next village is 10 km away.

We take a bottle of water along, explore the area, and find a perfect spot soon, a small dune behind some trees and not visible from the road.

We pack everything we need in our Backpacks and want to walk back to the place when the sky suddenly darkens.

The temperature decreases and a storm comes up.

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By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip

We drive as fast as possible back to the main road. The path is unsurfaced, and we are scared to get stuck in the sand.

It also starts raining, and there is far and wide no one to see.

Many people drown in the desert every year when it suddenly starts raining, and we are glad to be back on the road to Merzouga.

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By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip

While driving through the empty streets, a group of children suddenly appears. They scream and wave and are pretty curious.

We stop, and they immediately come up to us. It is a nice situation, although we cannot communicate with words.

I gift them a small honeydew melon and give it to the youngest. He has to carry it with both hands and is so proud of it; really sweet.

However, on the other hand, you can see that people do not have anything.

Many children are even playing with rubbish on the streets.

By Car From Fez To Marrakech - Morocco Road Trip
By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip

From Merzouga, we drive toward the Valley of Dades, hoping the weather will be better soon.

We are lucky.

The wind stops, and the sun comes out again. Merzouga and the dunes of Erg Chebbi are now behind us, and we find an excellent place for the night.

We make a fire and prepare something to eat. As we do not have a grillage, we must be creative and build construction with a branch.

While we are eating, an older man comes around with a donkey and many, many sheep.

After a short ride on the donkey, it is already time for sleep… Of course, outside, next to the campfire under the starry sky.

It is a unique experience, and I really recommend you do it when you have the chance.

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By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip
By Car From Fez To Marrakech - Morocco Road Trip
By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip

Valley of Dades

Today is already the fifth day. Time flies, but the absolute highlight is still ahead of us—the famous Valley of Dades.

I am looking forward to it and cannot wait to start today. After one hour, we finally arrived in the valley, and I prepared the camera.

One could photograph everything, and every photo would be beautiful…

… but check it out yourself, as a picture paints a thousand words.

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By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip
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By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip
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By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip
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By Car from Fez to Marrakech – Morocco Road Trip
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Do you like it?

Well, I really enjoyed it, and it even outdid my expectations.

After this breathtaking tour, we drive to Ouarzazate, where we stay for one night in a pretty nice hotel room with a balcony and a nice view over the big square.

While the square is almost deserted during the day, hundreds of people sing and eat together at night, and many children play and enjoy the time together.

It is a nice atmosphere; everyone seems to be happy.

Arrived in Marrakesh with the last drop of fuel

Route Morocco

From Ouarzazate, we take the road through Aït-Ben-Haddou to Marrakesh.

Aït-Ben-Haddou is an old village with many loam houses and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Moreover, it is the filming spot of more than 20 Hollywood productions, for example, Gladiator and The Mummy.

While we are enjoying the last day of our trip, we recognize that we have to refuel pretty soon.

We are looking desperately for a petrol station, but there is simply nothing on our road.

Meanwhile, the warning light is shining, and we are already thinking about a plan for what to do when we have a breakdown.

The last 60 kilometers go mainly downhill so that we can save some fuel.

However, there is another high mountain which we have to cross, and the next village is another 50 kilometers away.

It is an exciting final, and we finally arrive in Marrakech with the last drop of fuel.

On the one hand, I am happy to be back in civilization as it was sometimes really tiring.

On the other hand, however, I will miss this time.

We could do whatever we wanted; there was no schedule; we just stopped wherever and whenever we felt like it.

Every day was a new adventure; we never knew what would happen after the next curve.

Marcus and Christoph, thank you for this awesome time. I hope to meet you again soon!!!

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  1. Francesca Tabloni says:

    Hi Tim! I was looking for a car rental in Fez to do in August the same trip you did from Fez to Marrakesh…can I ask you which car rental company you used?
    Thank you very much!

    • universaltraveller says:

      Hi Francesca! Thanks for your message. Unfortunately I don’t remember which company I used. I recommend you using websites like skyscanner.com or kayak.com to look for a good offer. You can find most agencies at the airport. Good luck and have fun in Morocco :)

      • Francesca Tabloni says:

        I’ve already checked those sites but it seems I need a credit card to pay the warranty…not a very widespread tool for a 22-years-old :/
        Anyway, thank you very much for your reply!
        Have a great summer!

        • universaltraveller says:

          You are welcome! Yeah, we also needed one. Maybe you can get a Prepaid credit card? I hope you will find a way to rent a car. Enjoy your trip :)

  2. Connie Reed says:

    Sounds like quite an adventure! Beautiful photos.

  3. What an adventure! It looks amazing. I'm really keen on seeing Marrakech so maybe I will do this!

  4. What a fabulous adventure! And the locales, simply stunning!

  5. Inspiring adventure, man! Wow, exhilerating! Thanks for sharing and Happy Travels!

  6. This seems like a great adventure, nice!

  7. What a great adventure, even though I love public transport there is something about driving which is so much more freeing. You can stop whenever you like to taking in the view or divert to somewhere amazing. love the natural car wash!!

  8. Looks like a fun, off the beaten path adventure! Thanks for sharing all of the great photos!

  9. Definitely looks like quite the adventure! I'd love to check out marrakesh one day! I had a friend who was from there and always said amazing things about it!

  10. Travelling Chingrita says:

    Sounds like an awesome roadtrip! I admire your dedication and patience driving; but you have some incredible shots of your adventure. What you did by gifting the melon is very sweet and I’m glad that you travel with such a kind heart.

  11. Travel with Mia says:

    Oh wow, there is no way I could make that drive but it looks like you had a very enlightening experience. I am going to go to Morocco soon so thanks for the great info. I can’t wait to meet the locals and I’ll be sure to bring gifts for the children as we plan to get outside the city at some point.

  12. Sabine @ The Travelling Chilli says:

    Wauw, what a story and what an adventure. I love the photos of the scenery, especially of the valley of the Dades. Looks like a must go destination.

  13. Griet Je says:

    Haha, that carwash :D Such a roadtrip is high on my list :) good to read :D

  14. wow this is such a cool trip! glad you didnt run out of gas!

  15. Christine Messina says:

    Those views are amazing! Not a bad way to road trip :)

  16. Sounds like you had a great time despite the police officers and the beetles…oh, and a little discomfort while sleeping! I would have been quite scared in the sand storm though!

  17. I had indeed a great time. hmm the sand storm was a bit scary, yes … but it was also an amazing experience :)

  18. I had indeed a great time. hmm the sand storm was a bit scary, yes … but it was also an amazing experience :)

  19. It is in my opinion the best way to travel and makes so much fun with the right people :) In which country would you like to go on a roadtrip?

  20. Yes, Marrakesh is really worth it to visit! :)

  21. Yes, Marrakesh is really worth it to visit! :)

  22. Yes, it always depends on the destination. I also often take public transportation but to some places you can only get by car and it is indeed much more freeing :)

  23. Anne Klien says:

    Wow what an amazing roadtrip adventure. I would love to do this too

  24. Csilla Dobos says:

    Heyyy, me and my sister are also planning a roadtrip from Fez to Marrakesh. To be honest I am more into the other part, Rabat – Casablanca and so. Is there any particular reason you chose the other part? Actually I like the ocean better than the desert, but if you say on the western part there is less to see or more dangerous etc., I’ll consider to follow your route.

    Thanks in advance!
    Csilla from Hungary