Routes · Africa

Lagos to Morocco: Fez and the Merzouga dunes

Lagos → Fez → Merzouga

A medieval medina & Saharan sand seas Best season (general guide): Mar–May, Oct–Nov

Fez and the Sahara show two sides of Morocco: a dense medieval city and the open desert. This route spends three nights in Fez and three at Merzouga, at the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes. From Lagos you'll connect via Casablanca to Fez.

How to pace it: Fez was founded in the late eighth century and was the capital of several dynasties. Its medina, Fez el-Bali, listed by UNESCO in 1981, is one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world, a maze of lanes, souks and workshops, so ease in on arrival day. On day two, see Al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 by Fatima al-Fihri and often cited as the oldest continually operating university in the world (non-Muslims can look in from the doorways), the Bou Inania Madrasa, built in the fourteenth century and one of the few religious buildings open to non-Muslims, and the Chouara tannery, seen from the terraces of the surrounding shops. A guided medina walk on day three helps with the maze; try pastilla, the sweet and savoury pie of Fez.

Day four is the long drive south over the Middle Atlas, through cedar forests, then down the Ziz valley to the desert. At Merzouga, the dunes of Erg Chebbi rise up to around 150 metres; ride a camel to a desert camp on day five and climb a dune for sunrise on day six.

Practical notes: spring and autumn are the best seasons; summer in the desert is very hot. The drive back to Fes for your flight is long, so start early on the last day.

Safety: Canada advises a high degree of caution in Morocco, with a regional advisory for Western Sahara (updated 26 May 2026), and the US rates Morocco Level 2 (4 Sep 2026). This route doesn't go near Western Sahara.

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