I am planning a trip to Morocco in Nov, and would like to visit Marrakesh, Merzouga, Meknes, Fez, Tangier, and Rabat. What is the best way to go from Marrakesh to Fez via Merzouga, and how many days do I need for these towns? Yes, we want a night under the desert stars. We are two people travelling, is that make sense to hire a private car or share with other travellers.

Just returned from that trip! We hired a private guide Ali Oussou and his driver. It was great. It makes more sense to travel with someone who can explain what you're seeing! His email is http://ergchebbi.ifrance.com

Thanks Txrangerterry. Would you please let me know how much did he charge for his service?

It really depends on your budget. I think rental car is a great way to explore the area in between Marrakech and Fez (via Merzouga). You can make it to Merzouga in two days (perhaps an overnight in Skoura or Kelaa M'Gouna), spend the night in the desert and then push on to Fes. That would be a pretty full itinerary, so if you've got more time, you might want to slow it down a bit. I've done exactly that same trip (but with the overnight in Ait Benahddou) and it was really fun...

Another vote for rental car. The roads in Morocco are surprisingly good! We drove all around, crossing from Spain, through Tangier, into Rabat, then Casa, Marrakesh, Fex, Mekhnes, Volubilis and back to Spain through Tangier. No problems at all! we were stopped couple times by police at checkpoints, but they were polite and only checked our docs (driverse license and car registartion) and let us go. Highways are US-quality, with regular gas stations. We avoided driving at night, altough sometimes we were getting into town a little late. Once in place, we'd usually leave the car parked at the hotel and take local taxis (esp Marrakesh) since traffi in town is tricky. driving was a pleasure - you see so much, the scenery is amazing, we had some nice lunch stops in little towns on the way. would do it again!