Figured I'd share my experience since this forum helped me so much while I was planning. I was really overwhelmed by all the tour companies all claiming to be the best, and honestly I almost just booked something random off GetYourGuide but then I found this smaller company's website that actually explained the itinerary in detail instead of just listing stops. I ended up booking what they called the best 6 day desert tour from marrakech that goes through the Atlas Mountains, does the desert overnight at Merzouga, and then continues up to Fes with some really cool stops along the way like the cedar forests with the monkeys and the Roman ruins at Volubilis which I didn't even know existed in Morocco. The group was only seven people which was perfect because we could all fit in one vehicle and nobody felt left out. Our driver was this older Berber guy who grew up in the mountains and kept stopping at these tiny local spots where there were no tourists, like this random family who made bread in a communal oven and invited us to try it. I wasn't sure about spending six days with strangers but by the end we were all exchanging numbers and planning to meet up for dinner in Fes. If you're on the fence about doing a longer tour, definitely go for it because the extra days let you see so much more than just the desert.