9-Day Morocco Tour from Tangier: Chefchaouen, Fes, Two Days in the Sahara and Marrakech

Overview

Highlights

• Tangier city tour: kasbah, medina and Cape Spartel views
• Two nights and a free day in Chefchaouen
• Volubilis, Meknes and a guided day in Fes
• Two nights in Merzouga with a camel trek and desert camp
• Full day in the Sahara: Khamlia, Rissani and the dunes
• Todra Gorge, Dades Valley and Aït Benhaddou
• Guided visit of Marrakech

Itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1 Tangier city tour – Chefchaouen

   Pickup at your Tangier hotel, the port or the train station. Start with a morning city tour: the kasbah and its museum, the medina lanes and the Grand Socco, and mint tea with a view of the Strait at Café Hafa. If time allows, drive out to Cape Spartel, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean. After lunch, head south into the Rif mountains to Chefchaouen, about two to two and a half hours away. Check in to your riad and enjoy a first evening stroll through the blue lanes.

   Overnight: Riad in Chefchaouen Meals: Dinner

2. 2

   Day 2 Chefchaouen at leisure

   A day without driving. Wake early to photograph the lanes before anyone else, then explore at your own pace: the kasbah and its small museum on Outa el Hammam square, the Ras el Maa spring and the shops of woven blankets and local goat cheese. Walkers can hike up to the Spanish Mosque or, with a local guide, follow trails into the Rif mountains toward the Akchour waterfalls. In the evening, enjoy a tagine on a rooftop terrace and watch the town light up.

   Overnight: Riad in Chefchaouen Meals: Breakfast, dinner

3. 3

   Day 3 Chefchaouen – Volubilis – Meknes – Fes

   Leave the mountains and drive south through olive groves to Volubilis, the most complete Roman city in Morocco and a UNESCO site, famous for its mosaic floors and its triumphal arch. Continue to Meknes, the imperial city of Sultan Moulay Ismail, to admire the monumental Bab Mansour gate and the El Hedim square. Arrive in Fes in the early evening and check in to your riad in or near the medina in time for dinner. Lunch is usually in Meknes or in the hilltop holy town of Moulay Idriss, facing Volubilis.

   Overnight: Riad in Fes Meals: Breakfast, dinner

4. 4

   Day 4 Fes guided visit

   Spend the day with a local guide in Fes el-Bali. Enter by the Blue Gate, Bab Boujloud, and discover the Bou Inania madrasa, the Nejjarine fountain, the doorway of the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university and the Chouara tannery from a terrace above the dye pits. Meet artisans working brass, cedar and silk thread, and stop for mint tea in a quiet courtyard. In the afternoon, visit the royal palace gates and the old Jewish quarter, then enjoy the view from the hills at sunset.

   Overnight: Riad in Fes Meals: Breakfast, dinner

5. 5

   Day 5 Fes – Merzouga, desert camp

   An early start for the Sahara. Cross the Middle Atlas via Ifrane and the cedar forests, where Barbary macaques often appear by the road. Have lunch in Midelt, then follow the Ziz Valley and its long canyon of palm trees. In the late afternoon, reach Merzouga and ride a camel over the dunes of Erg Chebbi for sunset. Arrive at your camp for dinner, drumming around the fire and a night under one of the clearest skies you will ever see.

   Overnight: Desert camp in Merzouga Meals: Breakfast, dinner

6. 6

   Day 6 Merzouga full day

   Climb a dune for sunrise, then ride back to Merzouga for breakfast. Spend the day as you like. Popular choices include a 4x4 loop around Erg Chebbi to meet nomad families and see the seasonal lake, a visit to Khamlia to hear Gnawa musicians, and the historic market town of Rissani with its stalls of dates and spices. You can also try sandboarding or simply rest by a pool at the foot of the dunes. Second night in Merzouga. Your driver helps you book whatever suits you.

   Overnight: Hotel or camp in Merzouga Meals: Breakfast, dinner

7. 7

   Day 7 Merzouga – Todra Gorge – Dades

   Drive west through Erfoud and the oasis of Tinjdad, passing lines of khettaras, the ancient underground channels that water the palm groves. In Tinghir, walk into the Todra Gorge, where cliffs around 300 meters high close in over a clear river. After lunch, continue to the Dades Valley, with its strange rock formations, earthen villages and the hairpin road above the gorge. Dinner and the night in a guesthouse overlooking the valley. If you enjoy walking, your driver can suggest a short stroll through the palm groves of Tinghir.

   Overnight: Hotel or guesthouse in the Dades Valley Meals: Breakfast, dinner

8. 8

   Day 8 Dades – Aït Benhaddou – Marrakech

   Follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs through the Rose Valley, Skoura and Ouarzazate. Visit Aït Benhaddou, the fortified village listed by UNESCO and featured in many films; cross the river and climb to the granary for the view. After lunch, cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass at about 2,260 meters, stopping at viewpoints and Berber villages along the way. Arrive in Marrakech in the early evening and check in to your riad. Lunch is often in a kasbah restaurant near the ksar.

   Overnight: Riad in Marrakech Meals: Breakfast, dinner

9. 9

   Day 9 Marrakech guided visit, end of tour

   Meet your local guide for the highlights of Marrakech: the Koutoubia mosque, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian tombs and the souks, where each lane is dedicated to a different craft. Learn how to bargain fairly and where to taste the best street food. The tour ends after the visit. Spend the evening in Jemaa el-Fna square among musicians, storytellers and food stalls, or ask us to add extra nights or an airport transfer. Many travelers add a night to visit the Majorelle Garden or relax in a hammam.

   Overnight: — (tour ends in Marrakech) Meals: Breakfast

Prices

Prices in euros per person. The amount in your currency is an estimate; payment is processed in USD. Some peak-season dates carry a supplement; you will see it when you pick a date.

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