8-Day Tour from Marrakech to Tangier via the Sahara

• Private Tour
• Daily departures
• 8 Days
• Free Cancellation

Tour overview

Tour highlights

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 1Day 1: Marrakech – Tizi n'Tichka – Telouet – Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate

   Pick-up from Marrakech airport or your accommodation. Cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n’Tichka pass, with stops for panoramic views, and visit Telouet Kasbah, the former palace of the Glaoui family. Continue to Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO-listed fortified village seen in Gladiator, The Mummy and Game of Thrones, then on to Ouarzazate, “the gateway to the desert”. Dinner and overnight in a hotel.
2. 2Day 2: Ouarzazate – Skoura – Valley of Roses – Dades Valley

   Visit the Atlas Film Studios and Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate. Drive east to Amridil Kasbah in the Skoura palm grove, then on to Kelaat M’Gouna in the Valley of Roses, where a rose festival is held every May and locals sell rose water, oils and cosmetics. Continue to the Dades Valley, stopping at the “Monkey Fingers” rock formations and a viewpoint over the famous hairpin road. Dinner and overnight in Boumalne Dades.
3. 3Day 3: Dades – Todra Gorge – Tinejdad – Merzouga camel ride

   Explore the Todra Gorge, a narrow canyon with red cliffs carved by the Todra River. Continue through the palm groves of Tinejdad and Touroug, with time for lunch on the way. In the late afternoon, ride a camel into the Erg Chebbi dunes, stopping on a high dune to watch the sunset. Dinner, Berber drumming around the campfire and a night in a desert camp.
4. 4Day 4: Exploring the Merzouga area – nomads, Khamlia and the lake

   Wake early to watch the sunrise over the dunes, then ride back to Merzouga for breakfast. Spend the day exploring the area by 4×4: an old kohl (eyeliner) mine, a nomad family who welcome you for tea in their tent, and the village of Khamlia, known for its Gnawa music, whose people trace their roots to sub-Saharan Africa. After lunch (not included), drive through a palm grove to Merzouga’s seasonal lake, where flamingos can sometimes be seen. Dinner and overnight in a hotel.
5. 5Day 5: Merzouga – Rissani – Ziz Valley – Midelt – Ifrane – Fes

   Drive to Rissani, the historic capital of the Tafilalet region, whose busy market runs on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Visit a fossil workshop in Erfoud, then follow the Ziz River north with a stop at the Ziz Valley viewpoint. After lunch in Midelt, cross the Middle Atlas to the cedar forest near Azrou to see the Barbary macaques, then pass through Ifrane, “the Switzerland of Morocco”, on the way to Fes.
6. 6Day 6: Guided tour of Fes

   Start at the gates of the Royal Palace, then enter the UNESCO-listed medina through Bab Boujloud, the Blue Gate, with a local guide. See Al Quaraouiyine mosque and university, the Nejjarine fountain, the Chouara tanneries and the Bou Inania Madrasa. Visit the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter, and finish at the Merenid Tombs for a panoramic view over the city. Overnight in a riad.
7. 7Day 7: Fes – Meknes – Volubilis – Chefchaouen

   Visit Meknes, the imperial capital of Moulay Ismail: Bab Mansour, the Sahrij Souani basin, the royal stables and granaries, and the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum. After lunch, visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis, a UNESCO site famous for its mosaics and triumphal arch. Continue north through Ouazzane to Chefchaouen, the Blue City of the Rif Mountains. Overnight in a hotel.
8. 8Day 8: Chefchaouen – Tangier airport

   Depending on your flight time, enjoy a final stroll through the blue alleys of Chefchaouen before driving through the Rif Mountains to Tangier airport.

What's included

Not included

Prices