9 Day Morocco Tour from Marrakech: Desert, Fes and Chefchaouen

This 9 day Morocco tour from Marrakech is a full loop of the country in a little over a week: over the High Atlas to the kasbahs and gorges of the south, out to the Erg Chebbi dunes for two nights, north through cedar forest to Fes, up into the blue lanes of Chefchaouen and back down the Atlantic side via Volubilis, Rabat and Casablanca. It is private throughout, with your own driver and vehicle.

Tour overview

Nine days is about the shortest time in which this circuit stays enjoyable. The south takes three days, including a second, unhurried day around Merzouga. Fes gets two nights so the medina can be explored properly, and Chefchaouen an evening and a morning, its quietest hours. You sleep in riads, kasbah hotels and a desert camp. For more breathing space, the 12-day Morocco tour from Marrakech adds extra nights; for a shorter loop see the 8-day tour from Marrakech.

Highlights

• Crossing the Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m) and walking up through the ksar of Aït Benhaddou
• A night in the Dades Gorges and a walk between the sheer walls of Todra
• Camel ride into Erg Chebbi, where dunes reach around 150 m, and a night in a desert camp
• Barbary macaques in the Azrou cedar forest and the alpine-style town of Ifrane
• A guided day in the medina of Fes
• Chefchaouen, Roman Volubilis, Meknes, Rabat and the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca

Itinerary

Day 1: Marrakech – Tizi n’Tichka – Aït Benhaddou – Dades Gorges

Pick-up around 8:00. The road climbs through Berber villages to the Tichka pass, then drops to Aït Benhaddou for a guided walk and lunch. After a short stop in Ouarzazate you follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs via Skoura and Kelaa M’Gouna to the Dades Gorges, about 7–8 hours with stops. Night in the gorges.

Day 2: Dades Gorges – Todra Gorge – Merzouga desert camp

A look at the Dades hairpins, then on to Tinghir and a stroll through the Todra Gorge, where the cliffs close to a few metres apart. After lunch, continue via Erfoud to Merzouga (4–5 hours’ driving in total). In late afternoon your camel carries you about an hour and a half into the dunes for sunset. Dinner, drums and a night in the camp.

Day 3: Merzouga – Khamlia – Rissani – nomad families

Sunrise from a dune, then ride back for breakfast and a shower. Visit Khamlia, whose families descend from West African musicians, for Gnawa music over tea, and Rissani, the old caravan town, for its souk (busiest on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday). In the afternoon we call on a nomad family at the edge of the dunes. Night in a hotel or riad in Merzouga.

Day 4: Merzouga – Ziz Valley – Midelt – Ifrane – Fes

The longest day, about 470 km and 8–9 hours with stops: north up the palm-filled Ziz Valley, lunch in Midelt, then the cedar forest near Azrou, where Barbary macaques gather by the road, and a brief look at red-roofed Ifrane before Fes. Night in Fes.

Day 5: Fes guided medina day

A licensed local guide leads you through Fes el-Bali: the Bou Inania medersa, the Chouara tanneries, the Nejjarine fountain and the coppersmiths’ square, then the Royal Palace gates, the Jewish quarter and the view from the Merenid tombs. Second night in Fes.

Day 6: Fes – Chefchaouen

Around 4 hours north through the Rif foothills, then an afternoon in the blue lanes, the kasbah on Outa el-Hammam square and the walk to the Spanish Mosque for sunset. Our guide to things to do in Chefchaouen has more. Night in Chefchaouen.

Day 7: Chefchaouen – Volubilis – Meknes – Rabat

About 3 hours to Volubilis, where Roman mosaics still lie in situ, then half an hour to Meknes for Bab Mansour and Moulay Ismail’s granaries. Continue about 2 hours to Rabat. Night in Rabat.

Day 8: Rabat – Casablanca

The Kasbah of the Udayas, Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V, then 1.5 hours to Casablanca for a guided visit of the Hassan II Mosque, open to non-Muslims outside prayer times, and the Corniche at dusk. Night in Casablanca.

Day 9: Casablanca – Marrakech or drop-off

About 3 hours by motorway back to Marrakech, or drop-off at Casablanca’s Mohammed V airport if you fly from there.

Options and prices

The price depends on how many of you travel, since vehicle and driver costs are shared across the group, and on your choice of standard or luxury accommodation. Standard means comfortable riads, kasbah hotels and private camp tents; luxury means boutique riads and en-suite luxury tents. The live price for your group, date and option is shown in the booking form below, and you secure the booking with a 10% deposit, paying the balance on the day. Compare categories on our luxury tours page.

What’s included

Included

• Private air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver for all nine days
• Pick-up and drop-off at your Marrakech riad or hotel (or Casablanca airport on day 9)
• Eight nights’ accommodation with breakfast, plus dinner in Dades, the desert camp and Merzouga
• Camel ride into Erg Chebbi and the night in the desert camp
• Local guides in Aït Benhaddou, Todra and the Fes medina
• Fuel, tolls and parking

Not included

• Flights and travel insurance
• Lunches, drinks and dinners not listed
• Entrance fees (Volubilis, Hassan II Mosque, medersas)
• Tips and personal expenses

Good to know

Pack layers: the passes and desert nights are cold from November to March, while summer in the south is very hot. Bring a scarf, sunscreen, good walking shoes and modest clothing (see what to wear in Morocco). No special fitness is needed; children of all ages are welcome, with child seats on request. Spring and autumn are most comfortable; our best time to visit Morocco guide explains why. For other routes, see our private tours.

Frequently asked questions