7-day Morocco tour from Fes

Tour highlights

• From the ruins of Volubilis to the blue town
• Rabat, the capital, on the Atlantic
• Casablanca’s Hassan II Mosque
• The souks of Marrakech and Jemaa el-Fna square
• The Tizi n’Tichka pass and the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou
• The Todra Gorge and sunset over the Erg Chebbi dunes
• The Ziz Valley and the cedars of the Middle Atlas

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1 · Fes · Meknes · Volubilis · Chefchaouen

   We leave Fes for Meknes and its Bab Mansour gate, visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis and climb into the Rif to Chefchaouen, where we spend the night.

   Night: Chefchaouen

2. 2

   Day 2 · Chefchaouen · Rabat

   We come down from the Rif to the Atlantic coast and Rabat, the capital: the Kasbah of the Udayas above the river mouth, the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V.

   Night: Rabat

3. 3

   Day 3 · Rabat · Casablanca · Marrakech

   We follow the coast down to Casablanca for the Hassan II Mosque and continue south to Marrakech, arriving in the afternoon.

   Night: Marrakech

4. 4

   Day 4 · Guided tour of Marrakech

   A day with a local guide: the Koutoubia mosque, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian tombs and the souks of the medina with their craft guilds. At dusk, Jemaa el-Fna square at its liveliest.

   Night: Marrakech

5. 5

   Day 5 · Marrakech · Tizi n’Tichka · Ait Ben Haddou · Dades Valley

   We leave Marrakech in the morning and climb into the High Atlas to the Tizi n’Tichka pass, 2,260 metres up, stopping at viewpoints over the Berber villages. On the far side lies Ait Ben Haddou, the earthen ksar and UNESCO World Heritage Site where Gladiator and Game of Thrones were filmed; you walk up through it to the old granary at the top. We continue past Ouarzazate, the Skoura palm grove and the Valley of Roses at Kelaat M’Gouna to the Dades Gorges, where we spend the night.

   Night: Dades Valley

6. 6

   Day 6 · Todra Gorge · Tinghir · Erfoud · Merzouga

   In the morning, the Todra Gorge: a narrow canyon with walls of around 300 metres, explored on foot beside the river. We pass the Tinghir palm grove and Erfoud, the town of fossils, on the way to Merzouga. At the end of the afternoon the Erg Chebbi dunes appear: you ride up on a camel for the sunset or, if you prefer, go by 4x4 to the camp. Night in the desert.

   Night: Desert camp

7. 7

   Day 7 · Sunrise · Rissani · Erfoud · Ziz Valley · Midelt · Ifrane · Fes

   Sunrise on the dunes and breakfast before we leave. We head north through Rissani, cradle of the Alaouite dynasty, and Erfoud, then follow the Ziz Valley, a canyon of palms between mountains, through the Legionnaire’s Tunnel. We cross the Middle Atlas via Midelt, the apple town, and the Azrou cedar forest, home to Barbary macaques. We pass Ifrane, known as the Switzerland of Morocco, and reach Fes in the afternoon.

What’s included

Frequently asked questions