10 Day Morocco Tour from Marrakech: Cities, Mountains and Two Desert Nights

Overview

Highlights

• Guided tours of both Marrakech and Fes with licensed local guides
• Hassan II Mosque, Rabat's Kasbah of the Udayas and Chefchaouen
• Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco
• Two nights in Merzouga, including a Berber camp in the dunes
• Todra and Dades gorges and the ksar of Aït Benhaddou
• A balanced pace with time on your own in every city

Itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1 Arrival in Marrakech

   Welcome to Marrakech. Make your way to your hotel or riad, or ask us to arrange a transfer from Menara airport. If you arrive early, start exploring at your own pace: walk to the Koutoubia mosque, whose minaret has watched over the city since the 12th century, then dive into the souks and finish at Jemaa el-Fna, where food stalls, musicians and storytellers take over the square at dusk. In the evening, meet your driver and fellow travelers over dinner and go through the plan for the next ten days.

   Overnight: Hotel or riad in Marrakech Meals: Dinner

2. 2

   Day 2 Marrakech guided visit

   After breakfast, a licensed local guide shows you the Red City. Typical stops include the Bahia Palace with its painted ceilings and courtyards, the Saadian Tombs, the old Jewish quarter of the Mellah and the Ben Youssef area, ending in the souks of carpets, leather and spices, where your guide shares tips on haggling. Entrance fees are not included. The afternoon is free: visit the Jardin Majorelle, relax in a hammam or sip mint tea on a rooftop terrace overlooking Jemaa el-Fna. Dinner and second night in Marrakech.

   Overnight: Hotel or riad in Marrakech Meals: Breakfast, dinner

3. 3

   Day 3 Marrakech – Casablanca – Rabat

   Drive north after breakfast to Casablanca, about three hours away, to visit the Hassan II Mosque. Partly built over the ocean, it has one of the world's tallest minarets and room for thousands of worshippers inside (interior visits at set times, ticket not included). After lunch (not included) by the sea, continue to Rabat, the capital. See the unfinished Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and its guards in ceremonial dress, and the white and blue alleys of the Kasbah of the Udayas, perched above the Bou Regreg river mouth.

   Overnight: Hotel in Rabat Meals: Breakfast, dinner

4. 4

   Day 4 Rabat – Chefchaouen

   After breakfast, leave the Atlantic coast and drive inland through farmland and olive groves to the Rif mountains, about four hours with a coffee stop. Arrive in Chefchaouen in the early afternoon and spend the rest of the day exploring its blue medina. Wander up and down the stepped alleys, visit the red-walled kasbah on Outa el-Hammam square and watch locals at the Ras El Ma spring. Late in the afternoon, walk up to the Spanish Mosque for a sunset view over the blue rooftops and the valley.

   Overnight: Hotel or riad in Chefchaouen Meals: Breakfast, dinner

5. 5

   Day 5 Chefchaouen – Volubilis – Fes

   Drive south through rolling hills to Volubilis, once a thriving Roman city at the edge of the empire and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk among its columns, triumphal arch and remarkably preserved floor mosaics, with views of the holy town of Moulay Idriss on the hillside opposite (entrance and site guide not included). After lunch (not included), continue to Fes, arriving in the late afternoon. Check in to your hotel or riad and enjoy dinner in Morocco's spiritual and cultural capital.

   Overnight: Hotel or riad in Fes Meals: Breakfast, dinner

6. 6

   Day 6 Fes guided visit

   A licensed local guide leads you through Fes el-Bali, the medieval medina where donkeys still carry goods through narrow lanes. Visit a richly carved madrasa such as Bou Inania or Al-Attarine, the Nejjarine fountain and square, the exterior of the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque, founded in the 9th century, and the Chouara tannery seen from a terrace above the dye pits. Along the way you meet artisans at work: weavers, coppersmiths, potters and tile makers. The afternoon is free to shop, rest or explore the Royal Palace gates in Fes el-Jdid.

   Overnight: Hotel or riad in Fes Meals: Breakfast, dinner

7. 7

   Day 7 Fes – Merzouga, desert camp

   An early start for the longest drive of the trip, around 8 hours with stops. Cross the Middle Atlas via Ifrane and the cedar forest near Azrou, where Barbary macaques gather near the road, then the high plateau to Midelt for lunch (not included). The road descends into the Ziz Valley and its palm-filled canyon before reaching Merzouga in the late afternoon. Here you trade the minibus for a camel and ride about an hour into the dunes of Erg Chebbi for sunset. Dinner, drums and stars at a Berber camp.

   Overnight: Desert camp in Merzouga (Erg Chebbi) Meals: Breakfast, dinner

8. 8

   Day 8 Merzouga full day

   Watch the sunrise from the dunes, then ride back to Merzouga for breakfast and a shower. Today is a full day in the desert with no long drives. Visit Khamlia, a village of Gnawa musicians whose rhythms came from sub-Saharan Africa, and the old caravan town of Rissani, with its souk and stalls of dates. In the afternoon, relax by the pool, try sandboarding, or book an optional quad or 4x4 excursion around Erg Chebbi. Walk back into the dunes for a second sunset before dinner and your second night in Merzouga.

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

9. 9

   Day 9 Merzouga – Todra – Dades

   After breakfast, head west through Erfoud and Tinejdad, past the khettara, ancient underground canals that still water the oases. In Tinghir, follow the vast palm grove into the Todra Gorge and walk the narrowest stretch, where sheer walls up to 300 m high almost meet overhead. After lunch (not included), continue to Boumalne and into the Dades Gorge, past rock formations nicknamed Monkey Fingers and the hairpin bends of the upper valley. Dinner and overnight in a hotel overlooking the gorge.

   Overnight: Hotel in the Dades Gorge Meals: Breakfast, dinner

10. 10

    Day 10 Dades – Aït Benhaddou – Marrakech, end of tour

    Follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs west through Kelaat M'Gouna, center of the rose harvest, and the palm oasis of Skoura to Ouarzazate. Visit Aït Benhaddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar of earthen houses on the old caravan route, and climb to the top for the view across the valley. After lunch (not included), cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, with stops at viewpoints on the way down. The tour ends in the early evening at your hotel or riad in Marrakech.

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

Prices

US$ 956 (€850) per person

Fixed price per person in a small group (max 17 people).

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.

Included

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