10 Days Morocco Tour from Marrakech to Tangier

Day 1: Marrakech – Ait Benhaddou

In the morning, our tour guide will pick you up at your hotel in Marrakech in a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle. We will start our tour of Morocco by driving out from Marrakech, our very first site being Ait Benhaddou. The road offers breathtaking views of the Atlas Mountains. We will be making several stops on the way to enable you to take in the beauty of these snowcapped peaks and the magnificent landscape along the Tizi n’Tichka pass. At the site, we will visit the Ait-Benhaddou Kasbah, one of the most popular kasbahs in Morocco. This fortified village of earthen clay structures is an impressive historic landmark. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the village, we can learn about pre-Saharan building techniques, although none of the houses are older than the 17th century. Roaming the old trodden passageways of this desert kasbah feels like being in another time. After lunch, we will tour the Kasbah of Tamdaght, a little less than 4 miles (6 km) from Ait-Benhaddou. In the evening hours, we will climb the fortress of Ait Benhaddou to get a magical view of the sunset. Our guide will then take you to your accommodations for the night.

Day 2: Exploring Ouarzazate

If you are interested in capturing a spectacular sunrise at Ait Benhaddou, be prepared to rise early. After breakfast, we will drive towards Ouarzazate. Closer to the city, the climate becomes more desertlike offering up a splendid desert landscape. There are also several Berber villages on our way, and we will stop by to see them. Unlike Ait Benhaddou, Ouarzazate offers a more diverse range of attractions. We will first stop by the Atlas Film Studios, before heading downtown to explore the town. Ouarzazate is loved because of its incredible old-world features, and it’s one of the reasons the location has been popular with Hollywood filmmakers. We will visit the Kasbahs of Tifoultoute and Taourirt. From there we’ll go sightseeing in Ouarzazate main square. The square is lined with restaurants and cafés selling local food. It is also a good site for viewing the sunset. In the evening our guide will take you back to your hotel or riad for the night.

Day 3: Todra Gorge – Erfoud – Merzouga

After breakfast, we will continue on our Morocco desert tour. We will be heading to Todra Gorge. The scenic road passes through Kalaat M’Gouna, Boumalne Dades, and Tinghir. At the gorge, you will be welcomed by the massive canyons about 1,300 ft (400 m) deep. We will walk around the valley and tour major oases in the vicinity. You will have fun hiking the Todra River gorge and marveling at this natural wonder. After Todra Gorge, we will continue towards the oasis town of Erfoud. The town has many quality restaurants and cafés, so, we’ll have our selection of great places to choose from for lunch. You will get to enjoy the traditional cuisine of the local people. Erfoud is a city known for its rich fossil deposits and we will visit a craft workshop to see how they extract the fossil from bedrock. A desert road trip to Merzouga comes next. You will be in for one of the best camel rides in Morocco. It is a ride of about an hour and thirty minutes to Berber camps where we will be heading. You will be climbing the giant dunes of Erg Chebbi’s sea of sand and enjoying a tranquil sunset over the dunes. The night will be spent at a Berber camp in the desert, with traditional food served and Berber music played.

Day 4: Exploring Merzouga

We will wake up early in the morning to experience the magical view of the sunrise on top of the dunes in the Merzouga desert. Set the alarm so that you don’t miss the spectacle. A camel ride will take us back to Merzouga where our driver is waiting to take us on a drive heading deeper into the desert. We will freshen up and be on our way into the Erg Chebbi dunes. We will visit Hassilabied, Khamlia, and other villages in the area. We will meet nomads camping in the desert and have an opportunity to enjoy live Gnawa music by the Gnawa tribe. The trip will pass deeper into the desert where we will see Lake Dayte Sarje and several oases at the dunes. We will then make a stop at Rissani to explore its famous souks and bazaars for the best part of the afternoon. In the evening, we will drive you back to your riad or hotel in Merzouga.

Day 5: Merzouga – Midelt

After breakfast, we are in for a long road trip from Merzouga to Midelt. Several stops will be made along the way to enable you to see some of the popular attractions. Major sites we come across are Aoufous, Ziz Valley, Errachidia, and Er-Rich on the way to Midelt. There will be opportunities to take in the beautiful countryside as well as interact with the local tribes, including the Berbers. The oasis of Aoufous in the area is another must-see place. By the afternoon we will have reached Midelt. We will be exploring the city for the remaining part of the day. Some of the key attractions to visit are Aguelmous, Eglise de Midelt, Notre Dame de l’Atlas monastery, and the spectacular Gorges d’Aouli. We will also stop by the Berber villages to explore local life. The evening will be spent watching the sun go down in Midelt.

Day 6: Exploring Azrou, Ifrane, and Fes

After breakfast, we will set off toward Fes. There are several spots on the way where we will stop to take in the scenery. Some of the popular places include the town of Zaida and Timahdte, before arriving at the cedar forest near Azrou. This forest is known for its affable Barbary monkeys. We will stop here for a while for us to enjoy forest fruits and berries, and to play with the monkeys. From Azrou, we will be on our way to Ifrane. The city is also referred to as Moroccan Switzerland because of its clean environment. Ifrane is a contemporary city that looks more like belonging to a European continent than Africa. You will feel the striking contrast in architecture and urban structure immediately. Its climate is rather cool, with snowy winters and moderate summers. We will go to the town to sightsee. A visit to this town cannot be complete without seeing the stone lion monument at a city park. In the evening, we will take another scenic road trip to the city of Fes. We will have walks in the medieval town before retiring to the hotel for the night.

Day 7: Exploring the Medieval City of Fes

In the morning, our tour guide will pick you up at your accommodations and we have the whole day to explore the city. It’s been over 1200 years since Fes was founded and thus it offers a lot of historical features and content. A stroll on the streets truly feels like being in medieval Morocco. We will first head to the two medina quarters, walking on the centuries-old streets. Fes el-Bali is one of the popular medinas in town and it is also the largest intact medina in the world. From here, you can see the breathtaking sight of the minaret of the famous Medersa Bou Inania. After medinas, we will visit Medersa el- Attarine before heading to lunch. In the afternoon we will sightsee more of the town, including the Quaraouiyine Mosque built in AD 857. Its prayer hall can hold up to 20,000 worshipers. The oldest library in the world is in this mosque, and its collection, there is a Qur’an dating from the 9th century. We will then visit the old mellah (Jewish Quarter) in Fes el-Jedid as well as the site of the Royal Palace right next to it. Other attractions of the day include Bab Bou Jeloud, Chouara Tannery, and Ibn Danan synagogue.

Day 8: Fes – Meknes

If you want to capture something special to take home, rise early to the empty streets of Fes. The Medina is a perfect site for early morning photography. You will also have the chance to capture a spectacular sunrise over the city. After breakfast, we have more of Fes to explore. We will go to the Bou Jeloud Gardens and Jnan Sbil Park. From there we’ll head to Ville Nouvelle, which is home to many attractions, including striking fountains, shopping locations, mosques, and cultural venues. The dramatic contrast in architecture as we enter Ville Nouvelle will blow your mind away. After lunchtime, we will be on an exciting road trip to Meknes. The imperial city of Meknes has a lot in common with Fes when it comes to blending old and modern qualities. Among the major attractions of this city is the bustling medina of locals. With the town’s roots stretching back to the 9th century, there are a lot of historical attractions for us to sightsee. We will also pay a visit to Meknes’ vibrant souks. In the evening our driver will take you to your riad or hotel.

Day 9: Meknes – Volubilis – Chafchaouen

We will get up early in the morning to enjoy a beautiful sunrise. If you have a thing for photography, you will be able to capture the ghost streets of Meknes since they will be empty early in the morning. After breakfast, we will take a thrilling ride to the excavated town of Volubilis. We will spend the entire morning exploring the well-preserved Roman ruins, architecture, mosaics, art, and other ancient features at the archaeological site. With roots in the 3rd century BCE, Volubilis has many fascinating things to teach about history, especially about the Roman Empire. History buffs will love this site, and it has something to offer everyone. In the evening, we will continue on our tour towards the Blue Pearl, or Chefchaouen. It’s a specular road drive characterized by a powerful mountainous landscape. We will stay in Chafchaouen for the night.

Day 10: Exploring Chefchaouen – Tangier

Waking up to find yourself in the beautiful Chefchaouen is a magical feeling. We’ll have breakfast and then start exploring the town. Chefchaouen is a city with history and a very unique place in the whole world. It has retained its look since the 15th century, hence providing a mind-blowing atmosphere. We will visit the major attractions, including the old town and historical medina, also known as the blue town. The architecture and the blue-washed houses make it a photographer’s paradise. We will take strolls on the streets before leaving for the souks. We will visit Plaza Outa el-Hamman, which is lined with local traditional restaurants and cafés, and have lunch here. Afterward we will sightsee more attractions, including Kasbah Museum, the Grand Mosque, Ras el-Ma, souks, and bazaars, and we will go on a scenic hike in the Rif Mountains. In the evening, we will take the last road trip of our South to North Morocco Tour towards the coastal city of Tangier. The drive offers breathtaking vistas of the hilly landscape all around us. At Tangier our driver will drop you off at your hotel, marking the end of a memorable South to North Morocco Tour.