10-Day Morocco Tour from Fez: the Atlantic coast & the Sahara

The day the itinerary makes room for. With no transfer to drive, the desert opens up past the dune crest: nomad families still working the hamada, the Gnawa village at Khamlia, and the dry lake north of the erg.

• Sunrise over the dunes, then breakfast at camp
• Camel trek back to Merzouga
• 4x4 circuit around the erg
• Khamlia, the Gnawa village, for a session of their music
• Visit to a nomad family living out on the hamada
• Dayet Srji, the dry lake where flamingos gather after rain
• Afternoon at leisure, or sunset from the dune crest

Overnight in Merzouga.

A moderate day west along the edge of the pre-Sahara, ending where the Todgha river cuts through the High Atlas. Around four hours of driving with a long stop at the gorge.

• Morning departure from Merzouga
• Rissani and its souk, on the site of Sijilmassa
• West across the hamada by Tinejdad
• The Todgha Gorges, where the cliffs close to a few hundred metres apart
• Lunch in Tinghir
• The palm oasis strung along the valley floor
• Afternoon into the Dades gorge and its switchback road

Overnight in the Dades Valley.

West along the old kasbah road, running it in reverse of the way most itineraries do, with the afternoon at Ait Ben Haddou. Around three hours of driving.

• Morning walk in the Dades gorge
• Kelaat M'Gouna and the Valley of Roses
• The Skoura palm oasis and the Amridil Kasbah
• Lunch en route
• Ouarzazate and the Taourirt Kasbah
• Ait Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar
• Time to walk up through the kasbahs to the granary at the summit

Overnight in Ouarzazate.

The return crossing of the High Atlas, which looks entirely different travelling north in morning light. Around four hours with stops on the switchbacks.

• Morning departure from Ouarzazate
• Ait Ben Haddou, if you have not already stopped there
• Ascent of the Tizi n'Tichka pass, around 2,260 metres
• Photo stops on the northern switchbacks
• Stop in an Amazigh village on the mountain road
• Lunch en route
• Descent through terraced valleys to the Haouz plain
• Afternoon arrival in Marrakech

Overnight in Marrakech.

A day off the road. The medina rewards slow walking, and the gardens on the edge of the new town are where the city goes to escape it.

• Morning in the souks north of Jemaa el-Fna
• The Koutoubia minaret and its gardens
• The Bahia Palace and its painted cedar ceilings
• The Saadian Tombs, sealed up until 1917
• Lunch on a medina terrace
• The Jardin Majorelle or the Menara gardens
• Evening on Jemaa el-Fna as the food stalls open

Overnight in Marrakech.

An easy final day. We leave Marrakech after breakfast and cross the Chiadma plains to the coast, arriving in Essaouira with the afternoon free on the ramparts. Around three hours.

• Morning departure from Marrakech
• West across the Chichaoua plain
• Argan country, with goats grazing up in the branches
• Stop at a women's argan cooperative
• Arrival in Essaouira around midday
• The Skala ramparts and the working fishing port
• Afternoon in the walled medina

Overnight in Essaouira.

North up the coast, a road most itineraries skip, past the Portuguese cistern at El Jadida. Around five hours of driving with stops.

• Morning departure from Essaouira
• North along the Atlantic through Safi
• The pottery quarter at Safi and its hillside kilns
• Lunch on the coast
• El Jadida and the Portuguese cistern beneath the old town
• The ramparts of the Cite Portugaise
• Evening arrival in Casablanca

Overnight in Casablanca.

A gentle day. The morning in Casablanca, then an hour up the coast to the capital with the afternoon there.

• The Hassan II Mosque, built out over the Atlantic
• The Habous quarter and its arcaded streets
• Place Mohammed V and the downtown Art Deco quarter
• Lunch on the corniche
• The coast road north through Mohammedia
• The Kasbah of the Udayas above the river mouth
• The Hassan Tower and the Chellah necropolis

Overnight in Rabat.

Inland from the coast for the last day, by way of Meknes and the Roman city at Volubilis. Around three hours of driving spread across the day.

• Morning in Rabat, or an early departure inland
• East across the Gharb plain
• Bab Mansour and the imperial granaries at Meknes
• Lunch in Meknes
• Moulay Idriss, the hill town above the ruins
• Volubilis and its mosaics
• Late afternoon arrival in Fez

Drop-off at your riad in Fez.