7-Day Morocco Tour from Tanger: the Sahara & Chefchaouen

The historical day. We come down out of the Rif to the Roman city at Volubilis, then on to Meknes and its imperial gates, arriving in Fez in the evening. Around five hours of driving across a full day of stops.

• Morning departure from Chefchaouen
• Descent through the Rif to the Sais plain
• Volubilis, the Roman provincial capital, with its mosaics still in place
• Moulay Idriss, the hill town above the ruins
• Lunch in Meknes
• Bab Mansour and the imperial walls
• Arrival in Fez in the evening

Overnight in Fez.

Fez el Bali is the largest car-free urban area in the world and the oldest of the imperial capitals. A full day is the least it takes to get any sense of it, and most of that day is on foot.

• Morning in Fez el Bali, entering by Bab Boujloud
• The Chouara tanneries, seen from the terraces above
• Al Quaraouiyine, founded in 859 and still in use
• The Bou Inania medersa and its carved cedar screens
• Lunch in the medina
• The souks by trade: coppersmiths, dyers, weavers
• Afternoon at the Merenid tombs for the view over the city

Overnight in Fez.

A long day that crosses three landscapes in one run: cedar forest, high plateau, and the Ziz valley cutting south toward the desert. Around eight hours on the road with stops, timed so the camels leave before sunset.

• Ifrane, the Middle Atlas hill town built in Alpine style
• Cedar forest at Azrou, where Barbary macaques come down to the roadside
• Lunch at Midelt, between the Middle and High Atlas
• The Ziz gorges and the long palm oasis below Er Rachidia
• Erfoud and the road out to Merzouga
• Camel trek into Erg Chebbi in the late afternoon
• Dinner and drumming at camp

Overnight in a desert camp at Erg Chebbi.

The long return north, retracing the Ziz and climbing back onto the Middle Atlas plateau. Around eight hours, so we leave early and keep the stops brief.

• Sunrise over Erg Chebbi before breakfast
• North through Erfoud and Er Rachidia
• The Ziz valley viewpoint above the palm oasis
• The climb onto the high plateau
• Lunch at Midelt
• Azrou and the cedar forest, with macaques at the roadside
• Ifrane and the descent to the Sais plain

Overnight in Fez.

West out of Fez with a stop at Meknes, reaching the Atlantic in the afternoon. Around three hours of driving, with the rest of the day in the capital.

• Morning departure from Fez
• Bab Mansour and the imperial granaries at Meknes
• Lunch in Meknes
• West across the Sais plain and the Gharb
• The Kasbah of the Udayas above the river mouth
• The Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V
• The Chellah necropolis, walled and overgrown

Overnight in Rabat.

An easy final day up the coast, with a stop at Asilah, where the ramparts are repainted each summer. Around three hours of driving spread across the day.

• Morning departure from Rabat
• The coast road through Kenitra and Larache
• Lixus, the Phoenician and Roman site above Larache
• Lunch in Asilah
• The whitewashed medina and painted ramparts
• Afternoon continuation north
• Arrival and drop-off in Tanger

Drop-off at your accommodation in Tanger.