7-Day Desert Tour from Tangier to Marrakech

A week is the perfect length for crossing Morocco from north to south, and this private tour follows the classic route from Tangier to Marrakech. You begin in the port city on the Strait of Gibraltar, spend your first night in the blue town of Chefchaouen, visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the imperial city of Meknes, and spend two nights in Fes with a full day in the medina. Then you cross the Atlas to the dunes of Erg Chebbi for a camel trek and a night at our luxury camp, travel west through the Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley, visit the Atlas Film Studios and Ait Ben Haddou, and finish with a night and a guided morning in Marrakech.

Local guides lead you through Volubilis, Fes and Marrakech, so you understand what you’re seeing as well as enjoying it.

The route at a glance

• Day 1: Tangier → Rif Mountains → Chefchaouen (about 130 km)
• Day 2: Chefchaouen → Volubilis → Meknes → Fes (about 260 km)
• Day 3: Full day in Fes with a local guide
• Day 4: Fes → Azrou cedar forest → Midelt → Ziz Valley → Merzouga, then by camel to camp (about 470 km)
• Day 5: Erg Chebbi → Erfoud → Todra Gorge → Dades Valley (about 310 km)
• Day 6: Dades Valley → Valley of Roses → Ouarzazate → Ait Ben Haddou → Tizi n’Tichka → Marrakech (about 350 km)
• Day 7: Guided morning in Marrakech, then your airport transfer

Tangier and the Rif

We pick you up at Tangier’s port or airport. Tangier has always been a crossroads: a Phoenician trading post, a Roman town, and in the 20th century an international zone that attracted writers, artists and spies. Before leaving, you can see a few of its highlights, such as the Kasbah above the harbour and the view across the strait to Spain. With more time, Cap Spartel and the Caves of Hercules are available as an optional extra.

Then the road climbs into the Rif Mountains. Chefchaouen, founded in 1471, was for centuries a closed mountain town, and today it’s one of the most photographed places in Morocco. Spend the evening walking through its blue lanes and small squares, where the light changes the colour of the walls from sky blue to deep indigo as the sun goes down.

Volubilis, Meknes and Fes

On day two, you drive south to Volubilis, a Roman city that was the capital of the province of Mauretania Tingitana. A local guide shows you the houses with their mosaic floors, the basilica, the forum and the triumphal arch built in honour of the emperor Caracalla. Then you visit Meknes, the city of Sultan Moulay Ismail, whose walls and gates, including the grand Bab Mansour, reflect the ambition of a ruler who wanted to rival Versailles. You arrive in Fes in the evening.

Day three is dedicated to Fes, Morocco’s cultural and spiritual capital. With a local guide, you enter Fes el-Bali, a maze of some 9,000 lanes where you’ll find the Chouara tanneries, the Al-Attarine Madrasa and the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter, as well as the gates of the Royal Palace. Your guide explains the history of the city and shows you corners you’d never find alone.

The Sahara

On day four you head south over the Middle Atlas. In the cedar forest near Azrou, you stop to see the wild Barbary macaques, and in Midelt you break for lunch. The road then crosses the mountains and follows the Ziz Valley, a long oasis of date palms, to Merzouga. At the edge of Erg Chebbi, you climb onto a camel and ride into the dunes as the sun sets. You spend the night at our luxury camp, in a private tent with its own bathroom.

On day five, you wake before dawn to watch the sunrise over the dunes, then ride back to Merzouga for breakfast. In Erfoud, you visit a workshop where fossils are cut and polished, and then drive west to the Todra Gorge for a walk along the river between its towering cliffs. You spend the night at a kasbah hotel in the Dades Valley.

Ouarzazate and Marrakech

Day six takes you through the Valley of Roses to Ouarzazate, the capital of Morocco’s film industry. At the Atlas Film Studios, you walk through the sets of productions filmed in the desert, from biblical epics to action films. At Ait Ben Haddou, you explore the ksar that has itself appeared in dozens of films, then cross the High Atlas via the Tizi n’Tichka pass to Marrakech.

On the final morning, a local guide shows you the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the souks of Marrakech. Afterwards, depending on your flight, we take you to Marrakech airport or to Casablanca airport.

Where you’ll sleep

• Chefchaouen, Fes and Marrakech (4 nights): premium riads in the medinas, with breakfast.
• Erg Chebbi (1 night): our luxury desert camp, with a private en-suite tent, hot shower and flushing toilet, comfortable beds and electricity for charging. Heavy blankets are provided in winter, and family tents are available on request. Dinner and breakfast are included.
• Dades Valley (1 night): a traditional kasbah hotel with dinner and breakfast.

Dinners in Chefchaouen, Fes and Marrakech aren’t included, so you can explore the local restaurants.

Best time to go

Spring and autumn offer the most comfortable weather along the whole route. In winter, the north is cooler and sometimes rainy, and the desert is cold at night, but the days are often clear. In summer, the coast is pleasant, while Fes, Marrakech and the desert are hot, so visits are scheduled for the morning and late afternoon.

Who this tour is for

Travellers arriving in Tangier by ferry or plane who want to cross Morocco to Marrakech in a week, with Fes and the Sahara on the way. It’s a good first trip to Morocco for couples, families and friends.

Good to know

• Check your ferry port: Tanger Ville (from Tarifa) and Tanger Med (from Algeciras) are about 45 km apart.
• Longest day: day four, from Fes to the dunes (about 7.5 hours).
• Barbary macaques in the Azrou cedar forest are wild and endangered, so please don’t feed them.
• Book your flight home for the afternoon of day seven, after the guided morning in Marrakech.
• More time in the desert? The 8-day tour adds a second desert night.