Itinerary
- Day 1
Marrakech
Your private driver greets you at Menara International Airport and takes you to your Marrakech accommodations. After settling in, you have the rest of the day to yourself. If you're feeling up to it, head to Bahia Palace to walk through its gardens, check out the detailed Saadian Tombs, or see the Koutoubia Mosque from the outside. By evening, make your way to Jemaa El Fna square where musicians and performers fill the streets. It's the perfect place for dinner and catching some local culture.
- Start point
- Marrakesh, Marrakesh-Safi, Morocco (Hotel)
Included Activities
- Private airport transfer
- Guided orientation to Marrakech (if time permits)
Optional Activities
- Visit Bahia Palace
- Explore Saadian Tombs
- View Koutoubia Mosque from outside
- Evening visit to Jemaa El Fna square with dinner
Landmarks Bahia Palace Saadian Tombs Koutoubia Mosque Jemaa El Fna - Day 2
Marrakech to Essaouira
A 3-hour drive across rolling plains takes you to Essaouira, a coastal town known for surfing. On the way, stop by a local women's cooperative that makes argan oil and look for goats climbing the argan trees. Once there, walk the seawalls, wander through the Old Medina, or visit the working fishing harbor. The town also has one of Morocco's best-preserved Jewish quarters with deep historical roots. Grab lunch and dinner on your own, though your driver can point you toward good spots.
Included Activities
- Visit to argan oil women's cooperative
- Transfer to Essaouira
Optional Activities
- Stroll the seawalls
- Explore Old Medina area
- Visit fishing harbor
- Tour the Jewish quarter
- Lunch and dinner at local restaurants
Landmarks Essaouira Seawalls Essaouira Old Medina Essaouira Fishing Harbor - Day 3
Essaouira to Casablanca
Head out early toward Casablanca along the coast, stopping in a few seaside towns. Safi comes first with its good surfing spots and ocean views. Then El Jadida where you'll tour the old Portuguese cistern, walk the ramparts, and see the Church of the Assumption before lunch. After that, explore Azemour, a traditional town between the Oud Er-Rbia river and ocean that's inspired artists for years with its 16th-century medina. Check into your Casablanca hotel in the evening with dinner at your leisure.
Included Activities
- Stop in Safi
- Tour Portuguese cistern in El Jadida
- Visit Church of the Assumption
- Walk El Jadida ramparts
- Explore Azemour
Optional Activities
- Lunch in El Jadida or Azemour
- Dinner in Casablanca
Landmarks Safi Portuguese Cistern Church of the Assumption, El Jadida Azemour - Day 4
Casablanca to Rabat
Start with a guided tour of the Hassan II Mosque, which has one of the world's tallest minarets and shows off intricate Moroccan craftsmanship with wood, marble, and carved stone. It's the only mosque here that opens to visitors. After lunch on your own, travel to Rabat, Morocco's capital. Visit the Hassan Tower, a 12th-century incomplete mosque minaret surrounded by about 200 red sandstone columns, then see the Mausoleum of Mohamed V nearby. Dinner is your choice with your driver offering suggestions.
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Hassan II Mosque
- Visit Hassan Tower monument
- Explore Mausoleum of Mohamed V area
Optional Activities
- Lunch in Casablanca
- Dinner in Rabat
Landmarks Hassan II Mosque Hassan Tower Mausoleum of Mohamed V - Day 5
Rabat to Tangier
After breakfast, head toward Tangier along the Atlantic coast with a stop in Asilah, an old Portuguese colony town with Spanish-influenced architecture and clean beaches. Next, visit the Hercules Caves, a unique site said to have roots with the Phoenicians and linked to mythological Hercules. You can hire a guide for more details. Finally, reach Tangier, Morocco's northernmost city and gateway to Europe by ferry. This diverse, cosmopolitan city has plenty to explore on your own, with dinner at your leisure.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Stop in Asilah
- Visit Hercules Caves
Optional Activities
- Hire guide at Hercules Caves
- Explore Asilah beaches and architecture
- Dinner in Tangier
Landmarks Asilah Hercules Caves - Day 6
Tangier to Chefchaouen
Head toward Chefchaouen after breakfast, first passing through Tetouan, a town at the foot of the Rif Mountains with a UNESCO World Heritage medina that looks unchanged for centuries. Explore the ancient medina at your own pace before lunch (on your own). Continue to Chefchaouen, the Blue City where walls, doors, windows, stairways, and alleyways are painted in soft pastels and deeper shades of blue. After checking into your riad, wander the quiet alleyways away from the main tourist areas to see everyday local life, or people-watch at Outa el Hammam square. Dinner is on your own.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Pass through and explore Tetouan medina
Optional Activities
- Lunch in Tetouan or Chefchaouen
- Explore Chefchaouen's blue medina
- Visit Outa el Hammam square
- Dinner in Chefchaouen
Landmarks Tetouan Medina Chefchaouen Blue Medina Outa el Hammam - Day 7
Chefchaouen
Wake early and watch sunrise over the mountains from the Spanish mosque where blue buildings glow beautifully in the morning light. With shops closed until 10 am, take time to wander the quiet town. Then head out on a guided hike through cedar forests in the Rif Mountains toward Cascades d'Akchour waterfall with smaller falls along the way. Weather permitting, take a dip in the pools. Cross the river to see God's Bridge, a natural rock formation you can hike to via a steep path or view from the canyon below. Return to Chefchaouen to explore the medina, browse the market for fresh fruit, and watch locals in bright traditional clothing. The rest of the evening is yours.
Included Activities
- Guided hike in Rif Mountains to Cascades d'Akchour
- Waterfall swimming opportunity
- Access to God's Bridge
Optional Activities
- Sunrise viewing from Spanish mosque
- Explore Chefchaouen medina
- Visit market for fresh fruit
- Dinner in Chefchaouen
Landmarks Spanish Mosque Cascades d'Akchour God's Bridge - Day 8
Chefchaouen to Fes
Explore Chefchaouen's medina more before leaving, catching sunrise from the Spanish mosque if you wake early or relaxing at Place Outa el-Hammam caf\u00e9. Travel south to Fes with stops at UNESCO World Heritage Volubilis, where Morocco's best-preserved Roman ruins show merchant homes, temples, and intricate mosaics. Next, visit Moulay Idriss, founded in 789 CE and home to Morocco's only round minaret that looks like a sitting camel from a distance. Grab lunch here or continue. Stop in Meknes, a prosperous imperial city with a relaxed medina where your driver shows you the Ville Imp\u00e9riale area with gardens, palaces, Bab al-Mansour gate, the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, and Royal Stables featuring Roman columns from Volubilis. Arrive in Fes and check into your riad in the medina with the late afternoon and evening to explore this car-free labyrinthine area.
Included Activities
- Guided tour/exploration of Volubilis Roman ruins
- Visit Moulay Idriss
- Explore Meknes medina and imperial area
Optional Activities
- Hire guide at Volubilis
- Lunch in Moulay Idriss or Meknes
- Explore Fes medina independently
Landmarks Volubilis Moulay Idriss Meknes Medina Bab al-Mansour Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail Fes Medina - Day 9
Fes
A local Fes-born guide meets you after breakfast to explore the UNESCO-protected medina with its narrow alleys and donkey-width roads. Your guide shares hidden stories and takes you to corners tourists typically miss, helping you observe daily life and discover magnificent madrasas and palaces like only a true local can. Ask for lunch suggestions. Fes is a hub for Moroccan crafts and arts, so you'll meet artisans and learn about traditional trades still in use, visiting tanneries and mosaic workshops. In the afternoon, head back to your riad to rest, then take a guided visit to a local hammam (traditional public bath) for a relaxing soak after your full day. The evening is free to relax further.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Guided medina tour with local Fes guide
- Visit to tanneries
- Visit to mosaic workshops
- Guided hammam (traditional bath) experience
Optional Activities
- Lunch suggestions from guide
- Additional medina exploration
Landmarks Fes Medina - Day 10
Fes to Sahara Desert
Start early for a long spectacular drive to the Sahara Desert. Cross the Middle Atlas Mountains through Azrou and its cedar forests (optionally detour to C\u00e8dre Gouraud Forest to spot Barbary Macaque monkeys). Stop for lunch in Midelt on a high, cold desert plateau known as Morocco's Apple City for its orchards fed by the Moulouya River. Continue through dramatic mountain ranges, wide valleys, and narrow canyon passes along the Ziz Valley, an ancient Saharan Trade Route. Watch for fortified ksars built to protect merchant goods and see ancient water-mining systems. After Ziz Gorge, spot early Saharan dunes and nomadic shepherds. Reach Erfoud, a market town famous for dates and fossils. Visit a local fossil artisan collective to see the transformation process. See Erg Chebbi dunes in the distance with sand rising over 650 feet. Near Merzouga, ride camels to your desert camp arriving near sunset. Climb the dunes to watch the colorful sunset, then enjoy dinner and traditional Berber music by the fire under a starry night sky.
- Meals
- Dinner (Dinner at desert camp with traditional Berber music by fire)
Included Activities
- Drive through Middle Atlas Mountains and cedar forests
- Stop in Azrou
- Lunch in Midelt
- Drive through Ziz Valley and Ziz Gorge
- Stop in Erfoud
- Visit fossil artisan collective
- Camel ride to desert camp
- Sunset viewing on sand dunes
- Dinner at desert camp
- Berber music performance by fire
Optional Activities
- Detour to Cèdre Gouraud Forest for monkey viewing
- Stop in Alnif for fossil workshops
Landmarks Azrou Cèdre Gouraud Forest Midelt Ziz Valley Ziz Gorge Erfoud Erg Chebbi Merzouga - Day 11
Sahara to Ouarzazate
Catch the sunrise over sand dunes if you're up early. Have breakfast at camp, then camel ride back across the desert to Merzouga to meet your driver. Consider stopping in Rissani to walk a traditional market and see the donkey parking lot. The drive to Ouarzazate through remote lands bordering the Sahara shows vast desert plains, high mountains, and plateaus with umbrella-shaped Acacias adapted to harsh conditions. Stop in Alnif to see local fossil workshops if interested. Continue through Dades Gorge, a dramatic landscape of rusty red and mauve-striped mountains with an irrigated oasis valley below filled with fig, almond, and olive orchards, plus crumbling kasbahs and Berber villages. Ask your driver for lunch options in nearby Boumalne Dades. Arrive in Ouarzazate, famous for the Moroccan film industry. If time allows, take a guided tour of Ait Benhaddou, the most well-known kasbah in Morocco and a UNESCO World Heritage Site from around the 11th century. Otherwise, go to your hotel and visit Ait Benhaddou in the morning instead.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast at desert camp)
Included Activities
- Camel ride back to Merzouga
- Stop in Rissani traditional market
Optional Activities
- Sunrise viewing at desert camp
- Lunch in Boumalne Dades
- Guided tour of Ait Benhaddou (if arriving early)
Landmarks Rissani Alnif Dades Gorge Boumalne Dades Ait Benhaddou - Day 12
Ouarzazate to Marrakech
Cross the High Atlas Mountains from Ouarzazate to Marrakech. If you missed Ait Benhaddou yesterday, explore it in morning light before continuing. Wind through dry desert slopes via Tizi-n-Tichka Pass with incredible panoramic mountain views and plains of Marrakech spreading below. Look west to see Mount Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak. Descend the north-facing slopes as the climate and landscape shift dramatically, crossing deep river valleys with almond and walnut orchards. Leave desert tranquility behind as you enter vibrant Marrakech's energy and activity. Spend the afternoon at a slower pace. If you haven't been to Jemaa el Fna, the medina's main square, make time tonight when it comes alive with musicians, performers, snake charmers, games, and food stalls. Sit at surrounding caf\u00e9s to enjoy the scene and have your farewell meal.
Included Activities
- Drive through High Atlas Mountains via Tizi-n-Tichka Pass
- Mount Toubkal viewing opportunity
Optional Activities
- Revisit Ait Benhaddou in morning light
- Explore Marrakech afternoon
- Evening visit to Jemaa el Fna with dinner
Landmarks Ait Benhaddou Tizi-n-Tichka Pass Mount Toubkal Jemaa el Fna - Day 13
Depart Marrakech
Depart from Marrakech Menara International Airport today. Depending on your flight time, you might leave right after breakfast or have time to explore the city a bit more. Prepare to say goodbye to Morocco, carrying lifelong memories of the vibrant culture, desert landscapes, and skilled artisans with you.
- End point
- Marrakesh, Marrakesh-Safi, Morocco (Hotel)
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Private airport transfer
Optional Activities
- Morning city exploration (time permitting)
