Unique Morocco Experience
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Rugs and cushions laid out at a luxury desert camp
← All journeysTAILOR-MADE JOURNEY · 9 DAYS

In the Footsteps of the Nomads

Fez → Marrakech

See it day by day
Length9 days · 8 nights
RouteFez → Marrakech
FormatPrivate, no groups
DatesWhenever you choose

It can run in either direction and be adjusted in length and accommodation. It is private: no groups and no fixed dates.

THE ROUTE

The route on the map

9 days · 8 nights · from Fez to Marrakech

  1. 01 Arrival
  2. 02 Fez el Bali
  3. 03 Azrou
  4. 04 Ziz Valley
  5. 05 Khamlia
  6. 06 Todra Gorge
  7. 07 Aït Ben Haddou
  8. 08 Marrakech
  9. 09 Departure
LaâyouneDakhlaAtlantic Ocean 21212FezMideltMerzougaOuarzazateMarrakechIfraneAzrouRissaniTodraAït Ben Haddou N 100 km In the Footsteps of the Nomads9 days · 8 nights · numbers show nights
THE JOURNEY, DAY BY DAY

Nine days, one by one

Jemaa el-Fna food stalls lit up at night, with the Koutoubia behind
Day01

Arrival in Fez

Fez airport → Fez

Pickup at Fez airport when your flight lands and transfer to a riad in the heart of the medina. The rest of the day is free to rest or take a first walk around the neighborhood. Fez is one of Morocco's four imperial cities, and Fez el Bali, the larger of its two medinas, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.

Overnight: riad in the medina · Fez, 2 nights

Dye pits at a Fez tannery
Day02

Fez, medina and monuments

Fez → full day → local guide

A guided visit of Fez. You start in Fez el Jedid, with the gates of the Royal Palace and the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter. From the South Tower you see the whole medina and its minarets. Then a walk through Fez el Bali, whose lanes are organized by guilds of potters, dyers and other craftsmen, passing the 14th-century water clock of the Bou Inania madrasa.

Overnight: same riad · Fez

Barbary macaques by the Ouzoud waterfalls
Day03

Fez · Ifrane · Azrou · Midelt

Fez → Ifrane · Azrou → Midelt

After breakfast you head south. The first stop is Ifrane, known as Morocco's Little Switzerland, with steep-roofed houses built for the winter cold and the stone lion statue that recalls the lions of the Middle Atlas. Then Azrou and its cedar forest, home to colonies of Barbary macaques. You reach Midelt, in the valley between the Middle Atlas and the High Atlas.

Overnight: hotel · Midelt

A whitewashed house among palm trees
Day04

Midelt · Ziz · Erfoud · Merzouga

Midelt → Ziz Valley · Erfoud → Merzouga

The road descends through the Ziz Valley, where riverside palm groves stand out against bare rock and you see daily life in the villages. The river flows for about 300 km (186 miles) before it fades into the Sahara. Around midday you reach Erfoud, known for its fossils and desert roses, and stop for lunch. You arrive in Merzouga in the afternoon, in time to walk on the sand and watch the sunset.

Overnight: hotel · Merzouga

Travelers riding camels across the dunes at dusk
Day05

Merzouga · Khamlia · Mefis · Erg Chebbi

Merzouga → Khamlia · Mefis → Erg Chebbi

A morning excursion around the dunes. Khamlia is the village of the Gnawa, descendants of people enslaved and brought from sub-Saharan Africa, known for their music. You cross a river of sand, climb a hill for views over the desert and reach Mefis, a former kohl mining settlement, to share tea with a nomad family. Lunch at the hotel, then about an hour by dromedary at sunset to the camp.

Overnight: tent in a Berber camp · Erg Chebbi

The winding road of the Dades Gorges at sunset
Day06

Merzouga · Todra · Ouarzazate

Merzouga → Rissani · Todra · Valley of Roses → Ouarzazate

Back to the hotel for a shower and breakfast, then west. Rissani and its market, an old stop for caravans traveling between north and south. Next, the Todra Gorge, with sheer walls about 300 m (985 ft) high and a walk along the river. The route continues through the Valley of Roses, between Kelaat M'Gouna and Boutaghrar, where roses are grown, and reaches Ouarzazate at the end of the day.

Overnight: hotel or riad · Ouarzazate

The ksar of Aït Ben Haddou, its mud-brick kasbahs climbing the hill
Day07

Ouarzazate · Aït Ben Haddou · Marrakech

Ouarzazate → Aït Ben Haddou · Tizi n'Tichka → Marrakech

A morning in Ouarzazate, with the option to visit the film studios and the cinema museum, and the Taourirt Kasbah, once a residence of the Pasha of Marrakech. Then Aït Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage ksar, an old caravan stop and the setting for films such as The Mummy and Kingdom of Heaven. You cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, at 2,260 m (7,415 ft), to Marrakech.

Overnight: hotel or riad · Marrakech, 2 nights

Jemaa el-Fna square at dusk with the Koutoubia minaret behind
Day08

Marrakech, the red city

Marrakech → full day → local guide

After breakfast, your local guide picks you up at your hotel for a visit of Marrakech: the 12th-century Koutoubia minaret, the Ben Youssef Madrasa and the Majorelle Garden. The afternoon is free to rest and then head down to Jemaa el-Fna square at dusk, when it is at its busiest and the city really comes to life.

Overnight: same accommodation · Marrakech

A riad courtyard with a pool and carved plaster arches
Day09

Marrakech · airport

Marrakech → airport

Breakfast and free time in Marrakech until your flight, for last visits or shopping. Transfer to the airport at the agreed time. End of our services.

Transfer included · any time

A small camel caravan crossing the Erg Chebbi dunes

Can you picture this trip?

We’ll adapt it to your dates, your pace and the style of accommodation you prefer.

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