7 day Morocco Itinerary from Fes

“Walled Cities & Wide-Open Spaces”

7 day Morocco itinerary from Fes to Marrakesh
7 days, 6 nights

Starts: Fes
Ends: Marrakesh

Overnight stays in: FES – MERZOUGA/ERG CHEBBI (2 NIGHTS) – KALAAT M’GOUNA (VALLEY OF THE ROSES) – AIT BEN HADDOU – MARRAKESH

“Walled Cities & Wide-Open Spaces”

Introduction

If you only have 1 week to spend in Morocco, then a private, guided tour with Wild Desert of Morocco is the best way to focus on what interests you the most, with no wasted time. We know Morocco inside & out, so we know exactly what’s possible in a week. We’ll plan a 7 day Morocco itinerary that caters to your wish list and exceeds your expectations – truly the trip of a lifetime! Our 7 day Morocco itinerary from Fes, “Walled Cities & Wide-Open Spaces” is a popular choice because it features exotic Moroccan medinas & kasbahs as well as the amazing scenery, people, & music of the Sahara Desert.

This Fes to Marrakesh tour last 7 days & 6 nights. Highlights include guided tours of the Fes & Marrakesh medinas as well as a 2-night Sahara Desert adventure. You’ll also spend time in Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou

During the Saharan part of the tour, you’ll go camel-trekking and enjoy live African music. You’ll also visit with some Berber nomads in their desert home – an unforgettable experience! Throughout this tour you’ll see some of Morocco’s most stunning natural beauty, such as the High Atlas Mountains and the big dunes of Erg Chebbi.

Tour Highlights – 7 day Morocco Itinerary from Fes

Go on guided tours of the Fes & Marrakesh medinas
Tour the tanneries & a pottery co-operative in Fes
Go camel-trekking in the Sahara Desert at sunset
Enjoy African drumming & live Gnawa music
Explore the desert by 4×4 near Erg Chebbi
See ocean fossils embedded in desert rock
Have tea with a local nomad family in their desert home
Experience a local souk (market)
Tour a film studio
Explore Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Tour Telouet Kasbah (Palace of the Glaoui)
Cross the Tizi-n-Tichka pass over the High Atlas Mountains

Outline – 7 day Morocco itinerary from Fes

Days 1-3: Fes to the Sahara Desert

Your 7 day Morocco itinerary from Fes, “Walled Cities & Wide-Open Spaces” starts with a guided tour of the ancient Fes medina. Afterwards, visit a pottery co-operative to see Zelig tiles and colourful Moroccan pottery being made.

decorative pottery bowls in Fes - image for 7 day Morocco itinerary from Fes - Walled Cities & Wide-Open Spaces

The following day, stop to see Barbary apes in the forest on your way through the Middle Atlas Mountains. After lunch, follow the winding Ziz Valley to the Sahara Desert in time for a sunset camel-trek in the dunes of Erg Chebbi. Afterwards, enjoy a traditional Moroccan dinner , followed by African drumming in the desert camp.

Gnawa performers in Khamlia, Morocco - image for 7 day Morocco itinerary from Fes - Walled Cities & Wide-Open Spaces

On Day 3, explore the desert near the big dunes by 4×4 in the morning. Then take tea with a local Berber nomad family in their desert home. Finally, head to the village of Khamlia to hear some live Gnawa music.

Days 4-7: Over the High Atlas Mountains to Marrakesh

Leave the dunes behind on the following day, Day 4 of your 7 day Fes to Marrakesh tour. First, visit the local souk in Rissani, then go to Todra Gorge for lunch. Afterwards, follow the winding Dades Valley to Kalaat M’Gouna (Valley of the Roses), Morocco’s rose-growing hub.

On Day 5, you’ll visit Ouarzazate, the “Hollywood of Morocco”, where you’ll tour a Moroccan film studio then see Kasbah Taourirt. After that, you’ll head to the 17^th century Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On Day 6, visit Telouet Kasbah before crossing the High Atlas Mountains. When you reach Marrakesh in the evening, you’ll have free time to explore or relax.

On the last day of your “Walled Cities & Wide-Open Spaces” tour, explore the Marrakesh medina with a local guide. You’ll visit fascinating cultural & historic sites such as the Saadian Tombs.

ornate plaster wall at the Bahia Palace in Marrakesh- image for 7 day Morocco itinerary from Fes to Marrakesh - Walled Cities & Wide-Open Spaces

Later, you can visit the famous Majorelle Gardens or enjoy free time, thus bringing your 7 day Morocco itinerary from Fes to an end.

For more information:

For more details about this 7 day Morocco itinerary from Fes to Marrakesh, see the tabs further down this page. You’ll find a detailed itinerary, a route map, as well as a list of what’s included & excluded in the cost.

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Other 1 week tours

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This 1 week Morocco itinerary from Rabat to Marrakesh features fascinating “Historic Sites” in 3 Imperial Cities as well as 2 Kasbahs. You’ll see the “Saharan Sights” during a sunset camel trek in Erg Chebbi, followed by a night in desert tents.

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This 8 day tour from Tangier features 3 Imperial Cities in addition to 2 nights in the Sahara. You’ll also get to see the Blue City of Chefchaouen, Roman ruins, Kasbahs, & the gorgeous Rif & Atlas Mountains.

8 days Blue City Sahara Tour – “Cities, Souks & the Silent Sahara”
This 8 day Marrakesh desert tour loops through north & central Morocco. It features stunning scenery, exotic cities, souks, kasbahs, camel-trekking in the Sahara Desert & more.

Back to all Tours from Fes

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Details – 7 day Morocco Itinerary from Fes

Itinerary

Route map

Includes/Excludes

Itinerary

Route map

Includes/Excludes

Day 1 :

GUIDED TOUR OF FES

Your 7 day Morocco itinerary, "Walled Cities & Wide-Open Spaces" starts in Fes. We’ll meet you at your hotel/riad after breakfast with a local guide, who’ll take you on a tour inside the Fes medina (old walled city), with its narrow winding alleys. It's like stepping back in time. Fes was established in the middle ages and in many ways still functions as a medieval city today. Around every corner there is something fascinating to see. During the tour you’ll also visit the famous tanneries of Fes where centuries-old natural methods are still used to cure and dye leather, which is then fashioned by local craftspeople into world-renowned leather clothing and accessories in every colour of the rainbow. You'll have lunch in the medina with your guide. After the tour, we'll go outside the medina to visit a pottery co-operative where you’ll see how Morocco's colourful pottery and intricate zelig tile mosaics are made, completely by hand, by skilled artisans. This makes for a long day, but this stop is fascinating and not to be missed. Back at your riad, you'll have time to relax before dinner.

Day 2 :

FES – MIDDLE ATLAS MOUNTAINS – AZROU – MIDELT – ZIZ VALLEY – MERZOUGA/ERG CHEBBI

The next day, after breakfast, we'll start our drive to the Sahara Desert. You’ll see the amazing change in the landscape as we travel through the Middle Atlas Mountains. On the way, we’ll stop in Azrou to rest and take picture of the Barbary apes that live in the cedar forests on the mountainsides. Lunch will be in Midelt, the “apple capital” of Morocco. After lunch, we’ll drive alongside the Ziz Valley. The impressive palm-filled Ziz Oasis stretches for hundreds of meandering kilometres along the valley floor. We’ll stop at a lookout point so you can take some beautiful panoramic pictures. On our way to the desert, we’ll pass through the town of Erfoud, famous for its Date Festival each October and known for its fossils & fossil products. Afterwards, we’ll turn off the highway and travel across flat rocky desert to the Merzouga region of the Sahara Desert, towards the magnificent sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. Erg Chebbi has the highest dunes in North Africa, and the sight of them rising suddenly out of the desert floor never fails to impress! When we arrive at the hotel in late afternoon, your camels will be waiting. You’ll leave civilization behind and camel-trek into the high dunes, where you’ll see the sands change colour as the sun moves across the sky. You’ll have time to explore, take pictures, and watch the sunset before camel-trekking back out of the big dunes to the desert camp amid some smaller dunes. Once there, you’ll enjoy a traditional Moroccan meal, followed by African music – drumming and singing and dancing – around a campfire. You’ll spend the night in tents surrounded by sand and sky.

Day 3 :

MERZOUGA – KHAMLIA

Your Sahara Desert adventure continues on Day 3. After breakfast, we’ll take the 4x4 and travel off-road, exploring the diverse landscapes of the Sahara. We’ll visit a spot where you can see ocean fossils embedded in desert rock. Then we’ll head across the hamada (black desert) to meet a local Berber nomad family. We’ll have tea with them in their traditional desert dwelling – a unique experience! Your driver/guide will translate. Our next stop is the desert village of Khamlia. After lunch in the village, you’ll enjoy some live Gnawa music by local performers. Gnawa is a type of traditional African music involving drums, metal castanets, and synchronized movement. Returning to the camp, you'll have time to relax and watch the sunset before having dinner at the desert hotel.

Day 4 :

MERZOUGA – RISSANI – TODRA GORGE – DADES VALLEY – KALAAT M’GOUNA (VALLEY OF THE ROSES)

On Day 4 of your 7 day Morocco itinerary from Fes, we’ll leave the dunes behind. After breakfast, we'll drive to Rissani, to visit the souk (market), where local people buy everything from vegetables to clothing to livestock. On Tuesdays, the travelling market arrives, and people flock from nearby villages to shop. Our next stop is the town of Tinghir and the Todra Gorge. You’ll hardly believe you started the day in the Saharan dunes when you see the lush green oasis full of palm trees and farmers’ crops. The steep walls of the Todra Gorge are 300 metres high. This is a popular spot for rock climbers, as well as Moroccan families enjoying a picnic by the river. We’ll have lunch at a nearby restaurant and afterwards you’ll have a chance to walk along the river. In the afternoon, we’ll drive through the Dades Valley, known as the "Valley of the Thousand Kasbahs", following the winding road through the mountains. Later in the afternoon we’ll reach Kalaat M’Gouna, the “Valley of the Roses”, where millions of rose petals are harvested each year to produce a huge array of rose-infused products for culinary and cosmetic use. The harvest culminates in May with the annual Rose Festival – worth attending if you can arrange your visit around this popular festival. You'll spend the night in a hotel overlooking the valley.

Day 5 :

KALAAT M’GOUNA – OUARZAZATE/FILM STUDIO – AIT BEN HADDOU

After breakfast the next morning, we’ll visit some shops so that you can see, smell, and, if you wish, purchase some products made from local roses. We’ll then head to Ouarzazate, the "Hollywood of Morocco". Ouarzazate is home to several film studios, both Moroccan and international. The surrounding landscape is a popular on-location site and has been used to portray everything from the Egyptian desert to the surface of Mars. You’ll tour one of the Moroccan film studios. After your tour, we’ll take pictures at the kasbah of Taourirt before continuing our journey to the beautiful town of Ait Ben Haddou, the oldest Kasbah in the south of Morocco, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although the village was originally built in the 17th century, people still live and work there today, their homes built right into the rock or with mud bricks, which are made locally using the same methods as in ancient times. Ait Ben Haddou has also featured in many films, including The Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven. After checking in to your hotel, you’ll have plenty of time for a leisurely walk through the kasbah. It’s a gentle climb through winding streets to the top, where you’ll find a lovely view in all directions. That evening, we'll have dinner in a local restaurant.

Day 6 :

AIT BEN HADDOU – TELOUET KASBAH – TIZI-N-TICHKA PASS – MARRAKESH

After breakfast on Day 6, we'll head into the High Atlas Mountains, taking a side road to visit the ruins of Telouet Kasbah (Palace of Glaoui) in the traditional Berber village of Telouet. We’ll then cross over Morocco’s highest road pass – the Tizi-n-Tichka pass at 2260m. We’ll stop at the top of the pass for refreshment and to take pictures of the stunning views before descending towards Marrakesh. When we reach Marrakesh in the evening, you'll check in to your riad and have the evening free. You may want to visit the world-famous Jmaa El Fna square, which fills every night with tourists and Moroccan families alike, out to enjoy fresh-cooked food and be entertained by storytellers, musicians, and dancers. It’s a carnival-like atmosphere and not to be missed!

Day 7 :

GUIDED TOUR OF MARRAKESH

On the final day of your tour, you’ll explore Morocco’s “Red City” with a local guide. You’ll see many fascinating cultural and historic sites, such as the Saadian Tombs, as well as the bustling souks in the medina. You'll have lunch with your guide at a local restaurant in the medina. Your guide will bring you back to your riad when the guided tour is finished. At that point, you have a choice. If you wish, we can arrange a visit to the famous Majorelle Gardens. Or, if you prefer, you can have the rest of the day free to do as you wish. In either case, this brings your 7 day Morocco itinerary from Fes, "Walled Cities & Wide-Open Spaces", to an end.

7 day Morocco Itinerary from Fes