7 day Morocco itinerary from Fes
“Walled Cities & Wide-Open Spaces”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.