12 days from Tangier to Marrakech

Highlights

• Chefchaouen
• Volubilis
• Fez
• Camel trekking
• Night in Erg Chebbi
• Todra and Dades
• Ait Benhaddou
• Marrakech
• Essaouira
• Sidi Kaouki beach

Duration

12 days / 11 nights

Home

Tangier

End

Marrakech

Type

Private

Departures

Every day

Language

English / Spanish

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1

   Tangier → Chefchaouen

   Welcome in Tangier. If time allows, we take a turn around Cape Spartel or nearby Asilah before climbing into the Rif. Overnight in Chefchaouen.

   • Cape Spartel or Asilah (optional)
   • Rif
   • Chefchaouen

   • Riad in Chefchaouen
   • Dinner
   • About 2.5–3 h drive
   
2. Day2

   Chefchaouen → Volubilis → Meknes → Fez

   We make the most of the early hours in Chefchaouen, when the light slants into the alleyways and the blue is at its most intense. Then we head down to Volubilis to walk among its Roman mosaics, pass through Meknes by the Bab Mansour gate and reach Fez in the late afternoon.

   • Chefchaouen in the morning
   • Mosaics and arch of Volubilis
   • Bab Mansour, Meknes
   • Arrival in Fez

   • Riad in Fez
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • About 5 h drive with visits
   
3. Day3

   Fez city tour

   The Fez medina is a world apart: more than nine thousand lanes where leather, copper and silk are still worked as they were centuries ago. We walk it from gate to gate, stopping at the Chouara tannery, the Karaouine and Seffarine Square.

   • Chouara tannery
   • Karaouine Mosque (exterior)
   • Bab Boujloud
   • Seffarine Square

   • Riad in Fez
   • Breakfast and dinner
   
4. Day4

   Fez → Ifrane → Azrou → Ziz Valley → Merzouga

   We leave Fez for the Middle Atlas. Ifrane and its pitched roofs, the Azrou cedars and their macaques, and the plateaus of Midelt follow one another before the Ziz Valley announces the desert. We dine in Merzouga with the dunes right in front of us.

   • Ifrane
   • Azrou macaques
   • Lunch in Midelt
   • Ziz palm grove

   • Hotel or riad in Merzouga
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • 7–8 h drive with stops
   
5. Day5

   Merzouga → Khamlia → Erg Chebbi

   In the morning we visit a nomad family and the village of Khamlia, where Gnawa music sounds like an echo of sub-Saharan Africa. As evening falls we mount our camels and ride into Erg Chebbi to spend the night at the camp.

   • Tea with a nomad family
   • Gnawa music in Khamlia
   • Sunset camel trek
   • Dinner and campfire at the camp

   • Camp in the dunes of Erg Chebbi
   • Breakfast and dinner
   
6. Day6

   Erg Chebbi dunes → Todra Gorges → Dades Valley

   We get up before dawn to watch the sun light up the dunes. After a shower and breakfast we take the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs: a walk along the floor of the Todra Gorges, the viewpoint over the Tinghir palm grove and arrival in the Dades Valley.

   • Sunrise in the dunes
   • Todra Gorges
   • Tinghir palm grove
   • Dades Valley

   • Hotel or kasbah in the Dades Valley
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • About 5 h drive
   
7. Day7

   Dades Valley → Ouarzazate

   A short and very photogenic stage. We drive up the Dades Gorges, cross the Valley of Roses at Kelaat M’Gouna and pause at the Skoura oasis before entering Ouarzazate, with the afternoon free.

   • Dades Gorges
   • Valley of Roses
   • Skoura oasis
   • Afternoon in Ouarzazate

   • Hotel or riad in Ouarzazate
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • About 3 h drive
   
8. Day8

   Ouarzazate → Ait Benhaddou → Marrakech

   We begin at the Taourirt Kasbah, former residence of the Glaoui pasha, and continue to Ait Benhaddou, the mud-brick ksar the caravans once passed on their way to Marrakech. The Tizi n’Tichka lifts us to 2,260 metres before we descend to the Red City.

   • Taourirt Kasbah
   • Ksar of Ait Benhaddou
   • Tizi n’Tichka
   • Arrival in Marrakech

   • Riad or hotel in Marrakech
   • Breakfast
   • About 5 h drive with visits
   
9. Day9

   Marrakech with a local guide

   A local guide shows you the Marrakech medina: the Koutoubia, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the maze of the souks. The afternoon is free for shopping, a hammam or simply watching the world go by from a terrace on Jemaa el-Fna.

   • Koutoubia
   • Bahia Palace and Saadian Tombs
   • Souks of the medina
   • Jemaa el-Fna at nightfall

   • Riad or hotel in Marrakech
   • Breakfast
   
10. Day10

    Marrakech → Essaouira

    At 8 am we set off for the coast via Chichaoua. We pass through the only region in the world where the argan tree grows, stopping at a cooperative. In Essaouira, the old Mogador, we stroll along the ramparts, the harbour and the medina.

    • Argan cooperative
    • Skala ramparts
    • Essaouira harbour
    • Medina

    • Riad in Essaouira
    • Breakfast
    • About 3 h drive
    
11. Day11

    Essaouira → Sidi Kaouki → Marrakech

    After breakfast we drive to Sidi Kaouki beach, 30 km to the south: a quiet village popular with surfers. Time for a walk along the shore before returning to Marrakech.

    • Sidi Kaouki beach
    • Atlantic coast
    • Return to Marrakech

    • Riad or hotel in Marrakech
    • Breakfast
    • About 3.5 h drive
    
12. Day12

    Marrakech → Airport

    Transfer to Marrakech airport. End of the trip — until next time.

    • Airport transfer

    • Breakfast
    

Timings and the order of visits may be adjusted according to the season, road conditions and your preferences.

Accommodation

We choose small places with character, where a home-cooked dinner is part of the experience. In the desert you can choose between two types of camp.

Riads, kasbahs and hotels

Traditional houses with private room and bathroom, in the medinas or overlooking the valley.

• Private room
• Dinner and breakfast

Standard camp

Private tent with beds, blankets and shared bathrooms. The simplest and most authentic option.

• Private tent
• Dinner and breakfast
• Campfire and drums

Luxury camp

Spacious tents with a large bed, private bathroom and shower, electricity and dinner served at the table.

• Private bathroom
• Dinner and breakfast
• Campfire and drums

What a night in the camp is like

Frequently asked questions