From one coastal city in the north (Tangier) to another in the south (Essaouira). And in between, landscapes and towns you couldn’t imagine: high mountains, rocky canyons, sand dunes, Roman ruins, monumental medinas, palm oases… and much more. That’s what this 10-day tour from Tangier to the desert is like, with the Imperial Cities and Essaouira as major attractions. And you can discover it with the travel companions you choose, as we organize this tour in a private format.
The pace of life in Morocco is very lively, especially in the city centers. On this 10-day tour, we’ll take you to historical medinas, that is, walled old towns where you’ll find a suggestive mix of the bustle of the souks and the refinement of ancient monuments. The three Imperial Cities included in the itinerary stand out above all (Meknes, Fez, and Marrakech), so named because they were once capitals of the kingdom in the past. But there are other cities and towns that, large or small, are not to be outdone, such as Chaouen, Tetouan, Essaouira, or Rissani.
Leaving the Moroccan cities, the terrain becomes natural and wild, in its different forms. And in all of them, silence and tranquility prevail, with flora and fauna typical of the country and with landscapes barely modified by man. This is the case of the Ifrane National Park, with its famous Barbary macaques. But also the oases that carpet the pre-Saharan valleys with green, the implausible gorges of the Todra River, or even the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas. But without a doubt, the most unique landscape of the entire route will be the dunes of Erg Chebbi, in the heart of the desert.
To enjoy such a program full of attractions, you need 10 days and 9 nights like those of this tour, in which we will use a private vehicle for road travel, as well as dromedaries and all-terrain vehicles to enter the heart of the desert. This is the day-to-day:
This 10-day tour begins in Tangier, the northern Moroccan city that looks out to Europe across the Strait of Gibraltar. Therefore, our meeting can take place at the airport or at any of its ports, depending on whether you arrive by plane or ferry. Or even at the hotel, if you were already in this city beforehand.
As soon as we meet, we will start the road route, which will have its first stop in Tetouan. Its medina is known as the White Dove, due to the whitewashing of its houses, and is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Its Ensanche, on the outskirts of the historic center, has a surprising Hispano-Muslim style, as the city was the capital of the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco in the 20th century.
After getting to know this pleasant Moroccan city, we will head to Chaouen, crossing the Rif Mountains. The medina of this small city is located precisely at the foot of two large elevations. Therefore, its panoramic view is a curious mixture of the green of the vegetation and the blue of its houses: that is the color chosen by its inhabitants for their exterior walls.
Therefore, freely strolling through the old town will be a magical experience, with slopes, arches, stairs, flowerpots, and craft shops on every corner. The central square is Uta el-Hammam, with its 14th-century Kasbah, and very close to there will be the riad where you will rest this first night.
The second day of the tour is not only a journey through Moroccan geography, but also through its history. The first stop of the morning will be in Volubilis, considered the most important archaeological site in the country. Its enclosure shows the well-preserved remains of an ancient Roman city, the most important in the province of Mauretania Tingitana, which also became the capital of the first Idrisid kingdom. Although its foundation was Carthaginian three centuries before our era, most of its monuments were built from the 1st century AD. Triumphal arches, mosaics, columned temples… and much more in this place listed as a World Heritage Site.
After that, another place that has that decoration by UNESCO: the historic center of Meknes, about 20 km away. In Morocco, it also holds the title of Imperial City, because in the 17th century, by decision of Sultan Moulay Ismail, it became the capital. Therefore, many of the monuments standing or in ruins date back to that period: its mausoleum, its royal palace, or its walled enclosure, with the Bab Mansour gate as a symbol of the refinement it reached.
Today’s route will not end here, but we will continue a little further to the next Imperial City: Fez. Upon arrival, after checking in, you will have free time to get a feel for the medina, where the riad for tonight will also be.
Discovering the most significant corners of Fez takes time, as it is not only a World Heritage Site, but also the most important Moroccan city from a religious, artistic, and cultural point of view. Therefore, the third day of the tour takes place entirely here, with two clearly differentiated moments: a guided tour in the morning and free time in the afternoon.
On the guided tour in the morning, led by an official guide, we will visit very emblematic places, depending on the route planned by our ‘cicerone’. Some of them may be Nejjarine Square, the Chouwara tanneries, the Andalusian and Karaouine mosques, or the Bou Inania madrasa. All of this is in the old medina (Fez el Bali), while in the new medina (Fez el-Jdid) there are other places of great interest, perhaps to discover on your own: the Alawite Square in front of the Royal Palace, the mellah or Jewish quarter, museums, etc.
But in the free afternoon you can also see firsthand another of Fez’s attractions: its crafts. Articles such as ceramics, with their famous bluish tones, acquire a quality and refinement of the highest level here. In addition, the cabinetmakers carve authentic works of art, while the leather goods stores keep alive the city’s leather tradition.
Without a doubt, there are many options to spend the afternoon in Fez until the moment of night rest arrives, for the second day in the riad of the medina.
The contrast of environments and landscapes on the fourth day is the most impressive of the entire tour. At the beginning of the day, we will go from the bustling medina of Fez to the humid environments of the Middle Atlas, palpable in Ifrane, a city projected as a winter resort in the 30s, with its characteristic gabled roofs due to the abundant rain and snow.
A humidity that favors the explosion of cedar forests that make up the Ifrane National Park, where the great protagonist is the Barbary macaque. This monkey, very sociable, has found its perfect refuge here and is the largest colony of this endangered animal.
From the green and humidity to the north of the Middle Atlas, we abruptly move to the aridity on the other side of this mountain range: heading towards the Ziz Valley, we will follow this endorheic river that ends up dying without an outlet in the Sahara Desert. Thus we will arrive at Erfoud, known for its fossils millions of years old.
Soon after, Merzouga will come our way and we will park our vehicle there. The reason, an original transfer: it’s time to continue by dromedary (they can be exchanged for all-terrain vehicles) through the dunes of Erg Chebbi. Guided by a Tuareg, we will cross the gentle undulations of fine sand with a clear goal: the haima camp that is located in this spectacular environment.
Upon arrival, time for a Berber tea and take possession of your canvas tent, decorated in the Berber style and with all the comforts. But before using it, you will have a delicious typical dinner in the center of the camp, heated by a purifying bonfire, if the wind allows it.
The beauty of Erg Chebbi is not only in its sand dunes, but also in the sky: you will have seen it the night before, full of stars, and during the morning of this fifth day you will witness an unparalleled sunrise as you watch the sun rise over the horizon and illuminate the entire environment, enveloped in a breathtaking and de-stressing stillness.
However, the sand dunes are not the only attraction of the Merzouga Desert, far from it: there are other landscapes of interest, as well as ancestral traditions that its people preserve for us to know. Therefore, after breakfast, we will return to Merzouga by dromedary and from there, we will take a 4×4 route that will occupy us all day.
The program for the day highlights the performance of gnawa music in the town of Khamlia. Here resides a community of inhabitants whose ancestors arrived as slaves from the south of the Sahara, on caravan routes. And they planted the seed of this musical genre, nominated as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
Another key moment of the day will be our meeting with nomadic families who, despite having partially adopted customs of sedentary life, continue to live as their ancestors did: exploiting the scarce natural resources of the land. Checking it out in person and living with them for a few hours will be a life lesson.
And between one activity and another, the adrenaline of driving in an all-terrain vehicle on tracks of the Paris-Dakar rally, passing through vestiges of the life and work of the past: kohl mines no longer exploited, Berber and French villages… And as a high point of the route, an elevated viewpoint from which to see the dunes of Erg Chebbi.
Without a doubt, many images in the retina and many genuine experiences to review in the memory when arriving at the spectacular hotel-kasbah of Merzouga, decorated with details of art and decoration of the Berber culture.
Having passed the midpoint of the tour, the desert will have already shown us its main charms, but the vast territory south of the High Atlas still has much to offer. And we will discover it on this sixth day of the route.
The first town to visit will be Rissani, known for having one of the most beautiful historical medinas in the south of the country. In addition, its weekly market is genuine: if we are lucky enough to coincide with it, we will see scenes from another time, such as a donkey parking lot. In any case, walking through the streets inside the walled enclosure will serve to get to know a most picturesque environment.
After resuming the march and advancing a good stretch, we will arrive at the Dades Valley, which is part of the Route of the Thousand Kasbahs. It is named for the numerous adobe castles built by the Berbers in the past, key to defending the caravan routes that circulated here.
More hidden is the gorge of the Todra River, a tributary of the Dades. Therefore, we will deviate from the main road to access its Gorges, which is a narrow canyon formed by high and vertical rock walls, the result of the erosive activity of its channel. Without a doubt, one of the whims of Moroccan nature that will not leave anyone indifferent.
Later, the route reaches the end (or rather, the beginning) of the Dades Valley, in the city of Ouarzazate. Here, the main monument is the kasbah of Taourirt, which in addition to being a fortress was the palace of the Glaoui family: its high walls with crenellated towers show us its impregnable character, but the decorative details and the elegant interior show us the refined taste and opulence of its inhabitants.
The other great attraction of Ouarzazate is its mythical Atlas Studios, where important Hollywood blockbusters were filmed. Your visit can be considered if schedules allow. In any case, there will be no more travel for today, as here is the hotel where you will sleep and dine in the night.
The seventh day of the tour will take us across the High Atlas, which is the great natural barrier in the south of the country. Therefore, from our departure from Ouarzazate, the road will ascend continuously.
However, in the first kilometers of the journey we will stop to delight ourselves with one of those places that is hard to forget: the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, a fortified village declared a World Heritage Site. The reason: being one of the best examples of the defensive and popular architecture of the Berber civilization. Its high crenellated walls are so imposing that it is a frequent filming location, as happened in the third season of Game of Thrones.
From Ait Ben Haddou, the road adopts a greater slope. Shortly before crowning the Tizi n’Tichka pass, the detour to the kasbah of Telouet comes out, whose visit will be considered depending on its condition, as it was seriously damaged in the 2023 earthquake. Whether here or at the aforementioned port, the panoramic views will be spectacular, with the highest peaks in the country around us, snow-capped for much of the year.
After that, the road descends through mountain valleys to Marrakech, already on the plain. The arrival and check-in at the riad in the medina will be early enough to enjoy free time in the city, which will serve as a first contact with its historic center, also chosen as a World Heritage Site.
‘Red City’ is the nickname given to Marrakech by its nationals, as that is the tone of the medina’s walls and, in general, many of its monuments. It is also an Imperial City, having been the capital in the times of the Almoravids, Almohads, and Saadians. A rich history and impressive monuments that will surely take you all day to explore.
In the morning, the visit will be guided by a professional accredited by the Ministry of Tourism. The tour will take you through the medina, depending on the route planned by the guide, with essential places such as the Koutoubia Mosque (interior reserved for the faithful), the Ben Youssef Madrasa, or the Bahia Palace. The Jemaa el-Fna square will be a hive of people, as it is its nerve center.
Both this square and other handicraft and commercial bazaars can be left for the afternoon, which is free. In fact, it can also be dedicated to visiting museums and gardens, such as those of Yves-Saint Laurent, the MACMA, the Orientalist, the Majorelle, or Menara, among others.
To organize the afternoon, do not hesitate to ask our staff and the morning guide, with the idea of making the most of the time before returning to the riad at night.
On this 10-day tour from Tangier to the desert and the Imperial Cities, Essaouira is the final touch to the program: located a couple of hours by road from Marrakech, it is worth traveling here to put the finishing touch to the tour. Not in vain, its medina is also a World Heritage Site.
Known as the ‘pearl of the Atlantic’ for its beauty and its location on the oceanic coast, its medina is full of art galleries, synagogues, bazaars, and other charming corners. But without a doubt, its great icon is the Skala, a fortress built in the 16th century by the Portuguese, who were the founders of the city under the name of Mogador.
You will be able to discover all this and much more at your own pace, because from the arrival in the city, your time will be free. Therefore, there is also room for aquatic activities related to surfing or any other plan that seduces you, as in the past they already seduced famous visitors of Essaouira: Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, etc. In addition, the location of your riad in the heart of the medina will facilitate the organization of your time in the city.
The tenth is the last day of the tour, in which we will take you directly to Marrakech – Menara Airport. Therefore, we will meet punctually at the agreed time at the riad and, immediately afterwards, make the road transfer. Along the way, many memories of the trip will surely crowd your mind, while the argan fields on both sides of the road will catch your attention through the window.
Once at the terminal, we will end our services and say goodbye with gratitude and the desire that these 10 days of travel have been a most gratifying experience.
To ensure that the entire tour functions like a perfectly oiled machine, our travel package includes the following services, which we will take care of booking:
These other services are not included in the contracted package and are at the discretion of each traveler:
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