The best of Morocco, concentrated in 6 days: that’s what this tour is all about from Tangier to the desert, through Fez and with Marrakech as the final destination. A trip from north to south to visit corners of wild nature but also bustling cities in which history and art continue to beat stronger than ever. If this proposal appeals to you and you also want to enjoy it privately, take a look at what Tenere Tours has for you.
This tour has a north-to-south itinerary to reach the most important and interesting cities in Morocco. Whatever their size, in their historic centers there is a medina brimming with life in which artisanal and traditional activities are still practiced. Strolling through them, shopping in their stores, and admiring their Islamic architecture is a delight for the senses, both in large cities such as Fez and Marrakech as in other medium-sized ones, such as Tetouan or Chaouen, or even in smaller ones such as Rissani. All of them await you on this spectacular trip.
Morocco is a country full of contrasts, and as a counterpoint to the urban bustle is the tranquility and wild atmosphere of its natural spaces. And this tour takes you to the most significant ones, such as those located in its mountains (the Rif, the Middle Atlas and the High Atlas) as in its majestic desert, with dunes such as those of Erg Chebbi and with oases in its pre-Saharan valleys. In all of them, the attraction is not only in their flora and fauna, but above all in the feeling of inner peace that makes the visitor feel, for believing to be in another world where the pace is much more leisurely.
6 days and 5 nights, with start in Tangier and end in Marrakech, and road transfers in a private vehicle (except for the camel ride in the Erg Chebbi dunes). If you want to check the daily program of this tour, take a look below:
Tangier is the main gateway to Morocco from the north. And in this tour, it is also the starting point: whether it is the airport, one of the city’s ports or a hotel in the center, we will pick you up in our vehicle to start this private tour throughout the country.
The first stop will be near Tangier, in Tetouan: city with a medina that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was the capital of the Spanish Protectorate in the 20th century and still retains numerous points in common with Spain, especially in the architecture of the Ensanche. Its historic center brings together the typical characteristics of Moroccan urbanism and is a magnificent introduction to everything that comes next.
After visiting Tetouan, we will head to the Rif, the mountain range in the north of the country. Between two of its mountains is located Chaouen, also called the ‘blue town’ for the color that envelops the houses of its medina, full of slopes, nooks, arches and many other charming corners. Its main square, Uta el-Hammam, preserves an imposing medieval castle and is the space in which everything converges.
Upon arrival in this charming town, you will have free time to explore the historic center. And right there you will also find the pleasant riad where you will rest this first night.
On this second day of tour, we will leave Chaouen to travel to Fez by road, leaving early to make the most of the day. In fact, upon arriving in Fez our guide will be waiting for us to take a guided tour of the center, as that is the best way to discover its history, its monuments and, in short, the atmosphere of the medina, which by the way is the largest in the country.
Some of the places that may be part of that guided tour are the Karaouine mosque, the Nejjarine square, the Attarine medersa or Chouwara, the tanners’ quarter. In any case, p or the afternoon there will also be free time to visit other places of interest, such as the mellah or the Plaza de los Alauitas, in front of the Royal Palace. In addition, it can be a good time to get lost in the souks of the medina, where the best pieces of crafts are sold, especially ceramics and cabinetmaking.
At the end of the day, after a long walk of culture and leisure, you will rest in a riad located in the historic center.
On the third day of tour, we radically change the environment: we leave the bustle of the medina of Fez to enter the wildest nature of the country and end up in the deepest part of the desert, where the footprint of the human being is practically imperceptible. To do this, we will leave the riad early to head towards the mountains of the Middle Atlas.
Still on the northern slope, we will make the first two stops of the day. One of them, in the surprising Ifrane, a winter tourism town with constructions typical of the European Alps, as the rainfall regime here is one of the highest in the country.
The second stop will be in the National Park of the same name, although it is better known as Monkey Forest because the most populous community of Barbary macaques lives in its cedars. These primates, in danger of extinction, are very accustomed to the human presence, so it will not be surprising that they come out to meet us.
Already on the southern slope of the Middle Atlas, we will begin the descent and continue the route through the Ziz Valley. In this way we will arrive in the afternoon to Erfoud, a city at the gates of the desert, famous for its dinosaur fossils and its minerals; and above all, to Merzouga, a small strategic town on our route: here we will take the dromedaries that will take us to the heart of the desert of the same name, one of the most beautiful sectors of the Sahara in Morocco.
In the dunes of Erg Chebbi will be the camp of haimas where we will take the pertinent welcome tea, as well as dinner. And to sleep, you will use one of the traditional Berber haimas, full of comfort. The stillness of the desert will wrap you during sleep, as will the constellations of stars in the sky.
If sleeping in the desert is a luxury, waking up will be no less: if you get up early, before the sun, you will enjoy a spectacular sunrise. Contemplating how the first rays of the day emerge from the horizon and land on the sand of the dunes is a unique, magical, unforgettable moment.
After that, breakfast and return to Merzouga, where we had parked our vehicle. This morning’s shower can be taken in a hotel in said town or in the haimas camp, depending on the package contracted. And shortly after resuming the march, we will make a brief stop in Rissani: it is a small city with a medina full of charm and, on market days, it is full of life and traditional scenes.
After getting to know Rissani, we will move away from the desert to enter the Dades Valley, one of the valleys that extend between the Sahara and the Atlas. Here or in its surroundings there are many places of interest, such as the Todra Gorges: a canyon carved by the river of the same name, with walls that delight climbers and nature lovers in general.
A little further along the route, we will arrive at the Valley of the Roses, one of the most colorful corners of southern Morocco when spring arrives. It will be the prelude to the last stop of the day: the kasbah of Taourirt, already in Ouarzazate. It was the castle-palace of the Glaoui, and its defensive architecture on the outside and residential on the inside testify to this.
Without leaving Ouarzazate will be the hotel of this day, where a restorative dinner and a restful rest will be waiting for you.
This tour from Tangier, with Fez, the desert and Marrakech as great attractions, is approaching its final stretch. But it is not a filler day, but a day with landscapes and monuments of the first level.
This is how we will understand it about 20 km from Ouarzazate, when we contemplate Ait Ben Haddou. Cataloged as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for being one of the best examples of defensive and popular Berber architecture, its skyline seems taken from a story. Therefore, it is usually used as a setting in the world of fiction, as happened in the third season of Game of Thrones. Adobe walls with chiaroscuro decoration, humble houses arranged at the foot of a kasbah, a green oasis around it… Stopping here to admire the place is more than justified.
The next thing on this fifth day is to ascend with our vehicle the ramps of the Tizi n’Tichka pass and, having reached the top (2,260 meters above sea level), admire the imposing mountains that can be seen from here, snowy for a good part of the year.
Although it cannot be seen from here, Marrakech is getting closer and closer, and we will head towards this city, in a picturesque descent between Berber villages, fertile valleys and livestock farms. The arrival in Marrakech will be in the afternoon, so the rest of the day will be free after checking in at your hotel in the medina.
The sixth day of this tour is designed for those who have the return flight home in the afternoon, so that the first hours of the day are perfectly usable, after breakfast and check-out of the hotel. And they are with the best that can be done in such a moment: a guided tour of the center to discover the charms of this exciting city.
In the hands of an official guide, you will move through the most picturesque corners of the medina, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Among the places to visit will surely be the Jemaa el-Fna square, the surroundings of the Koutubia mosque and the souks of artisans in the center. There are other places whose interior beauty is not imagined from the outside, such as the Ben Youssef madrasa, the Bahia Palace or the Saadian Tombs. This last dynasty, like others such as that of the Almoravids and Almohads, contributed to the greatness of the city.
Other corners and museums may be left for your free time, which can also be dedicated to last-minute shopping. What is certain is that, at the agreed time and in the agreed place, our driver will pick you up to carry out the private transfer to Menara Airport, the final point of this tour throughout Morocco.
The list of services included in this package is very wide, not only because of the length of the trip but also because of the desire to offer the best treatment, without random details:
These other services are excluded from the package so that each traveler can decide on them, before or during the tour:
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