Grand Tour Discover Morocco from Fes

10 DAYS

Impressive mosaics at the world's oldest university

Day 1: Arrival in Fes

Pick-up at the time estimated by our guide and transfer to the hotel, which is well located in the medina, the historical part of Fes. Depending on the time of your arrival, there’s the possibility to visit a part of Fes. Overnight in hotel.

Day 2: Full Day Exploring Fes

Breakfast in your riad and then start an explorative journey of the medina, where you will visit the many hidden treasures that only the local people know about. Fes served as the capital of Morocco for more than 350 years and is home to the University of Al Karaouine, the oldest operating university in the world. Your guided tour will take you to Moulay Idriss mausoleum, the Nejjarine Fountains and the Tanneries.

After lunch, you will also view the exterior of the Royal Palace and walk through the famous Jewish quarter “the Mellah”, where you will have the option to visit one of the few living synagogues in Morocco. Your tour of Fes includes a short visit to the famous ceramic factory, and then you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view over the whole Medina of Fes. Overnight accommodation at your riad.

Day 3: Fes - Ziz valley - Erg Chebbi Desert

After breakfast in your riad, you will leave towards the southeast, following the Caravan roads to Merzouga. During this journey, you’ll experience glimpses of the Middle Atlas and Higher Atlas mountains. Stopping at the Cedar forest, the largest one in Morocco, over the Middle Atlas Mountains where you may well sight Barbarian apes.

After lunch in Midelt, you will continue through the large open high desert, and notice how the scenery changes to reveal hints of the desert as you approach the city Errachidia. Your journey continues along the luxuriant Ziz Valley and the Tafilalet palm grove, famous for date cultivation. This area is the foundation of the Alaouite dynasty, the current ruling royal family in Morocco. You’ll arrive at Merzouga at the end of the afternoon to be welcomed with a glass of mint tea before you check in to your riad.

Spectacular view of a camel's caravan in Merzouga

Day 4: Merzouga Area (camel trek & overnight in a berber tent)

After breakfast in the riad, you will start an explorative journey of the area. You’ll visit the Gnawa people, originally slaves brought from Sudan, to experience their music and lifestyle. Not far away there’s the lake of Merzouga, with its bird populations.

You may also visit the souk in Rissani, a traditional town which was the origin of the ruling family in Morocco and the meeting place of the Caravans trading as far as Timbuktu in Mali. Here you will see a lot of men hooded and women veiled.

Back to the village of Merzouga for some rest. In the afternoon, you will mount your camel, guided by an experienced camel man, to explore within the sand-sea of Merzouga.

Overnight will be at our desert camp, where you will have your dinner. For your convenience, the camp is equipped with western bathrooms.

Day 5: Merzouga - Tinghir Palm grove - Dades Gorges

Early in the morning, your camel guide will wake you up to watch what well may be the best sunrise of your life. After sunrise, you will trek back to the village of Merzouga. Enroute you couldn’t fail to appreciate the unique beauty of the spectacular Erg Chebbi sand dunes changing with the light as the day progresses.

After breakfast in your riad, you’ll leave for Rissani, Tinghir and Todra Gorges, that is the highest, narrowest canyon in Morocco. After lunch in the heart of the gorge, we’ll drive through the Dades Valley, where you’ll see the majestic sand castles and the amazing rock formations known as “monkey toes”. Overnight accommodation will be in a fancy hotel overlooking the Dades valley.

Day 6: Dades Valley - Amridil kasbah - Ouarzazate

After breakfast in the hotel, we’ll drive through the Dades Valley towards Kalaat Mgouna and Ouarzazat. The route through Dades Valley is the way of the thousand Kasbahs, providing numerous opportunities to take some of your best photographic shots of the trip. We’ll stop at Kalaat Mgouna, “the rose city”, to purchase rosewater, which will make your linen smell good a long time after your trip is over.

Continue to Ouarzazate via the Amridil Kasbah, one of the last Berber chieftains during the 18th century, now the Kasbah is a house of many Glaoui people. At night, you will stop in Ouarzazate.

Day 7: Ouarzazate - Tizi N'tichka - Marrakech

After an early breakfast in the riad, we continue our journey to reach the ksar (fortified village) of Ait Ben Haddou, where we will visit this famous Kasbah, declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. Famous films have been shot in this spectacular stage, including Gladiator, Obelix, The Mummy, The Jewel of the Nile and Sahara with Penélope Cruz.

After visiting the kasbah, we’ll go to Marrakech, we’ll see Tizi N’tichka port, that with its 2260 m is the highest point in our country. We’ll enjoy beautiful landscapes from the viewpoints on the way and make some stops to take pictures of the berber villages at the end of the afternoon and check in to your riad within the Medina. Overnight at riad.

Beautiful stone portal in Essaouira coast

Day 8: Full day trip to Essaouira

After breakfast in your riad, you will start travelling to the coastal city of Essaouira. Getting there after about a two and a half hour drive to start exploring the city. Walk through the alleys of the medina and view hundreds of handicrafts. This “City of the Wind” attracts surfers from all over the world. Essaouira knew many civilizations including the Portuguese occupation, which affects much of its architecture. However, it remains a small village with much history.

Because of its size and its characteristic blue doors and washed walls, it is also regarded as Morocco’s “Jewel of the Atlantic”. You will also visit the women’s cooperative of Argan oil. Here they extract the oil that is famous for its culinary, cosmetic and medicinal properties. Lunch will be free in the medina or in the port. In the afternoon, you will travel back to Marrakech. Overnight at riad.

Day 9: Free Day in Marrakech

Free day in Marrakech to see all places not seen before. After breakfast in the riad, you will enjoy the sites with historical and cultural interest, including the Koutoubia Menaret, the Saadian tombs, the beautiful Palace of Bahia and the Ben Youssef Coranic School. Finally, end the morning by walking through the medina alleys, getting a hance to admire all the different artisans performing their crafts before arriving at the famous Jamaa El Fna Square.

Lunch at a restaurant near the square, and then in the afternoon visit the gardens at Majorelle, and have a short tour at Gueliz - the new city of Marrakech. After dinner, you will have the option to walk through the square entertained by magicians, story-tellers, tooth-pullers and food sellers. Overnight accommodation in your riad.