10 days from Tangier to Marrakech via the desert and Essaouira Atlantic Coast

Duration

10 Day

Maximum number of people

30

Minimum age

5+

Tour type

From Tangier

Overview:

This 10-day tour from Tangier to Marrakech offers a comprehensive Moroccan experience, combining mountains, historic medinas, the Sahara Desert, and the Atlantic coast.

The journey begins in Tangier, continuing to Chefchaouen, the picturesque blue village of the Rif Mountains, and then on to Fez, where a guided tour of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Fez el Bali medina takes you through souks, madrasas, mosques, and historic neighborhoods.

Next, the tour travels through the Merzouga Desert, passing through landscapes such as Ifrane, the forests of Azrou, the Ziz Valley, and the Tafilalet Oasis, with an overnight stay in traditional Berber tents and a Berber music performance. The route includes visits to Khamlia, the Dakar Rally track, Berber villages, the barite mines, and hidden oases like Borika and Ramlia, culminating in sunsets over the Erg Ouzina dunes.

The tour continues to the Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley, and the Route of a Thousand Kasbahs, passing through Skoura and Ouarzazate, and includes a visit to the historic Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Afterward, the journey crosses the High Atlas Mountains to Marrakech, with a free afternoon to explore the Red City.

The tour also includes an excursion to Essaouira, where you can enjoy the historic port of Mogador, the city walls, the traditional neighborhoods, and the renowned local crafts.

Included/Excluded

  • Transportation and Guide
  • Accommodation and Meals
  • Tourist Visits
  • Meals
  • Additional Expenses
  • Travel insurance

Tour Plan

Day 1 Tangier – Chefchaouen – Fez

Upon arrival at Tangier airport or port, your driver/guide will be waiting with a sign bearing the agency's name or your name. You will then be picked up and taken to Chefchaouen (the Blue City), where you will have 3 hours to enjoy this town in the Rif Mountains. Afterward, we will cross the Rif Mountains to reach the city of Fez, where you will be transferred to your accommodation.

Overnight stay in a Riad with breakfast included.

Day 2 Guided tour of Fez

After breakfast, your local guide will arrive at your accommodation at 10:00 AM to begin the tour of the Medina of Fez el Bali, one of the largest medieval sites still standing in the world. The entire medina, with its souks and medieval alleyways, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We will enter through the Bab Boujloud gate and explore the souk with its narrow, labyrinthine streets, frequently dodging mules laden with heavy bundles.
We will visit the Bou Inania Madrasa, with its exquisite cedar woodwork, stucco, and marble and onyx decorations. We will also see the Zaouia of Moulay Idriss, the city's founder, the Andalusian Quarter with its mosque and the Es-Sahrij Madrasa, and the former Dar Batha Palace, built in the Andalusian-Arabic style and dedicated to the arts and traditions of Fez. The Al-Karaouine University Mosque, one of the oldest in the world, founded in 859 by Fatima Al-Fihri; the tanners' and dyers' quarter, whose techniques have remained unchanged since the Middle Ages; in the afternoon, the guide will drop you off at your accommodation or in the medina

Day 3 Fez – Midelt – Azrou – Ziz Valley – Merzouga (Camel Ride and One Night in the Merzouga Desert)

After breakfast, we depart from Fez for the Merzouga desert, passing through Ifrane (the "Switzerland of Morocco"). There, you'll have 20 minutes to take photos and stroll through the town square. We then arrive at the forests of Azrou, home to wild monkeys. This will be a great opportunity to photograph Moroccan nature. We'll have lunch in the Berber village of Zaida. We continue through the Middle Atlas Mountains, enjoying the scenery of Midelt until we reach the small village of Rich. We then proceed to the Ziz Valley, where we'll make a panoramic stop for photos. In the afternoon, we arrive in Erfoud, where we begin to experience the Saharan air with the Tafilalet oasis. We continue to Merzouga, where we switch to camels for an overnight stay in traditional Berber tents (haimas) in the Erg Chebbi desert.

Accommodation in traditional Berber tents with dinner, breakfast, and a live Berber music performance.

Day 4 Merzouga – Khamlia – Taouz – Dakar Rally Track – Jdaid Village – Lunch with a Berber family – Ouzina Desert and Sunset in the Erg Ouzina Dunes.

Nos levantaremos temprano para ver el amanecer encima de una duna y después iremos a desayunar tranquilamente, hay opción de volver con los camellos al Hotel o en 4×4. Seguiremos la ruta o también podéis disfrutar un rato en la piscina o la visita de las dunas si el tiempo está bien, también podéis salir de excursión en Quad o Buggies por las dunas de Erg Chebbi. Después cogemos el 4×4 y vamos al poblado de Khamlia, donde viven los Gnawa, músicos de origen subsahariano (África Negra), que nos deleitaran con música y danzas, mientras saboreamos un té (whisky bereber) a la menta. Podéis comprarles un CD, que vale 10€, de su música o les dais una propina de mínimo 5€. Seguiremos después hasta Taouz, desde donde iremos por la pista antigua del Rally Paris Dakar hasta ver unos maravillosos Grabados Rupestres, y pasaremos por el poblado de Jdaid donde comeremos en casa de una familia bereber (Pizza Bereber y el Té), y donde podremos también tatuarse con Henna, por una persona especializada en tal arte, (hay que dar una propina a la persona de la Henna). Si os interesa podéis ir a dar una vuelta por el pueblo de Ouzina y su oasis. Por la tarde iremos al hotel seteado en el desierto de Ouzina donde pasaremos la noche en un Hotel Kasbah bonita de la zona y disfrutar de este desierto salvaje y puro en el sur de Marruecos.

Alojamiento en Kasbah Hotel Porte de Sahara Ouzina con cena y desayuno

Day 5 Ouzina – Paris Dakar Rally Track – The Barite Mines – Borika Oasis – Abandoned Village Oubahlou – Ramlia Oasis – Ouzina Desert

In the morning, after a leisurely breakfast, we'll travel along a dirt track to visit the nomads who live in the Ouzina area. Afterward, we'll go to the barite mines to see the workings and learn how they operate (barite is a mineral extracted there and transported to Europe, where it's used to make glass). Then we'll head to the Bourika Oasis, where we'll have a picnic lunch (Moroccan salad or similar) and grilled chicken. After lunch, we'll visit the Lost City or Oubahlou (the lost city or the Portuguese city), which consists of ancient Portuguese ruins. We'll take a stroll through the site, and in the afternoon, we'll arrive at the Ramlia Oasis, where we can enjoy tea at a café and explore the village and its oasis. In the late afternoon, we'll go to watch the sunset over the Erg Ouzina dunes to experience the tranquility and peace of this wild desert.

Accommodation at Riad Hôtel Porte De Sahara OUZINA with dinner and breakfast

Day 6 Ouzina – Taouz – Merzouga – Rissani – Erfoud – Todra Valley and Gorges – Dades Valley

We will wake up and have breakfast at 9:00 AM. We will then depart from the hotel for a 10-day, 9-night excursion to the Dades Valley, starting in the Ouzina Desert. We will pass through Rissani, one of the oldest cities in Morocco and the capital of the Alaouite dynasty. There, we will stop at the edge of town to take a photo of the "Gateway to the Desert." We will continue on to Erfoud, where there is an opportunity to visit a fossilized marble factory, before heading towards the palm groves of Touroug and Tinjdad. Afterwards, we will arrive at the Todra Gorges. The riverbed has carved out canyons with vertical walls, a paradise for climbers. We will have lunch there and walk to enjoy the gorges. In the afternoon, we will continue to the Dades Valley where we will spend the night.

Accommodation in a hotel with dinner and breakfast.

Day 7 Dades Valley – Rose Valley – SKoura – Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou – High Atlas – Marrakech

After breakfast, we depart for the Valley of Roses, where we will make a stop if you are interested. We then continue our journey towards Skoura (Route of a Thousand Kasbahs) and arrive in Ouarzazate, the city of cinema, where we will stop at the Taourirt Kasbah for a panoramic photo. Afterwards, we will visit the film studios for another photo stop. Then, continuing our route towards the Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou (an ancient 11th-century fortress, declared a World Heritage Site), we cross the Anti-Atlas Mountains via the Tizi-N-Tinifift pass. Around noon, we will arrive at the famous village of Ait Ben Haddou. You will have free time to visit the Kasbah and have lunch. In the afternoon, we return to Marrakech, crossing the High Atlas Mountains and traveling to the Red City of Morocco (Marrakech). Transfer to your accommodation. The afternoon is free to enjoy the rest of Marrakech.

Overnight in a Riad with breakfast

Day 8 Excursion to Essaouira and return to Marrakech in the afternoon

After breakfast, depart at 8:00 AM for an excursion to Essaouira from Marrakech. The 3-hour journey takes you to the ancient port of Mogador, built by the Portuguese on a narrow peninsula next to a vast crescent of fine sand. Perfectly sheltered by its impressive 18th-century French-built ramparts, the city is largely pedestrianized and divided into different districts by its grid layout. From the top of the Skala, you can see the colorful fishing port, the fortresses, and the Spanish cannons.

Essaouira is also famous for its refined handicrafts, especially wooden objects (thuya) beautifully inlaid with lemonwood, ebony, mother-of-pearl, or copper or silver threads. In the afternoon, around 4:30 PM, we return to Marrakech. We will drop you off wherever you wish, leaving you a free afternoon to enjoy your last night in Marrakech.

Overnight in a Riad with breakfast

Day 9 Marrakech Guided tour with a local Marrakech guide

After breakfast, your local guide will arrive at your accommodation at 10:00 AM to begin the tour in the Koutoubia Mosque square, next to Jamaa el Fna square. From here, we will enter the Medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will stroll through the narrow streets of the souk and visit the main historical attractions: the Saadian Tombs, the Ben Youssef Madrasa, and the El Badi Palace. Upon leaving the Medina, we will enjoy mint tea on one of the terraces overlooking the lively Jamaa el Fna square. "A world in a square," declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, everything in Marrakech revolves around Jamaa el Fna square. In this public space, musicians, storytellers, snake charmers, dancers, dentists, fruit juice vendors, acrobats, letter writers, water carriers, and sellers of medicinal herbs gather, filling it with color and culture. As evening falls, the square fills with food stalls illuminated by hundreds of lights, and as night approaches, countless people gather to eat. After the tour, the guide will drop you off in the medina or at your accommodation.

Accommodation in a Riad with Breakfast

Day 10 Marrakech – Transfer to the airport

In the morning, after breakfast, at your departure time, transfer to the airport and end of our 10-day, 9-night tour from Tangier to Marrakech and the Merzouga Sahara Desert in Morocco

Tour Map

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