9 days from tangier to marrakech via desert and sea essaouira

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, and the tanners' and dyers' quarter, where techniques have remained unchanged since the Middle Ages, are among the highlights. In the afternoon, your guide will drop you off at your accommodation or in the medina.

Accommodation in a Riad with breakfast

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.

We'll wake up early to watch the sunrise from atop a dune, then have a leisurely breakfast. You can choose to return to the hotel by camel or 4x4. We'll continue along the route, or you can relax by the pool or explore the dunes if the weather is nice. You can also take a quad bike or buggy excursion through the Erg Chebbi dunes. Afterward, we'll take the 4x4 to the village of Khamlia, home to the Gnawa people, musicians of sub-Saharan origin (Black Africa). They'll entertain us with music and dance while we enjoy mint tea (Berber whiskey). You can buy a CD of their music for €10 or give them a tip of at least €5. We'll then continue to Taouz, from where we'll travel along the old Paris-Dakar Rally track to see some wonderful rock engravings. We'll pass through the village of Jdaid, where we'll have lunch at a Berber family's home (Berber pizza and tea), and where you can also get a henna tattoo from a specialist (a tip is customary). If you're interested, you can take a stroll through the village of Ouzina and its oasis. In the afternoon, we'll go to our hotel nestled in the Ouzina desert, where we'll spend the night in a beautiful Kasbah hotel and enjoy this wild and pristine desert in southern Morocco.

Accommodation at Kasbah Hotel Porte de Sahara Ouzina with dinner and breakfast

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

We will wake up and have breakfast at 9:00 AM. We will then depart from the hotel for a 9-day, 8-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.

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

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 distinct neighborhoods 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 and silver threads. In the afternoon, around 4:30 PM, we return to Marrakech and drop you off wherever you wish. The afternoon is free to enjoy your last night in Marrakech.

Overnight in a Riad with breakfast

In the morning, after breakfast, you can take a guided tour of the city with a local guide if you are interested. At departure time, your flight will be transferred to the airport, and this concludes our 9-day, 8-night tour from Tangier to Marrakech and the Merzouga Sahara Desert in Morocco.