6-Day Desert Tour from Tangier to Marrakech via Fes

Day 1: Tangier, Cape Spartel, Hercules Caves and Chefchaouen

Your driver meets you at the airport, the port or your hotel in Tangier. First, you drive to Cape Spartel, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic. Nearby, the Hercules Caves open to the sea through a gap often compared to the shape of Africa. After lunch, you head inland past Tetouan and climb into the Rif Mountains. In the late afternoon, you reach Chefchaouen and check in to your hotel. About 3 hours of driving.

Day 2: Chefchaouen, Volubilis, Meknes and Fes

After breakfast, you have free time in the blue lanes of Chefchaouen. Then, you drive south to Volubilis, a Roman city with arches, columns and floor mosaics. Next, you continue 30 km to Meknes, the imperial city of Sultan Moulay Ismail. There, you see the Bab Mansour gate, the Sahrij Souani basin and the royal stables. In the evening, you check in to your riad in Fes. About 4 to 4.5 hours of driving.

Day 3: Full-Day Guided Tour of Fes

Today, a licensed local guide leads you through Fes. In the morning, you see the gates of the Royal Palace, the Mellah and the view from Borj Sud. You also visit a ceramics workshop where artisans cut zellige tiles. In the afternoon, you walk through Fes el-Bali, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Highlights include the Al Attarine Madrasa, the Nejjarine Fountain and the Chouara Tanneries. You also pass Al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 and often described as the world’s oldest operating university.

Day 4: Fes, Ifrane, the Cedar Forest, Midelt and the Merzouga Desert Camp

This is the longest day, at about 7.5 hours of driving. First, you pass Ifrane, often called “the Switzerland of Morocco”. Next, you stop in the cedar forest of Azrou to watch wild Barbary macaques, without feeding them. After lunch in Midelt, you cross the Tizi n’Talghemt pass at 1,907 meters and follow the Ziz Valley. In the late afternoon, you ride a camel into the Erg Chebbi dunes for sunset. Dinner and Berber drums at the camp end the day.

Day 5: Merzouga, Rissani, Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley

Wake early for sunrise over the dunes. After breakfast, you return to Merzouga by camel or 4×4. Then, you visit Rissani, whose souk runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and a fossil workshop in Erfoud. Next, you walk along the river in Todra Gorge, between towering limestone cliffs. In the afternoon, you see the “monkey fingers” rocks of the Dades Valley before checking in to your hotel. About 4.5 hours of driving.

Day 6: Rose Valley, Skoura, Ouarzazate, Ait Ben Haddou and Marrakech

After breakfast, you drive through Kalaat M’Gouna, the Rose Valley, where roses bloom in spring. Next, you visit the 17th-century Kasbah Amridil in the Skoura palm grove and the film studios of Ouarzazate. Then, you explore the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, a setting for Gladiator and Game of Thrones. Finally, you cross the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 meters and reach your riad in Marrakech by early evening. About 7 hours of driving.