Tangier to Marrakech in 7 days

Itinerary: Tangier to Marrakech in 7 days

1. 1

   Day 1 · Tangier — Tetouan — Chefchaouen

   A short transfer to Tetouan, where we visit the white medina and the Jewish quarter with its wrought-iron balconies. Then the road climbs through the Rif to Chefchaouen, nestled on the slopes of Jebel Kelaa. Check-in at a riad and a free afternoon among blue lanes, cats asleep on the steps and shops selling wool and handmade soap.

   
2. 2

   Day 2 · Chefchaouen — Volubilis — Meknes — Fez

   Morning in Chefchaouen and departure south. Volubilis welcomes us with its columns among the olive trees and mosaics still in place; a few minutes away is Moulay Idriss, the holy town. In the afternoon, Meknes: the Bab Mansour gate, el-Hedim square and the enormous stables of Sultan Moulay Ismail. Arrival in Fez in the evening.

   
3. 3

   Day 3 · Fez with a guide

   A day in the medina with an official guide: the Bou Inania madrasa, the tanneries, the brass and weaving workshops, the Jewish quarter and the Marinid Tombs viewpoint at sunset.

   
4. 4

   Day 4 · Fez — Ifrane — Midelt — Merzouga

   A long driving day, but with scenery that changes hour by hour. We climb through the forests of the Middle Atlas to Ifrane, the 'Switzerland of Morocco', and cross the Azrou cedar forest with its macaques. The Midelt plateau is famous for apples and minerals; here we stop for lunch. In the afternoon the Ziz gorges and the long palm grove of Errachidia and Erfoud take us to the desert. The last kilometres and the orange dunes of Erg Chebbi appear. Night in a hotel at the foot of the dunes.

   
5. 5

   Day 5 · Day in the desert

   A 4x4 tour among nomad families, Khamlia with its Gnawa music and the highest dunes. Lunch with medfouna in Rissani and a sunset camel ride to the camp. Dinner under the stars.

   
6. 6

   Day 6 · Merzouga — Todra — Dadès — Aït Ben Haddou

   Sunrise on the dunes and a day heading west: the Todra Gorge, the Dadès valley and the Valley of Roses. Arrival at Aït Ben Haddou at sunset and a night in a kasbah.

   
7. 7

   Day 7 · Aït Ben Haddou — Tizi n'Tichka — Marrakech

   Before leaving, a walk through the ksar in the morning light. Then the High Atlas: the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 metres, earthen villages and women carrying bundles of grass on their backs. We stop at an argan cooperative and at a café overlooking the valley. Arrival in Marrakech late in the morning or early afternoon.