Fez, Sahara and Marrakech in 7 days

Itinerary: Fez, Sahara and Marrakech in 7 days

1. 1

   Day 1 · Fez with a local guide

   A day in the medina with an official guide: Bab Boujloud, the Bou Inania madrasa, the Karaouiyine mosque seen from outside and the Chouara tannery from the terraces. Lunch with pastilla in a medina restaurant. Night in a riad.

   
2. 2

   Day 2 · Fez — Ifrane — Midelt — Merzouga

   A driving day heading south, but full of stops. In Ifrane we have a coffee among houses that look Swiss; in the Azrou forest we stop with the macaques; in Midelt we have lunch and look at the minerals found in the surrounding mountains. In the afternoon the Legionnaire's tunnel, the Ziz gorges and the viewpoint over the Errachidia palm grove. We reach the Erg Chebbi dunes in the late afternoon. Night in a hotel at the foot of the dunes.

   
3. 3

   Day 3 · Day in the desert

   The desert is best enjoyed over a full day. You start with sunrise, then a 4x4 tour: the highest dunes of Erg Chebbi, a well where shepherds bring their animals and a nomad family baking bread on the fire. In Khamlia, Gnawa music; in Rissani, the souk and the ksar. The afternoon is free: some try sandboarding, others enjoy the pool. At sunset you ride a camel to the camp, where dinner and music around the fire await you.

   
4. 4

   Day 4 · Merzouga — Todra — Dadès

   After sunrise tea at camp, we leave the dunes and cross a stony desert to the first oases. The stop in Tinejdad, with its khettaras, tells how people have lived here for centuries. Then the Tinghir palm grove and the Todra Gorge, where we walk through the narrowest stretch. In the afternoon the Dadès valley: Berber villages, almond trees, barley fields and the winding road of Tamellalt, one of the most photographed places in Morocco. Night in a guesthouse.

   
5. 5

   Day 5 · Dadès — Skoura — Ouarzazate — Aït Ben Haddou

   The Valley of Roses with its cooperatives, the Skoura palm grove and the Amridil kasbah. In Ouarzazate, the 'Hollywood of the desert', we visit the Taourirt kasbah or the film studios. Arrival in Aït Ben Haddou in the afternoon and a climb to the granary for sunset. Night in a kasbah.

   
6. 6

   Day 6 · Aït Ben Haddou — Tizi n'Tichka — Marrakech

   Early morning in the ksar, then the High Atlas with stops at argan cooperatives. Arrival in Marrakech and a first walk in Jemaa el-Fna, when the square fills with food stalls and musicians.

   
7. 7

   Day 7 · Marrakech

   Morning with a local guide: the Koutoubia, the Bahia Palace with its orange-tree courtyards, the Saadian Tombs and the dyers' and blacksmiths' souks. Free afternoon, perhaps at the Majorelle Garden or in a hammam to round off the trip. End of services, or transfer to the airport if your flight is in the evening.