8-Day Morocco Tour from Rabat to the Sahara and Fes

5/5 · 145 votes

Duration: 8 days / 7 nights
Departure: Morocco tours
Type: Private, tailor-made

8-day tour from Rabat to the Merzouga desert

8-day tour from Rabat to the Merzouga desert: a private, tailor-made trip with your own driver and a flexible itinerary.

This tour starts in Rabat and links the imperial cities with the Sahara Desert. First, you visit Casablanca and Marrakech. Then you cross the Atlas to the Dades and Merzouga. Finally, you end in Fes.

Day 1: Rabat – Casablanca – Marrakech

We pick you up at the airport or your hotel. First, we visit the main sights of Rabat. Then we drive to Casablanca to see its highlights. In the afternoon we continue to Marrakech. Night in a hotel or riad.

Day 2: Marrakech city tour

Today we visit the city’s monuments. For example, the Saadian Tombs, a 16th-century cemetery full of mosaics. After lunch you have time for the souks. Don’t miss the slipper, woodwork, spice and leather souks. In the evening Jemaa el Fna square fills with musicians, acrobats and storytellers. Night in a riad in the medina.

Day 3: Marrakech – Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Dades

We leave over the Tichka pass, the highest in the country at 2,260 metres. At midday we reach Ait Ben Haddou and walk through its old kasbah. Many films were shot here. Then we continue to Ouarzazate and its large film studios. Later we cross the Valley of Roses. If you like, we visit a rose products cooperative. Night in Boumalne Dades.

Day 4: Dades – Todra Gorges – Rissani – Merzouga

After breakfast we follow the “road of a thousand kasbahs” to Tinghir. There we walk through the oasis to the Todra Gorges. We have lunch at a local café. In the afternoon we visit Rissani, the birthplace of Morocco’s royal family. Next, we reach Merzouga. At sunset we ride dromedaries into Erg Chebbi. You are welcomed with a glass of tea. Dinner and night in the kasbah.

Day 5: 4×4 excursion around Merzouga

After breakfast we explore the Erg Chebbi dunes. First, we see how the nomad families live. Then we visit Khamlia and listen to Gnawa music over tea. In the afternoon we take a 90-minute camel ride into the heart of the desert. There we watch the sunset. Dinner with drums and a night in a tent under the stars.

Day 6: Merzouga – Midelt – Ifrane – Fes

We get up early for sunrise. After breakfast we leave for Fes. First, we cross Rissani and the Ziz Valley. After lunch we drive through the Atlas cedar forests. Then we pass Azrou, a Berber town in the Middle Atlas. After a short stop in Ifrane we reach Fes. Night in a hotel or riad.

Day 7: Fes city tour

Today we discover the country’s spiritual capital and its oldest city. First, we see the great gate of the Royal Palace. Then we visit Al Qaraouine University, the tanneries and the Attarine madrasa. In the afternoon we explore Fes el Bali, a World Heritage Site. Its main gate is Bab Boujloud. It is also a paradise for local crafts. Night in a hotel or riad.

Day 8: Airport transfer

After breakfast we take you to the airport in Fes, Rabat or Casablanca. End of the trip.

Why choose this tour

In eight days you see Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, the desert and Fes. You also get guided tours in Marrakech and Fes. The tour is private, so we adapt it to your dates and pace.