- Duration: 10 days / 9 nights
- Departure: Morocco tours
- Type: Private, tailor-made
10-day tour from Rabat to the desert
10-day tour from Rabat to the desert: a private, tailor-made trip with your own driver and a flexible itinerary.
This ten-day tour starts and ends in Rabat. You see Marrakech, Fes and Rabat at a relaxed pace. You also cross the High Atlas, the Dades Valley and the Todra Gorges. And you spend two nights in the Merzouga desert.
Day 1: Rabat – Marrakech
We pick you up at the airport, your riad or wherever you like. Then we drive straight to Marrakech. It is a unique city, very different from the rest of the country. Night in Marrakech.
Day 2: Guided tour of Marrakech
Today a local guide tells you the story of Marrakech. You visit the Koutoubia, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the Menara gardens. We have lunch at a typical medina restaurant (not included). In the afternoon you have free time for the souk and Jemaa el Fna square.
Day 3: Marrakech – Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Dades Valley
We head for the Dades Valley across the High Atlas. First, we climb the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 metres. Along the way you see Berber villages and old fortresses. Then we pass Ait Ben Haddou and Ouarzazate. In the afternoon we reach the Dades.
Day 4: Dades Valley – Todra Gorges – Merzouga
After breakfast we continue to Tinghir. There we turn off to the Todra Gorges, with walls over 100 metres high. It is a perfect spot for climbers. We take a quiet walk by the river. Then we carry on to the Merzouga desert.
Day 5: Merzouga – Erg Chebbi dunes
Early on we take a 4×4 trip into the heart of the desert. First, we pass Lake Dayet Srji, where flamingos spend the winter. Then we stop in Khamlia, a Gnawa and Berber village of sub-Saharan origin. There you are offered tea and Gnawa music among the dunes.
Day 6: Merzouga – Midelt – Ziz Valley – Ifrane – Fes
We get up early to watch the sunrise. In the first light the sand turns reddish. Then we ride back for a shower and breakfast. Next, we cross the Ziz Valley, the cedar forests and the Middle Atlas. By mid-afternoon we reach Fes, Morocco’s first imperial city.
Day 7: Fes city tour
Today we spend the day in Fes, the oldest of the four imperial cities. First, we see it from its viewpoints. Then we enter the medina, which seems frozen in time. Night in a hotel or riad.
Day 8: Fes – Meknes – Volubilis – Rabat
We drive to Meknes and visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis. Then we continue along mountain roads with beautiful views. By mid-afternoon we reach Rabat. Night in a hotel or riad.
Day 9: Rabat city tour
Today we visit Rabat, the “city of gardens”. It blends old and new very well. Its most famous monument is the Hassan Tower, on top of a hill. Its medina is also calm and full of shops and crafts.
Day 10: Rabat – airport
Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the airport in time for your flight. End of our services.
Why choose this tour
You have real time in each city, with visits in Marrakech, Fes and Rabat. You also spend two nights in Merzouga. The tour is private, so we adapt it to your dates.
More information
See more tours from Rabat, request a free quote or read our travellers' reviews. Merzouga on Wikipedia.
