7 Day Complete Morocco Tour from Fez to Marrakech via the Sahara

Overview

Our flagship 7-day tour is designed for travellers who want to experience the full depth of Morocco — from the ancient medinas of its imperial cities to the silence of its Saharan dunes and the drama of its mountain passes. Beginning with a guided immersion into Fez, one of the world’s best-preserved medieval cities, the route travels south through the Middle Atlas, spends two nights in the desert, loops through the stunning gorge country of the southeast, visits the legendary Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou, and concludes with a full free day to explore Marrakech before airport transfer. This is Morocco at its most complete.

Tour Highlights

• Guided walking tour of Fez el-Bali — the world’s largest car-free urban zone
• Cedar forest, Barbary macaques, and Ifrane’s alpine scenery
• Full Erg Chebbi desert experience with camel trekking and nomad visits
• Two nights in a Berber desert camp
• Rissani ancient caravanserai and Tafilalet oasis
• Todgha Gorge and Dadès Valley
• Ouarzazate: Atlas Studios and Kasbah Taourirt
• Aït Ben Haddou UNESCO Kasbah
• Tizi n’Tichka High Atlas pass
• Full free day in Marrakech with local expert guide

What’s Included

• Private air-conditioned 4WD or minivan (fuel included)
• Airport pickup in Fez; airport drop-off in Marrakech
• Licensed multilingual driver-guide
• Licensed local guide in Fez medina
• Licensed local guide in Marrakech
• Official heritage guide at Aït Ben Haddou
• 4 nights in hotel/riad (dinner & breakfast)
• 1 night in desert camp (dinner & breakfast)
• Camel ride in Erg Chebbi
• Sandboarding in the dunes
• Complimentary bottled water throughout

Not Included

• Soft drinks
• Lunches
• Gratuities for guides and camp staff
• Travel insurance
• Optional paid activities
• Personal expenses

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1 — Fez: Guided Medina Exploration

Your Morocco Nomad Travels guide meets you at Fez airport or your riad and leads you straight into the extraordinary maze of Fez el-Bali — a UNESCO World Heritage medina that has changed little since the 12th century. Founded by Idris I and expanded under the Marinid dynasty, Fez became the spiritual and intellectual capital of the Islamic West. Your guide navigates you through the tanneries where leather has been dyed for centuries in stone vats, the souk of the coppersmiths ringing with hammers, the ornate mosaic courtyard of the Bou Inania Madrasa, and the bustling market surrounding the University of al-Qarawiyyin — widely credited as the world’s oldest continuously operating university, founded in 859 CE. The evening is free to explore the illuminated medina at your own pace. Overnight in a traditional Fez riad.

Day 2 — Fez › Ifrane › Azrou › Midelt › Merzouga

An early departure takes you into the Middle Atlas highlands. You pause in Ifrane — nicknamed “Little Switzerland” for its European-style architecture and cool climate — before entering the cedar forest around Azrou, where a resident troop of Barbary macaques lives among the ancient trees. Continuing south over the Atlas plateau, you stop for lunch in Midelt, known for its apples and geode markets. The afternoon drive through Errachidia and the Tafilalet plain gradually unveils the Sahara: first a hardpan desert of black stones, then the first orange sand dunes appearing on the horizon. Arrival in Merzouga by evening. Overnight at a desert lodge.

Day 3 — Erg Chebbi: Full Desert Immersion

Today belongs entirely to the dunes. A morning 4×4 tour circles the massive Erg Chebbi sand sea, stopping at hidden oases, a fossil-strewn dry riverbed, and the remote Gnawa village of Khamlia. Here, musicians perform their ancestral trance music in the shade of palm-thatched shelters. Later, your guide leads you to a nomadic family camp — a community of Saharan Tuareg who still raise camels and goats as their ancestors did. As the afternoon heat eases, you mount your camel for the classic sunset ride into the dunes. The evening camp experience — tagine dinner, Berber drumming, and star-gazing — is one of the defining memories of any Moroccan journey. Overnight in a Berber desert tent.

Day 4 — Rissani › Todgha Gorge › Dadès Valley › Ouarzazate

Dawn over the desert is followed by breakfast and a visit to the historic market of Rissani, site of the ancient Sijilmasa caravanserai — once the southern terminus of the great trans-Saharan gold and salt trade routes. In Tinghir, a lush oasis town of extraordinary beauty, you take a riverside walk before entering the Todgha Gorge. The gorge narrows to barely 10 metres at its deepest point, with walls soaring 300 metres on either side — a truly awe-inspiring natural cathedral. The route then follows the thousand kasbahs road toward Ouarzazate, passing through Berber villages and the dramatic curves of the Dadès Valley. Overnight in Ouarzazate.

Day 5 — Aït Ben Haddou › Tizi n’Tichka › Marrakech

After breakfast, a short drive brings you to the iconic Ksar of Aït Ben Haddou (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Your heritage guide explains the extraordinary pisé (rammed earth) construction technique used to build these multistorey towers, and the strategic importance of this spot at a major caravan crossing. Climbing to the ksar’s granary at the top rewards you with sweeping views over the Ounila Valley. From here, the Tizi n’Tichka pass road climbs through a series of dramatic landscapes — deep gorges, Berber villages decorated with geometric Amazigh murals, and occasional waterfalls — before cresting at 2,260 metres. The descent to Marrakech takes you through argan forests and olive groves. Arrival in Marrakech by evening. Overnight in a riad.

Day 6 — Marrakech: A Day of Discovery

A full day in Morocco’s most intoxicating city. Your local Marrakchi guide leads you on a morning walking tour that takes in the soaring Koutoubia Minaret — the model for the Giralda in Seville — the green-tiled Saadian Tombs (a royal necropolis rediscovered in 1917), and the opulent Bahia Palace with its carved cedarwood ceilings and mosaic courtyards. After lunch in a rooftop restaurant overlooking the medina, the afternoon is devoted to the legendary Jemaa el-Fna square, where storytellers, acrobats, herbalists, and henna artists ply their trades as they have for a thousand years. Optional visits include the Majorelle Garden and its associated Berber museum, and the Menara Pavilion with its olive grove and mountain backdrop. Overnight in your riad.

Day 7 — Marrakech › Airport Farewell

Your final morning is yours to enjoy a slow breakfast, browse the souks one last time, or simply sip mint tea on a rooftop terrace. Your driver collects you at the agreed time and transfers you to Marrakech Menara Airport with comfortable time before your departure. The Morocco Nomad Travels team wishes you a safe onward journey and hopes this week of discovery has planted seeds of wonder that will draw you back to Morocco again and again.