7-day group tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga

Tour itinerary

Day 1

Arrival in Fes:

The group tour begins in Fes, the oldest of the imperial cities and the starting point of every Tuesday and Friday departure. We meet you at Fes-Saiss airport with your name on a sign and take you to your hotel or riad in the medina; if you arrive by train from Casablanca, Rabat or Tangier, we collect you at the station or at your accommodation instead. The rest of the day is free to recover from the journey and take a first walk outside the walls.

If you still have the energy, we suggest strolling up to Bab Boujloud, the blue gate that marks the entrance to Fes el-Bali, and enjoying a mint tea on one of the terraces overlooking the rooftops of the medina. In the evening you meet the driver who will be with you for all seven days — Omar, Ahmed or another of our drivers — along with the rest of the group, and we run through the programme and the daily timings. Dinner is free, so you can choose between the traditional restaurants of the riads and the simpler tables of the local neighbourhoods. Overnight in Fes.

Day 2

Fes > guided city visit > Fes:

After breakfast you meet the licensed local guide who spends the whole day with you in the medina of Fes el-Bali, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest car-free historic centre in the world, with its nine thousand lanes. The day starts at Al Quaraouiyine, founded in 859 by Fatima al-Fihri and considered the oldest university still in operation, whose gates and inner courtyard can be admired from the surrounding streets.

The visit continues to the Bou Inania madrasa and the Attarine madrasa, masterpieces of zellij tilework, carved plaster and cedar wood, then the Nejjarine fountain and the quarters of the coppersmiths and potters. The most photographed moment of the day is the Chouara tanneries, where the coloured dye pits are viewed from the terraces of the leather shops, with a sprig of mint in hand for the strong smell.

In the afternoon you leave the walls for Fes el-Jdid, with the golden gates of the Royal Palace and the Jewish quarter of the mellah, and climb to the Merenid tombs for a panorama over the city at sunset. Back to the riad for your second night in Fes.

Day 3

Fes > Ifrane > cedar forest > Ziz valley > Merzouga:

Today is the longest drive of the tour and also the most varied. We set off early towards the Middle Atlas and the first stop is Ifrane, the alpine-looking town built in the 1930s and nicknamed “the little Switzerland of Morocco”. Shortly afterwards we enter the great cedar forest of Azrou, where the ancient trees are home to the troops of Barbary macaques that come up to parked cars.

The minibus continues to Midelt, a stop for a free lunch among apple orchards and mineral stalls: the driver leaves you at a local restaurant serving tagine or grilled meat, with mint tea. Then we set off again, cross the Zad pass and drop into the spectacular Ziz valley: from the viewpoint you look down on the river cutting a green ribbon of palm trees through arid rock, with mud-brick kasbahs lined up along the valley floor. After Erfoud, the landscape of the Sahara begins.

On arrival at Merzouga you leave your suitcases behind and climb onto the camels for the sunset trek among the dunes of the Erg Chebbi. At Camel Trips Camp you are welcomed with Berber tea, dinner and drums around the fire. Overnight in the camp under the stars.

Day 4

Merzouga > Rissani > Todra Gorge > Dades valley > Ouarzazate:

Anyone who wants to can get up before dawn and climb a dune near the camp to watch the sun set the Erg Chebbi glowing orange. After breakfast we return to the village and head west, passing through Rissani and its market, the historic cradle of the Alaouite dynasty and the last town before the open desert.

By mid-morning we reach Tinghir and its long palm grove, the gateway to the Todra Gorge: here the limestone walls narrow to a few metres apart and rise more than 300 metres, with the stream running along the bottom. There is time to walk into the canyon, photograph the climbers and drink a tea in the shade.

The journey carries on through the Dades valley, past mud-brick kasbahs, rose fields and the curious rock formations known as the “monkey fingers”. In the late afternoon we arrive in Ouarzazate, the gateway to the desert and the capital of Moroccan cinema. Dinner is free and you spend the night in a hotel.

Day 5

Ouarzazate > Aït Ben Haddou > Tizi n’Tichka > Marrakech:

The morning is devoted to Ouarzazate: we pass the Taourirt kasbah, the old Glaoui residence with its decorated rooms, and the film studios that have hosted dozens of international productions. Then we drive some thirty kilometres further to the most famous village in southern Morocco.

The ksar of Aït Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a fortified village of earthen houses stacked up the hillside above the Ounila river. You cross the riverbed on foot and climb through the lanes to the granary at the top, which looks out over the whole valley. Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia and Game of Thrones were all filmed here.

In the afternoon we tackle the High Atlas over the Tizi n’Tichka pass, at 2,260 metres, among hairpin bends, Berber villages and stalls of stones and fossils. The descent towards the plain brings you into Marrakech in the evening, in time for a first look at Jemaa el-Fna. Overnight in Marrakech.

Day 6

Marrakech > guided city visit > Marrakech:

A full day in the red city with a licensed local guide. We begin with the historic monuments: the Koutoubia mosque, whose 77-metre minaret was the model for the Giralda in Seville, the Bahia palace with its courtyards, painted ceilings and orange garden, and the Saadian tombs, rediscovered only in 1917 and decorated with Carrara marble and the finest plasterwork.

After a free lunch break we head into the souks of the medina, organised by trade: babouche slippers, brass lanterns, Berber rugs, spices and thuya wood. The guide helps you find your bearings among the lanes and explains how bargaining works, with no rush and no obligation to buy. If you prefer greenery, you can stop at the Majorelle garden or the Secret Garden, with a separate ticket.

The day ends in Jemaa el-Fna square, among storytellers, orange juice stalls and open-air kitchens that come to life at sunset. Second night in Marrakech.

Day 7

Marrakech > departure or Casablanca airport:

After breakfast the group tour comes to an end. Depending on your flight time we drive you to Marrakech Menara airport, about fifteen minutes from the centre, or to the railway station if you are carrying on north. For travellers who booked their return flight from Casablanca, the transfer to Mohammed V airport is included and takes about three hours on the motorway.

If your flight leaves in the afternoon or the evening you still have the morning free: you can go back to the souks for last purchases, visit the Ben Youssef madrasa or simply have breakfast on the riad terrace looking at the still snow-capped Atlas. If you would like to extend your trip, you can add extra nights in Marrakech, an excursion to the Ouzoud waterfalls or a few days in Essaouira on the Atlantic, and we are happy to arrange them before you leave. That brings your 7-day group tour from Fes to Marrakech to a close.