8 Days Marrakech, the North and the Desert

Pick-up around 8:00 am at your hotel or riad in Marrakech (we can also pick you up at the airport). Departure in a private air-conditioned vehicle.

Casablanca and the great Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest in the world, built over the Atlantic Ocean.

Rabat, the capital: the Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the Kasbah of the Udayas above the Atlantic.

We stop for lunch at a local restaurant on the way (lunch not included) and for photos at the viewpoints you like best.

Arrival in Rabat in the afternoon and overnight at the accommodation.

Breakfast and departure from Rabat towards Chefchaouen.

Chefchaouen, the blue town in the Rif mountains.

We stop for lunch at a local restaurant on the way (lunch not included) and for photos at the viewpoints you like best.

Arrival in Chefchaouen in the afternoon and overnight at the accommodation.

Breakfast and departure from Chefchaouen towards Fes.

Fes, the oldest imperial city and the spiritual capital of Morocco.

We stop for lunch at a local restaurant on the way (lunch not included) and for photos at the viewpoints you like best.

Arrival in Fes in the afternoon and overnight at the accommodation.

A day dedicated to Fes (you can do it with an official local guide, highly recommended in this medina). We enter the Fes el-Bali medina through the blue Bab Bou Jeloud gate and lose ourselves in its more than 9,000 alleys: the Bou Inania and Attarine madrasas, the Nejjarine fountain, the exterior of Al Qarawiyyin university (the oldest in the world) and the famous Chouara tanneries, seen from the terraces. In the afternoon we visit the golden gates of the Royal Palace and the Jewish quarter (Mellah), and climb up to Borj Sud to see the whole city at sunset.

Breakfast and departure from Fes towards Ifrane.

Ifrane, the “Switzerland of Morocco”: an alpine town with red roofs, gardens and lakes in the heart of the Middle Atlas.

Midelt, between the Middle and High Atlas, famous for its apples and minerals.

The Ziz Gorges and Valley, a canyon with a vast palm grove considered one of the most beautiful in Morocco.

We stop for lunch at a local restaurant on the way (lunch not included) and for photos at the viewpoints you like best.

In the late afternoon we arrive in Merzouga, where the camel caravan is waiting. We leave the big luggage at the guesthouse and, with a small backpack, cross the Erg Chebbi dunes by camel (approx. 1 h 30 min) as the sun sets over the Sahara. Arrival at the camp, welcome tea, Berber dinner and music around the fire under a sky full of stars.

After watching the sunrise over the dunes and having breakfast, we set off by 4x4 to explore the area around Erg Chebbi. We visit the village of Khamlia, where Gnawa musicians welcome us with their traditional music; we meet a nomad family in their tent for tea; and we stop at the seasonal lake of Dayet Srji (with flamingos in winter and spring), the old Mifis mines and a fossil site. At midday we have lunch in Rissani or Merzouga (the famous Berber pizza, “madfouna”). In the afternoon there's free time to relax or go sandboarding on the dunes, and at sunset we climb back up the dunes to watch the sun go down. Second night at the camp, with a Berber dinner and music by the fire.

We get up early to watch the sunrise from the top of the dunes. Breakfast at the camp and return by camel (or 4x4) to the guesthouse, where there are showers and we pick up the luggage. Departure towards the Todra Gorge.

Walk through the Todra Gorge, a canyon with walls up to 300 metres high and a crystal-clear river, a paradise for climbers.

The Dades Gorge and its famous mountain bends, with reddish rock formations (“the monkey fingers”) and villages perched above the river.

We stop for lunch at a local restaurant on the way (lunch not included) and for photos at the viewpoints you like best.

Arrival at the Dades Gorge in the afternoon and overnight at the accommodation.

Breakfast and departure from the Dades Gorge towards Ouarzazate.

Ouarzazate, the “gateway to the desert”: view of the Taourirt Kasbah and the Atlas film studios, where dozens of international productions have been shot.

Walking visit of the ksar of Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the setting for films such as Gladiator and series such as Game of Thrones. We climb up to the fortified granary to see the whole Ounila valley.

We cross the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m), with viewpoints over valleys, adobe Berber villages and peaks that are snow-capped in winter.

Marrakech, the red city: Jemaa el-Fna square, the Koutoubia mosque and the souks of the medina.

We stop for lunch at a local restaurant on the way (lunch not included) and for photos at the viewpoints you like best.

Arrival in Marrakech in the late afternoon and transfer to your hotel, riad or the airport. End of our services. See you soon!