Day 1: Tangiers – Tetouan – Chefchaeoun

Departure from Tangiers to head east towards the Hispano-Moorish medina of Tetouan. Here, in the Ensanche area, you stop for lunch and a chance to see the striking Andalucian architecture and white buildings, which have been restored to their former glory. At the edge of the medina and the new town, there is the small Tetouan with ancient artefacts from the Phoenician and Roman settlements of Tamuda and Volubilis. After a brief stop in Tetouan the journey continues across verdant landscape of the Rif Mountains, heading due south to reach the picturesque ‘blue’ medina of Chefchaouen. This evening you are free to explore the small medina and choose your own restaurant serving local Rif specialities including locally produced goats’ cheese.

Day 2: Chefchaouen – Old Roman City Volubilis – Meknes – Fes

After a tasty breakfast in the riad, our 8 Days Desert Trip From Tangier to Marrakech starts towards Volubilis crossing via Ouazan and other Rif villages. In Volubilis, we will discover the Roman ruins and learn about Moroccan history. Then we will drive to Meknes city (the 17th-century heritage) where we will stop for lunch and we will discover the historical walls of the medina, bab el Mansour and we will enjoy a visit to Moulay Ismail shrine. Later in the afternoon, we head to Fes city where we will spend the night.

Day 3: Fes sightseeing tour with a local guide

Full day private guided walking tour of Fes old medina – Fes El Bali with an English-speaking city guide. The guide will walk you through the maze of souks and sights visiting some of the highlights including the famous Fes pottery souks, the musical instrument makers, metalworkers, carpet souks and the Chaouwara tanneries. There are over 9,000 cobbled medieval streets weaving their way through markets, mosques, Koranic schools, riads and hidden fountains. Worth visiting are the Moulay Idriss Zaouia or shrine, Bab Bou Jeloud ornamental gate, Al-Kairaouine Mosque and University – the oldest university in the world, Al-Attarine Madrasa, Nejjarine fountain, King’s Palace, the Dar Batha Museum, Nejjarine Museum of Arts & Crafts and the Jewish quarter or mellah. Then we drive to an ancient fortress, for panoramic views of the medina then return to your Riad dinner in overnight.

Day 4: Fes – Ifrane – Cedars forest- Midelt – Ziz valley – Merzouga Sahara

Departure from Fes at 8 o’clock, travelling past Ifrane, where the houses have sloping roofs, remarkable and unusual in Morocco. This is to cope with the yearly snowfall.  Near Azrou, with the geomorphologic Berber name, which means “stone” or “rock”, you can see Barbary apes in the oak and cedar forests of the Middle Atlas. From here we drive along the N13 south over the Middle Atlas, passing through Timahdite, you reach Midelt, which is called “the apple capital” of Morocco and lies at the foot of the Ayachi Mountain.This is where we will stop for lunch. You continue south travelling over the Tizi-n-Talghemt pass known as the “she-camel” pass.  We descend through the Ziz Valley, which is particularly well known for its palm trees and the length of the oasis. All along the road, there are innumerable “ksars”, small villages of individual houses. From here, you reach the mining town of Er Rachidia and then Erfoud, famous for its date festival and fossils. It is fascinating to see how these millions of fossils; you continue finally the famous red Erg Chebbi dunes in Merzouga. You take a camel ride to the camp, Dinner awaits at your luxury camp.

Day 5: Merzouga – Erfoud – Tinghir – Todra gorges – Dades valley – Dades Gorges

If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise, when the color of the dunes and the play of shadows are an awesome sight.  After breakfast at the camp, we leave for Tinghir and the Toudgha gorges. On the way, you pass the water channels – “khettarat” – that you can descend into to appreciate the architecture and genius behind this form of irrigation which prevents evaporation in the summer heat. The channels start at a higher gradient at one end until they finally emerge at the surface of the soil where they are fed into the fields, in the gorge and the valley, there are opportunities to walk beyond the gorge itself or by the village gardens and fields before you reach it. Later the itinerary continues to the Dades Valley. The area, which now forms the Dades Gorges, lay at the bottom of the sea millions of years ago. Great quantities of sediment were deposited around giant coral reefs, and over time, this material became compacted into a variety of sedimentary rocks such as sandstone and limestone. Eventually, the movement of the earth’s crust caused the region to rise above the sea, forming the Atlas Mountains and surrounding landscape. The night is spent in a hotel or kasbah.

Day 6:  Dades Gorges – Roses valley – Ait Ben Haddou – Hight Atlas – Marrakech

After breakfast, the trip continues through the Valley of the Roses, famous for its Rose Festival in May, and past the kasbahs of Skoura, and where you can visit the small, interesting and intact Kasbah Amredhil, which used to be featured on the 50-dirham banknote. From there you pass Ouarzazate, you will continuing to Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, a World Heritage site and the backdrop for many Hollywood blockbusters. It is the most famous Kasbah in Morocco. From there the road continues to Telouet, along the newly asphalted road. Telouet is set right in the midst of the mountains and was once the seat of the last Pasha of Marrakech, El Glaoui, from where the highest pass in Africa, Tizi-n-Tichka was controlled. At the end of the afternoon, we arrive in Marrakech, Dinner awaits at your hotel/riad.

Day 7: Marrakech Sightseeing guided Tour with local guide

Full day morning tour with city guide of Marrakech– also known as the ‘red city’ for its famous pink-hued ramparts. Our English-speaking city guide will meet you at your hotel in the morning and take you through the souks of the medieval medina, introducing you to artisans, bakers, carpenters, spice merchants, apothecaries and including visiting the landmark monuments of Ben Youssef Madersa, the Bahia Palace and the Koutoubia Mosque. Your tour ends at the famous Place Jemaa el Fna square where you can enjoy lunch from a roof terrace overlooking the bizarre activities of the acrobats, storytellers, musicians and snake charmers. we take you to the new town are of Gueliz to visit the exquisite Majorelle Gardens, owned by Yves St. Laurent and originally private home of the painter Jacques Majorelle. We suggest you return to the square for an evening to Place Jemaa el Fna the experience of the Place Jemaa el Fna at night is an intoxicating one – with smoke swirling up from the grills, the pounding rhythms of the street musicians. Dinner awaits at your hotel/riad.

Day 8: Marrakech – Airport

After breakfast, we transfer you from the hotel to the airport, end of the 8 days tour from Tangier to Marrakech.