12 day Morocco tour from Marrakech: Sahara, imperial cities and Chefchaouen

You start and finish in Marrakech today, and the old city is the focus. Typical stops include
the Koutoubia Mosque, whose 12th-century minaret you can see from much of town, the
Bahia Palace with its painted ceilings and tiled courtyards, and the Saadian Tombs, sealed
off for centuries and rediscovered in 1917. The souks north of Jemaa el-Fna sell spices,
lamps, leather slippers and metalwork. The lanes are narrow and busy, so comfortable
shoes help. Bargaining is normal, and prices are rarely fixed. One day will not cover all of
Marrakech, so the medina gets most of your time. Overnight in Marrakech.

This is the first big driving day, about seven hours on the road plus stops, so expect an
early start. The road climbs through the High Atlas to the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260
metres (about 7,400 feet), passing Berber villages and terraced fields. Near Ouarzazate
you reach Ait Ben Haddou, a fortified village of mud-brick buildings that has appeared in
many films. Ouarzazate, a former garrison town and film-studio centre, is a good place for
a break. The last stretch follows valleys dotted with kasbahs into the Dades Valley, where
red cliffs and a hairpin road above the gorge look nothing like the Atlas. Overnight in
Dades Valley.

Today you trade red rock for sand. The first stop is Todra Gorge, where limestone cliffs
squeeze in on a shallow river and leave barely enough room for the road. Tinghir, just
below the gorge, has a long palm oasis. Past Tinghir the route crosses a wide, stony plain
dotted with ksour (fortified villages) and date palms, then reaches Merzouga after about
five hours of driving, plus stops. The dunes of Erg Chebbi come into view well before you
arrive. They rise to around 150 metres (almost 500 feet). Overnight in Merzouga.

There is no long drive today, and that is the point. The Erg Chebbi dunes change colour
through the day, from pale gold at midday to deep orange near sunset, and the desert
around them has more to see than sand. Merzouga offers camel treks, 4x4 trips, sandboarding and visits to Khamlia, a village known for its Gnawa-style music. Ask us
which of these your booking includes. By evening you move to a desert camp. Nights are
quiet, the sky is usually clear, and it gets cold after dark even in warm months. Overnight
in a Sahara desert camp.

If the sky is clear, the day starts with sunrise over the dunes. Then you head north, leaving
the sand for the Ziz Valley, a long river oasis of palm groves and mud-brick villages.
Further on, the road runs through the Ziz Gorges and climbs onto the high plateau. The
scenery keeps changing: red cliffs, dry plains, then apple orchards near Midelt, with Atlas
peaks that carry snow in winter in the distance. Plan for about five hours of driving plus
stops. Midelt sits around 1,500 metres (nearly 5,000 feet) up, so evenings are cooler than
in the desert. Overnight in Midelt.

Today the mountains turn green. From Midelt the road climbs into the Middle Atlas and
drops through pine and cedar forest nearAzrou, where you may see Barbary macaques by
the roadside. A short walk among the cedars makes a good break if time allows. Then
comes Ifrane, a hill town with steep red roofs and tidy lawns that looks more like the Alps
than North Africa. French planners built it in the 1930s. From there, Fes is about an hour
away. Allow roughly four hours of driving in total, and expect to reach Fes later in the day.
Overnight in Fes

Fes feels older and more inward-looking than Marrakech. You spend the day in Fes el-Bali,
the old medina and a UNESCO World Heritage site, where cars cannot enter and goods
still travel by handcart and donkey. The lanes are tight and easy to get lost in. Typical
sights include the Bou Inania Madrasa, with its carved cedar and tilework, and the outside
ofAl-Qarawiyyin, founded in the 9th century, whose mosque is closed to non-Muslims.
The leather tanneries dye hides in open stone vats, and the smell is strong, which is why
some visitors hold a sprig of mint. Along the way you will pass metalworkers, weavers and
potters. Overnight in Fes.

This is an easier day on the road. From Fes you drive west through farmland and olive
groves to Volubilis, a Roman city on a gentle plateau. Walk among the columns, the
triumphal arch and the mosaics, some of which still lie where Roman craftsmen laid them.
The hillside town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun sits nearby and is named after the founder of
Morocco's first Muslim dynasty. Then continue to Meknes, which was the capital under
Sultan Moulay Ismail in the late 17th century. Expect huge gates such as Bab Mansour, the
sultan's mausoleum, and a medina that feels calmer than Fes. Overnight in Meknes.

Today you head north into the Rif Mountains. The drive takes about four hours, crossing
farmland first and then steeper hills as you near Chefchaouen. The town was founded in
1471 as a small fortress, and Muslim and Jewish families who left Spain later settled here,
which helps explain its red-tiled roofs and arched doorways. The medina's walls are
washed in shades of blue, and locals give several different reasons why. Wander the small
lanes and visit Plaza Uta el-Hammam beside the kasbah. If you have the energy, walk up to
the Spanish Mosque ruin for a view of the town at sunset. Overnight in Chefchaouen.

Rabat is the capital, and it feels different from the other cities on this trip. The drive from
Chefchaouen takes about four hours, so most sightseeing happens in the afternoon. The
city sits where the Bouregreg river meets the Atlantic, and the sea air keeps it milder than
Marrakech in summer. Main stops include the Kasbah of the Udayas, a 12th-century
fortress above the river mouth with whitewashed lanes and an Andalusian garden, then
the unfinished Hassan Tower and the Mohammed V Mausoleum beside it. The streets are
wider and quieter than the medinas you have seen so far. Overnight in Rabat.

The last day is a drive of about four hours back to Marrakech, mostly on the motorway
through flat farmland and past Casablanca. The tour ends when you arrive. Arrival time
depends on when you leave Rabat, on traffic and on stops, so check with us before
booking any onward travel for the same day. If you are staying on in Marrakech, you
already know the medina from Days 1 and 2, which makes it easier to go back to the places
you liked best.