10 Days Tour from Fes to Marrakech

Day 1: Welcome in Fes

The first day of this 10 days tour from Fes will serve to arrive in Fes and get in touch with the city and the country. Our Spanish-speaking driver will pick you up at the city airport to transfer you to your central accommodation, which will be a riad in the medina. From then until the moment of your night rest, you will enjoy the free time that the flight arrival time allows.

Day 2: Visit Fes with a Local Guide

Fes is one of the Imperial Cities of Morocco for having been the capital of the kingdom in the past. Its historic medina was declared World Heritage by UNESCO. And it also remains a cultural and religious reference for the entire country and even outside its borders. For all these reasons, it will be worth dedicating a full day to your visit, which you will begin after having breakfast at the riad and meeting our official local guide.

The walking route will make you discover the most beautiful and prominent places in the historic center. And there are many stops that can be included in this guided itinerary: from the Karaouine mosque and its university (one of the oldest in the world) to the madrassas of Bou Inania and Cherratine, passing by the Mausoleum of Moulay Idrís. The tanners’ quarter, where leather is still worked in the traditional way, can be another place to discover during the visit, as well as the Mellah (Jewish quarter) or the Royal Palace, where you can admire the spectacular Golden Gates and its environment.

The afternoon of this day will be free and, therefore, it will be one of the best times to make purchases in the entire circuit, since the craftsmanship of this city reaches a quality unmatched in the rest of Morocco. Wooden furniture, ceramic items, leather accessories or traditional jewelry are some of the options to choose from. Another option is to visit one of the city’s history and culture museums, such as Dar Batha or Borj Nord. And of course, tasting the local cuisine is presented as an interesting proposal here and at any other time of this 10-day Morocco tour .

At night, you will repeat your accommodation in the charming riad in the heart of the Medina, which will make all the previous options more accessible.

Day 3: Fes – Ifrane – Azrou – Ziz Valley – Merzouga Desert

In this 10 days tour from Fes , the third day is the real kick-off to the road route. After having breakfast at the riad in Fes, our driver will pick you up to head to the far south, where the charms of the Sahara Desert await us.

But we will not be in a hurry to get there, because along the way there will be beautiful places that are also worth visiting. The first of them, Ifrane, or as it is known here: the Switzerland of Africa. You will soon discover why it receives this nickname: the gable roofs of its buildings are proof that in this town, at more than 1,700 meters above sea level, snowfall and rain are very common in the cold season.

The next place on the route also benefits from this humid climate: the National Park located between Azrou and Ifrane, also known as Monkey Forest for its illustrious inhabitants. We are talking about the Barbary macaques, an endangered species that has found the perfect habitat for its life in the cedars of this forest. And we will have time to see some of them along the way, since it is a very sociable primate.

Shortly after, we will cross to the other side of the Middle Atlas, fully entering the Ziz Valley, which makes its way through the arid terrain of the area and offers ideal conditions for the emergence of palm groves. This is the case of the Tafilalet Palmeral, which we will have the opportunity to see.

In the last section of this day we will reach the town of Merzouga, which gives its name to one of the most beautiful areas of the Moroccan Sahara. Here the Erg Chebbi dunes begin, in whose vicinity is the hostel where we will spend the night, where dinner is also included.

Day 4: Merzouga Desert – Tissardmine Oasis – Saf Saf Oasis – Erg Chebbi

After having breakfast at the accommodation in the Merzouga desert, we face a day dedicated to exploring this unique ecosystem, where local traditions of enormous interest also come together.

The first experience that awaits us on this day is a visit to the town of Khamlia, which is called ‘black town’ because its inhabitants have this skin color. The reason is that their ancestors were slaves who came from the other side of the Sahara and brought with them a very precious asset: their love for Gnawa music. Currently, this folkloric genre has been declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, which indicates its originality. And so we can see it in the musical performance that we will attend.

The Mifiss mines are another surprising place in this hidden corner of the Merzouga desert. Although abandoned, they are a good example of the great demand that khol had in the global cosmetic industry. Those who have maintained their presence in this part of the desert are the nomadic Berber tribes that we will meet in the Tissardmine oasis: they are in the process of becoming sedentary, but they still preserve a good part of their ancestral traditions, as they will teach us.

In the afternoon, we will return to our lodge to change the 4×4 for another, much more traditional means of transportation: camels. On the back of these noble animals we will travel through the dunes of fine sand to contemplate one of the greatest spectacles of this 10-day tour of Morocco: the sunset over this sea of ​​fine sand, where the last rays of the sun form lights of unusually warm tones. .

After enjoying it, we will go to another of the oases of the Merzouga desert, the Saf Saf, where the Berber tent camp is located where you will spend the night and have dinner. And surely before or after that, you will find the moment to contemplate the dazzling starry sky that can only be enjoyed in a place like this.

Day 5: Merzouga Desert – Rissani – Ouzina Desert

The fifth day of this 10-day of Morocco from Fes will allow us to discover other areas of interest that the Sahara houses. To do this, after having breakfast at the tent camp we will move to Rissani, a small but surprising city. It is considered the first imperial city in the country for being the cradle of the Alawite dynasty. Its beautiful medina is in tune with its long history and in it we will discover corners full of authenticity, such as its traditional souk under red arches, its ksours or its donkey parking lot.

After visiting Rissani we will continue our route, but not on asphalt, but on dirt tracks used long ago during the Paris-Dakar rally. This tour will make us feel the adrenaline of that mythical motor test but will also make us discover the natural beauty of the hamadas and the arid elevations through which we will circulate.

This 4×4 route will conclude in the palm trees of the town of Ouzina, in the desert of the same name. There a local family will be waiting for us with a Berber tea, as tradition dictates, demonstrating the hospitality of its people who still maintain their residence in this town as small as it is far from civilization. Also in Ouzina is the hotel where we will have dinner and spend the night, with all the comforts.

Day 6: Ouzina Desert – Ramlia Oasis – El Mharech Pass – Todra Gorges

On this sixth day, our 4×4 will once again be our best ally to discover surprising places in the Moroccan desert, in this case through the Ouzina desert and beyond. It will be the last day that this 10 days tour from Fes dedicates entirely to the deepest desert. As usual, you will have breakfast at your accommodation the night before and we will head to a reg in the area, that is, a desert of stones that give this area an unusual lunar appearance.

Our route will continue through Berber villages where their inhabitants still live in authentic nomad tents. We will also pass through the Ramlia Oasis, which is a sudden and almost unexpected burst of humidity and greenery in the middle of the desert. The same cannot be said for Maider Lake, a huge dry lake that nevertheless allows us to imagine what the Sahara was like before it dried up thousands of years ago.

Guided by the guidance of our driver, we will continue through the El Mharech pass, which can be considered a shortcut to Mcissi, where we will return to the asphalt of the road. In it, we will pass through Tizi n’Tifrkhin and, further on, we will reach the Todra Gorges. This is a spectacular rocky canyon carved by the erosion of the river of the same name, in which it is worth stopping, both on foot and from the road, as it twists here in an almost implausible way.

The visit to the Todra Gorges will be the last experience of the day, since in a riad in the area we will have dinner and spend the night.

Day 7: Todra Gorges – Dades Valley – Rose Valley – Ouarzazate

After breakfast at the Todra Gorges riad, we will enter several valleys of singular beauty in this southern region. The first is the Dades Valley, which is part of what is called the Route of a Thousand Kasbahs, since numerous Berber defensive fortresses follow one another along this road.

There are many examples of this, such as Ait Youl, which attracts attention for the symmetry of its volumes and the good conservation of the complex, surrounded by vegetation and arid hills. From here there is a track that will take us directly to the Valley of the Roses, so called because this flower represents the raw material that drives the economy of the area. This can be seen in Kelaa M’Gouna, which also organizes its own rose festival in the month of May.

Palm groves are also abundant on this section of the route, as demonstrated by Skoura, which we will cross with our vehicle on our way to the goal of this seventh day: Ouarzazate. Here is our accommodation, integrated into a kasbah, where you will have dinner and sleep at night.

Day 8: Ouarzazate – Ait Benhaddou – Kasbah of Telouet – Marrakech

Of all the days that make up this tour of Morocco in 10 days , the eighth is the one that concentrates the greatest number of visitable fortresses. After breakfast at the hotel we will go to the Kasbah of Taourirt, without leaving Ouarzazate. It is the former residence of the Pasha of Marrakech and Lord of Atlas, and preserves much of its original decoration inside. If there is time, it is possible to visit the famous film studios of this city, nicknamed the ‘Hollywood of Morocco’ precisely for this reason.

From there we will go directly to the ksar of Ait Benhaddou, a fortified town that Game of Thrones fans will recognize for having served as the setting for some episodes of the third season. In addition, it was declared a World Heritage Site thanks to its spectacular nature and history, as it was a key stop on the caravan routes that connected Marrakech and Timbuktu.

Precisely that caravan route crossed the High Atlas as we will do, through the port of Tizi n’Tichka, at about 2,260 meters above sea level. On the way up, we will see the Kasbah of Telouet, another of the residential fortresses of the Pasha of Marrakech. And on the way down, we will pass through numerous Berber villages in the area, in addition to enjoying wonderful panoramic views of the surroundings.

In this section there will be time to visit an argan oil cooperative, a very ancient tradition that also received recognition as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In it they will explain to us how this precious oil in cosmetics is produced in the classic way.

In the afternoon we will arrive in Marrakech, the last destination of this Morocco tour in 10 days . We will get to know her in depth, although it will be the next day. For the moment, you will enjoy free time to experience a first contact, something that you can also take advantage of to make purchases or taste some delicacies of the local gastronomy.

All of this will be very close at hand, since the riad in which you will stay will be located in the historic center or in its immediate vicinity.

Day 9: Visit Marrakech with a Local Guide 

As at the beginning of this 10 days tour from Fes , the penultimate day is dedicated entirely to an Imperial City declared World Heritage by UNESCO. We are talking about Marrakech, a great tourist destination in the country due to its numerous attractions, both monumental and popular. This is how you will discover it after breakfast and from the moment you walk with our official local guide.

With it you will take a guided tour of the historic medina, which will pass through the most emblematic places of the ‘Red City’, named after the predominant color of its monuments. For example, the Kutubia mosque, whose minaret is one of the most photographed elements in Marrakech and served as inspiration for other great monuments, such as the Giralda in Seville. But the beauty of this city is also in its interiors, such as in the Saadian Tombs, in the Ben Youssef madrasa or in the Bahia Palace.

Any tour worth its salt cannot overlook the souks and artisan quarters of the medina, nor the Jemaa el-Fna Square, whose hustle and bustle of vendors and passers-by was itself declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The afternoon can be an ideal time to walk and browse through it, or to visit the Marrakech Museum, the Majorelle Gardens, the Menara Gardens, the El Badi Palace or other cultural spaces in the center. To rest, the riad will once again be your home on this last night of the Morocco tour in 10 days.

Day 10: Transfer to Marrakech Airport

This 10 days tour from Fes comes to an end on this day, which will begin with the corresponding breakfast in the riad in the Marrakech medina. After check-out we will see if there is time available for a last walk around the city or if we will proceed to the airport transfer. Our driver will pick you up at the indicated place and time, to arrive in time for boarding. In this way our services will conclude, which we will have offered with the desire to have fulfilled the expectations placed on us… and to see each other again on a next circuit.