7 Days Tour from Fes to Marrakech

Day 1: Airport – Fez

The first day this week in Morocco aims to make contact with the country and settle in the city of Fes, the starting point of the circuit. To do this, a English-speaking driver from our agency will pick you up at the airport upon arrival. And aboard a comfortable vehicle, it will take you to the riad located in the historic center.

Depending on the flight arrival time, you will have free time for a first walk around the city, waiting to take the guided tour scheduled for the next day. After this and the corresponding check-in, you will rest in the aforementioned riad in the Medina.

Day 2: Visit Fes with a Local Guide

After having rested from the trip and having had breakfast in the riad in the Fes Medina, it is time to begin exploring this fascinating city, one of the great attractions on this 7 days tour from Fes . It will be with the accompaniment of our official guide, in English, with whom you will meet at the hotel or at the agreed place.

The guided tour, which will take place in the morning, will take you through the main monuments of the city and the most emblematic places of the medina, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Some of those places can be the Karaouine mosque and the university it houses (one of the oldest in the world), the madrassas of Bou Inania and Attarin, the most popular squares such as Nejjarine, the souks and the most authentic artisan neighborhoods such as that of the tanners… and a long etcetera.

The Fes Medina is one of the largest in North Africa, so some attractions may be left out of the morning itinerary. Therefore, the free afternoon on this day can be a good complement to continue discovering the city: the Mellah (Jewish quarter), the Royal Palace with its spectacular Golden Doors or museums such as the Borj Nord are some interesting proposals for this moment. Or, the popular shops and establishments in the center, since the crafts of this city are one of the most prestigious in the entire country.

The options are numerous and will result in an intense day, with a well-deserved rest at night in the riad in the Medina.

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

On the third day of this 7 days tour from Fes, we hit the road to start a road trip to remember. We will do it after having breakfast at the riad in Fes and we will head towards the far south, which we will arrive on this same day. On our way south we will come across the Medio Altas mountains and we will discover that truly surprising towns and natural spaces emerge on their northern slopes.

The first of these stops will be Ifrane, at about 1,700 meters above sea level, a place without parallel in the country thanks to its peculiar constructions: the majority are buildings with gabled roofs in response to the abundant rains and snowfalls that occur here in winter. . And that has earned it the nickname ‘Moroccan Switzerland’.

Nearby is the next attraction of the day: the Ifrane National Park, also called Monkey Forest or Cedars National Park. It is one of the natural spaces with the greatest environmental value, not only because of the large mass of this type of conifers, but also because these trees are the perfect habitat for the Barbary macaque. These monkeys, the only ones that live wild north of the Sahara, have a large population here, which makes them the main stronghold of this endangered species.

After surrounding ourselves with cedars and monkeys, we will definitively cross the Middle Atlas and enter the Ziz Valley, whose landscape is now very different: more arid, with some riverside palm groves but dominated by stony hamadas as we move away from the humble course. of river water. This valley will guide us precisely towards the deepest part of the desert.

Erfoud, famous for its highly valuable fossils, will be the prelude to what comes next: Merzouga and its desert. In this small town we will park our vehicle and board camels for an excursion through the Erg Chebbi dunes, formations of fine, golden sand that hypnotize with their magic.

Precisely in the heart of Erg Chebbi is the tent camp where we will spend the night. Before, we will be welcomed with a Berber tea and we will have dinner in a special atmosphere: the one that is formed under the sky full of stars and the absolute silence of one of the most remote places on the planet.

Day 4: Merzouga Desert – Rissani – Todra Gorges – Dades Valley

We will begin this fourth day with one of the most beautiful experiences of our week-long stay in Morocco : the sunrise in the dunes of Erg Chebbi. The dawn lights, which here take on especially pure tones, will make it worth waking up very early. After contemplation, we will have breakfast at the tent camp and take the return excursion on camels to Merzouga. There will also be time for a shower, at the camp or at a hotel in Merzouga as contracted in the package.

In Merzouga we will return to our vehicle and return to the asphalt to continue with the route. The first stop will be Rissani, with a beautiful medina and scenes that seem to take us to another era, such as its traditional market and its donkey parking lot.

From here we will continue by road while, on the other side of the glass, landscapes full of contrasts follow one another: rocky elevations, palm groves, small Berber villages… All of this is brought together by Tinghir (or Tinerhir), a town that in the Tamazight language means “the city of the mountain” and maintains its picturesque atmosphere intact.

And shortly after leaving this beautiful town behind, we will enter one of the most unique landscapes of this one-week route in Morocco : the Todra Gorges. It is a rocky canyon carved over thousands of years by this humble river, whose watercourse has created a gorge through which you can walk today. Its views are also breathtaking from the road, which here twists in an implausible way.

After that, we enter the Dades Valley and, in the heart of this great natural area, we will arrive at the town where our riad will be located, full of charm: dinner will be served there and we will spend the night.

Day 5: Dades Valley – Rose Valley – Ouarzazate – Ait Benhaddou – Tizi n’Tichka – Marrakech

In our riad in the Dades Valley you will have breakfast and, immediately afterwards, we will continue the tour of this one-week circuit in Morocco . In the morning of this fourth day we will continue through the Dades Valley and cross the Valley of the Roses, which receives this name due to the economic importance of the cultivation of this flower. Both valleys are part of the so-called Route of a Thousand Kasbahs, named after the numerous Berber fortresses that line the road.

And precisely in several of them we will stop during the morning. Firstly, in the Taourirt kasbah, located in the city of Ouarzazate. Its historical importance lies in the fact that it was the residence of the Pasha of Morocco and Sultan of Atlas. Externally, it preserves a good part of its original adobe structure, while the interior still hides rooms with its old original decoration in ceramics, wood and plasterwork, full of exoticism.

The second fortress of this day is even larger and more spectacular: the ksar of Ait Benhaddou, a fortified town with large towers that extends over an entire hill, giving a most picturesque scene. As the best example of Berber defensive architecture, it earned recognition as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. And due to its spectacular nature, it has convinced major film production companies to film scenes from series and movies here, from Game of Thrones to Lawrence of Arabia , including The Sheltering Sky and Babel .

After visiting both fortresses, we will head to Alto Altas, whose mountains already appear closer on the horizon. We will cross them through the Tizi n’Tichka pass, at more than 2,200 meters above sea level, a circumstance that has an advantage for our route: it offers us unparalleled panoramic views this week in Morocco: a large mountain range, with snow-capped peaks for a good part of the year and with slopes dotted with humble and authentic towns.

From here, the road will take us for about 100 km in continuous descent to Marrakech, the last great attraction of this week-long circuit through Morocco . But that doesn’t make it the least interesting. In fact, we will dedicate a full day to this city the next day, so the afternoon of this day will be free to make contact with it and take a first walk. And at night, you will sleep in a riad in the medina.

Day 6: Visit Marrakech with a Local Guide

Marrakech is one of the most lively cities in the entire country and its historic center was declared World Heritage by UNESCO, thanks to its beauty and monumentality. Therefore, in a circuit like this, a week in Morocco , it is necessary to dedicate a full day to its discovery. That will happen on this sixth day, with the help of one of our official guides in Spanish, whom you will meet after having breakfast at the riad.

Together you will visit the places of greatest interest in the medina, a list that may be made up of such iconic monuments as the Kutubia mosque (exterior), the Ben Youssef madrasa, the Saadian Tombs or the Bahia Palace. Of course, you will discover squares, neighborhoods and corners of great popular charm, such as its souks and its Jemaa el-Fna Square, itself declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity thanks to its characteristic atmosphere.

The afternoon will be free and you can consider it a good time to access the main museums, such as the Marrakech Museum, the Yves Sain Laurent Museum or the Orientalist Museum, among other examples. Another option is to visit its parks and gardens, among which the colorful Majorelle Garden stands out. Shopping lovers can take their own route through the craft stalls in the medina or go to the renowned stores located in the Gueliz neighborhood. Gastronomy, shows or leisure activities are other proposals to complete the day at your leisure.

Whatever the plan chosen for the afternoon, you will enjoy a well-deserved rest at night in the central riad.

Day 7: Transfer to Marrakech Airport

On the last day of your week-long stay in Morocco , there may still be some free time left for some final shopping or visits. Everything will depend on the time scheduled for returning home. In any case, breakfast is included in the riad in the medina, as well as the airport transfer service: at the agreed time, our driver will pick you up at the hotel in a private vehicle to arrive safely at the terminal.

And there we will say goodbye with the hope of having satisfied expectations and with the hope of seeing each other again on a new circuit through Morocco.