Seven days from Fes that pair the history of the imperial cities with the wild landscapes of the south — cedar forests, desert dunes and mountain passes.
Tour highlights
- Fes medina and Meknes
- Volubilis Roman ruins
- The cedar forests of the Middle Atlas
- Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi dunes
- Dades and Todra gorges
Itinerary
Day 1 — Arrival in Fes
We meet you on arrival in Fes and take you to a riad in the heart of the medina. The rest of the day is yours to settle in and find your feet in the old city.
Day 2 — Fes
A full day in Morocco's spiritual capital with a local guide: the medieval medina and its souks, the tanneries, the gate of the Royal Palace, the Mellah, the blue gate of Bab Boujloud and one of the old Quranic schools. There is time in the afternoon to wander on your own.
Day 3 — Volubilis and Meknes
We drive out to the holy town of Moulay Idriss and the Roman ruins of Volubilis, the best preserved in Morocco, with their mosaics still in place. In the afternoon we stop in Meknes — the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, the huge Bab Mansour gate and the walls of the imperial city — before returning to Fes.
Day 4 — Fes to the Sahara
Today we cross the Middle Atlas, with its cedar woods, and stop in a Berber village along the way. The road drops into the Ziz Valley and follows it south to Erg Chebbi, where we ride camels over the dunes to a camp and spend the night in a Berber tent.
Day 5 — The dunes to Ouarzazate
We climb the dunes for sunrise, then travel west through Erfoud to the Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley, with its kasbahs and the Valley of the Roses, reaching Ouarzazate for the night.
Day 6 — Ouarzazate to Marrakech
We visit the Atlas Studios and the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, then cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass and come down to Marrakech.
Day 7 — Marrakech
A guided walk through Marrakech: the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, the Koutoubia mosque seen from its gardens, and the souks around the Djemaa el-Fna.
