9 days and 8 nights · Marrakech to Tangier
Highlights of Morocco: 9 Day Private Tour
From US$1,610 per person
Overview · Route map · At a glance · Day by day · What’s included · Prices
Overview
About this 9 day journey
Nine days, one long, satisfying line across the country. This itinerary starts in Marrakech, crosses the High Atlas to the kasbahs of the south, spends a night in the Sahara, and travels north through the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas to Fez, the Roman ruins of Volubilis, Chefchaouen, and Tangier.
Because the route runs from one end of Morocco to the other without doubling back, every day brings a new landscape, from the red rooftops of the south to the blue lanes of the Rif Mountains and the white terraces of Tangier overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar.
Highlights
Marrakech in three nights
Saadian Tombs, Dar Si Said Museum, Menara Gardens, Koutoubia, Bahia Palace, and Jemaa el Fna after dark.
A family cooperative in Tinghir
A visit to one of the best family cooperatives in southern Morocco, before the gorge.
Palais Nejjarine lunch
A full day in Fez with lunch in a beautiful Arab palace, and visits to the madrasas, mausoleum, souks, and tanneries.
The private gardens of Marrakech
The gardens of Yves Saint Laurent and a private Islamic Art Museum, then a drive around the ramparts.
Fossils and dunes
A fossil craft workshop in Erfoud, then a camel ride to a true nomad bivouac in the dunes of Merzouga.
Meknes, Volubilis, and Chefchaouen
Three highlights in one day, before the final night in Tangier.
Route map
Where this journey takes you
Duration9 days and 8 nights, fully private
Start and EndMarrakech airport on Day 1, and Tangier airport or port on Day 9
StyleBoutique riads, a kasbah hotel in the Dades Valley, and a nomad bivouac camp in the dunes
NightsMarrakech 3, Dades Valley 1, Sahara camp 1, Fez 2, Tangier 1
Travel PaceActive. Several long driving days, with generous stops
Route
Marrakech · Ait Benhaddou · Ouarzazate · Skoura · Kelaat M’Gouna · Dades Valley · Todra Gorge · Erfoud · Merzouga · Midelt · Azrou · Fez · Meknes · Volubilis · Chefchaouen · Tangier
Itinerary at a glance
Your trip in brief
| Day | Where you go | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival in Marrakech | Luxury riad in Marrakech |
| Day 2 | Marrakech Sightseeing | Luxury riad in Marrakech |
| Day 3 | The Gardens of Marrakech | Luxury riad in Marrakech |
| Day 4 | Over the Atlas to the Dades Valley | Kasbah hotel in the Dades Valley |
| Day 5 | Todra Gorge and the Sahara | Desert camp in Merzouga |
| Day 6 | From the Desert to Fez | Riad in Fez |
| Day 7 | Fez Medina | Riad in Fez |
| Day 8 | Meknes, Volubilis, Chefchaouen, and Tangier | Riad in Tangier |
| Day 9 | Departure | Departure |
Full itinerary
Day by day
Day 1
Arrival in Marrakech
Marrakech
You are met at Marrakech airport. In the early evening, we visit the famous Jemaa el Fna, where you enjoy an overview of the activities that take place every night, as they have for many decades: food stalls, storytelling, musicians, henna ladies, dancers, and many others.
Overnight: Luxury riad in Marrakech
Day 2
Marrakech Sightseeing
Marrakech
A sightseeing tour of Marrakech, nicknamed the Pearl of the South, features the sixteenth century Saadian Tombs, the Dar Si Said Museum of Moroccan Arts, the fragrant Menara Gardens, the Koutoubia minaret, and the magnificent Bahia Palace with its extraordinary tiles, opulent courtyards, and fountains.
After lunch on your own, you visit Jemaa el Fna, where fortune tellers, acrobats, vendors, and magicians put on a never ending show. In the evening, an optional dinner show is available before you return to your riad.
Overnight: Luxury riad in Marrakech
Day 3
The Gardens of Marrakech
Marrakech
You visit the private gardens of Yves Saint Laurent and a private Islamic Art Museum, then drive along the ramparts that divide the oldest and newest parts of the city. The afternoon is free, with dinner suggested at a renowned local restaurant.
Overnight: Luxury riad in Marrakech
Day 4
Over the Atlas to the Dades Valley
Marrakech to Ait Benhaddou to Ouarzazate to Skoura to Dades Valley
After an early breakfast, you depart through the Atlas range and over the Tizi n’Tichka pass. It is a very scenic drive, before you reach Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and continue to Ouarzazate for an orientation visit.
After lunch you leave for Skoura, to visit the Amridil Kasbah, one of the wonders of the southern Route of the Thousand Kasbahs, then continue through the Valley of the Roses, with a stop in Kelaat M’Gouna. You reach Boumalne Dades for your overnight at a kasbah hotel.
Overnight: Kasbah hotel in the Dades Valley
Day 5
Todra Gorge and the Sahara
Dades Valley to Tinghir to Todra Gorge to Erfoud to Merzouga
After a scenic drive along the Dades valley and river, you continue to Tinghir, where you visit one of the best family cooperatives in southern Morocco, and, twenty kilometres further, the fabulous canyons of the Todra Gorge. There is free time to walk, enjoy the river, and take in the views, followed by lunch at a local restaurant.
After midday you drive through Tinejdad and the palm plantations of Touroug to Erfoud, with a visit to a fossil craft workshop. Then you reach the dunes of Erg Chebbi in Merzouga. You switch from your vehicle to camels for a ride at sunset and sleep in a true nomad bivouac, in Berber tents in the middle of the dunes, with dinner at the camp.
Overnight: Desert camp in Merzouga
Day 6
From the Desert to Fez
Merzouga to Midelt to Azrou to Fez
You travel from the desert across the eastern High Atlas to Midelt for lunch, then through the Middle Atlas to see the Barbary apes in the cedar forest near Azrou. You reach Fez in the evening.
Overnight: Riad in Fez
Day 7
Fez Medina
Fez
The entire day is devoted to Fez, the spiritual capital of Morocco. Step back six centuries into the medieval medina, with narrow cobbled streets, ancient mosques, towering green glazed minarets, and crumbling fondouks. Narrow openings lead into private worlds of courtyards with carved cedar, brilliant mosaic tiles, and stucco ornaments.
Lunch is at Palais Nejjarine, a beautiful Arab palace. After lunch you visit the Attarine and Abou Inania madrasas, the Nejjarine fountain, the Moulay Idriss mausoleum, and the Karaouine mosque, and in the afternoon the countless souks, the famous tanneries, and Fes Jdid.
Overnight: Riad in Fez
Day 8
Meknes, Volubilis, Chefchaouen, and Tangier
Fez to Meknes to Moulay Idriss to Volubilis to Chefchaouen to Tangier
You leave for the imperial city of Meknes, known as the Moroccan Versailles, with its monumental gates and city walls, founded at the end of the seventeenth century by Sultan Moulay Ismail. Then you visit the holy town of Moulay Idriss and the Roman ruins of Volubilis.
You reach Chefchaouen in the late afternoon for a sightseeing walk through the blue mountain town, and continue to Tangier for the night.
Overnight: Riad in Tangier
Day 9
Departure
Tangier
After breakfast, your driver takes you to the airport or the port for your trip home.
What’s included
Inclusions and exclusions
Included
- Private, air conditioned vehicle (4×4 or comfortable minivan) with a professional English speaking driver guide throughout
- 8 nights in handpicked riads and hotels with en suite bathrooms, including a luxury desert camp with a private tent and proper bedding
- Daily breakfast, a palace lunch in Fez, and dinner at the desert camp
- Licensed local city guides where a guided visit is described
- All entrance fees to the monuments and sites mentioned in the itinerary
- Camel trek in the Erg Chebbi dunes (one camel per person)
- All fuel, tolls, parking fees, and applicable taxes
- Bottled water in the vehicle, and 24 hour support during your trip
Not included
- International airfare
- Travel insurance (highly recommended)
- Lunches and dinners not listed in the itinerary
- Drinks and personal expenses
- Gratuities for guides and drivers, at your discretion
- Optional activities not listed in the itinerary
Prices
Highlights of Morocco prices
Every tour is private, so the price per person depends on how many of you travel together and the accommodation level you choose: Affordable Comfort (3 star hotels and riads), Classic Comfort (4 star riads), Affordable Luxury (4 and 5 star riads) or Deluxe Luxury (5 star riads). Prices are per person for the whole 9 day tour, based on two people sharing a room.
| Group size | Affordable Comfort | Classic Comfort | Affordable Luxury | Deluxe Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 traveler (own room) | US$6,210 | US$6,850 | US$7,650 | US$9,250 |
| 2 travelers | US$3,260 | US$3,580 | US$3,980 | US$4,780 |
| 3 travelers | US$2,430 | US$2,750 | US$3,150 | US$3,950 |
| 4 travelers | US$2,020 | US$2,340 | US$2,740 | US$3,540 |
| 5 travelers | US$1,770 | US$2,090 | US$2,490 | US$3,290 |
| 6 travelers | US$1,610 | US$1,930 | US$2,330 | US$3,130 |
| Single room supplement, whole tour | Affordable Comfort | Classic Comfort | Affordable Luxury | Deluxe Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per single room | US$480 | US$800 | US$1,200 | US$2,000 |
Included: 8 nights with breakfast, your private vehicle with fuel, tolls and parking, your licensed guide for every day of the tour, entrance fees to the sites on the itinerary, 2 dinners in the places where you stay outside the cities. For groups larger than 6 travelers, ask me for the exact price. A 10% supplement applies to dates between 20 December and 5 January. How my prices work.
Good to know
Before you book
Customization
This itinerary is private and flexible. If you wish to add a night, skip a stop, or change the pace, I will shape the journey around you.
Pickup and drop off
Pickup on Day 1 is from Marrakech airport. Drop off on Day 9 is at Tangier airport or port.
Booking and cancellation
A 50% deposit confirms your booking and the balance is due 60 days before the tour starts. Cancellation refunds are 100% for 30 or more days before departure, 50% for 15 to 29 days, 25% for 7 to 14 days, and none under 7 days.
What travelers say
Rated 4.9 on TripAdvisor
Guest reviews written since 2012. Read the reviews on TripAdvisor.
“Rather than the tourist lunch places we went full local, a huge highlight for us.”
kelly_b, Viator, 2023
“Hassan Bouaouina is not just a tour guide; he is a storyteller, an ambassador of Moroccan culture, and a true friend”
Rachel, tourHQ, 2023
“The ONLY way to see Morocco is with Hassan Bouaouina.”
Young766, TripAdvisor, 2012
Before you go
Read before you travel
- Fez to Merzouga: 2 or 3 Days, the Route, and Merzouga or Zagora
- Fez to Chefchaouen: Day Trip or Overnight?
- Do You Need a Guide in the Fez Medina?
For visas, money, transport and seasons, see the full Morocco Travel Guide or browse the travel blog.
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