12 days and 11 nights · Round trip from Marrakech
Wonders of Morocco: 12 Day Private Tour
From US$2,060 per person
Overview · Route map · At a glance · Day by day · What’s included · Prices
Overview
About this 12 day journey
This is a grand loop that finishes at the sea. It begins in Marrakech, crosses the High Atlas to the kasbahs and gorges of the south, spends a night in a nomad camp in the Sahara, and then climbs to the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas on the road to Fez. After three nights in Fez, the route turns west through Volubilis, Meknes, and Rabat before reaching the Atlantic wind city of Essaouira.
A free day in Fez can be spent in the souks, in a cooking class, or on a day trip to the villages of Sefrou and Bhalil, and two free days in Essaouira let you slow down at the end of a long, rewarding journey.
Highlights
Marrakech
The Saadian Tombs, Dar Si Said Museum, Menara Gardens, Koutoubia, Bahia Palace, and Jemaa el Fna.
A nomad bivouac
A camel ride at sunset to Berber tents in the middle of the Merzouga dunes.
Meknes and Rabat
Bab el Mansour, Dar Jamai Museum, the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum, Hassan Tower, and the Oudaya Kasbah.
Kasbahs and gorges
Ait Benhaddou, Skoura’s Amridil Kasbah, the Valley of the Roses, and the canyons of the Todra.
Three nights in Fez
A full medina day, with lunch in a palace, and a free day for souks, cooking, or Sefrou and Bhalil.
Essaouira
A Portuguese harbor, the Skala, and two free days by the sea.
Route map
Where this journey takes you
Duration12 days and 11 nights, fully private
Start and EndMarrakech airport on Day 1 and Day 12
StyleRiads and a kasbah guesthouse, with a nomad style camp in the Sahara
NightsMarrakech 2, Dades Valley 1, Sahara camp 1, Fez 3, Rabat 1, Essaouira 3
Travel PaceModerate. Some long days balanced by free days in Fez and Essaouira
Route
Marrakech · Ait Benhaddou · Ouarzazate · Skoura · Dades Valley · Todra Gorge · Erfoud · Merzouga · Midelt · Azrou · Fez · Sefrou · Bhalil · Volubilis · Moulay Idriss · Meknes · Rabat · Essaouira
Itinerary at a glance
Your trip in brief
| Day | Where you go | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival in Marrakech | Riad in Marrakech |
| Day 2 | Marrakech Sightseeing | Riad in Marrakech |
| Day 3 | Over the Atlas to the Dades Valley | Guesthouse in the Dades Valley |
| Day 4 | Todra Gorge and the Sahara | Desert camp in Merzouga |
| Day 5 | From the Desert to Fez | Riad in Fez |
| Day 6 | Fez Medina | Riad in Fez |
| Day 7 | A Free Day: Fez, or Sefrou and Bhalil | Riad in Fez |
| Day 8 | Volubilis, Meknes, and Rabat | Riad in Rabat |
| Day 9 | To the Atlantic: Essaouira | Riad in Essaouira |
| Day 10 | Free Days in Essaouira | Riad in Essaouira |
| Day 11 | Free Day in Essaouira | Riad in Essaouira |
| Day 12 | Transfer to Marrakech Airport | 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 decades: food stalls, storytelling, musicians, henna ladies, dancers, and many others.
Overnight: 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. An optional dinner show is available in the evening.
Overnight: Riad in Marrakech
Day 3
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 and over the Tizi n’Tichka pass. It is a very scenic drive, before you arrive at Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and continue to Ouarzazate for an orientation visit.
After lunch you head to Skoura to visit the Amridil Kasbah, one of the wonders of the southern Route of the Thousand Kasbahs, then pass through the Valley of the Roses, with a stop at Kelaat M’Gouna. You reach Boumalne Dades for the night at a guesthouse.
Overnight: Guesthouse in the Dades Valley
Day 4
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, then the canyons of the Todra Gorge, with free time to walk, enjoy the river, and take in the views. Lunch is at a local restaurant.
After midday you drive through Tinejdad and the Touroug palm plantations to Erfoud for a visit to a fossil craft workshop. Then you continue to the dunes of Erg Chebbi, switch from your vehicle to camels for a sunset ride, and spend the night in a true nomad bivouac in Berber tents among the dunes, with dinner at the camp.
Overnight: Desert camp in Merzouga
Day 5
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 across the Middle Atlas to see the Barbary apes in the cedar forest near Azrou. You arrive in Fez in the evening.
Overnight: Riad in Fez
Day 6
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, and look through narrow openings into courtyards of carved cedar, mosaic tiles, and stucco.
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 souks, the famous tanneries, and Fes Jdid.
Overnight: Riad in Fez
Day 7
A Free Day: Fez, or Sefrou and Bhalil
Fez
Today you choose. You can spend more time in the souks, take a cooking class, or make a day trip to Sefrou and Bhalil, where you are invited to lunch with my family. Then you return to Fez, with dinner suggested at a local restaurant.
Overnight: Riad in Fez
Day 8
Volubilis, Meknes, and Rabat
Fez to Volubilis to Moulay Idriss to Meknes to Rabat
You drive toward Rabat, with several stops to enjoy the countryside. You visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the small town of Moulay Idriss, where you have a delicious lunch. Then you reach Meknes, the Moroccan Versailles, founded at the end of the seventeenth century by Sultan Moulay Ismail, with Bab el Mansour, perhaps the finest gateway in Africa, the Dar Jamai Museum, the old medina, and the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum.
You then head to Rabat for a sightseeing tour including the Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, and the Oudaya Kasbah.
Overnight: Riad in Rabat
Day 9
To the Atlantic: Essaouira
Rabat to Casablanca to Essaouira
After breakfast you depart for the romantic seaside town of Essaouira. After check in, a sightseeing tour of the town features its Portuguese harbor, which shows both Moorish and Portuguese influences, the fishing harbor, and the Skala, the sea battery left by the pirates. The afternoon is free.
Overnight: Riad in Essaouira
Day 10
Free Days in Essaouira
Essaouira
Two free days to enjoy Essaouira’s beach and the activities of the town, from long walks along the sand to the galleries, workshops, and cafes of the medina.
Overnight: Riad in Essaouira
Day 11
Free Day in Essaouira
Essaouira
Another free day. Many travelers use it for a camel or horse ride along the beach, a hammam, or a long seafood lunch at the harbor.
Overnight: Riad in Essaouira
Day 12
Transfer to Marrakech Airport
Essaouira to Marrakech Airport
You are transferred to Marrakech airport for your return flight.
What’s included
Inclusions and exclusions
Included
- Private, air conditioned vehicle (4×4 or comfortable minivan) with a professional English speaking driver guide throughout
- 11 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
Wonders 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 12 day tour, based on two people sharing a room.
| Group size | Affordable Comfort | Classic Comfort | Affordable Luxury | Deluxe Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 traveler (own room) | US$8,220 | US$9,100 | US$10,200 | US$12,400 |
| 2 travelers | US$4,260 | US$4,700 | US$5,250 | US$6,350 |
| 3 travelers | US$3,160 | US$3,600 | US$4,150 | US$5,250 |
| 4 travelers | US$2,610 | US$3,050 | US$3,600 | US$4,700 |
| 5 travelers | US$2,280 | US$2,720 | US$3,270 | US$4,370 |
| 6 travelers | US$2,060 | US$2,500 | US$3,050 | US$4,150 |
| Single room supplement, whole tour | Affordable Comfort | Classic Comfort | Affordable Luxury | Deluxe Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per single room | US$660 | US$1,100 | US$1,650 | US$2,750 |
Included: 11 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 and drop off on Day 12 are both at Marrakech airport.
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.
“The ONLY way to see Morocco is with Hassan Bouaouina.”
Young766, TripAdvisor, 2012
“Hassan has a contagious passion for Morocco… I felt safe and taken care of.”
Viator, 5 day desert trip, 2018
“Hassan quickly became more like a brother to us than a guide.”
michalotte02, tourHQ, 2023
Before you go
Read before you travel
- Fez to Merzouga: 2 or 3 Days, the Route, and Merzouga or Zagora
- Sefrou and Bhalil from Fez: Cave Houses and Medina
- 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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