Tangier to Marrakech 8 Days Tour - Desert

For the first day of your 8 days Morocco tour from Tangier, we'll pick you up from your accommodation or where you indicate, to begin our tour itinerary. We will pass through the Rif Mountains located in the north of Morocco which are a great botanical interest and inhabited by Rif Berbers, one of the themes that make this mountain range authentic is that they are dotted with endless villages whose inhabitants are full of life, we will be able to see all the villages and see how life is in the mountains for people who live there.

We will arrive Chefchaouen, Chaouen, Xauen, Chichauen (all these names are used to refer to a magical town situated in the Rif Mountains), nestled between the slopes of two mountains and surrounded by fields that highlight the white of its houses, the indigo blue paint used to repel mosquitoes displays a rich palette of shades, confusing their horizon with the sky. Its narrow streets seem unpredictable, it is one of the quiet places in Morocco and an ideal place for strolling and admiring this wonderful town.

One of the most stunning places in the medina is the Square of Outa El-Hammam. Because of the color of homes it has a very special attraction and is formed by a maze of narrow streets that many of them cul-de-sacs, it is also a quiet and safe place where you will feel at home, as the inhabitants are very hospitable. Overnight and dinner in a riad.

After your breakfast at your accommodation, today we will start our journey by leaving Chefchaouen behind and continuing our trip in the direction of Volubilis, we pass over the winding and vertiginous roads of the Rif, this is a very interesting mountain range with some landscapes that are not publicized and offer you a great experience that you will not forget.

Then we arrive in Volubilis Roman Empire. In 1997, the archaeological site of Volubilis was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site List, we will have a long tour around these Roman ruins. Many of the mosaics are still in good condition..

Then we continue traveling to Meknes where we will have lunch in a local restaurant near the square of El-Hedim, Meknes is an imperial city, despite its small size, this city hides sublimely beautiful treasures of an architectural nature, such as Bab El Mansour of 1732, the largest gate in Morocco, and the whole of Africa which is the symbolic town.

Also, you will have a chance to stroll the square of El-Hedim, and visit Moulay Ismail Tomb. After we visit Meknes, we will travel directly and head to Fes city where you will spend the night.

Today we are going to visit the main attractions of Fes city, which still retains all its walls and its entrance gates undamaged and known as the cultural center of Morocco and the oldest of Africa.

Walking around Fes is akin to traveling back to spend some time when the neighborhoods were divided by the guild and you could only go on foot, avoiding donkeys carrying the merchandise.

There are some interesting places and attractions in Fes like "The Chouara Tannery", "Karaouine Mosque", "Madrassas", "the Royal Palace of Fes", the "Moulay Idriss Mausoleum", Seffarine Square, and "the Door of Bab Boujloud".

We will stop for lunch and in the afternoon, we continue on our trip by visiting the tile makers cooperative. Your full-day trip in Fes includes a short visit to the famous ceramic factory, and then you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view over the whole Medina of Fes. Overnight at the hotel or riad.

Today after breakfast, your guide/driver will pick you up from your accommodation in Fes. We have a long way today to reach Merzouga desert from Fes, by leaving Fes we will cross the mountains of the Middle Atlas in the direction of Merzouga where the landscape appears inhospitable but is full of life and stories, you will have the chance to take pictures as we pass the town of Ifrane which known worldwide as the Switzerland of Morocco; for its alpine-style European houses with sloping roofs, not like the traditional architecture of Morocco, it is surrounded by striking nature due to its height (1630 meters), particularly the National Park which is worth a stop to visit one of the interesting inhabitants, the Barbary monkeys that live in the extensive cedar tree forest.

The landscape changes leaving behind trees and becoming more barren, but we will make a stop in Midelt to eat before we continue our road via the Ziz valley, a long stretch of palm trees that seem to disappear on the horizon and following the course of the river there are some 8000 palm trees here. It is indeed a hidden treasure in Morocco.

For lovers of nature now comes a real pleasure; to be able to admire the immense mountain and its water erosion that has been produced over years of forceful and powerful waters that formerly came from the High Atlas Mountains, the contrasting of the green palm trees and red earth and the small Berber houses typically ochre in a color that is all over the course of this valley and accommodated in a spectacular landscape is not to be missed.

Noting of the landscape have changed, we go on and little by little till we reach the desert sand, we see the first small dune as we reach Merzouga, we will arrive at the riad or hotel situated at the foot of Erg Chebbi where we will have a cup of tea while the camels are prepared to take us to the camp in the desert, during the trip we can take many memorable photos, as this is an amazing visual experience.

You'll see the beautiful view of the sunset on top of a high dune. At night the desert will take you on a very different color and possibly become quite cool depending on the time of year you go. You will have dinner in your desert camp, after this, you will have a magical night under the stars.

You should not miss one of the greatest spectacles in the desert; the dawn, so today we will wack up early to enjoy the wonderful sunrise view, with changes of colors on the dunes as the sunrise over the horizon, a spectacular view that you will never forget.

After that, you will ride camels returning to your accommodation in Merzouga for a shower and traditional Moroccan breakfast. Later on, we head to Rissani to visit its traditional market considered to be the largest in the whole of Southern Morocco.

Then we continue on our route until we reach Tinghir; then to the stunning Todra Gorges, at more than 300 meters in height, with its houses excavated in the rock, a magical place of vertical rocky walls caused by water and air erosion during centuries, an ideal place for climbers. Surrounded by a low-flow river of crystalline water that we can enjoy for a quiet stroll.

After the break lunch in the heart of the gorge, we will continue our journey to Dades Valley, we will arrive at the Valley in the early evening, where we will have dinner and spend the night.

For this day, after breakfast in your accommodation, we'll drive via the Dades Valley toward Kalaat M'Gouna (the city of roses) and Ouarzazate. The Dades Valley road is the way of a thousand kasbahs providing numerous opportunities to take some beautiful pictures of your trip, then we will have a short stop in atlas movies studio of Ouarzazate before we drive to Ait Benhaddou Kasbah, which is the largest Kasbah in Morocco, built by Thami El Glaoui, one of the last Berber chieftains during the beginning of the XXth Century, it used to be one of his stops during his long travel from the Sahara to Marrakech city and now it is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1987.

We will have a break for lunch in this amazing Kasbah. After your break lunch, we will continue the way to cross high atlas mountains full of panoramic views and attractive Berber villages all along the way via the Tizi N'Tichka pass, the highest point of the route, with 2260 meters of altitude, till we arrive at Marrakech. Overnight in Marrakech at a hotel or riad.

Today is dedicated to visiting Marrakech's important sightseeing and monuments, after breakfast at your accommodation, you will explore Marrakech which is considered ”the red city of Morocco”.

We will ensure that you see the most important sites of historical and cultural interest, including "the Majorelle Gardens", "the Menara", "the Koutoubia Tower", "the Saadian Tombs", and "the Bahia Palace".

In Marrakech, you'll also have the opportunity to visit the square of Jamma El-Fna. In this large square, visitors see attend dancers, storytellers, jugglers, artisans, and snake charmers perform to entertain.

After lunch at a restaurant near the square, you will walk through the souks and see hundreds of handicrafts. In the afternoon, you will have some free time to wander by yourself via the other parts of the city. Dinner and overnight at the riad or hotel in Marrakech.

After your breakfast at a convenient time, our driver will pick you up at the airport, where we will finish the services of our Tangier to Marrakech 8 days tour.
We hope you enjoy your time with our company.