Grand Tangier Tour 10-Day North To South

This Grand Morocco Tour 10-Day features a perfect mix of culture, history, adventure, and relaxation. Explore imperial cities, mountain villages, desert landscapes, and coastal ramparts. Begin in northern Morocco in Tangier and Chefchaouen before working your way south to Fes, through the Desert, over the Atlas Mountains to Marrakech and Essaouira.

Highlights

Wander the quiet, blue-washed streets of Chefchaouen
Discover the ancient Roman ruins of Volubilis
Navigate the maze-like medieval streets of Fes
Ride a camel into the shifting sands of the Sahara
Explore markets and souks near Jemaa el-Fna square in Marrakech

Brief Itinerary

Day	Highlights	Overnight
Day 1	Arrive, Tangier and Chefchaouen	Chefchaouen
Day 2	Roman Ruins of Volubilis and the imperial cities of Meknes and Fes	Fes
Day 3	Fes: Exploring the Imperial City and medieval Medina	Fes
Day 4	Middle Atlas: Erfoud, Merzouga and the Sahara	Merzouga
Day 5	Adventures around Merzouga, Rissani market, and Todra Gorge	Todra Gorge
Day 6	Dades Valley, Ouarzazate, and AïtBenhaddou Kasbah	AïtBenhaddou
Day 7	Tizin’Tichka Pass over the High Atlas mountains to Marrakech	Marrakech
Day 8	Marrakech: Exploring the Red City	Marrakech
Day 9	Essaouira	Essaouira
Day 10	Return to Marrakech; Depart

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Tangier and the “Blue City” of Chefchaouen

Tangier—the European-African gateway! Visit the medina (old district), a café in the fashionable Zoco Chico plaza, or a paseo along the seafront in this southern Spanish city. Continue to the Rif Mountains’ blue-washed Chefchaouen. Stop to walk the Cascades d’Akchou on the picturesque route (Waterfalls of Akchour). Chefchaoen has countless small lanes and charming structures. Eat in a restaurant or café at Plaza Outa el Hammam and people watch. The Great Mosque is worth seeing even if non-Muslims cannot enter. See the surrounding kasbah (ancient fortress), garden, museum, and jail cells. Hotel Atlas offers a magnificent view of Blue City from its rooftop. For the somewhat more active, take the roadway east across the Ras el Ma Spring and climb the trail (20-30 minutes) to the abandoned white Spanish Mosque. See the sunset over Chefchaouen.

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Day 2: Roman Ruins of Volubilis and the imperial cities of Meknes and Fes

Before going for Fes, photograph the empty streets. Stop at UNESCO-protected Volubilis, the Romans’ farthest stretch in Africa. See merchant residences with working heating systems, temples, and mosaics. Travel to Meknes, a smaller, less crowded Fes, to see a medieval imperial city. Imperial City and Medina are the primary attractions. See the Royal Stables, Bab al-Mansour gate, and Moulay Ismail Mausoleum. Reach Fes. Fes’ massive historic medina is worth getting lost in. Visit the Merenid Tombs north of Fes for a panoramic view of the city and surrounding region before entering the medina. Descend the hill and return to your riad (a typical Moroccan residence with an internal garden) for the evening.

Day 3: Fes: Exploring the Imperial City and medieval Medina

The oldest of Morocco’s imperial cities (Meknes, Marrakech, and Rabat) is Fes. The UNESCO-protected city retains its medieval beauty. Fes has two historic medina neighborhoods, Fes el Bali and Fes el Jdid, and the early 20th-century French-designed Ville Nouvelle. Start at Fes el Bali with your guide to explore the medinas’ small, maze-like alleyways (789 ACE). Pass the spice, leather, and pewter souks with Spanish and Tunisian architecture. Visit the Chouara Tannery, famous for its bitter scent, and climb to the roof of an adjacent store for a better view. Visit the 14th-century Al Attarine Madrasa and enjoy the zellij tile work before visiting Al-Qarawiyyin University, one of the oldest institutions in the world (859 ACE). Fes el Jdid’s mellah (ancient Jewish district) offers another panoramic perspective.

Day 4: Over the Middle Atlas and into the desert: Erfoud, Merzouga, and the Sahara

Proceed south through the Middle Atlas cedar trees across the Col du Zad pass (7,146 feet or 2,178 m). As you drive to Midelt for lunch, Barbary macaque monkey families will be in the trees and along the road. Enjoy the Moulouya River and apple orchards. Then, cross the Tizin’Talremt pass into the Ziz Valley’s oasis and palm trees. Many merchants erected ksars to secure their goods.

The Sahara sand dunes will appear around Erfoud. Winds move the dunes. You may meet a nomadic Berber household and enjoy tea together. Visit Erfoud to see how its miners turn fossil-rich rock into colorful and useful items. Erg Chebbi’s vast sand dunes await. Some dunes reach 656.2 feet (200 m) and cover 13.5 square miles (35 square km), changing color with the sun.

Day 5: Adventures around Merzouga, Rissani Market, and Todra Gorge

Before sandboarding, watch the desert dawn. Erg Chebbi and ATV tours are also available. Visit adjacent Khemliya, a typical Saharan hamlet, and enjoy drumming and dance before walking about. Exit the dunes and reach Rissani’s majestic gate, a market town. Find the “donkey parking lot” to enjoy the cattle auction.

Get to Tinerhir. This desert village gives stunning vistas of nearby communities bordering the huge river oasis (30 miles or 48 km of palm trees). Todra Gorge is today’s last stop. 984 feet (300 m) high and sculpted by the Todra River through red limestone, you may wander around the canyon and rest in the calm shallow river below.

Day 6: Dades Valley, Ouarzazate, and AïtBenhaddou Kasbah

Early risers AïtBenhaddou is Morocco’s most renowned kasbah. Travel via Boumalne-Dades. Visit Kela’aM’gouna’s rose bushes surrounding fields. See how rose petals become rose water and oil at a rose collective. Travel west to Ouarzazate and learn how Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, and Black Hawk Down were filmed there. Take a film studio tour and visit the Musée du Cinema to learn about filmmaking and the neighborhood.

Visit AïtBenhaddou. The 11th-century UNESCO World Heritage site ksar was a significant trans-Saharan trade route stop. After checking into your old town hotel, explore the deserted streets in the late afternoon. Climb the ancient Granary to observe the kasbah and its surroundings. Game of Thrones aficionados may wish to visit the river to witness the gates. Dinner overlooking the valley after the day throng goes. before attempting

Day 7: Tizin’Tichka Pass over the High Atlas mountains to Marrakech

Leave AïtBenhaddou behind to begin the ascent over the High Atlas mountains. Spot Mount Toubkal, the mountain range’s highest peak, at 13,671 feet (4,167 m). Near the top, stretch your legs for a great panoramic view of the mountains. Stop in Taddert to visit an Argan Oil Cooperative and learn, as well as sample, how olives are processed for various uses. As you descend the High Atlas, you will notice a dramatic change in the climate and landscape. Soon you will be a part of the noise and clamor of Marrakech.

After a long day on the road, settle into your hotel and spend the rest of the afternoon as you like. In the early evening, the main square—and busiest square in all of Africa!—Jemaa el-Fna, comes alive with musicians, performers, snake charmers, games, and food stalls, a catch-all of entertainment! If you want to enjoy the spectacle from a distance, choose one of the many cafés surrounding the square and enjoy a cup of mint tea and a meal.

Day 8: Marrakech: Exploring the Red City

Nicknamed the “Red City” for its 1000-year old red sandstone city walls and buildings, Marrakech has always been a thriving city dating back to the Berber Empire (1062 ACE). Meet your guide for a half-day tour, starting with browsing the stalls of Souk el Attarin (spices), Souk Haddadine (blacksmiths), and Souk Smata (slippers). Visit Souk des Teinturiers (the dyers’ souk) and visit the Koutoubia Mosque, along the way note the open spaces that extend off of some alleys. These fondouks were once medieval inns that provided travelers and merchants with shelter for themselves and their animals.

The hard-to-miss Mosque’s 253 feet (77 m) minaret is the tallest tower built in Marrakech. Relax in the adjoining gardens, before carrying on to Ben Youssef Madrasa. Built in the 16th century, this madrasa once housed students of the nearby mosque. Admire the Moroccan artisanship: carved cedar, stucco plaster, and zellij tiling. Visit the Marrakech Museum or the Museum of Moroccan Arts for more examples of traditional art and woodwork. South of Jemaa el-Fna is the Kasbah area with several worthwhile sights: the Saadian Tombs, El Badi Palace, Bahia Palace, and the Jewish Mellah and cemetery.

Day 9: Essaouira

Say goodbye to the Red City, and travel to Morocco’s west coast following a route that takes you over vast rolling plains. Along the way, pass through an argan tree forest, endemic to this part of the world. You may even see goats dining on the argan fruit, up in the tree branches. Visit an argan cooperative to learn how argan oil is extracted from the tree and what it’s used for in the food and cosmetic industries.

Arrive in the port city of laid-back Essaouira, a nice contrast to frenetic Marrakech, and spend the rest of the day as you choose. Walk the Skala de la Kasbah (the 18th-century seafront ramparts) along the coast. Designed by European engineers, old brass canons line the walls and offer viewing access over the Atlantic. Explore the UNESCO-protected medina before making your way to the windswept beach. Jimi Hendrix fans may want to take a short taxi ride to Diabat at the end of Essaouira’s beach where he reportedly spent some time. Walk back to Essaouira and enjoy a meal of freshly caught seafood.

Day 10: Return to Marrakech

Stroll along the beach or pick up any last-minute curios before heading back to Marrakech.

If time allows, visit the Majorelle Gardens. Not far from the bustle of the medina, wandering the gardens filled with sub-tropical plants, bamboo, lilies, and palms, is a perfect place to escape the afternoon heat and noise before you catch your return flight home.