13-Day Morocco Tour from Tangier
The full Tangier loop with the coast built in — Chefchaouen, Fes, the Sahara, Marrakech, a day trip to Essaouira, and a run down to Casablanca and Rabat before circling back north.
Overview
The full Tangier loop with the coast built in — Chefchaouen, Fes, the Sahara, Marrakech, a day trip to Essaouira, and a run down to Casablanca and Rabat before circling back north.
This is a 13 Days / 12 Nights private tour for your group only, starting with pickup from your accommodation in Tangier and finishing back in Tangier. You travel in a private vehicle with driver-guide, so the pace, stops and photo breaks are set around you.
Gallery
Highlights
- ✓A day exploring Tangier itself — the Kasbah Museum, the medina, and the Caves of Hercules
- ✓Chefchaouen's blue streets and the Roman ruins at Volubilis
- ✓A guided walk through the Fes medina, including its madrasas and tanneries
- ✓Camel trek and overnight camp in the Merzouga dunes, plus a Berber family visit
- ✓A day trip to Essaouira and a full sightseeing day in Marrakech
Day-by-day itinerary
Arrive Tangier
Arrival and hotel check-in, with the afternoon free. Tangier sits at the point where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic, and its old medina and seafront make for an easy first walk after traveling.
Tangier to Chefchaouen
A morning in Tangier itself: the Kasbah Museum, housed in a former sultan's palace overlooking the strait; the medina's lanes; Cape Spartel, where the two seas meet; and the Caves of Hercules, a coastal cave formation with an opening said to resemble a map of Africa. In the afternoon we drive through the Rif mountains to Chefchaouen, whose medina is known for buildings washed in shades of blue — most lanes are pedestrian-only and easy to wander.
Chefchaouen to Fes
We visit Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman ruins in Morocco, with mosaic floors and a standing triumphal arch from a once-thriving provincial capital, then the imperial city of Meknes, known for the monumental Bab Mansour gate, on the way to Fes.
Fes medina
A guided walk through the Fes el-Bali medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest car-free urban zones in the world. We take in the Al-Attarine and Bou Inania madrasas — 14th-century Islamic colleges known for carved cedar and zellige tilework — the Chouara leather tanneries, where hides are still dyed by hand in stone vats, and the Mellah, the historic Jewish Quarter with its distinctive wrought-iron balconies.
Fes to Merzouga
We climb into the Middle Atlas through Ifrane, a hill town in a European chalet style, and the Azrou cedar forest, home to Barbary macaques often seen roadside, then drop toward the Sahara. By late afternoon camels take the final stretch into the Erg Chebbi dunes, timed for sunset, followed by dinner and an overnight stay in a Berber-style desert camp.
A day around Merzouga
Sunrise over the dunes from camp, then a visit with a local Berber family — a genuine, low-key visit over tea rather than a staged stop — and a drive to Khamlia village to hear its resident Gnawa musicians, a spiritual music tradition with roots in West Africa. The night is at a riad in Merzouga, or back at camp if you prefer.
Merzouga to Dades Valley
Another early start for the desert sunrise, then a stop in Rissani, the old trading town at the end of the historic caravan route from Timbuktu, before a walk along Todra Gorge, where canyon walls rise roughly 300 meters above the valley floor, and on to the Dades Valley for the night.
Dades Valley to Marrakech
We follow the "Road of a Thousand Kasbahs" through Ouarzazate — nicknamed "the Hollywood of Morocco" for its film studios — and stop at Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO-listed ksar used in numerous productions, before crossing the High Atlas at the Tizi n'Tichka pass into Marrakech.
Essaouira day trip
A day trip to Essaouira, an Atlantic coastal town with a UNESCO-listed medina, sea-facing ramparts (the Skala), and a fishing port — noticeably breezier and cooler than Marrakech. We return to Marrakech for the night.
Marrakech sightseeing
A full guided day around Jemaa el-Fna, the city's main square that shifts from market to food stalls and performers by evening; the Saadian Tombs, a royal necropolis rediscovered after decades sealed off; the city's palaces and souks; and the Menara Gardens, an olive grove and reflecting pool built centuries ago as a royal retreat.
Marrakech to Rabat via Casablanca
We drive north to Casablanca to see the Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world and one of the few in Morocco open to non-Muslim visitors on a guided tour outside prayer times, then continue to Rabat, Morocco's capital.
Rabat to Tangier
A scenic coastal drive back to Tangier, passing through Asilah, a small fortified port town known for its whitewashed walls and mural-painted lanes — a good stop to stretch your legs partway through the drive.
Departure
Breakfast and free time before an airport or ferry transfer closes out the trip.
Want to change the pace or add a night?
Every tour is private and can be adjusted. Send us your dates and group size.
✓ Included
- ✓Pick-up in Tangier and drop-off in Tangier
- ✓Private trip — your group only
- ✓Private transportation in an air-conditioned, comfortable vehicle
- ✓Fuel and all vehicle expenses
- ✓Private English-speaking, well-experienced driver-guide for the whole trip
- ✓12 nights accommodation (riads, hotels, and desert camp)
- ✓1 night desert camp near Merzouga, including camel trek
- ✓Breakfast every morning at your hotel, riad or desert camp
- ✓3 dinners — 2 in Merzouga and 1 in the Dades Valley
- ✓Guided walks in Fes and Marrakech
- ✓Sandboarding at the desert camp (optional)
- ✓Pick-up and drop-off at your hotel or riad every day
✕ Not included
- ✕Lunches, and dinners in Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fes, Marrakech and Rabat
- ✕Drinks and bottled water
- ✕Entrance fees to monuments and sites
- ✕Tips and personal expenses
- ✕Travel insurance
Route map
Frequently asked questions
Is this different from your 12-day loop that already includes Essaouira?
That one starts and ends in Tangier too but skips the Casablanca/Rabat leg — this 13-day version adds those two cities on the way back north.
Can we skip Essaouira to shorten the trip?
Yes — dropping the Essaouira day trip brings this down to a 12-day itinerary with no other changes to the route.
Is this a private tour?
Yes, fully private for all 13 days, starting and ending in Tangier.
Do we sleep in the desert camp or a hotel in Merzouga?
Both — the first night (day 5) is at the desert camp after the sunset camel trek; the second (day 6) is at a riad in Merzouga, or back at camp if you prefer, since day 6 is built around the nomadic family visit and Khamlia rather than a second camp night.
What happens during the Berber family visit near Merzouga?
It's a genuine, low-key visit over tea rather than a staged show — a chance to see how a family in the region actually lives, paired with a stop in Khamlia to hear its resident Gnawa musicians.
Can non-Muslim visitors enter the Hassan II Mosque on day 11?
Yes — it's one of the few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslim visitors, with guided tours run outside prayer times.
Is this trip suitable for older travelers or families?
It's a long trip covering the north, the desert, the south, and the coast, so the main considerations are stamina for consecutive travel days and comfort with medina walking. The pace itself is not rushed — most days include only one major stop plus the drive.
What should we pack for a route through the Rif, the Sahara, and the Atlantic coast?
Layers throughout, given how much climate variety this route covers, plus comfortable shoes for the medinas and Ait Ben Haddou, and a scarf for the camel trek and mosque courtyards.
Are entrance fees and lunches included?
No — entrance fees to monuments and sites, lunches, and drinks are excluded throughout; breakfast and dinner are included daily.
Customize your journey with Through Morocco
Want to add a day, skip a stop, or travel at a different pace? This itinerary is a starting point — tell us what you have in mind and we'll adjust the route.
Have a question?
We're here to help you plan your Morocco trip. Send us a message and our team will reply with availability, pricing, or a personalized itinerary just for you.
Contact us on WhatsApp
12-Day Morocco Tour from Tangier: Fes, Sahara & Coast
A full loop from Tangier through Chefchaouen, Fes, the Sahara, and the Atlantic coast, back to Tangier — for travelers who want to see the north, the desert, and the imperial cities in one trip.
- Explore the blue-washed lanes of Chefchaouen
- Guided walks in Fes and Meknes
- Camel trek and overnight camp in the Merzouga dunes
- Cross the High Atlas and visit Ait Ben Haddou
14-Day Tangier to Marrakech Tour: Chefchaouen, Sahara & Essaouira
Our longest Tangier itinerary — the same north-to-Sahara route with room for the Akchour waterfalls, a choice between Ouzoud Waterfalls or Imlil, and two full days on the coast at Essaouira.
- Chefchaouen's medina and a hike to the Akchour waterfalls
- Roman ruins at Volubilis and a guided day in the Fes medina
- A full day around Merzouga, including a nomadic family visit
- Choose Ouzoud Waterfalls or a day trekking in the Imlil valley
8-Day Tangier Morocco Tour: Chefchaouen, Fes & the Sahara
A tighter week-long loop out of Tangier than our longer tours — the north, the Sahara, and Marrakech, with an airport transfer built into the final day.
- Chefchaouen's blue-washed lanes in the Rif mountains
- Roman ruins at Volubilis and the imperial city of Meknes
- A guided day in the Fes medina, including its historic tanneries
- Camel trek and overnight camp in the Merzouga dunes
12-Day Morocco Itinerary from Casablanca
The Casablanca loop that adds the Sahara — Rabat, Chefchaouen, Fes, a night in the Merzouga dunes, Ait Ben Haddou, Marrakech, an Ourika Valley day among Berber villages, and the Atlantic coast at Essaouira.
- Chefchaouen's blue medina and Rabat's royal landmarks
- A full day in the Fes medina
- Camel trek and overnight camp in the Merzouga dunes
- Todra and Dades Gorges, and UNESCO-listed Ait Ben Haddou