10-Day Marrakech, Sahara & Imperial Cities Tour
The full loop for travelers who want it all from one base — Marrakech sightseeing, the Sahara, the Fes medina, Chefchaouen's blue lanes, and Rabat's monuments, back to Marrakech in ten days.
Overview
The full loop for travelers who want it all from one base — Marrakech sightseeing, the Sahara, the Fes medina, Chefchaouen's blue lanes, and Rabat's monuments, back to Marrakech in ten days.
This is a 10 Days / 9 Nights private tour for your group only, starting with pickup from your accommodation in Marrakech and finishing back in Marrakech. You travel in a private vehicle with driver-guide, so the pace, stops and photo breaks are set around you.
Gallery
Highlights
- ✓Guided sightseeing in Marrakech — Bahia Palace, the Koutoubia, and Majorelle Garden
- ✓Cross the High Atlas to Ait Ben Haddou and the Sahara
- ✓Camel trek and overnight camp in the Merzouga dunes
- ✓Guided walk through the Fes medina and its historic tanneries
- ✓Chefchaouen's blue-washed streets and Rabat's royal landmarks
Day-by-day itinerary
Arrive Marrakech
Airport pickup and check-in at a riad in the medina. With ten days ahead and a full sightseeing day tomorrow, tonight is for settling in — an evening walk toward Jemaa el-Fnaa square is a good first introduction: it's Marrakech's main square and has been a gathering place for performers, food stalls, and storytellers for centuries, and it's at its liveliest after dark.
Marrakech sightseeing
A full guided day in the city. Bahia Palace is a 19th-century palace built around a series of ornately decorated courtyards and gardens; the Koutoubia Minaret is Marrakech's tallest and most recognizable landmark, visible from much of the city; the Saadian Tombs are a restored 16th-century royal necropolis rediscovered only in 1917; and Majorelle Garden is a small, densely planted botanical garden built by French painter Jacques Majorelle and later restored by Yves Saint Laurent, known for its cobalt-blue buildings. We'll also spend time in the medina's souks, where the layout is organized loosely by trade (leather, metalwork, textiles) and haggling is the norm rather than the exception.
Marrakech to Ouarzazate
We cross the Tizi n'Tichka pass, the High Atlas switchback road used by every one of our desert routes, and stop at Ait Ben Haddou — a UNESCO-listed fortified kasbah on the old caravan route, still standing and familiar from film and TV productions shot here. From there it's on to Ouarzazate, "the Hollywood of Morocco," for the night.
Ouarzazate to Dades Valley
A shorter driving day that takes in the Skoura oasis, a palm grove dotted with historic kasbahs that once guarded the valley's date and almond trade, and the Valley of Roses around Kelaat M'Gouna, center of Morocco's rose-water industry (if you're here in early May, this is when the annual rose harvest and festival happen). We continue to the Dades Gorge for the night.
Dades Valley to Merzouga
We drive Todra Gorge's canyon road, where rock walls rise around 300 meters on either side, then continue toward the desert's edge. By late afternoon camels take over from the vehicle for the ride into the Erg Chebbi dunes, timed for sunset, followed by dinner and an overnight stay at a Berber-style desert camp.
Merzouga to Fes
An early sunrise camel trek back up a dune to watch the light come up over the desert, then breakfast and the long drive north through the Ziz Valley's palm groves and the Middle Atlas cedar forest, where wild Barbary macaques are commonly (though not guaranteedly) spotted, before arriving in Fes.
Fes medina
Fes el-Bali, the old walled city, is one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world — a genuine maze of narrow lanes best explored with a guide, which is exactly what today is for. The highlight is the Chouara Tannery, where leather has been dyed by hand in stone vats since medieval times using largely unchanged methods; it's a striking, strong-smelling sight best viewed from one of the surrounding leather-shop terraces, where a sprig of mint is traditionally offered to hold under your nose.
Fes to Chefchaouen
The drive north crosses into the Rif mountains, a range distinct from the Atlas both geologically and culturally, before arriving in Chefchaouen. The town is known for the blue-washed walls of its medina — the reason for the color isn't definitively settled, though it's often linked to Jewish refugees who settled here in the 1930s — and the afternoon is for simply walking its lanes, with time for lunch and shopping.
Chefchaouen to Rabat
We continue to Rabat, Morocco's political capital. The Hassan Tower is the unfinished minaret of a 12th-century mosque intended to be the largest in the world; the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, built in traditional Alaouite style, sits alongside it and holds the tombs of the king and his sons; and the Kasbah of the Udayas is a fortified, whitewashed old quarter overlooking the Bou Regreg river and the Atlantic, with a noticeably different, quieter feel from Marrakech's medina.
Return to Marrakech
The final day is the drive back to Marrakech, with a farewell dinner to close out the trip — a chance to look back over ten days that covered the desert, two imperial cities, and the north, all from one base.
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 Marrakech and drop-off in Marrakech
- ✓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
- ✓9 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 — 1 in Ouarzazate, 1 in the Dades Valley and 1 in Merzouga
- ✓Guided walks in Marrakech, Fes, and Chefchaouen
- ✓Sandboarding at the desert camp (optional)
- ✓Pick-up and drop-off at your hotel or riad every day
✕ Not included
- ✕International flights
- ✕Lunches, and dinners in Marrakech, Fes, Chefchaouen and Rabat
- ✕Entrance fees to palaces, gardens, and monuments
- ✕Tips and personal expenses
- ✕Travel insurance
Route map
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same route as your 12-day tour from Tangier?
It covers similar ground — the desert, Fes, and Chefchaouen — but starts and ends in Marrakech and adds a full Marrakech sightseeing day and a Rabat stop instead of Tangier and Meknes.
Can we shorten this if we don't want Rabat?
Yes — dropping Rabat and returning from Chefchaouen shortens the trip to around 8-9 days; tell us and we'll adjust the route.
Is this a private tour?
Yes, private throughout — your own vehicle, driver-guide, and pace for all 10 days, with no other travelers added to your group.
How many nights do we actually spend in the desert?
One night, at a Berber-style camp near Merzouga with a sunset camel trek in and a sunrise trek out the next morning — this itinerary is built to cover more ground overall (Marrakech, the desert, Fes, Chefchaouen, Rabat) rather than to linger in any single place.
Are entrance fees to palaces and monuments included?
No — entrance fees to sights like Bahia Palace, Majorelle Garden, and the monuments in Rabat aren't included and are paid on-site.
Is a local guide included for the medina walks?
Yes — the Marrakech, Fes, and Chefchaouen sections each include a guided walk, which matters most in Fes el-Bali, genuinely easy to get lost in without one.
Is this trip suitable for older travelers or families?
Yes, generally — it's a full ten days with a mix of city walking and driving days, so the main things to flag when booking are stamina for consecutive travel days and any mobility limits for medina walking on uneven stone.
What is the best time of year for this route?
Spring (March-May) and autumn (September-November) suit this itinerary particularly well, since it covers both the hot desert and the cooler, wetter north (Chefchaouen and Rabat) in the same trip.
What should we pack for a trip covering desert, mountains, and the Atlantic coast near Rabat?
Layers are essential given how much climate variety this route covers — warm days and cold desert nights, cooler and sometimes damp weather in Chefchaouen and Rabat. Bring comfortable closed shoes for medina walking and a scarf or shawl for mosque courtyards and the camel trek.
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
8-Day Sahara Desert Trek in Morocco: Jebel El Mrakib
A Sahara desert trek in south-eastern Morocco: about 100 km on foot over five days, beyond the Jebel Saghro massif, through dunes, gorges and dry riverbeds, with a climb of Jebel El Mrakib and a finish among palm groves and nomadic villages.
- About 100 km on foot over five trekking days, 16 to 30 km a day
- Climb Jebel El Mrakib (also spelled Lamrakeb), the highest point of the trek, for wide views over the desert
- Cross the Mharech Dunes and camp beneath the large Bouzaine Dunes
- Walk gorges, valleys, open plateau and the dry Rhris riverbed
7-Day Desert Tour from Marrakech to Merzouga
A week built around the Sahara rather than just passing through it — a full arrival day in Marrakech, two nights near Merzouga, and a detour off-road along the old Paris–Dakar rally route before looping home through the Draa Valley.
- A settled first day and night in a Marrakech riad before departure
- Cross the High Atlas at the Tizi n'Tichka pass and visit Ait Ben Haddou
- Two nights around Merzouga, including Khamlia village and a nomadic family visit
- An off-road day along the historic Paris–Dakar rally route through Taouz and Ouzina
5-Day Desert Tour from Marrakech to Merzouga
A five-day loop that trades one long push through the desert for two separate nights around Merzouga, plus a stop at the remote Kasbah Telouet on the way home.
- Cross the High Atlas at the Tizi n'Tichka pass
- Visit Ait Ben Haddou and the film studios at Ouarzazate
- Two nights around Merzouga — Khamlia's Gnawa musicians and a nomadic family visit
- A second sunset camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes
4-Day Desert Tour from Marrakech to Merzouga
A round trip from Marrakech to the Sahara with an extra day worked into the return leg — the same Atlas and kasbah route out, plus Rissani's market and a Kasbah Telouet stop on the way back.
- Cross the High Atlas at the Tizi n'Tichka pass
- Visit Ait Ben Haddou and the film studios at Ouarzazate
- Camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes for an overnight camp
- Browse Rissani's trading-town market on the return