14 Day Morocco Desert Tour from Marrakech

Explore the famous city of Marrakech, the "southern pearl’ of Morocco, and the second oldest Imperial city which has for centuries been an important stop for traders and travelers. Your tour will include the Menara Gardens, the famous Jardin Majorelle, Bahia Palace, and Saadian tombs.

Visit the Koutoubia Mosque, with its 77m high minaret dominating the center of Marrakech. Continue to one of the center attractions of Marrakech; Djemaa el-Fna, the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site which is one of the main cultural spaces in Marrakech. Relax at one of the many cafes surrounding the square to take in all the sights. Continue on and explore the varied and colorful souks. Overnight in Marrakech.

Leaving Marrakech for the seaside town of Essaouira, a relaxing drive lined with argan oil cooperatives will take you to this UNESCO World Heritage-listed city.

The windswept fishing port, with broad beaches and an ancient walled medina with ramparts built into the cliffs, has long been a popular destination for tourists. With its relaxed feel, take in the small but lively medina, stroll along the ramparts or beach, or visit the port to see the daily catch.

The Gnaoua Music Festival is held in Essaouira in June. Overnight in Essaouira, at the local riad. Our 14-day Morocco trip began with the first night outside Marrakech.

Depart for Oualidia from Essaouira. Stop in Safi, a previously Portuguese-occupied town. Known as the center of sardine exports, Safi is perhaps best known for its pottery.

Arrive and relax in Oualidia, a small seaside village with a protected lagoon, estuary, and the wild Atlantic Ocean all right on your doorstep.

Walking, birdwatching (Oualidia is at the center of Morocco’s richest bird habitat, particularly in spring and autumn), fishing, swimming, kayaking, kitesurfing, and surfing are just some of the activities you can enjoy in Oualidia. Overnight in Oualidia

Depart from Oualidia for Rabat and continue your journey up the Atlantic Coast. Pass through El Jadida, a small port city formerly controlled by the Portuguese and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and stop in Casablanca to visit Mohammed V Square and the impressive mosque of Hassan II.

Explore the Imperial City of Rabat, which includes the Mechouar (the ramparts and walls that surround the Royal Palace), the majestic Mohammed V Mausoleum, the Hassan Tower, and the Oudaya Kasbah, which has great views of the Atlantic Ocean and is home to galleries of Moroccan art. Overnight in Rabat

Continuing our 14-day Morocco trip from Marrakech. From Rabat, we take the beautiful coastal road to Tangier. We will visit Asilah, a beautiful coastal town with its whitewashed houses, blue walls and doors, and many murals. Tangier ,the north bride, the gateway to Africa from Europe, has always been an international melting pot.

Take a tour of Tangier and explore the bustling medina and city surroundings, and enjoy the stunning vista where the Mediterranean and Atlantic oceans meet. Overnight in Tangier.

Depart from Tangier for the charming mountain village of Chefchaouen, passing through the green valleys of the Rif Mountains.

Chefchaouen is famous for its vivid blue-rinsed houses and is very popular with both tourists and Moroccans, particularly in the hot summer months.

Explore Chefchaouen's winding streets and narrow alleys. It has many souks that sell food and handicrafts, like woollen items, intricate embroidery, and goat's cheese, which are all from the north of Morocco and can't be found anywhere else in the country.

Relax in the square, visit a local farm, or hike in nearby parks. night in Chefchaouen.

After your breakfast on the raid, our authentic journey will start with a scenic drive that will take us from high in the Rif Mountains through the fertile agricultural hills to the Roman ruins at Volubilis, an open-air museum.

Volubilis is not as spectacular as the Roman sites on the Mediterranean rim, but it is still a relaxed way of envisioning an important part of Moroccan history.

We'll make our way to Meknes, Morocco's fourth imperial city and its 17th-century heritage, where we'll stop for lunch and explore the historical massive walls of the medina. After launch, we take a glimpse of Bab El Mansour and enjoy a visit to Moulay Ismail’s shrine.

After visiting Meknes, we will drive directly to Fes, where you will spend the night.

Today, we will enjoy all that Fes has to offer by taking a local guide's city tour of Fes.

Fes is the oldest and largest medieval city in the world. Its medina is a heady mix of aromas, sounds, and sights.

To navigate, follow one of the five themed tourist circuits. There are plenty of mosques and palaces to visit, but be aware that only Muslims can enter mosques in Morocco.

After exploring dye pits, tanneries, and restaurants, we return to our hotel to prepare for an optional night of Moroccan entertainment and food at a restaurant in town.

After breakfast, we will take a scenic drive over the Moyen Atlas towards Ifrane, passing through forests of cork oak and giant cedar, where a few Barbary apes live. Crossing beautiful and tranquil passes over both the Middle and High Atlas ranges, we will catch a first glimpse of the south’s incredible architecture. Lunch in Midelt is approached through a bleak plain of scrub and desert.

Behind the town, where the dramatic peaks of the High Atlas rise, there is a beautiful view. Crossing Tizi-n-Talghomt , we will descend into a desert plain along the Ziz valley.

Then we will go south to Erfoud and Rissani, which is a huge oasis with more than 18000 palm trees and many ksour, which are fortified villages.

Continuing along a striking route that marks the transition to the desert, we will travel to your amazing Kasbah hotel at the edge of the golden sand dunes and relax beside the swimming pool.

Wake to a desert sunrise and then return to the hotel by camel. You will then have a chance to freshen up with a shower and enjoy breakfast.

After breakfast, relax for an hour or two, then go on a 4WD off-road tour around the dunes via the oasis of Merzouga, the nomadic depository, and Khamlia village to visit the Gnawa dark-skinned people’s village, originally slaves brought from black Africa, to listen to their spiritual music, then continue to meet desert nomads in their tents and discover a new sense of life.

Not far away, there’s the lake of Merzouga, with its bird populations, and you’ll leave for Rissani. Once called Sijilmassa, this was the meeting place for the salt caravans coming from Timbuktu in Mali. Here you’ll walk through the souk, which sells spices, vegetables, and clothes.

After lunch pizza in Rissani, we drive back to our Kasbah, where we will be greeted with a glass of tea. We have time to relax, then we get ready to ride camels into the pink sands of Morocco’s highest dunes.

We will have time to wander the dunes before sunset. An evening in a nomad tent follows dinner and traditional music.

We proceed to Todra Gorge after leaving the desert. This 1000-foot gorge is hemmed in on all sides by vertical limestone cliffs and is called Morocco’s Grand Canyon.

There is time today to explore the entire gorge, from its breathtaking heights to its abysmal depths. As the sun slowly moves from east to west, Todra's beauty is revealed in its shifting hues. We move onto the stunning Dades for the night.

After breakfast, we'll drive through the charming villages of this area, passing Berber women's fields and the peaks of the High Atlas as a backdrop. 

Our journey will then continue toward Ouarzazate, going off-road along the piste to visit Berber nomads in their caves and partaking in a glass of tea with them. From here, we will continue through the Valley of the Roses, famous for its Rose Festival in May, and past the kasbahs of Skoura.

After a visit to the cinematographic museum of Ouarzazate, “Hollywood of Morocco,"  we will cross the riverbed to visit Ait Benhaddou. You will have the chance to explore some of the ruined buildings and climb to the top of the hill, where the Agadir (grain store) offers spectacular views down over the village and the surrounding countryside. 

You can also enter one of the houses and share a glass of mint tea with some of the residents to gain a better understanding of how they live their lives. In the afternoon, you’ll drive north across the High Atlas mountains.

The road, completed by the Foreign Legion in 1936, winds up over the Tizi-n-Tichka pass (2260 m) and offers stunning views of the mountains before descending past Berber villages to the plain surrounding Marrakech.

Even today, the name Marrakech conjures up images of scenes from the Arabian Nights: alleyways, souks, stalls, and markets. This amazing city, which has been around since the 11th century, never fails to please curious travelers.

The graceful architecture of the renowned Koutoubia Minaret dominates the skyline.

Today, we'll try to make the most of our time by wandering around Marrakech's souks for souvenirs for friends... and then transfer to Marrakech Menara airport for your departure flight. end of our 14-day Morocco trip from Marrakech.