9 Day Tour from Marrakech: Desert & Blue City

After a relaxing night in Marrakech, we will hire a local guide to explore the old city of Marrakech. The tour starts by exploring the 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque, the oldest and tallest in Marrakech. Next, you will walk across the square of Jamaa El Fna and its colorful markets, see snake charmers, and street performers. Furthermore, you will visit the Bahia Palace, a beautiful 19th-century royal family palace. You will also discover the Saadian Tombs and the Badi Palace.

Afterward, you will walk through the narrow streets of the medina, passing through different sections of the souks to visit the Madrassa of Ben Youssef.

Finally, the tour concludes back at Jemaa el-Fna square, giving you another chance to see the street performers and enjoy time on your own.

The third day of your 9-day tour from Marrakech via the imperial cities and the Sahara Desert starts after having breakfast in your accommodation. We will start the day with a scenic drive across the beautiful High Atlas mountains via the Tichka Pass. Here, we will make a stop at the highest point of the trip, around 2260 m above sea level. Enjoy the mountain views, Berber villages, and stretch a leg.

The next destination is the Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, the most famous of its kind. This village is built as a fortress on a hill to defend the Camel caravans that used to stop by to relax before continuing their journey towards the coastal cities of Morocco. You will have enough time to hike up the kasbah, learn about its history, and enjoy its unique architecture.

Afterwards, we will drive to Ouarzazate, the cinema city of the country. Here, you can pay a visit to the Atlas studios, where scenes of famous movies were shot.

Finally, we will drive across the Oases of Skoura and the Rose Valley before reaching our last destination, Boumalne Dades. 

After having breakfast in Boumalne Dades, we will drive towards the highlight of the 9-day tour from Marrakech, the Sahara Desert. On the way, we will drive through the valley of Tinghir to explore the canyons of Todra Gorges. This is an excellent place for a relaxing walk by the river through the 300m gorges.

Next, we will drive through some interesting villages like Mellab, Tinjedad, and Fezna. Here, you can visit a women’s clothes cooperative and an old underground irrigation system.

Furthermore, we will continue driving south of the kingdom until we reach Erg Chebbi Dunes. Start your desert adventure with a camel ride across the golden dunes, and enjoy the massive Sahara Desert before reaching your desert camp. If you arrive before sunset, you can try other activities like sandboarding (included) or ATVs (extra).

Finally, you will enjoy a delicious dinner followed by a Berber drums party around the campfire. Then, you will have free time to do stargazing.

After a magical night at the desert camp, we recommend that you wake up early to watch the sunrise over the dunes. Usually a calmer and charming atmosphere in the Sahara Desert. Then, head back to the camp for a traditional breakfast.

We then start the journey to Fes, and pass through the Ziz Valley, known for its beautiful date palm groves and traditional Berber villages. We will continue to the cities of Midelt, Zaida, and Boulaajoul, where we will stop for lunch.

Furthermore, we will drive through the green Middle Atlas Mountains and make a quick stop at the cedar forest to see wild Barbary monkeys.

Next, not very far from the cedar forest, we will make another stop in Ifrane, a town known for its clean streets and European-style architecture. 

Finally, we will drive down the Middle Atlas mountain to our last destination of the day, Fes. We will drop you off at your accommodation to relax and get ready to explore the city the next day.

The sixth day of our 9 Day Tour from Marrakech is dedicated to exploring the cultural city of Fes with a local guide.

Firstly, we will take the car to visit the Royal Palace and the Jewish neighbourhood, learn about their history, and enjoy their unique architecture. Next, we will head to visit Borj South for the panoramic view of the old city. Then, we will explore a ceramic workplace to learn about the most famous craftsmen in Morocco.

On the other hand, we will start the second phase of the trip by walking through the old city. Here, you will hike across the tiny streets of the Medina to explore the oldest university in the world, the mausoleum of Moulay Idriss, and the Attarine or Bou Inania Madrassas. Not to mention walking through the colourful markets of Fes and the popular Chouara tannery, where they dye leather.

Finally, after the walking tour, we will drop you off at your riad/hotel to relax. You will have a free evening to walk around the old city.

On the seventh day of our 9 Day Morocco Tour from Marrakech, we leave Fes and drive to the blue city. First, we will drive across the Rif mountains and green farming lands. By the afternoon, we will arrive in Chefchaouen, the famous “Blue City of Morocco.” 

We will check into your accommodation and start exploring the city. It is a small town that can be visited within a few hours. Start your tour by heading towards the Outa El Hamam square, the city center. Here, you can enjoy a meal before walking around the blue streets. You can discover the nearby Kasbah, the oldest building in Chefchaouen, then head up to the Ras El Ma waterfalls.

Furthermore, by the late afternoon, we recommend hiking up to the Spanish Mosque for a panoramic view of the blue city at sunset time. 

Finally, walk back towards your accommodation via different blue streets and the square for dinner.

After having breakfast in the blue city, we will hit the road towards Casablanca via the Rif mountains. 

First, we will drive via Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Here, you will visit the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. You will also walk through the Kasbah of the Oudayas, which offers peaceful views over the Bou Regreg River and the Atlantic Ocean.

In the late afternoon, we continue our drive to Casablanca, where you will spend the night. If you arrive early, we will take you to see the Hassan 2 mosque, the largest in Morocco and the only one that non-Muslims can enter.

Our 9-day tour from Marrakech via the imperial cities, the Sahara Desert, and the blue city comes to an end as we drop you off at the airport.