Day 1: Arrive Marrakech
Airport transfer. Evening: first Jemaa el-Fna experience — snake charmers, orange juice, and dinner from the food stalls. Overnight Marrakech.
Day 2: Marrakech to Dades Valley
Morning drive across the High Atlas via Tizi n’Tichka Pass (2,260m). Visit Ait Benhaddou — the UNESCO kasbah of Gladiator and Game of Thrones. Continue through Ouarzazate to the Dades Valley — winding roads and Monkey Fingers rock formations. Overnight Dades hotel.
Day 3: Dades to Merzouga — Sahara Arrival
Morning: Todra Gorge — walk between 300m canyon walls with a river underfoot. Drive through the Ziz Valley to Merzouga. Late afternoon: camel trek into Erg Chebbi as the sun sets. Arrive at desert camp: Berber dinner, drumming, and the Sahara’s star-studded sky. Overnight camp.
Day 4: Merzouga to Fes
Sahara sunrise — climb the dune for the golden spectacle. Drive north through the Ziz Valley, Midelt (apple country), the cedar forests of Azrou (watch for Barbary macaques), and alpine Ifrane. Arrive Fes in the evening. Overnight Fes.
Day 5: Fes — Medina Immersion
Full-day guided tour of Fes el-Bali. Bou Inania Madrasa, Al Quaraouiyine University (859 AD), Chouara tanneries, the ceramic cooperative (watch zellij tile-making), and the Mellah. Optional: cooking class — learn to make a proper chicken tagine with preserved lemon and olives. Overnight Fes.
Day 6: Fes Free Day
Your day to explore. Options: visit the Merenid Tombs for the best panoramic view of Fes, explore the Jnan Sbil Gardens, shop the souks without a guide, or take a day trip to Meknes and Volubilis (Roman ruins). Overnight Fes.
Day 7: Fes to Marrakech
Morning drive back to Marrakech (or optional upgrade to the CTM bus). Afternoon arrival. Free time to explore the souks or visit the Majorelle Garden (book ahead — it sells out). Evening: food tour — try tangia (slow-cooked lamb in a clay pot), snail soup, and chebakia (sesame cookies). Overnight Marrakech.
Day 8: Marrakech Exploration
Guided morning: Koutoubia, Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs. Optional afternoon: Atlas Mountains day trip to the Ourika Valley (waterfalls, Berber villages) or the Agafay Desert for a quad bike ride. Farewell dinner on a rooftop overlooking Jemaa el-Fna. Overnight Marrakech.
Day 9: Departure
Airport transfer. Depart with Morocco’s timeless magic — the Sahara’s silence, the medina’s chaos, and the call to prayer at dusk.
