7 Days from Fes
to Marrakech

Departure from Fes (7:30 AM). Drive south through the scenic Middle Atlas: Ifrane (Morocco's alpine mountain resort at 1,665m with its European-style villas and Barbary macaque cedar forest at Azrou), Midelt (the "apple city" at 1,500m), and the dramatic Ziz Gorges — 50km of red-rock canyon carved by the Ziz River. Cross the vast Ziz Valley palmery — an extraordinary landscape of date palms, ancient ksour, and palm-shaded villages running south toward the Sahara. Arrive in Merzouga at sunset. Camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes as the light turns the sand from gold to crimson. Berber camp dinner, Gnawa drumming, and a sky full of desert stars. Overnight in the luxury Berber tent camp.

Dawn Sahara sunrise from the summit of the great dunes. Full free day in the Merzouga area: choose your own adventures. 4×4 desert excursion to the flamingo salt lake (Dayet Srij) where pink flamingos gather in spring. Visit nomadic Tuareg families in their traditional tent communities. Sandboarding down the 150m Erg Chebbi dunes. Camel ride through the dunes. Visit Khamlia — a small village of descendants of sub-Saharan slaves, famous for their hypnotic Gnawa music performances. Fossil hunting in Erfoud (trilobites, ammonites, orthoceras). Optional quad biking in the desert. Second magical night in the luxury Berber camp under a sky that stretches to infinity.

Third Sahara sunrise. Drive west through Erfoud and into the Todra Gorges — walls of rose limestone 300m high, a cold river winding through a passage just 10m wide at the narrowest point: one of Morocco's greatest natural spectacles. Walk the canyon floor. Continue through the Tinghir palmery and the Dades Valley — the "Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs" — stopping at the bizarre "Monkey Finger" rock formations in the Dades Gorges. Continue to Ouarzazate via the Skoura oasis. Visit UNESCO Ait Benhaddou at sunset — the most famous ksar in Morocco, a 1,000-year-old fortified city of earthen towers used as a backdrop for Gladiator, Game of Thrones, Babel, Lawrence of Arabia, and more. Guided walk through the six kasbahs. Overnight in Ouarzazate.

Morning optional visit to the Atlas Film Studios in Ouarzazate (one of the world's largest outdoor film studios, still housing full sets from Gladiator). Cross the High Atlas via the breathtaking Tizi-n-Tichka pass (2,260m) with summit stops for panoramic views across ridgelines to the Sahara. Descend through Berber villages clinging to the mountain slopes. Arrive in Marrakech mid-afternoon. Check into your riad. Free afternoon to explore: the legendary Jemaa el-Fna square filled with storytellers, snake charmers, acrobats and orange juice vendors; the Koutoubia mosque minaret; the souks. Overnight in Marrakech.

Full day guided tour of Marrakech's UNESCO-listed medina. Morning with your local guide: the Koutoubia Mosque (12th-century minaret that served as the model for Seville's Giralda tower), the Bahia Palace (1880s Andalusian masterpiece with 150 rooms and intricate zellij tilework), the Saadian Tombs (rediscovered in 1917, hidden behind a wall for centuries, containing the lavishly decorated tombs of the Saadian dynasty). Afternoon: the Jemaa el-Fna square at its busiest, and the labyrinthine souks — copper, leather, spices, Berber carpets, silver jewellery, lanterns and hand-painted ceramics. Optional visit to Jardin Majorelle — the cobalt-blue garden created by French painter Jacques Majorelle and later restored by Yves Saint Laurent. Evening back at Jemaa el-Fna as the food stalls set up at dusk. Overnight in Marrakech.

Morning drive west along the argan forest coast (2.5 hours) to Essaouira — the wind-swept blue-and-white UNESCO port city on the Atlantic. A world apart from the heat of the south: cool ocean breezes, salt air, seagulls, and crashing waves. Explore: the 18th-century sea ramparts (skala) with their bronze cannons pointed at the Atlantic, the working fishing port with its vivid blue wooden boats, the whitewashed medina with its art galleries, marquetry woodwork shops, and ancient mellah (Jewish quarter). The city has a remarkable cultural history — it hosted Jimi Hendrix in 1969 and Cat Stevens in 1972, and is famous for the annual Gnaoua World Music Festival. Lunch of fresh grilled sardines or lobster in the port. Overnight in an Essaouira riad.

Morning free in Essaouira — a sunrise walk on the 5km Atlantic beach, a final coffee on the sea ramparts, or last-minute shopping for thuya wood marquetry (a unique local craft) and argan oil cosmetics. Return drive to Marrakech (2.5 hours), arriving mid-afternoon. Free time to do any last medina shopping, visit the Bahia Palace gardens, or relax in your riad's courtyard. Drop-off at your hotel, Marrakech Menara airport, or the train station. Tour ends — seven days of Morocco's greatest contrasts: Sahara, gorges, medinas, mountains, and Atlantic coast.