Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Morocco in Depth: Blue Town, Sahara, Atlas and Coast
14 days from Tangier to Marrakech: Chefchaouen, Fes, two Sahara sunrises, the High Atlas at Imlil and the Atlantic at Essaouira.
14 days · Tangier to Marrakech · up to 12 guests
The ksar of Ait Benhaddou Photo: Maureen from Buffalo, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ait_Benhaddou_Qsar_(588071549).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 14 days, 13 nights
- Start and end
- Tangier to Marrakech
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
You are happy walking 3 to 4 hours on uneven lanes, steps and mountain paths, and climbing a sand dune at your own pace.
- Meals included
- 13 breakfasts, 5 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 470
- Season
- March to May and September to November
Highlights
Why this trip
- Walk Chefchaouen's blue lanes at first light, before the day visitors arrive
- Two sunrises in the Erg Chebbi dunes: one from the hotel, one from the desert camp
- Sunset at Ait Benhaddou after the day coaches have left
- Walk to Aroumd in the High Atlas with a licensed mountain guide
- Two nights by the Atlantic in Essaouira, then a hammam and Jemaa el-Fna at golden hour
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 470.
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Tangier, on to Chefchaouen
Tangier airport to Chefchaouen, about 2 hours (125 km)
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Chefchaouen
- Drive about 2 h
We meet you at Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport (TNG) and drive south into the green Rif Mountains, about 2 hours and 125 km, to Chefchaouen, the town known around the world for its blue-washed lanes. It was founded in 1471 as a small mountain fortress, and for centuries few outsiders came here. Your guide settles you into your riad inside the medina, a traditional house built around a courtyard. If your flight lands in time, walk up with your guide to the Spanish Mosque, about 30 minutes uphill on a dirt path, and watch the sun set over the whole town and valley.
Evening
Tonight the group meets over a welcome dinner. With two nights here, there is no early start tomorrow.
Included
- Pick-up at Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport (TNG)
- Sunset walk to the Spanish Mosque
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Evening free after dinner
Activity: Uphill walk of about 30 minutes each way to the Spanish Mosque
Chefchaouen at first light
A slow day in the blue medina
- Breakfast
- Stay in Chefchaouen
Morning
If you like taking photographs, set an alarm: the outer lanes of the medina are almost empty at first light, before shopkeepers hang out their rugs and the day visitors arrive from Fes and Tangier. Your guide leads an early walk through the bluest alleys, then it is back for breakfast. Mid-morning you visit Plaza Uta el-Hammam, the main square, the red-walled kasbah with its garden and small museum, and the octagonal minaret of the Grand Mosque, then walk down to the Ras el-Maa spring, where some families still wash clothes in the stream.
Afternoon
The afternoon is free, with nothing on the schedule and nowhere you have to be. Walkers can instead take an optional half-day trip to the Akchour waterfalls, about 45 minutes away by road.
Included
- Early guided walk in the medina at first light
- Kasbah of Chefchaouen
- Plaza Uta el-Hammam and the Ras el-Maa spring
Optional experiences
- Half-day trip to the Akchour waterfalls
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: Lanes are steep and stepped throughout the medina
Chefchaouen to Fes, by way of Volubilis
About 4.5 hours of driving (260 km), split at Volubilis
- Breakfast
- Stay in Fes
- Drive about 4.5 h
Today's drive is split in two. About 3 hours south through the olive and wheat country around Ouezzane brings you to Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman city in Morocco and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. A local guide walks you past the basilica, the capitol and the Arch of Caracalla, put up in 217, and into houses whose floor mosaics, such as the Labours of Hercules, still lie where they were laid. Across the valley you can see Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, the white hilltop town that is one of the holiest places in Morocco. Then about 1 hour and 15 minutes brings you on to Fes, where you check in to a riad in the old city for two nights.
Evening
The evening is yours.
Included
- Guided visit to Volubilis with a local guide
- Transfer to your riad in Fes
Free time: Evening free
Activity: About 2 hours on foot at Volubilis, on uneven stone and with little shade
Fes el-Bali, the old medina
A guided morning, free time, then a cooking class
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Fes
Fes el-Bali, the old medina, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world, a maze of thousands of lanes where donkeys still carry the goods. A licensed local guide takes you in through Bab Bou Jeloud, the blue-tiled gate, to the Bou Inania and Al-Attarine madrasas, with their carved cedar and zellige tilework from the 1300s, and past the University of al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859.
Morning
Mid-morning, when sun reaches the dye pits, you look down on the Chouara tannery from the terraces above it. Those terraces sit inside leather shops; you look, and nobody has to buy.
Afternoon
After lunch you have at least 2 free hours in the medina.
Evening
Before dinner the van takes anyone who wants it up to the Merenid Tombs for sunset over the old city, then you cook and eat a Moroccan dinner at a cooking class.
Included
- Guided walk of Fes el-Bali with a licensed local guide
- Bou Inania and Al-Attarine madrasas
- Chouara tannery viewing terraces
- Sunset at the Merenid Tombs
- Moroccan cooking class with dinner
Free time: At least 2 free hours in the medina after lunch
Activity: About 4 hours on foot in the morning, on slopes and steps
Fes to Midelt over the Middle Atlas
About 4 hours (230 km), by Ifrane and the cedar forest
- Breakfast
- Stay in Midelt
- Drive about 4 h
Most Morocco trips drive from Fes to the Sahara in one go, and travellers report 7 to 10 hours on the road. We split that drive in two.
Morning
This morning you climb into the Middle Atlas to Ifrane, a town the French laid out in the late 1920s, with steep roofs and parks that look more Alpine than Moroccan. Next comes the cedar forest near Azrou, home to Barbary macaques, an endangered monkey found in the wild only in Morocco and Algeria; please do not feed them. The road then crosses high, open plateaus to Midelt, about 1,500 m up between the Middle and High Atlas and known for its apple orchards.
Afternoon
You arrive by mid-afternoon with the rest of the day free, and in spring the peak of Jbel Ayachi often still has snow.
Included
- Ifrane
- Cedar forest near Azrou
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: Short walks only
Midelt to the Erg Chebbi dunes
About 4.5 hours (275 km), down the Ziz valley
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Merzouga
- Drive about 4.5 h
South of Midelt the road crosses the eastern High Atlas and drops into the Ziz Gorges, passing through the Legionnaire's Tunnel, cut by French Foreign Legion soldiers in the late 1920s. Below, the Ziz valley is a long ribbon of date palms and earth-walled villages, and the road follows it past Errachidia and Erfoud with a stop at a viewpoint over the palms.
Afternoon
You reach Merzouga in time for a late lunch and check in to a desert hotel on the edge of Erg Chebbi, a sea of dunes that rise to about 150 m. Rest through the heat of the afternoon, or swim if the hotel has a pool.
Evening
Before sunset your guide walks you up the dune behind the hotel to watch the sand turn a deep orange. Dinner is at the hotel tonight.
Included
- Ziz Gorges and the Legionnaire's Tunnel
- Ziz valley palm groves
- Sunset walk on the dunes of Erg Chebbi
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: A 20 to 30 minute climb in soft sand for sunset
Erg Chebbi: music, camels and a night in the dunes
A slow desert day, then a camel ride to camp
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Merzouga
Morning
First sunrise: climb the dune before breakfast while the hotel is still asleep and the sand carries only your own tracks; the light at this hour is soft and pastel. The morning is slow on purpose, with time to rest or read in the shade. Late morning your guide takes you to Khamlia, a village whose Gnawa families trace their roots across the Sahara to West Africa, to hear their music played on drums and the iron castanets called qraqeb.
Afternoon
After lunch and a rest through the heat, a camel ride of about 1 to 1.5 hours takes you deeper into the dunes to the desert camp, timed so you watch the sun go down from the top of a dune.
Evening
Dinner is in the camp, then the stars, which are bright out here, far from any town.
Included
- Sunrise on the dunes
- Gnawa music in Khamlia
- Camel ride into Erg Chebbi
- Night in a desert camp
Free time: Free morning
Activity: About 1 to 1.5 hours on a camel; walking in soft sand
A second sunrise, then the Todra and Dades gorges
About 5 hours (300 km), with a long stop at Todra
- Breakfast
- Stay in Dades Gorge
- Drive about 5 h
Morning
Your second desert sunrise comes straight from the tent: walk a few minutes up the nearest dune and watch the light spill across the sand. The camels bring you back to the hotel for a shower and breakfast, then the van heads west by Erfoud and Tinejdad, past lines of khettara, old hand-dug channels that carry water underground to the palm groves.
Afternoon
You reach the Todra Gorge near midday, when the sun reaches the floor between its sheer walls, and walk the narrowest stretch, where the road squeezes in beside the river. After lunch it is just over an hour, by Tinghir and Boumalne, to the Dades Gorge, where you sleep in a hotel above the river among red rock formations known locally as the Monkey Fingers.
Included
- Sunrise in the dunes
- Camel ride back from camp
- Walk in the Todra Gorge
Free time: Late afternoon free
Activity: About an hour of easy walking in the Todra Gorge
Dades to Ait Benhaddou, sunset at the ksar
About 3 hours (170 km), by Skoura and Ouarzazate
- Breakfast
- Stay in Ait Benhaddou
- Drive about 3 h
A short drive today. Early risers can walk up the road to the famous hairpin bends above the gorge, best before 9 am. Then the van heads west along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, through Kelaat M'Gouna, the valley of roses, to the Skoura oasis, where you visit Kasbah Amridil, a 17th-century family fortress of earth and palm wood.
Afternoon
After lunch in Ouarzazate it is about 30 minutes to Ait Benhaddou, a fortified village on the old caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 and a set for films such as Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator.
Evening
You sleep in the village beside it, so in the late afternoon, once the day coaches leave, you cross the footbridge and climb to the granary at the top for sunset.
Included
- Kasbah Amridil in Skoura
- Ait Benhaddou with your guide at sunset
Free time: Free time after lunch in Ouarzazate
Activity: A steep 20 minute climb to the top of Ait Benhaddou
Over the Tizi n'Tichka to Imlil
About 5.5 hours (245 km), over the High Atlas
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Imlil
- Drive about 5.5 h
Evening
If you missed it last night, catch the morning light on the ksar from across the river before breakfast. The road then climbs through Amazigh (Berber) villages and switchbacks to the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, one of the highest road passes in Morocco, with stops for the views rather than for shops. On the far side you drop toward the Marrakech plain and turn south, up the Rheraya valley through Asni, to Imlil. The village sits at about 1,740 m, at the foot of Jbel Toubkal, which at 4,167 m is the highest peak in North Africa, inside Toubkal National Park. After lunch at your mountain guesthouse, a licensed mountain guide leads an easy 2 to 3 hour walk through walnut groves and terraced fields to the village of Aroumd. Dinner is at the guesthouse.
Included
- Tizi n'Tichka pass
- Guided walk to Aroumd with a licensed mountain guide
Free time: Evening free
Activity: A 2 to 3 hour walk on mountain paths, with about 200 m of climbing
A mountain morning, then the Atlantic
About 4.5 to 5 hours (255 km) to Essaouira after a morning walk
- Breakfast
- Stay in Essaouira
- Drive about 5 h
Mornings in the High Atlas are cool and clear.
Morning
After breakfast your mountain guide takes you on a second walk of about 2 hours, along the other side of the valley, with views back to the Toubkal massif and mules carrying loads up the paths beside you. Late morning you drive down the valley and across the plain, skirting Marrakech, then west through argan country, where the trees grow wild almost nowhere but this corner of Morocco.
Afternoon
You reach Essaouira by mid-afternoon. It is a walled port town laid out in the 1760s for Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah by the French engineer Théodore Cornut, and its medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Check in to your riad for two nights, then watch the sun set over the Atlantic from the Skala de la Ville ramparts, along the row of old bronze cannons.
Included
- Morning walk in the Imlil valley with a licensed mountain guide
- Sunset on the Skala de la Ville ramparts
Free time: Evening free
Activity: A 2 hour walk on mountain paths
Essaouira at your own pace
Harbour, medina and a free afternoon by the sea
- Breakfast
- Stay in Essaouira
Morning
Get up early for the fishing harbour: the blue wooden boats come in around breakfast time and the catch is sold right on the quay, with gulls everywhere. A licensed local guide then walks you through the medina and the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter, and along the arcades under the ramparts where woodworkers inlay thuya, a fragrant local wood. The rest of the day is yours. Essaouira is windy for much of the year, which makes the long beach south of town popular with kitesurfers; walk it, take an optional lesson, or sit in a cafe on Place Moulay Hassan and watch the town go by.
Afternoon
Fresh fish grilled at the stalls by the harbour makes an easy lunch.
Evening
For sunset, the Skala du Port looks across the boats to the island of Mogador offshore.
Included
- Early visit to the fishing harbour
- Guided walk of the medina and the Mellah
Optional experiences
- Kitesurfing or surf lesson
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: Easy walking on the flat
Essaouira to Marrakech, hammam and Jemaa el-Fna
About 3 hours (190 km), then the medina
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Marrakech
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
An early start gets you to Marrakech by late morning.
Afternoon
After lunch, a licensed local guide walks you through the medina, founded by the Almoravids around 1070: the Koutoubia mosque, whose 12th-century minaret is the landmark of the city, the carved and painted rooms of the 19th-century Bahia Palace, and the souks, with no shop stops on the way. Then you have 2 free hours in the medina to wander back to anything that caught your eye. Late afternoon brings a traditional hammam, with black soap and a full scrub, to end the trip feeling new. At golden hour, a cafe terrace above Jemaa el-Fna, the main square, shows the food stalls setting up and the storytellers and musicians gathering below, a scene UNESCO lists as intangible heritage.
Evening
The farewell dinner is tonight.
Included
- Guided walk of the Marrakech medina: Koutoubia, Bahia Palace and the souks
- Traditional hammam with scrub
- Golden hour on a terrace above Jemaa el-Fna
- Farewell dinner
Free time: 2 free hours in the medina in the afternoon
Activity: About 3 hours on foot, flat but busy
Departure from Marrakech
Medina to Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK), about 20 minutes
- Breakfast
Morning
Your last morning is free, and breakfast is included at the riad.
Afternoon
If your flight leaves in the afternoon, there is time for one more walk. Jardin Majorelle, the cobalt-blue garden of cactus and bamboo later owned by Yves Saint Laurent, is calmest right at opening, and tickets are sold for timed slots, so book a few days ahead. Or go back into the souks for the lamp or rug you were still thinking about yesterday, or sit with a mint tea on a rooftop and write the postcards you meant to send from the desert. When it is time, we drive you to Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK), about 20 minutes from the medina, in good time for your flight. If you are flying home through Casablanca, leave room for the connection.
Included
- Drop-off at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK)
Optional experiences
- Jardin Majorelle
Free time: Morning free
- Tangierstart
- Chefchaouen2 nights
- Fes2 nights
- Midelt1 night
- Merzouga2 nights
- Dades Gorge1 night
- Ait Benhaddou1 night
- Imlil1 night
- Essaouira2 nights
- Marrakech1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Inland, June to August is very hot, often above 38 °C (100 °F) in the Sahara. Desert nights are cold from November to February, and the High Atlas can have snow from December to March. We cannot promise clear sunrises: a sandstorm or cloud can hide one, which is why there are two.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Walking 3 to 4 hours a day on uneven ground
- Early starts for sunrise and good light
- Travellers who want free time, not shopping stops
- A mix of cities, desert, mountains and coast
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access at every stop
- Every evening planned
- Travel in July and August
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
13 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Chefchaouen2 nights
- Fes2 nights
- Midelt1 night
- Merzouga2 nights
- Dades Gorge1 night
- Ait Benhaddou1 night
- Imlil1 night
- Essaouira2 nights
- Marrakech1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 13 nights: riads in Chefchaouen, Fes, Essaouira and Marrakech, desert hotels at Merzouga and in the Dades Gorge, a hotel in Midelt, a hotel at Ait Benhaddou, a desert camp in Erg Chebbi and a mountain guesthouse in Imlil
Transport
- Pick-up at Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport (TNG)
- A private vehicle and driver for the group from Tangier to Marrakech
- Camel ride to and from the desert camp
- Drop-off at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK)
Activities
- Guided visit to Volubilis
- Guided walk of Fes el-Bali, with the Bou Inania and Al-Attarine madrasas and the Chouara tannery terraces
- Moroccan cooking class in Fes
- Gnawa music in Khamlia
- A night in a desert camp in Erg Chebbi
- Todra Gorge walk
- Kasbah Amridil in Skoura
- Ait Benhaddou at sunset
- Two guided walks in the Imlil valley
- Guided walk of the Essaouira medina
- Guided walk of the Marrakech medina, with the Bahia Palace
- Traditional hammam in Marrakech
Meals
- 13 breakfasts
- 6 dinners: welcome dinner, cooking-class dinner, Merzouga, the desert camp, Imlil and a farewell dinner
Your guide
- A trained See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip
- Licensed local guides in Volubilis, Fes, Essaouira and Marrakech
- A licensed mountain guide in Imlil
Not included
- Flights to Tangier and from Marrakech
- Lunches and the dinners not listed
- Travel insurance
- Tips
- Optional activities: the Akchour waterfalls, kitesurfing and Jardin Majorelle tickets
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 470
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We confirm your departure within 24 hours.
Want your own dates? We can book the same hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your confirmation.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the trip include?
13 nights in riads, desert hotels, a desert camp and a mountain guesthouse, 13 breakfasts and 6 dinners, a trained See Sight Tours guide and a private vehicle with driver from Tangier to Marrakech, licensed local guides in Volubilis, Fes, Essaouira and Marrakech, a mountain guide in Imlil, the camel ride and desert camp, a cooking class, a hammam, airport transfers and every entry named in the day plan.
How long are the drives?
No day has more than about 5.5 hours of driving, and the longer days are broken by a visit or a walk. The longest are day 10 over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Imlil (about 5.5 hours with stops at the pass), day 8 from the Sahara to the Dades Gorge (about 5 hours, split by Todra) and day 11 from Imlil to Essaouira (about 5 hours, after a morning walk). We split the Fes to Sahara drive with a night in Midelt, and the Sahara to Ait Benhaddou drive with a night in the Dades Gorge. Each day in the plan shows its hours and distance, which are estimates and can change with roads and weather.
Are there shopping stops?
No. There are no shop or restaurant stops chosen for a commission. The tannery terraces in Fes sit inside leather shops, so you walk through one to see the pits, but nobody has to buy. You get at least 2 free hours in the medinas of Fes and Marrakech and a free afternoon in Chefchaouen and Essaouira.
Which airports do I fly into and out of?
Fly into Tangier Ibn Battouta (TNG) and home from Marrakech Menara (RAK). Landing in Casablanca instead? The Al Boraq high-speed train runs from Casablanca to Tangier in a little over 2 hours, and we can meet you at the station in Tangier. Ask us when you book.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, so everyone fits in one vehicle and around one table.
Where do we stay?
Riads, which are traditional courtyard houses, in Chefchaouen, Fes, Essaouira and Marrakech; desert hotels at Merzouga and in the Dades Gorge; a hotel in Midelt; a night in a desert camp in the dunes; a hotel beside the ksar at Ait Benhaddou; and a mountain guesthouse in Imlil. We name each one when we confirm your dates.
When is the best time to go?
March to May and September to November. Late March to April is lovely in the Sahara and the Atlas, and October brings fewer crowds in the desert. June to August is very hot inland, with the Sahara often above 38 °C (100 °F), and winter brings cold desert nights and snow in the High Atlas.
How fit do I need to be?
You should be comfortable walking 3 to 4 hours on uneven ground, slopes and steps, and climbing a sand dune at your own pace. The two walks in Imlil are on mountain paths at about 1,700 to 2,000 m. Riads often have steep stairs and no lifts.
Do I need a visa for Morocco?
Canadian passport holders do not need a visa for a tourist stay of up to 90 days. Check the current entry and passport validity rules for your own passport before you go.
Can we travel privately or on our own?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose. If you would rather travel on your own on your own dates, ask us from the dates section: we can book the same stays, transport and guided visits for you.
How much does it cost?
Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes, and differ by style: small group or private. The small group starts from CAD 1,890 per person, and a room of your own is from CAD 470 more. Pick your start date when you request to book, and we confirm your trip within 24 hours. Nothing is charged until then.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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