Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Fes, the Sahara and the High Atlas for three generations
8 days from Fes to Marrakech for grandparents, parents and children 6 and up: the Fes medina at a family pace, two nights in the Erg Chebbi dunes, the Todra Gorge and Ait Benhaddou, with no leg on the road over about 2 hours.
8 days · Fes to Marrakech · up to 12 guests
Early morning in the Erg Chebbi dunes, where we spend two nights in the same camp. Photo: Adrian Farwell, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dunes_at_Sunrise,_Erg_Chebbi_-_Lone_Wanderer_-_panoramio.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Fes to Marrakech
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Easy
Built for ages 6 to 80: no hike, about 1 to 3 hours on foot a day. The Fes medina is about 2 to 3 hours on uneven paving, mostly downhill. Sand is tiring to walk on, so every dune walk is optional and short. Four days have 3.5 to 4 hours of driving, split into legs of about 2 hours or less. Anyone can sit a part out.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 5 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 340 (estimated price)
- Season
- Spring and autumn
Highlights
Why this trip
- An evening walk to Bab Boujloud and an early welcome dinner in Fes
- The Fes medina walked downhill, with the van waiting at the bottom
- A family cooking class: bake bread and fill a tagine for lunch
- Barbary macaques in the cedar forest near Azrou
- Two nights in the Erg Chebbi dunes, with a camel or 4x4 ride in, sandboarding and Gnawa music in Khamlia
- Paddling in the stream on the flat floor of the Todra Gorge
- Atlas Film Studios and Ait Benhaddou at dusk and in the morning
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 340 (estimated price).
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 Fes
Fes-Saïss Airport to the Fes medina
- Welcome dinner at about 7 pm
- Stay in Fes
- Drive about 30 min
We meet you at Fes-Saïss Airport (FEZ), about 15 km south of the city, and drive you to your riad or hotel at the edge of the medina, chosen so the van can stop close to the door and the bags do not travel far on foot. We ask for family, triple or connecting rooms for every family and confirm them when we name the hotel.
Afternoon
Land by mid-afternoon if you can: there is time to rest, and, if the hotel has one, a swim.
Evening
At about 5 pm your guide walks everyone a short, flat way to Bab Boujloud, the blue-tiled gate of 1913, and into the first lane of Fes el Bali to watch the evening come in. Then a welcome dinner at about 7 pm, early enough for the youngest and for anyone who flew overnight, and a short briefing on the week ahead.
Included
- Pick-up at Fes-Saïss Airport (FEZ)
- Short evening walk to Bab Boujloud with your guide
- Welcome dinner and family briefing
Easier option: Stay at the hotel and join the group for dinner
Free time: Afternoon free to rest or swim
Fes el Bali at a family pace
Guided morning in the Fes medina, then a cooking class
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Fes
We start at 8:30 am at Bab Boujloud with a licensed Fes guide, before the lanes fill.
Morning
Fes el Bali has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981 and is car-free, so the morning is on foot, but we walk it the easy way: mostly downhill from the upper gate towards Bab R'cif, where the van waits, so nobody has to climb back up. The children's favourites come first: the donkeys and mules that still carry goods through the lanes, the metalworkers' square, and the Chouara tannery seen from a terrace, where the dye pits look like a paintbox. The Bou Inania Madrasa, built in the 1350s, gives everyone a quiet, cool courtyard to sit in.
Afternoon
Lunch is a family cooking class: knead bread, fill a tagine and eat what you make. The afternoon is free for a nap, a swim if the riad or hotel has a pool, or Jnan Sbil, the shaded public garden near Bab Boujloud.
Included
- Guided morning in Fes el Bali with a licensed local guide
- Chouara tannery terrace
- Bou Inania Madrasa entry
- Family cooking class with lunch
- Van pick-up at Bab R'cif
Optional experiences
- A hammam visit for adults in the medina (price to be confirmed)
Easier option: Walk the first hour, then wait with a mint tea at the riad while the others reach the tannery
More active option: Climb up to the Marinid Tombs at sunset with your guide for the view over the old city
Free time: Afternoon free: rest, a pool if the hotel has one, or Jnan Sbil garden
Activity: About 2 to 3 hours on foot, mostly downhill on uneven paving and some steps. There are places to sit along the way.
Cedars, macaques and the Middle Atlas
Fes to Midelt via Ifrane and the cedar forest near Azrou
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Midelt
- Drive about 3.5 h
Morning
An easy start after breakfast, and the drive is broken into short legs. The first hour climbs south to Ifrane, a town of steep roofs and tidy parks that the French founded in 1929, where we stop for a stretch, a coffee and the stone lion that every child wants a photo with. Half an hour on we walk a little way into the Atlas cedar forest near Azrou, where Barbary macaques often come close to the road and the trees; we watch them, but we do not feed them.
Afternoon
Lunch is in Azrou or on the road. The afternoon leg, about two hours, crosses high open plateau to Midelt, an apple-growing town at about 1,500 metres between the Middle and High Atlas.
Evening
We arrive by mid-afternoon, with time to rest before an early dinner at the hotel.
Included
- Stop in Ifrane
- Walk in the Atlas cedar forest near Azrou
- Dinner in Midelt
Easier option: Stay by the van at the cedar forest stop; the macaques often come to the roadside
More active option: A longer walk among the cedars with your guide
Free time: Late afternoon free in Midelt
Activity: The longest single leg is about 2 hours. Macaques are wild: we cannot promise them, and we keep children at a safe distance.
Down the Ziz valley to the dunes
Midelt to Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi camp
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Erg Chebbi
- Drive about 4 h
This is a longer day, about 4 hours of driving, and we split it into three legs of under 2 hours each so nobody sits for long. First we climb over the Tizi n'Talghamt pass, at about 1,900 metres, and stop above the Ziz gorges, where a ribbon of date palms runs through the red rock.
Afternoon
A sit-down lunch is included, in Errachidia or Erfoud, at a place chosen for the food and not for a shop. The last hour runs past Erfoud to Merzouga at the edge of Erg Chebbi, where the dunes rise up to about 150 metres. In the late afternoon each family chooses how to reach the camp: a camel ride of about 30 to 60 minutes with handlers walking beside the animals, or a 4x4.
Evening
The camp has private tents with their own bathroom and electricity, and dinner is early.
Included
- Ziz gorges viewpoint
- Sit-down lunch on the road
- Camel ride or 4x4 into the camp at sunset
- Dinner at the camp
Easier option: Ride into camp by 4x4
More active option: Walk the last part of the way into camp over the sand
Free time: Early evening free at camp
Activity: Longest day, but the longest single leg is under 2 hours. Children 6 and up ride a camel with a handler leading it; anyone can take the 4x4 instead.
A whole day in the Sahara
Erg Chebbi, Khamlia and back to camp
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Erg Chebbi
Nobody packs today.
Morning
Those who want sunrise walk a short way up a dune with the guide; everyone else watches from the camp or sleeps on. After breakfast a short 4x4 loop around the edge of Erg Chebbi takes us to Khamlia, a village known for Gnawa music, where a family band plays for us over mint tea, and children are usually invited to try the iron castanets. We are back at camp before the heat.
Afternoon
Lunch is at camp, and the hot middle of the day is for shade and rest, with a pool where the camp has one; we tell you which when we name the camp.
Evening
In the late afternoon there is sandboarding on a gentle slope for the children and anyone brave enough, then sunset from a dune close to camp, an early dinner, and the stars, far from any town light.
Included
- Sunrise dune walk with your guide
- Short 4x4 loop of Erg Chebbi
- Gnawa music in Khamlia
- Sandboarding on a gentle dune
- Sunset near the camp
Easier option: Watch sunrise and sunset from the camp, no climbing
More active option: A longer sunrise walk to a higher dune with your guide
Free time: Middle of the day free at camp
Activity: Walking on soft sand is hard work, even for short distances; go as far as you like.
To the Todra Gorge
Merzouga to the Todra Gorge via Erfoud and Tinejdad
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Todra Gorge
- Drive about 3 h
About 3 hours on the road today, in two legs.
Morning
We leave the dunes after breakfast and stop on the plain between Erfoud and Tinejdad at the khettaras, old underground water channels dug to bring water to the oases, where children can climb down into a restored section. This stop is the real break in the first 2-hour leg, with a toilet and a walk before anyone gets back in the van.
Afternoon
Lunch is near Tinghir, whose long green oasis we see from above, and then we drive the last few kilometres into the Todra Gorge. We go in the afternoon for a flat walk on the gorge floor, where the rock walls rise up to about 160 metres and stand in places only about 10 metres apart, with a clear, shallow stream that children love to paddle in. Families who want more can take a longer walk with a local guide.
Evening
We stay near the mouth of the gorge, with an early dinner at the hotel.
Included
- Khettara water channels near Tinejdad
- Flat walk on the floor of the Todra Gorge
- Dinner near the gorge
Easier option: Stay on the flat floor of the gorge, about 30 minutes on foot
More active option: A walk of about 2 hours with a local guide up and out of the gorge and back past the oasis fields
Free time: Late afternoon free at the hotel
Activity: Lunch is on your own near Tinghir. The gorge floor is flat and stony; the longer walk has one steady climb.
The road of the kasbahs to Ait Benhaddou
Todra Gorge to Ait Benhaddou via Kelaat M'Gouna, Skoura and Ouarzazate
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Ait Benhaddou
- Drive about 4 h
About 4 hours of driving in four short legs, none longer than about an hour and a half. The road follows the Dades valley through Kelaat M'Gouna, the town of the Valley of Roses, where rose water is sold in every shop and the harvest is celebrated each May, to the Skoura palm grove, scattered with old earth-built kasbahs.
Afternoon
A sit-down lunch is included in Ouarzazate, and afterwards we visit Atlas Film Studios, where children can walk through sets from films shot in the desert. Ait Benhaddou is half an hour on: a fortified village of earthen houses on the old caravan route, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
Evening
We arrive in the late afternoon with time for a pool if the hotel has one, a walk to the riverbank to see the ksar at dusk, and an early farewell dinner together.
Included
- Kelaat M'Gouna and the Valley of Roses
- Skoura palm grove
- Sit-down lunch in Ouarzazate
- Atlas Film Studios entry
- Ait Benhaddou at dusk
- Farewell dinner
Easier option: Stay in the van at the Skoura stop and rest at the hotel instead of the dusk walk
Free time: Late afternoon free at the hotel
Activity: Longest day, but the longest single leg is under 2 hours. Atlas Film Studios is about an hour on foot on flat ground.
Ait Benhaddou in the morning, then over the High Atlas
Ait Benhaddou to Marrakech over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, then Djemaa el-Fna
- Breakfast and lunch
- Drive about 4 h
Morning
Early risers can join the guide at the hill facing the ksar about 30 minutes after sunrise, when the low light picks out every tower. After breakfast we cross the shallow Ounila river on the footbridge and walk up through the ksar to the ruined granary at the top, for the view over the valley; grandparents can stop at any terrace on the way. We leave at about 9:30 am. The first leg, about an hour and a half, climbs to the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 metres, the highest point of the trip, where we stop.
Afternoon
Then lunch on the way down, and about 2 hours more on the long bends of the N9 through Amazigh villages to Marrakech, arriving at about 2:30 pm.
Evening
Your guide walks you for about an hour on flat ground through the Koutoubia gardens and into Djemaa el-Fna, where musicians, juice sellers and henna artists work by day and the food stalls set up towards evening. We drop you at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK), about 6 km away, by about 4:30 pm. Book flights leaving after 7:30 pm, or ask us to add nights in Marrakech.
Included
- Sunrise viewpoint and walk up through the ksar of Ait Benhaddou with your guide
- Stop at the Tizi n'Tichka pass
- Lunch on the road
- An hour's walk through the Koutoubia gardens and Djemaa el-Fna, Marrakech
- Drop-off at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) or your Marrakech hotel
Easier option: Sleep in, walk only the lower lanes of the ksar, and sit at a cafe on the square in Marrakech
More active option: Climb to the granary at the top of the ksar
Activity: The road over the pass has many bends; bring travel-sickness tablets if anyone needs them.
- Fes2 nights
- Midelt1 night
- Erg Chebbi2 nights
- Todra Gorge1 night
- Ait Benhaddou1 night
- Marrakechend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Spring and autumn days are warm and desert nights are cool, sometimes cold in March and late October. Barbary macaques often feed in the cedar forest near Azrou; we cannot promise them. Sand blows on windy days in the dunes: bring sunglasses and a camera cover.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Grandparents, parents and children 6 and up travelling together
- Families who want the Sahara without 8-hour drives
- Grandparents who can manage short steps and uneven lanes but not a long hike
- Families who like early dinners and free afternoons
Not for you if you want
- Children under 6: the minimum age is 6 on every departure
- Wheelchair users or pushchairs: the medina, the ksar and the sand are not step-free
- Travellers who want days in Marrakech: we give it one afternoon walk before the airport, unless you add nights
- Anyone who wants a different hotel every night or a long day trek
Minimum age: 6
Most guests are Three generations: grandparents, parents and children aged 6 to 16
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Fes2 nights
- Midelt1 night
- Erg Chebbi2 nights
- Todra Gorge1 night
- Ait Benhaddou1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights: Fes (2), Midelt (1), a desert camp in Erg Chebbi with private en-suite tents (2), the Todra Gorge (1) and Ait Benhaddou (1), with family, triple or connecting rooms requested for every family
Transport
- Pick-up at Fes-Saïss Airport (FEZ)
- An air-conditioned van with driver from Fes to Marrakech
- Camel or 4x4 into the Erg Chebbi camp, your choice
- 4x4 loop of Erg Chebbi on day 5
- Drop-off at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) or your Marrakech hotel
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip
- Licensed local guides in Fes and the Todra Gorge
Activities
- Evening walk to Bab Boujloud, Fes
- Guided morning in Fes el Bali, with the Chouara tannery terrace and the Bou Inania Madrasa entry
- Family cooking class in Fes
- Ifrane and the Atlas cedar forest near Azrou
- Ziz gorges viewpoint
- Sunrise and sunset in Erg Chebbi
- Gnawa music in Khamlia
- Sandboarding in Erg Chebbi
- Khettara water channels near Tinejdad
- Todra Gorge walk, flat or longer with a local guide
- Kelaat M'Gouna and the Skoura palm grove
- Atlas Film Studios entry, Ouarzazate
- Ait Benhaddou at dusk and a morning walk up the ksar
- Tizi n'Tichka pass
- Koutoubia gardens and Djemaa el-Fna walk, Marrakech
Meals
- 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 6 dinners
Not included
- International flights to Fes and from Marrakech
- Visas, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance
- Lunches and dinners not listed
- Drinks
- Tips for drivers, camp staff and local guides
- Optional activities
- Personal expenses
- Nights before day 1 or after day 8, including extra Marrakech nights
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 340 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging 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 quote, before you accept.
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
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 1,540 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 1,665. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 1,810.
What does the price include?
7 nights in hotels, a riad-style stay in Fes and a desert camp with private bathrooms, 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 6 dinners, the van and driver from Fes to Marrakech, airport transfers at both ends, a See Sight Tours guide throughout with local guides in Fes and the Todra Gorge, the cooking class, camel or 4x4 into camp, the 4x4 loop, sandboarding and Atlas Film Studios.
What ages is this trip for?
Children must be 6 or older on the day the trip starts, and there is no upper age limit. Every day is planned so a 9-year-old and a 70-year-old can both enjoy it, with an easy option and an active option on the days with more walking or early starts.
How long are the drives, and what about travel sickness?
No leg between real stops is longer than about 2 hours. Days 3, 4, 7 and 8 are about 3.5 to 4 hours in total, split into two to four legs with stops. The Tizi n'Tichka road on day 8 has many bends: bring travel-sickness tablets, and children prone to it sit at the front of the van.
How big is the group and who leads it?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, counting children. A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group for the whole trip, with licensed local guides in Fes and the Todra Gorge, and our own air-conditioned van and driver throughout.
How much walking is there, and is it step-free?
About 1 to 3 hours a day, slowly, with places to sit. The Fes medina is the longest walk, mostly downhill on uneven paving. The trip is not step-free: the medina, the ksar and the sand do not suit wheelchairs or pushchairs, so ask us before booking if anyone uses a wheelchair or walking frame.
Can we have family or connecting rooms?
We ask for family, triple or connecting rooms for every family on every night and confirm them when we name each hotel and the camp. Camp tents are usually for two or three; we ask the camp for family tents or tents side by side.
Are the camel rides safe for children?
Children 6 and up ride with a handler leading each camel on foot, and the ride into camp takes about 30 to 60 minutes. Any family member can take the 4x4 instead, at no extra cost, and families often split between the two.
Is there a single supplement for a grandparent travelling alone?
Yes. A room of your own is from CAD 340 more. A grandparent or parent who shares a room with a child pays no supplement. Ask us if you would like a room next to the rest of your family.
We are a family of six or fewer. How do we book?
As a private trip. The small group needs 7 to 12 guests, so a family of six or fewer books the private version: your family only, on a date you choose, from CAD 3,260 per person. Independent travel on your own dates, with a driver but no guide, is a separate quote on request.
When is the best time to go?
March to May and late September to October, which also covers spring break, Easter and autumn school holidays. Summer is too hot in the desert for young children and grandparents, and desert nights from November to February are close to freezing.
Do we need visas or documents for the children?
Canadians can visit Morocco for a short stay without a visa; we confirm the current rules and passport validity when you book. Every child needs a passport, and a child travelling without both parents should carry a signed consent letter from the absent parent.
How does booking work and how much does it cost?
The small group starts from CAD 1,810 per person sharing, taxes included. Send your preferred dates as an enquiry. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. Child pricing is confirmed with your quote.
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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