Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Morocco in Style: Fes, the Sahara and Marrakech
10 days from Fes to Marrakech: three nights in a Fes riad with Volubilis, two in a private-tent camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes, two in the Skoura palm grove and two in Marrakech.
10 days · Fes to Marrakech · up to 12 guests
Riding out across the dunes near Merzouga at sunset. Photo: Inbal Malca iaminbaltal, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hiking_At_Sundown_(Unsplash).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Start and end
- Fes to Marrakech
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Walks of 2 to 3 hours on uneven, stepped lanes in the Fes and Marrakech medinas and on the stones of Volubilis, a gorge walk of about 2 hours with one steady climb, and a climb up soft sand at sunrise. Three long days in the vehicle (about 8, 5 and 5 hours of driving). Every walk has an easy option and you can sit any part out.
- Meals included
- 9 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 6 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 750 (estimated price)
- Season
- Spring and autumn
Highlights
Why this trip
- The Fes medina from Bab Boujloud at 8:30 am, with the Chouara tannery in the morning light
- A hammam and scrub in Fes, included
- The mosaics of Volubilis at opening, then lunch in Meknes
- Two nights in a private-tent camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes: a sunset ride in, a sunrise walk and Gnawa music in Khamlia
- A walk through the narrows of the Todra Gorge, then two slow nights in the Skoura palm grove
- Ait Benhaddou in the morning, before the day trips from Marrakech arrive
- The Bahia Palace at opening, the Ben Youssef Madrasa and the Jardin Majorelle, then a farewell dinner in Marrakech
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 750 (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 a riad in Fes el Bali
- Dinner
- Stay in Fes
- Drive about 30 min
We meet you at Fes-Saïss Airport (FEZ), about 15 km south of the city, whatever time you land, and drive you to your riad inside Fes el Bali, the walled old city. The last few minutes are on foot: no cars enter most of the medina, so a porter brings your bags through the lanes while you follow.
Afternoon
Land by mid-afternoon if you can and use the rest of the day to settle in, sit in the courtyard with mint tea or rest after the journey.
Evening
In the early evening your guide meets the group on the riad roof for a short briefing on the days ahead, the medina, tipping and how to say no politely in the souks. Then we walk a few minutes to a welcome dinner of slow-cooked tagines, pastilla and Moroccan salads, the first of the trip's shared meals.
Included
- Pick-up at Fes-Saïss Airport (FEZ) with porter to the riad
- Rooftop briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Afternoon free to settle in
Fes el Bali on foot
Bab Boujloud, the madrasas, the Chouara tannery and the hammam
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Fes
We start at 8:30 am at Bab Boujloud, the blue-tiled gate built in 1913, with a licensed Fes guide, before the lanes fill. Fes el Bali has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981 and is one of the largest car-free urban areas anywhere, so the whole day is on foot. The Bou Inania Madrasa, finished in the 1350s, comes first, then the woodworkers' Nejjarine fountain and inn, the Al-Attarine Madrasa with its carved cedar and plaster, and a look through the doors of al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859.
Morning
The Chouara tannery is best in the morning, when the dye vats are fresh and the light over the terraces is soft.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in the medina.
Evening
The afternoon is free, and before dinner you go to a hammam for a steam, a black-soap scrub and a rest, booked for the group.
Included
- Guided morning in Fes el Bali with a licensed local guide
- Bou Inania and Al-Attarine madrasa entries
- Nejjarine fountain and woodwork museum
- Chouara tannery terrace
- Sit-down lunch in the medina
- Hammam with steam and scrub
Easier option: Return to the riad after the madrasas and rejoin for lunch.
More active option: Walk up to the Marinid Tombs at sunset with your guide for the view over the whole medina.
Free time: Afternoon free; dinner on your own
Activity: About 3 hours on foot in the morning, on steep, stepped and sometimes slippery lanes.
Volubilis, Moulay Idriss and Meknes
Fes to Volubilis, Moulay Idriss and Meknes, then back to Fes
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Fes
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
We leave after breakfast and reach Volubilis, about 80 km west, as it opens, while the air is cool and the site is quiet. This Roman town on the edge of the empire, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, still has its triumphal arch, basilica columns and floor mosaics in the houses where they were laid, and a local guide walks you through it in about two hours. Across the valley the white town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun wraps around its hill; we stop at the viewpoint above it.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in Meknes, the imperial city Moulay Ismail built in the late 17th century, also on the UNESCO list. Afterwards we walk to Bab Mansour, one of the grandest gates in Morocco, and across Place el Hedim, then drive back to Fes by late afternoon.
Evening
The evening is yours.
Included
- Volubilis with a licensed local guide, entry included
- Moulay Idriss Zerhoun viewpoint
- Sit-down lunch in Meknes
- Bab Mansour and Place el Hedim with your guide
Easier option: Stay in Fes for a slow day at the riad and in the medina.
More active option: Walk the whole Volubilis site to the far house of the Cortege of Venus.
Free time: Evening free in Fes
Activity: About 2 hours on foot at Volubilis on uneven Roman paving with no shade; bring a hat.
Over the Middle Atlas to the Sahara
Fes to Ifrane, the Azrou cedar forest, Midelt, the Ziz valley and Merzouga, then into the Erg Chebbi camp
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Erg Chebbi
- Drive about 8 h
This is the longest day, and we would rather tell you now: about 470 km and 8 hours of driving, 9.5 to 10 hours door to door.
Evening
Adding a night in Midelt would cost a night in Fes or in the dunes, so we break it with real stops instead. We leave at 8 am and climb to Ifrane, the alpine-style town the French built in 1929, then the cedar forest near Azrou, where Barbary macaques often feed by the road. Lunch is a sit-down meal in Midelt, at about 1,500 metres between the High and Middle Atlas. In the afternoon the road drops through the Ziz gorges to a valley of date palms, past Errachidia and Erfoud, to Merzouga on the edge of Erg Chebbi. Camels take you out across the sand in about an hour for sunset, or ride by 4x4, to the camp where you stay two nights.
Included
- Ifrane
- Atlas cedar forest near Azrou
- Sit-down lunch in Midelt
- Ziz valley viewpoint
- Sunset camel ride into Erg Chebbi, or a 4x4 if you prefer
- Dinner at the camp
Easier option: Ride into the camp by 4x4 instead of by camel.
Activity: About 8 hours of driving, never more than about 90 minutes without a stop: coffee in Ifrane, a leg-stretch in the Azrou cedar forest, an unhurried sit-down lunch of about an hour in Midelt, the Ziz valley viewpoint and a break in Erfoud before the dunes. The camel ride is about an hour.
A whole day in the dunes
Erg Chebbi, Khamlia and back to camp
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Erg Chebbi
Morning
Your guide wakes you before dawn. Rather than climbing the busy dune beside camp, walk out along the dune line, where there are no footprints ahead and the first light rolls across ridges that rise to about 150 metres. Breakfast is at camp, then a 4x4 loop around the edge of Erg Chebbi to Khamlia, a village known for Gnawa music, where a family band plays for us over mint tea; we also stop at a nomad family's tent if they are camped nearby.
Afternoon
Lunch is back at camp, and the hot middle of the day is yours: sleep, read in the shade of your tent or try sandboarding on the camp’s boards, included. Because you do not pack up today, nothing is rushed.
Evening
In the late afternoon we walk up a high dune for sunset, then dinner around the fire and a sky far from any town lights.
Included
- Sunrise dune walk with your guide
- 4x4 loop of Erg Chebbi
- Gnawa music in Khamlia
- Sunset from a high dune
- Dinner at the camp
- Sandboarding on the camp's boards
Easier option: Watch sunrise from the camp and ride the 4x4 to the sunset dune.
More active option: Climb the highest dune near camp for sunrise with your guide.
Free time: Middle of the day free at camp
Activity: Walking on soft sand is hard work; go as far as you like.
The Todra Gorge, then the Skoura palm grove
Erg Chebbi to the Todra Gorge, then by Boumalne Dades and Kelaat M'Gouna to Skoura
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Skoura
- Drive about 5 h
Afternoon
A second long day, about 335 km and 5 hours of driving, broken in the middle by a walk and lunch. It is the price of two nights in Skoura instead of single nights at the Todra Gorge and Ait Benhaddou. We leave camp after breakfast and drive about 3 hours west past Erfoud and Tinejdad to the Todra Gorge, arriving late morning when the sun reaches the canyon floor. A local guide leads a walk of about two hours through the narrows, where rock walls of 160 metres or more stand only about 10 metres apart, and back through the terraced fields of the Tinghir oasis. Lunch is a sit-down meal near the gorge. In the afternoon we follow the road of the kasbahs through Boumalne Dades and Kelaat M'Gouna, in the Valley of Roses, to Skoura, a palm grove scattered with old earthen kasbahs, and stay two nights.
Included
- Guided walk in the Todra Gorge
- Sit-down lunch near the gorge
- Kelaat M'Gouna and the Valley of Roses
- Dinner at the kasbah hotel
Easier option: Walk only the flat floor of the gorge, about 30 minutes.
More active option: Take the longer loop up over the rim of the gorge with the local guide.
Activity: The gorge walk is about 2 hours on rocky paths with one steady climb.
A slow day in Skoura
Skoura palm grove and Kasbah Amridil
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Skoura
No early start and no driving today.
Morning
After a late breakfast a local guide walks you through the Skoura palm grove on paths between irrigated plots of dates, olives, figs and barley, fed by underground channels called khettaras that carry water from the mountains. We stop at Kasbah Amridil, a family kasbah beside the palm grove that once appeared on the 50-dirham note, to see how its rooms, towers and olive press worked, and take mint tea with a family in the oasis if they are home.
Afternoon
Back at the kasbah hotel by midday, the afternoon is yours: swim, sleep, read in the garden or walk out alone into the palms in the late light, when the earthen walls turn red.
Evening
Dinner is at the hotel, as there are few restaurants in Skoura, and the night sky here is dark.
Included
- Guided walk in the Skoura palm grove with a local guide
- Kasbah Amridil entry
- Dinner at the kasbah hotel
Easier option: Visit Kasbah Amridil only and skip the longer palm grove walk.
More active option: A longer walk deeper into the palm grove to the ruined kasbahs at its edge.
Free time: Afternoon free; lunch on your own at the hotel
Activity: About 2 hours on flat, shaded paths.
Ait Benhaddou and the High Atlas
Skoura to Ait Benhaddou, then over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Marrakech
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Marrakech
- Drive about 5 h
Afternoon
Today is about 255 km and 5 hours of driving, split by a long visit and a sit-down lunch, and our early start pays off. We leave Skoura at 8 am and reach Ait Benhaddou by about 9:30, before the day trips from Marrakech arrive around midday. This fortified village of earthen houses on the old caravan route across the Atlas has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 and a film set many times over. Your guide leads you across the river and up through the lanes to the ruined granary at the top, for the view over the Ounila valley. Lunch is a sit-down meal near the ksar. In the afternoon the road climbs the High Atlas to the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 metres, then winds down through Amazigh villages to Marrakech, where we arrive at your medina riad by late afternoon.
Included
- Guided visit to Ait Benhaddou
- Sit-down lunch near the ksar
- Photo stop at the Tizi n'Tichka pass
Easier option: Stay on the lower lanes of Ait Benhaddou and skip the climb to the granary.
Free time: Evening free in Marrakech; dinner on your own
Activity: About 1.5 hours on foot at Ait Benhaddou with a steep climb at the top. The pass road has long hairpins; tell us if you get carsick.
Marrakech: palaces, gardens and a farewell dinner
Bahia Palace, the souks, the Ben Youssef Madrasa, the Jardin Majorelle and Djemaa el-Fna
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Marrakech
- Drive about 30 min
We are at the Bahia Palace when it opens, about 9 am, with a licensed Marrakech guide, before its courtyards fill: grand viziers built it in the late 19th century, with painted cedar ceilings, zellij tilework and a vast marble court. Your guide briefs you on prices before we walk north through the souks, then into the Ben Youssef Madrasa, a 16th-century Koranic school with a carved courtyard and pool.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in the medina. In the afternoon we drive a few minutes to the Jardin Majorelle on a timed entry, the blue villa and garden of cactus and bamboo later owned by Yves Saint Laurent. The rest of the afternoon is free.
Evening
At dusk we walk to Djemaa el-Fna as the food stalls light up and the storytellers gather, then sit down to a farewell dinner together.
Included
- Guided morning in the Marrakech medina with a licensed local guide
- Bahia Palace entry
- Ben Youssef Madrasa entry
- Sit-down lunch in the medina
- Jardin Majorelle timed entry
- Dusk walk to Djemaa el-Fna
- Farewell dinner
Easier option: Go back to the riad after lunch and rejoin at dusk.
Free time: Late afternoon free
Activity: About 3 hours on foot in the morning, on flat but crowded lanes.
A slow morning, then home
Marrakech medina to Marrakech Menara Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 30 min
Nothing is scheduled today, so you can fly at any hour without missing anything.
Morning
After breakfast on the riad roof, take a last walk on your own. Le Jardin Secret, a restored riad garden in the medina, opens in the morning and is quiet early. The Koutoubia gardens, below the 12th-century minaret, are a short walk from Djemaa el-Fna, and the square itself is calm before noon, with orange-juice sellers and little else. If your flight is late, leave your bags at the riad and have one more mint tea on a rooftop over the souks. When you are ready, we drive you to Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK), about 6 km from the medina and 20 minutes away, or to Marrakech railway station if you are going on to Casablanca.
Afternoon
Book flights home from about midday onwards if you want the morning.
Included
- Drop-off at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) or Marrakech railway station
Free time: Morning free
- Fes3 nights
- Erg Chebbi2 nights
- Skoura2 nights
- Marrakech2 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Spring brings green fields in the Middle Atlas and almond blossom, with roses in the Valley of Roses in May. Autumn is warm in the day and cool at night, and the date harvest comes to the palm groves in October. Desert nights are cold from November to March. Barbary macaques often feed in the cedar forest near Azrou on day 4; we cannot promise them. Wind can lift sand in the dunes; bring a cover for your camera.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want Morocco's classic route with better beds and fewer packing days
- Walks of 2 to 3 hours on stepped, uneven lanes
- A desert night with your own bathroom rather than a shared block
- First trips to Morocco, and travellers who have done a budget tour and want a better one
- Solo travellers happy to pay a fair supplement for their own room and tent
Not for you if you want
- Short drives every day: three days run to 5 to 8 hours
- Step-free access: the medinas have steps and no cars
- Luxury hotels with lifts and big spas
- Travellers who want the Atlantic coast or the north: see our longer Morocco loop
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
9 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Fes3 nights
- Erg Chebbi2 nights
- Skoura2 nights
- Marrakech2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 9 nights: a riad in the Fes medina (3), a fixed desert camp in Erg Chebbi (2), a kasbah hotel with a pool in the Skoura palm grove (2) and a riad in the Marrakech medina (2)
- Riads and kasbah hotel of a 4-star-plus standard, every room en suite and air-conditioned
- Desert tents for two with their own bathroom, hot shower, flushing toilet, proper beds and electricity, both nights in the same tent
- We name each stay when we confirm your dates
Transport
- Pick-up at Fes-Saïss Airport (FEZ) and porters to the Fes riad
- An air-conditioned vehicle with driver for the group from Fes to Marrakech, with water on board
- Camel or 4x4 into the Erg Chebbi camp
- 4x4 loop of Erg Chebbi on day 5
- Drop-off at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) or Marrakech railway station
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip
- Licensed local guides in Fes, Volubilis, Meknes and Marrakech, and local guides for the Todra Gorge and the Skoura palm grove
Activities
- Fes: guided morning in Fes el Bali, with the Bou Inania and Al-Attarine madrasa entries, the Nejjarine museum and the Chouara tannery terrace
- Fes: hammam with steam and scrub
- Volubilis with a local guide and entry
- Moulay Idriss Zerhoun viewpoint
- Meknes: Bab Mansour and Place el Hedim
- Ifrane and the Azrou cedar forest
- Erg Chebbi: sunset camel ride, sunrise dune walk, 4x4 loop and sunset from a high dune
- Khamlia: Gnawa music
- Todra Gorge guided walk
- Skoura: palm grove walk and Kasbah Amridil entry
- Ait Benhaddou guided visit
- Marrakech: Bahia Palace, Ben Youssef Madrasa and Jardin Majorelle entries
- Marrakech: dusk walk to Djemaa el-Fna
Meals
- Breakfast daily (9)
- Sit-down lunches on days 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9 (7)
- Welcome dinner in Fes, two dinners at the desert camp, two at the Skoura kasbah and a farewell dinner in Marrakech (6)
Not included
- International flights to Fes and from Marrakech
- Travel insurance
- Visa fees, if your passport needs one
- Meals not listed: 4 dinners and 3 lunches, and breakfast on day 1
- Drinks, including alcohol where it is served
- Tips for drivers, camp staff, porters and local guides
- Personal shopping in the souks
- Nights before day 1 or after day 10
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 750 (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
What does the trip include?
9 nights in riads, a kasbah hotel and a desert camp of a stated standard, 22 meals, a See Sight Tours guide throughout with licensed local guides, our own vehicle and driver, every entry and extra in the day plan, and airport transfers at both ends whatever your flight time. On day 10 you keep the riad until you leave for your flight.
How is this different from your other Morocco trips?
It is the premium version of the same loop. Compared with our 8-day Marrakech to Fes trip and our 14-day loop, it has riads of a 4-star-plus standard, a camp with private bathrooms, two nights in almost every base, 22 meals against 12 on the 8-day trip and 19 on the 14-day loop, and more included extras, which is why the price is higher.
What is the desert camp like?
A fixed camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes, away from the main strip of camps behind Merzouga, where you stay both nights. Your tent has its own bathroom with a hot shower and flushing toilet, proper beds and electricity. We only use a camp that meets that standard, and we name it when we confirm your dates.
How long are the drives?
Three days are long: about 8 hours of driving from Fes to the Sahara, and about 5 hours each to Skoura and to Marrakech. Each has a sit-down lunch and a stop about every 90 minutes; on day 4 those are Ifrane, the Azrou cedars, lunch in Midelt and the Ziz valley. An 11-day version with a night in Midelt is possible on a private trip; ask us.
How big is the group and who leads it?
7 to 12 guests in one vehicle. A See Sight Tours guide travels with you for the whole trip, and licensed local guides join in Fes, Volubilis, Meknes and Marrakech, where only licensed guides may lead groups, and for the Todra Gorge and Skoura walks.
How fit do I need to be?
You should manage walks of 2 to 3 hours on steep, stepped and uneven lanes, a rocky gorge path with one climb, and soft sand at sunrise. Each of those has an easier option, such as the 4x4 instead of the camel or the flat floor of the gorge, and you can sit out any part.
I am travelling solo. What does a single room cost?
A room of your own in every riad and hotel and a tent of your own in the desert costs about CAD 750 more, shown before you book. If you would rather share, ask and we will try to pair you with another solo traveller of the same gender; we confirm whether that is possible when you book.
When is the best time to go?
March to May and September to November. Spring is green in the Atlas with roses in May; autumn is warm with the date harvest in the oases. June to August is very hot in Fes, Marrakech and above all the desert, and desert nights from December to February are close to freezing.
Do I need a visa for Morocco?
Canadian passport holders do not need a visa for a tourist stay of up to 90 days, and nor do US, UK and Australian passport holders at present. Your passport must be valid for your whole stay. Check the current rules for your own passport before you book flights.
Are there shopping stops?
No. We never stop at a shop or co-operative for a commission. The Chouara tannery is seen from a terrace above a leather shop, and you are free to look and leave. Before the souks your guide explains fair prices and haggling, and goes with you if you want to buy.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from about CAD 7,495 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask from the dates section and we will quote the same route with a driver and the same stays.
How does booking work and how much does it cost?
The small group starts from CAD 4,165 per person sharing a room, with taxes. 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. Prices are indicative until your departure is confirmed.
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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