7-Day Trip Tangier to Imperial Cities

On day one, we pick you up at your port or airport and drive you to Chefchaouen, the blue city, passing Tetouan and the Rif highlands with their breathtaking mountain vistas. You spend the night at your hotel or riad.

After breakfast at the riad, your journey truly begins with a drive to Volubilis via Ouazzane and the villages of the Rif. At Volubilis, you see the best-preserved Roman remains in Morocco and learn about this ancient archaeological site.

After touring the ruins, we head to Meknes, a 17th-century treasure. We stop for lunch, then see the medieval fortifications of the Meknes medina, the Bab el-Mansour gate, and the tomb of Moulay Ismail. From Meknes, we drive straight to Fes, where you spend the night.

Today’s organized tour covers the medina and the famous souks of Fes — cobbled streets lined with historic mosques and tall, green-glazed minarets, the Andalusian architecture that fills the old town, and its great landmarks.

You explore the historical and cultural highlights, including the famous Al Karaouine University. To see traditional Moroccan crafts up close, the tour also visits the pottery cooperative and the tanneries. You spend the night at a riad or hotel.

After picking you up at your hotel or riad, we travel south through Ifrane — Morocco’s Switzerland — to Azrou and into the Middle Atlas, stopping in the cedar forests to take breathtaking pictures of the Barbary apes.

After lunch, we cross the Atlas Mountains, enjoying the scenery around Midelt. We continue through the Ziz Valley to Erfoud and Rissani before arriving in Merzouga, where you spend the night at a hotel.

After breakfast, we begin exploring the region with a visit to Khamlia, a village whose Gnawa families came from Mali — hear their music and see their way of life.

Then we travel via the Mifis mines to learn how they once worked, before skirting the dunes through a vibrant desert with breathtaking vistas. We share a warm cup of tea with local Bedouins.

Back at your accommodation, over a cup of tea, your local guides show you how to mount and dismount your camel and share helpful safety tips before you set out across the fascinating sand sea of Erg Chebbi. You spend the night in a Berber tent.

We start very early today — it’s worth it to see the most breathtaking dawn of your life, washing Morocco’s highest dunes in shifting hues and shadows.

After breakfast, we head back to our desert hotel, then continue to Tinghir and the magnificent Todra Gorge, Morocco’s biggest and narrowest gorge. It’s a great place to trek, relax by the river, or eat some mouthwatering Berber cuisine.

After lunch in the middle of the canyon, we continue to the Dades Valley and end the day with a night at a beautiful hotel high in the mountains.

After breakfast at the hotel, we pass through the Dades Valley on the way to Ouarzazate and Kalaa M’Gouna, the city of flowers. Along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, you’ll have plenty of chances to take the best photos of your trip.

Our next stop is the Atlas Studios in Ouarzazate, before continuing to the Kasbah of Telouet — built by Thami El Glaoui, one of the most famous Berber chieftains of the early 20th century, who used it as a stop on his long journeys between the Sahara and Marrakech.

We also visit the Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. After lunch, the route climbs through high mountains with stunning vistas and charming Berber towns before arriving in Marrakech, where your seven-day journey from Tangier comes to a close.