6 Days Tour from Marrakech to Chefchaouen Via Sahara Desert And Fes

Marrakech → Ait Benhaddou → Ouarzazate → Skoura

Over the High Atlas to the palm groves of Skoura

The trip leaves Marrakech in the early morning and climbs steadily into the High Atlas Mountains, crossing Tizi n’Tichka, the highest paved pass in the range. Berber villages appear along the slopes, and a stop for tea near the old Kasbah of Telouet, once a stopover for caravans crossing the Sahara, breaks up the climb before the road drops into the quiet Ounila Valley.

By midday you’re walking through Ait Benhaddou, the fortified village recognized by UNESCO and familiar from more than one film shot within its clay walls. After lunch and time to explore its narrow lanes, the route continues to Ouarzazate before settling for the night among the palm groves of Skoura, where the terrace of your guesthouse looks straight out at the Atlas peaks as the sun goes down.

Skoura → Valley of Roses → Dades → Todra → Erg Chebbi

Into the dunes for a night under the stars

Breakfast is followed by a long, scenic drive east through what is often called the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, with a stop in Tinghir before the road narrows through the Todra Gorges. From there it continues past Rissani, Erfoud and the ancient palm groves of Tafilalet, one of the oldest oasis systems in Morocco.

Camels are waiting in Merzouga to carry you into Erg Chebbi, Morocco’s tallest dune field, for around an hour before reaching camp. Watching the sunset turn the sand orange and red, followed by dinner and Berber drumming around the fire, is the night most travelers remember longest. You’ll sleep in a traditional tent, with only the dunes and the stars for company.

Merzouga → Errachidia → Midelt → Ifrane → Fes

Desert sunrise, then north through the cedars

Many guests wake before dawn to watch the dunes change color as the sun comes up, a quiet reward before the long drive to Fes. The road crosses the Middle Atlas through Errachidia and Midelt, where a lunch stop gives you a chance to stretch and sample the region’s food.

Past Midelt the landscape shifts into cedar forest, where Barbary macaques often appear along the roadside. The route skirts Ifrane, a mountain town known for its stone chalets, cooler air and Al Akhawayn University, before the final stretch into Fes, where the night is spent in or near the old medina.

Fes city tour

A full day inside the world’s oldest medina

A local official guide leads the way through Fes for the whole day, starting near the Kairaouine mosque and university, among the oldest centers of learning anywhere, and continuing through the Bou Inania madrasa, the Nejjarine fountain and the tanneries where leather has been dyed by hand for generations.

Depending on the day, the route may also take in the Dar Batha museum, the old Jewish quarter of Mellah, and the Merenid tombs, which give a clear view over the medina below. Lunch is at a local restaurant, and the evening is left open to return to your riad or wander a little further on your own.

Fes → Ouazzane → Chefchaouen

North to the blue town

After breakfast, the drive north passes Sidi Chahed lake and the town of Ouazzane before reaching Chefchaouen by mid afternoon. Painted almost entirely in shades of blue, a tradition often traced back to the Andalusian and Jewish families who settled here, Chefchaouen has a different rhythm from anywhere else on the trip.

The rest of the day is for walking. The medina is small enough to explore without a guide, and getting a little lost among the blue alleys is part of the appeal. From Outa el Hammam square, a short climb to a rooftop cafe near the old kasbah is the best spot to watch the light change over the Rif Mountains at sunset.

Chefchaouen → Marrakech

Closing the loop

The last day is mostly spent on the road back to Marrakech, bringing together mountains, desert and two very different historic cities into one journey. If your onward plans point elsewhere, the tour can just as easily finish in Tangier, Rabat or Casablanca instead. Just mention it when you book.