7-Day Morocco Itinerary: Marrakech, the Sahara Desert and Fes
7 Day Morocco Itinerary – A 7 day Morocco itinerary day by day: Marrakech, the Atlas Mountains, the Dades Valley, a night in the Sahara at Merzouga and the medina of Fes.
One week is the perfect amount of time for a first trip to Morocco. With this route you see a red imperial city, the High Atlas, the kasbahs of the south, two nights in the Sahara and the medina of Fes, without spending your whole holiday in the car. This is the itinerary our local team recommends most often.
Day 1 – Marrakech
Arrive in Marrakech and explore the medina: Jemaa el-Fnaa square, the souks, the Bahia Palace and the Koutoubia mosque. In the evening, dinner on a rooftop terrace overlooking the square.
Day 2 – Marrakech to the Dades Valley
Cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m), visit the UNESCO kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou, then continue through Ouarzazate and the Rose Valley to the Dades Valley for the night.
Day 3 – Todra Gorges and the Merzouga dunes
Walk between the 300-metre cliffs of the Todra Gorges, then drive to Merzouga. A camel ride at sunset takes you into the Erg Chebbi dunes for your first night in a desert camp.
Day 4 – A full day in the Sahara
Sunrise over the dunes, then a 4×4 excursion: nomad families, Gnawa music in Khamlia, the black desert and a Berber pizza for lunch. Second night in the desert, so you really have time to enjoy the silence and the stars.
Day 5 – Merzouga to Fes
Drive north through the palm groves of the Ziz Valley, Midelt, the cedar forest of Azrou with its Barbary macaques and Ifrane. Arrival in Fes in the evening.
Day 6 – Fes
A guided visit of Fes el-Bali, the oldest medina of Morocco: the Bou Inania madrasa, the Al-Qarawiyyin area and the famous Chouara tannery.
Day 7 – Chefchaouen or departure
If your flight leaves later, spend your last day in Chefchaouen, the blue city of the Rif (about 3.5 hours from Fes), or visit Meknes and the Roman ruins of Volubilis. Otherwise, transfer to Fes airport.
Tips for this itinerary
- Do it in the other direction (Fes to Marrakech) if your flights fit better.
- The best months are March to May and September to November: read our guide on the best time to visit Morocco.
- Two nights in Merzouga make the trip much more relaxed than one.
- Prepare the desert part with our Merzouga desert travel guide.
We can organise this route as a private tour with your own driver-guide, adapted to your dates. See our 6-day tour from Marrakech to Fes via Merzouga, all desert tours from Marrakech, or ask us for a tailor-made plan.
7 Day Morocco Itinerary: useful information
With Merzouga Packages, “7 Day Morocco Itinerary” is a private experience run by a local Berber team that lives in Merzouga, at the foot of the Erg Chebbi dunes. The program adapts to your pace, with pick-up from your hotel or riad, an experienced driver-guide and hand-picked accommodation.
For more ideas, see also these pages: Morocco Tours and FAQ. To learn more about the places you will visit, read the article on Erg Chebbi on Wikipedia.
