Morocco adventure travel - wave to the camera

Bedouin caravan into the souks

This most adventurous of our Moroccan holidays will let you experience the many different sides of Morocco. You’ll see some of the most scenic spots of Morocco with an interesting combination of cultural and natural beauty. You’ll visit the two most famous imperial cities, Fes and Marrakech, then, travel deep into the heart of Morocco and into the desert on a camel where you’ll spend a night under the Sahara stars. Next, you'll visit the Dades Valley with its bizarre coloured rock formations, breathtaking views and sleepy villages hidden in the lush green palm valleys.

Your Morocco adventure itinerary ends in magical Marrakech where you’ll fall under the spell of snake charmers and acrobats in Djemaa el Fna square. You'll stay in traditional Moroccan hotels, stylishly decorated riads and a bedouin tent.

If you would prefer to build your own Morocco adventure, take a look at our bite-sized Morocco tours where you can piece together your trip, your own way.

Duration	10 days / 9 nights departs daily from Fes	Accommodation	Charming hotels and bedouin tents. Comfort levels 2 - 4 (see accommodation).
Price	Please see our Contact Us page for more details	Includes	9 nights with breakfast, car hire (A-class), private transfers as described
Transport	Rental car, camel	Excludes	Return flights UK - Morocco, insurance, other meals, cooking workshop Marrakech

Day 1: UK - Fes arrival

Your Morocco adventure travel itinerary kicks off in what’s considered the most spectacular of the three imperial cities: Fes. You’ll be dropped off at your cosy hotel in the Ville Nouvelle, the new part of Fes. The hotel is ideally located in a little side street of the Avenue Mohammed V where you’ll find of shops, tea and juice stalls and restaurants. You'll arrive in the afternoon which is why we recommend saving the old medina until tomorrow morning, when you can see it at its best. Bear in mind that everything in Fes closes early. The restaurants and food stalls start packing up at 9.30pm, so if you want to enjoy a slow, relaxed dinner, it's best to go around 6pm. Like everywhere else in Morocco, Fes has plenty of small restaurants where you can get a delicious tajine for less than £3. A tajine is a clay pot filled with chicken, beef, goat’s meat and vegetables, stewed over a charcoal fire for about an hour.

Morocco adventure travel - aromas of the souks

Morocco adventure travel - traditional pottery

After breakfast, you can start to explore Fes, and it's easiest to take a petit taxi to the medina in the old part of the city. This is the most authentic, inhabited ‘medieval’ city in the Arabic world. The medina is divided into separate quarters, each with its own bakery, mosque, fountain and hammam. Walking through the narrow streets, you can sense medieval Morocco coming to life as you peer into the centuries-old workshops. The tanneries are well worth seeing.

To get the most out of your stay in Fes, buy the travel guide Fes from Bab to Bab, available at one of the many book stalls close to your hotel. The book has some great tips for thing to see and do this afternoon, like the doors of the Royal Palace and the Jewish Quarter with its pretty balconies. There are two good viewpoints for an unlimited panorama of the city and beyond. The Borj Nord is best to visit in the afternoon, the Borj Sud in the morning. You can also pay a visit to one of the many potteries on the edge of the medina to see how they make the colourful Moroccan pottery as well as hand-painted fountains, tables and traditional tajines.

Day 3: Fes - Errachidia - Erfoud - Rissani

Travel time: 8 hours, excluding stops

In the morning, your hire car will be delivered to your accommodation in Fes and your Morocco adventure travel will really begin. It’s a full day’s drive to Rissani, so you might want to set off early so you can take it easy and stop off on the way. The roads are well maintained, everything’s well signposted and you can go as you please. For more information check out our driving in Morocco page. Your car will be dropped off with a (nearly) empty tank, so at the end of your trip you can hand in the car again with an empty tank. You’ll have just enough petrol to get to a petrol station at the edge of town where you can fill up before you head into the great wide open. The route will take you past some spectacular valleys and mountain rims. On the way stop off at the Gorge du Ziz, a huge gorge near a lake that you’ll pass just before Errachidia and the turn-off to Erfoud.

From Erfoud, it’s another 20 minutes across an immense palm oasis to Rissani where we’ve selected a charming Kasbah hotel on the outskirts of this small desert town. The hotel is tastefully decorated by the friendly and extremely welcoming owner Hassan, who also designed the sets for famous films like 'The Mummy'. After your long drive, take a refreshing dip in the pool or relax with a cool drink in the bedouin tent. In the evening enjoy, you can enjoy a wonderful home-cooked tajine and a glass of wine out on the candlelit terrace as you gaze up at the starry sky above you.

Morocco adventure travel - mountain views

Morocco adventure travel - meet the locals

Day 4: Rissani - Merzouga

Travel time: 40 minutes

On Day 4 of your Morocco travel adventure you can take it easy and recover from yesterday’s long drive. After breakfast, you can swim in the beautiful pool or sit in the shade on the terrace with a good book. If you want to explore, there’s an old kasbah that’s open to the public just across the road from the hotel. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, you can visit to the local market in Rissani.

Towards the end of the afternoon, you’ll make your way to the awe-inspiring sand dunes of the Erg Chebbi desert at Merzouga. It’s about a 40 minute drive across a brand new tarmac road. As you peer ahead, you'll see the orange dunes shimmering on the horizon.

You'll pass dozens of signs for hotels, bivouacs and desert Bedouin tents along the road, so read your directions carefully for your exit. Well, not exactly exit…just follow the tyre marks along the sandy track. You can park your car close to the kasbah hotel and you'll find a warm welcome from the friendly owner Mohammed.

Here, you can take a refreshing drink in the garden before you clamber onto your camel and wobble your way into the desert as the cheerful camel boys lead the way, humming old nomad songs as they lead you through the dunes. You'll feel like you’re leading an ancient nomad caravan as you look into the vast expanse of orange sand dunes offset by a dazzling blue sky.

After about an hour and a half, you'll suddenly spot a small tented camp nestled in the dunes. This really is Morocco adventure travel, and your basic camp is little more than five bedouin camel hair tents and stone water jugs. Mattresses and blankets are provided so you don’t need to bring your own. As the camel drivers prepare a traditional meal you can take a walk into the surrounding sand dunes. The unusual shapes, colours and the deafening silence make this place seem almost unearthly. As the sun slowly sets on the distant horizon, the whistle blows for dinner and you’ll be treated to a steaming tajine and glass of hot mint tea. Later on, you'll crawl under your camel wool blanket or drag your mattress outside to stare up at the stars.

Morocco adventure travel - Sahara camel ride

Morocco adventure travel - Sahara sand dunes

Day 5: Erg Chebbi desert - Todra Gorge - Dades Valley

Travel time: 6 hours

At the crack of dawn you’ll awake to see the sunrise. Climb up to the top of one of the dunes for the best view. As the sun slowly creeps up, the expanse of sand is basked in a soft purple, red and finally golden glow. Once the sun is up and the temperature begins to rise, you can have a final glass of mint tea before climbing back on your camel to make your way out of the desert. There's time for breakfast and a refreshing shower before it's time to leave for your next destination. If you have the time, you can spend an extra day in the kasbah hotel in Rissani after your night in the desert. Just let us know on your quote request form.

Around 10am, you'll hop back into your hire car and set off for your next Morocco travel adventure to the Dades Valley. You'll drive through several small villages to Tinerhir and we definitely recommend taking a short detour by turning left at Tinerhir to the Todra Gorge. It’s less than an hour there and back. After about 10 minutes the road begins to lead uphill and after ‘Beware Camels' sign you’ll see a huge palm oasis on your right hand side. Soon, the cliffs will begin to close in and form a huge, towering gorge. A small cluster of hotels and restaurants mark the furthest point in the gorge.

Next, you'll drive back to Tinerhir, turn right at the junction to the town of Boumaines Dades. After about an hour you'll enter the town and follow the signs to the Dades Valley. The road cuts straight across one of the most spectacular areas of Morocco, with bizarre rock formations, fertile palm valleys and rugged mountain peaks alternated by small traditional villages and breathtaking views. When the cliffs begin to get narrower and you enter a kind of gorge, you’ll know you’ve nearly reached your small mountain hotel. It's basic, but the staff are extremely friendly and welcoming. In the evening, you'll be treated to a delicious dinner, and afterwards you can relax on the terrace under the bougainville.

Morocco adventure travel - Hotel owner Said and your guide Moustafa

Day 6: Dades Valley - Ouarzazate - Aït Benhaddou

Travel time: 3 hours

After breakfast, your Morocco travel adventure continues with a guided hike through the mountains. The hike takes about three hours and it’s a wonderful way to see the countryside. Early in the afternoon it's a short one hour drive to Skoura. Just as you drive out of the town you’ll see a sign on the side of the road for ‘Kasbah Ben Moro’. We recommend stopping off here to take a look and get a taste of what's in store at Aït Benhaddou. You can park your car here and walk through the palm tree garden to the kasbah (takes about 10 minutes). A kasbah is a kind of citadel that used to house entire village communities. Some of the kasbahs are still inhabited, but many are now deserted. If you want to visit the older kasbah, you might want to ask for a guide at the hotel. For a small fee (£3-4) he’ll take you there.

From here, it's another hour to the picturesque town of Ouarzazate, built in kasbah-style. You can stop off here to buy some snacks for on the way and use the cash machine before you continue. Out of nowhere, the imposing kasbah Aït Benhaddou will soon loom up like a mirage, fringed by lush palm trees and a shallow river. It really is a highlight of any Morocco adventure travel itinerary. Before you visit the kasbah, you can check in at your stylish kasbah-style palace hotel. This small oasis has a couple of tastefully decorated rooms, a lovely pool surrounded by shaded bedouin tents and a terrace overlooking the kasbah where they serve wonderful food in the evenings.

In the afternoon, you can make your way across the river. At the gate to the kasbah, you’ll pay a small entrance fee (approx £1) and then enter a medieval world with a warren of narrow lanes winding uphill into the kasbah. At the top of the kasbah there’s a fantastic view across the citadel and the surrounding countryside. You can also book a camel ride or rent mountain bikes here.

Morocco adventure travel - Kasbah Aït Benhaddou

Morocco adventure travel - traditional kasbah

Day 7: Aït Benhaddou - Marrakech

Travel time: approx 4.5 hours

After breakfast, you'll drive across desert-like plains to the Atlas Mountains on the horizon. After about an hour, the road becomes one of the most scenic routes in Morocco, taking you past terraced wheatfields, cacti and waving palm trees. On the roadside, young boys selling crystals and minerals will try to flag you down. You’ll pass through tiny villages, see old men on donkeys slowly lumbering uphill and watch excited school children waving as you make your way up to the highest mountain pass. In the distance, you'll be able to make out the snow-capped peaks of the Atlas Mountains. As the road begins to descend, you'll pass through fertile valleys and more vast plains until you reach the magical world of Marrakech.

In Marrakech, we've selected a friendly little hotel around the corner from the famous Djemaa el Fna square. If you'd prefer to stay in a real Moroccan riad, just let us know and we'll arrange it for you. Once you’ve settled into your hotel and freshened up, it’s time to explore. The moment you set foot out of your hotel door, you’re greeted by intoxicating smells and colours. Marrakech has surprisingly few tourist attractions in the form of museums or historic buildings (although the tropical gardens and the bizarre baby blue house of the Jardin Majorelle make for a worthwhile visit). Its main attraction is the atmosphere - something you have to experience rather than see.

The Djemaa el Fna and the surrounding souks form the beating heart of the city and it’s probably where you’ll spend most of your time in Marrakech. During the day the area is quiet except for the odd storyteller, snake charmer or group of musicians catering to the tourists. Bordering the square are the souks, a warren of little streets lined with stalls selling everything under the sun, from Moroccan rugs to live tortoises. You can wander aimlessly here among the stalls and shop till you drop.

Then, as the sun begins to set, you can stroll back to the Djemaa el Fna. As if by magic, you'll see that the square has transformed into a huge open-air restaurant with groups of acrobats, musicians and storytellers entertaining the crowds. Mouth-watering aromas drift out from the dozens of small food stalls with rickety tables. The stalls are numbered an each has its own speciality. For fresh fish go to Number 14, for kebabs and grilled vegetables try 55 and Number 5 does a mean harira, the national Moroccan soup of tomatoes, chickpeas, vermicelli and green lentils. You can get a full meal for around £4 and the atmosphere’s great.

Morocco adventure travel- delicious Moroccan meals

Morocco adventure travel - Shopping in the souks

Day 8: Marrakech

You can spend today exploring Marrakech at your own pace. If you want a real Marrakech travel adventure, then add our Couscous in the Souks tour to your itinerary.

If you go for the tour, you'll be picked up at your hotel around 11am by Gemma, a Dutch lady who's lived in Marrakech for quite some time. She’ll take your into the souks to buy ingredients for tonight’s meal and as you follow Gemma through the dark alleys you’ll see Marrakech like a local. She knows the way like the back of her hand and everyone knows her. When you’ve filled your bags with ingredients, you'll roll up your sleeves for Gemma’s Moroccan cooking workshop. Ghita and Khadija will show you the ropes and teach you how to prepare a traditional tajine - a type of meat, fish or vegetable stew prepared and steamed in a triangular clay pot. You’ll also learn how to make proper couscous and Moroccan salads. After two hours of chopping and stirring you’ll sit down to feast on your first home-made Moroccan dinner.

Day 9: Marrakech

There's so much going on in Marrakech that we've planned another day for you to soak up the city's intoxicating atmosphere before your Morocco adventure ends.

If you want to do something really Moroccan, then visit the hammam, a traditional Moroccan bathhouse. It’s an everyday ritual for most Moroccans but for us it’s pure pampering: steam bath, scrub, massage….bliss. The hammam Ziani (Rue Riad Zitoune Jdidi) is popular with foreign visitors as well as locals, so you won’t feel out of place. It’s a 10 minute walk from the Djemaa el Fna. The hammams have separate areas for men and women. For around £6 you’ll get a basic scrub and sauna, or you can go all out for £20. You’ll need slippers, a towel for around your waist, scrubbing glove and Moroccan black soap. You get all these cheap in the souks but you can also buy a set at the hammam.

Morocco adventure travel- colourful leather shoes

Morocco adventure travel - farewell to magical Morocco

Day 10: Marrakech- UK

Today, your Morocco adventure travel comes to an end and you'll board the plane home. We'll take care of your airport transfer for you. It's about 20 minutes drive to Marrakech airport.

Extension idea: Rissani

Experience has taught us that after a night in the desert it's great to take a break and relax before continuing your journey. We can certainly recommend extending your stay in the palm oasis of Rissani by a day. The accommodation here is really relaxing and you can swim, read a book in shade and enjoy some very good homemade food. In the evening, the hotel is lit by candles and very atmospheric.

Morocco adventure travel- Relax in Rissani

Morocco adventure travel- special stay accommodation

Travel tip: special stay

We've chosen small-scale, atmospheric and welcoming accommodation for you during this Morocco adventure travel itinerary, but if you would like a few nights to really remember, try our special stay option. You'll stay in riads, small wealthy merchant palaces in the heart of the medina. Though these are not necessarily luxurious, they are full of authentic Moroccan charm and ambience. Their shady courtyards and roof terraces are wonderful places to relax after a day of sighteeing in the crowded spice bazaars and alleyways.