Morocco itinerary 7 days: three routes that include the Sahara

A week is enough to see a real slice of Morocco, as long as you accept that you cannot see all of it. This Morocco itinerary for 7 days comes in three versions, each built around one night in the Sahara dunes: a loop from Marrakech, a one-way crossing from Fes to Marrakech, and a northern route through Chefchaouen and the imperial cities. Pick the one that matches your flights, then adjust the pace.

What fits into one week

Morocco is bigger than it looks on a map. Marrakech to Merzouga is about 560 km over the High Atlas, Fes to Merzouga about 470 km through the Middle Atlas. Any 7-day route that includes the Sahara therefore gives two or three days to the road. That is not wasted time: the drive is half the trip, with kasbahs, gorges, cedar forests and palm valleys along the way. But it means you have to choose.

The rule we give everyone who writes to us: one region of cities, one desert night, and nothing more. Trying to add Essaouira, the Atlantic coast and Chefchaouen to a desert trip in the same week turns the holiday into a transfer. If you only want the dunes and are short on time, our Merzouga and Erg Chebbi travel guide explains how many nights the desert itself needs.

Route 1: Marrakech, the High Atlas and the Sahara (loop)

The simplest 7-day Morocco itinerary, because you fly in and out of Marrakech. It suits first-time visitors and anyone with return flights.

• Day 1 — Marrakech. Arrive, check into a riad in the medina, and walk to Jemaa el-Fna as the evening food stalls set up. Do not plan more than that.
• Day 2 — Marrakech. The souks in the morning, before the heat and the crowds; a garden or palace in the afternoon. For a very early start, a hot-air balloon flight at sunrise over Marrakech fits here and you are back by late morning.
• Day 3 — Over the Tizi n'Tichka to the Dades valley. Pickup around 8:00, the pass at about 2,260 m, Aït Ben Haddou (UNESCO World Heritage since 1987), Ouarzazate, then the Rose valley. Night in the Dades valley.
• Day 4 — Todra gorge to Merzouga. A walk between the walls of the Todra gorge, up to about 300 m high, then east through the oasis towns to the Erg Chebbi dunes. Camel ride of about 1 hour into camp for sunset; dinner and night under the stars.
• Day 5 — Merzouga back to Marrakech. Sunrise from a dune, breakfast, and the long drive back across the Atlas. You arrive in the evening.
• Day 6 — Rest day or Agafay. Sleep late, visit a hammam, or take a sunset day trip to the Agafay desert, about 45 minutes from the city, if you want one more evening outside.
• Day 7 — Departure. Last mint tea, airport.

Days 3 to 5 are exactly our 3-day Merzouga desert tour from Marrakech, from €110 per person in a small group. If the return in a single day sounds too much, the 4-day Marrakech desert tour adds a second night on the road and replaces day 6.

Route 2: Fes to Marrakech across the desert (one-way)

If your flights allow an open-jaw ticket, into Fes and out of Marrakech, this is the most efficient way to combine two great medinas with the Sahara. Every day moves you forward and nothing is driven twice.

• Day 1 — Fes. Arrive and settle into a riad. Dinner on a roof terrace above the medina.
• Day 2 — Fes el-Bali. A full day in the old medina, ideally with a licensed local guide for the morning: the tanneries, a madrasa, the craft quarters. The lanes are a maze, and the guide saves you hours.
• Day 3 — Middle Atlas to Merzouga. Ifrane, the cedar forest near Azrou where Barbary macaques live, Midelt, the Ziz gorges and palm valley. Camel ride into the dunes for sunset and a night in camp.
• Day 4 — Todra and Dades. Sunrise, then west via the Todra gorge to the Dades valley.
• Day 5 — Ouarzazate, Aït Ben Haddou and the Tichka to Marrakech. The kasbah road, the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou and the pass, arriving in Marrakech in the evening.
• Days 6–7 — Marrakech. Souks, gardens and Jemaa el-Fna, then departure.

Days 3 to 5 follow our 3-day Fes to Marrakech desert tour, from €160 per person in a small group. Flying into Marrakech instead? The Marrakech to Fes desert tour runs the same crossing in reverse. With an extra night to spare, the 4-day Fes to Marrakech desert tour gives you a full day around the dunes.

Route 3: the north, the imperial cities and the Sahara

For travellers who arrive in Tangier, often by ferry from Spain, and want Chefchaouen as well as the dunes. It is a lot for one week, so only choose it if you like being on the move.

• Day 1 — Tangier to Chefchaouen. About 2 to 3 hours through the Rif. Afternoon and sunset in the blue town.
• Day 2 — Volubilis, Meknes and Fes. The Roman ruins of Volubilis, a short stop at Meknes, evening in Fes.
• Day 3 — Fes. The medina with a local guide.
• Day 4 — Fes to Merzouga. Over the Middle Atlas, camel ride and night in a desert camp.
• Day 5 — Todra gorge and Dades valley.
• Day 6 — Aït Ben Haddou and the Tichka to Marrakech.
• Day 7 — Marrakech and departure.

This route is essentially a compressed version of our 8-day desert tour from Tangier, which loops back north, and our 8-day imperial cities and desert tour from Casablanca. Both are private tours, and both breathe better with the eighth day. Arriving in Casablanca with only five days? The 5-day desert tour from Casablanca covers Fes, the Sahara and Marrakech.

Which Morocco itinerary for 7 days suits you?

• First visit, return flight to Marrakech: Route 1. Easy logistics, a rest day built in.
• Open-jaw flights, or you love old cities: Route 2. Fes and Marrakech in one week, with no backtracking.
• You arrive from Spain or want the blue town: Route 3, accepting long days.
• Travelling with young children or older parents: Route 1 with the 4-day desert loop, or Route 2 with an extra night. Shorter days matter more than one more sight.

Not sure? Our page of Morocco tours and activities lists every route we run from Marrakech and Fes, so you can see the building blocks side by side.

Group tour, private driver or self-drive?

Small-group tours are the simple option for the desert section: maximum 17 travellers, departures every day, pickup around 8:00 at your riad or hotel, dinners and breakfasts included, lunches not. You share the minibus and the camp, and the price stays low.

A private tour lets you stop where you want, start when you want and stitch the three routes above together any way you like. Private tours are priced per group: €175 per day for your vehicle and driver, plus €40 per person per night for accommodation. For a route that is not on our list, a private driver in Morocco by the day is the most flexible answer.

Self-drive is possible: main roads are generally good. But mountain passes, slow trucks, livestock and medina parking make it tiring, and you will not have a driver who knows which roadside café actually has clean toilets.

Adjusting the route to the season

Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are the comfortable months for every route here. In summer, the desert often passes 40 °C in the afternoon: start early, rest in the middle of the day, and be on the dunes only at sunset and sunrise. If comfort matters, the luxury camp upgrade adds a private bathroom with hot water, charging outlets and Wi-Fi; the standard camp has electricity and shared bathrooms.

From November to February, days are usually bright, but nights in the desert can drop close to 0 °C and the Tichka pass occasionally sees snow. Pack warm layers and keep one buffer day in case a road closes. For what the desert night is like in each season, read our guide to a night in the Sahara.

During Ramadan, travel works normally, but many cafés close during the day outside the big cities and the rhythm of the evening changes. Be discreet about eating and drinking in public in the daytime.

Five mistakes we see in 7-day plans

• Arriving and leaving the desert on the same day. A Marrakech day trip to Merzouga does not exist; plan at least one night in the dunes.
• Booking a riad far from where your tour picks up. Check the pickup point before you book a medina riad down a lane no car can reach.
• No rest day. Seven days of moving is tiring. Leave one unplanned afternoon.
• Leaving the medina without a guide in Fes. Marrakech can be done alone; Fes el-Bali is much easier with a local for the first morning.
• Forgetting cash. Small cafés, tips and market stalls on the road often accept only dirhams.

7-day Morocco itinerary: common questions