8-day Morocco desert tour from Tangier: Chefchaouen, Fes and the Merzouga dunes

Overview

This Morocco desert tour from Tangier is built for travellers who land in the north — by ferry from Spain or by plane — and want to reach the Sahara without first heading down to Marrakech. In eight days you loop from the Strait of Gibraltar to the dunes of Erg Chebbi and back, with your own vehicle and driver the whole way.

The first half follows the classic northern route: a night in blue Chefchaouen, the Roman ruins of Volubilis, Meknes, and two nights in Fes with a full day in the medina. Then the road climbs through the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas and down the Ziz valley to Merzouga, where you ride a camel into the dunes and spend two nights. The way back is different from the way out: Midelt, Ifrane, the capital Rabat and the seaside town of Asilah, so you never drive the same stretch twice in one day.

Driving days stay under about eight hours, and the two nights in Merzouga give you a full day in the desert instead of a rushed sunset and an early exit. Read our Merzouga desert travel guide to see what that day can include.

Highlights

• An evening in the blue lanes of Chefchaouen, in the Rif mountains
• Roman mosaics at Volubilis and the great gate of Meknes on the same day
• A whole day in the Fes medina: tanneries, madrasas and craft lanes
• Cedar forest and Barbary macaques near Azrou on the way south
• Two nights at Merzouga, with a camel ride into Erg Chebbi's dunes of up to about 150 m
• A different road home via Rabat and the Atlantic town of Asilah

Itinerary, day by day

1. 1

   Tangier → Chefchaouen

   Pickup around 8:00 at your hotel in Tangier. If you are coming off a ferry, tell us your arrival time and we plan the start around it. The road heads inland through the green hills of the Rif to Chefchaouen. Arriving early leaves you the afternoon for the blue medina: the square of Outa el-Hammam, the kasbah, and the short walk up to the Spanish mosque for the view over the rooftops at the end of the day.

   About 2–3 hours including stops · Overnight: a guesthouse in Chefchaouen

2. 2

   Chefchaouen → Volubilis → Meknes → Fes

   South through olive country to Volubilis, the Roman town on a plain below Moulay Idriss, where floor mosaics still lie where they were laid. Half an hour on, Meknes: the Bab Mansour gate, the stables and granaries of Moulay Ismail and a walk through the old town. You reach Fes in the late afternoon and settle into your riad.

   About 5–6 hours including stops · Overnight: a riad in Fes

3. 3

   Fes: a day in the medina

   No long drive today. Fes el-Bali is a maze of more than a thousand lanes, and a local guide (optional, booked through us) saves a lot of time: the tanneries seen from a terrace above, the Bou Inania and Attarine madrasas, the coppersmiths' square and the gates of the Qarawiyyin. In the afternoon your driver can take you to the Merinid tombs for the view over the old city.

   Free day in Fes · Overnight: a riad in Fes

4. 4

   Fes → Ifrane → Azrou → Midelt → Ziz valley → Merzouga, camel ride to camp

   The longest drive of the trip, about 470 km. Up to Ifrane with its sloping roofs, into the cedar forest near Azrou to look for Barbary macaques, then across the high plateau to Midelt. South of the Tizi n'Talghemt pass the land turns to rock and the Ziz valley opens into a long ribbon of palms. Past Erfoud the dunes rise on the horizon. In Merzouga you swap the vehicle for a camel and ride into Erg Chebbi for dinner and a night under the stars.

   About 8 hours including stops · Camel ride about 1 hour · Overnight: standard desert camp in Erg Chebbi (luxury upgrade available)

5. 5

   Merzouga: Khamlia, Rissani and the dunes

   Sunrise from the top of a dune, breakfast, then a day around the erg with your driver. In Khamlia, a village of Gnawa families, musicians play the drums and iron castanets of their tradition. Rissani's market is where people from the oases come to trade dates, spices, livestock and tools. Back at the dunes, the late afternoon is free for a walk, sandboarding or simply watching the colours change.

   Short drives · Overnight: desert camp or a guesthouse at the edge of the dunes, your choice

6. 6

   Merzouga → Ziz gorges → Midelt

   A relaxed start and a shorter road north. Stop above the palm groves of the Ziz valley, drive through the narrow Ziz gorges near Errachidia and arrive in Midelt by mid-afternoon. The town sits on a high plateau below Jbel Ayachi and is known for its apples; in spring the orchards around it are in flower.

   About 5 hours including stops · Overnight: a hotel in Midelt

7. 7

   Midelt → Ifrane → Rabat

   Back over the Middle Atlas with a coffee stop in Ifrane, then down to the Atlantic coast and Rabat. Late afternoon is enough for the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, and for a walk through the blue-and-white lanes of the Kasbah of the Udayas above the river mouth.

   About 6 hours including stops · Overnight: a hotel or riad in Rabat

8. 8

   Rabat → Asilah → Tangier

   North along the coast to Asilah, a small whitewashed town inside Portuguese-era ramparts, where artists paint murals on the medina walls. Lunch by the sea, then the last short stretch to Tangier. We drop you at your hotel, the port or the airport.

   About 3–4 hours including stops · Drop-off in Tangier

Hotels and desert camps on this tour

Standard accommodation is included in the price. You can upgrade to superior hotels and camp for €35 per person per night; choose it in the booking panel.

Good to know before you go

Route map

Tangier → Chefchaouen → Volubilis → Meknes → Fes → Ifrane → Azrou → Midelt → Merzouga → Midelt → Ifrane → Rabat → Asilah → Tangier

Questions about the 8-day tour from Tangier

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