12 Days Morocco Grand Tour from Fes

OVERVIEW

At Merzouga Morocco Tours, we customize this trip as 12 days Morocco grand tour from Fes to Merzouga desert and return to Fes. This highly recommended visit is long enough to explore the amazing cities of Morocco (Fez, Marrakech, Essaouira, Casablanca, Meknes…etc!).

You will also have the opportunity to experience the experience of being in the Sahara desert, where you will observe the nomadic culture and camp in the golden sand dunes of Merzouga. This fabulous 12 days desert tour from Fes is one of the best options to discover Morocco, its culture and architecture.

In the desert of Merzouga, you will have the opportunity to experience sandboarding, camel riding and delicious dinner and breakfast included.

Itinerary of the 12 Days Morocco Grand Tour from Fes

Check out the 12 Days Morocco Grand Tour from Fes below to know what to expect from this tour. you can Customize your Itinerary

Highlights of The 12 Days Morocco Grand Tour from Fes

Full-Day to Explore the historical monuments in Morocco.
Pass the Middle Atlas with its stunning landscape.
Stop in the Azrou cedar forest and see the Barbary monkeys.
Panoramic aspects of the dunes of Erg Chebbi.
Camel riding experience in Merzouga Sahara.
See the sunset over the sand dunes.
Do some Sand Boarding activity.
Hearty dinner and party around the campfire (Berber drums).
Camping in the Merzouga desert camp.
Merzouga explores the visit and a visit to a nomadic family.
Visit the Todra Gorge & the Dades Valley.
Spectacular views of the Atlas landscapes.
Explore the studios of Ouarzazate.
Full-day to discover the red city of Marrakech.
Enjoy your time at Essaouira beach.
Explore the biggest city in Morocco which is Casablanca.
Visit the capital city of Rabat.
See the ancient places in Meknes.

Itinerary: 12 Days Morocco Grand Tour from Fes to Merzouga Desert

Day 1: arrival in Fes Airport

We take you at the estimated time by our guide and transfer you to the hotel, well located and located in the medina, It is the historic part of Fez, Depending on the time of your arrival, it’s possible to visit a part of Fes. Accommodation in the hotel or riad.

Day 2: Full day to Explore Fes

After breakfast at your hotel or riad, then start a tour exploring the Medina where you will visit the many hidden treasures that only locals know. Fes has been the capital of Morocco for over 350 years and is home to Al Karaouine University, the oldest functioning university in the world.

Your guided tour will take you to the mausoleum of Moulay Idriss, the fountains of Nejjarine, and the tanneries. After lunch, you can also admire the outside of the Royal Palace and stroll through the famous Jewish quarter «Mellah», where you will have the opportunity to visit one of the few living synagogues in Morocco. Your visit to Fez includes a short visit to the famous ceramic factory, and then you can enjoy a magnificent panoramic view of the entire medina of Fez. Night in your hotel or riad.

Day 3: Fes - Ifrane - Azrou - Midelt - Errachdia - Merzouga Desert

After breakfast, departure to travel southeast through the Middle Atlas through Ifrane the Moroccan Switzerland”, then Azrou, where we will make a stop in the famous cedar forest of Morocco to see and play with the Barberia monkeys. From here we head further south through various villages and you will have the opportunity to see the nomads living in the tents that will arrive in Midelt for lunch. We will continue through the great high open desert and notice how the landscape changes to reveal the desert directions as you approach the town of Er Rachidia.

Your journey continues through the lush Ziz Valley and the Tafilalet date grove, famous for its date-growing. This area is the foundation of the Alawite dynasty – the current ruling royal family in Morocco. You will arrive in Merzouga in the late afternoon – to be greeted with a glass of mint tea before registering at your riad.

Day 4: Merzouga sightseeing

After breakfast at the riad, you will start a tour exploring the area. You will visit the Gnawa – originally slaves brought from Sudan -to experience their music and lifestyle. Within walking distance is Lake Merzouga, with its bird populations. You can also visit the souk in Rissani, a traditional town that was the origin of the family reigning in Morocco and the meeting place of the commercial caravans until Timbuktu in Mali. Here you will see many hooded men and women with veils. Returning to the village of Merzouga to rest, in the afternoon you can ride your camel, guided by a skilled camel man to explore the sandy sea of Merzouga. Accommodation in our desert camp, where you will have your dinner. For your convenience, the camp is equipped with western baths.

Day 5: Merzouga - Rissani - Erfoud - Todra Gorges - Dades Gorges

In the early morning, your camel guide will wake you up to see how it can be the best sunrise of your life. After dawn, he will return to the village of Merzouga. Along the way, I couldn’t help but appreciate the unique beauty of the spectacular Erg Chebbi sand dunes – changing with the light as the day progresses. After breakfast in your riad, you will depart towards the gorges of Rissani, Tinghir, and Todra Gorges – the highest and narrowest gorges of Morocco. After lunch in the heart of the gorge, we will drive through the Dades Valley, where you will see the majestic sand castles and amazing rock formations known as “monkey fingers”. Overnight in a luxury hotel overlooking the Dades valley.

Day 6: Dades Gorges - Roses Valley - Skoura - Ouarzazate

After breakfast at the hotel, we will cross the Dades Valley towards Kalaat Mgouna and Ouarzazate. The road through the Dades Valley is the route of the thousand Kasbahs – providing numerous opportunities to take some of your best photos of the trip. We will stop at Kalaat Mgouna, “the city of roses”, to buy the Rosewater, which will make your underwear smell much after the end of your trip. Continue to Ouarzazate through the Kasbah Amridil, one of the last Berber heads during the 18th century, now the Kasbah is home to many glaoui. At night it will stop in Ouarzazate.

Day 7: Ouarzazate - Ait Benhaddou - High Atlas Mountains - Marrakech

After breakfast at the riad, we begin our journey to reach the ksar (fortified village) of Ait Ben Haddou, where we will visit the famous Kasbah (declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986). In this spectacular setting famous films were shot such as Gladiator, Obelix, The Mummy, The Jewel of the Nile, Sahara with Penelope Cruz… etc.

After visiting the kasbah we will go to Marrakech, we will see the port of Tizi Ntichka, which. with 2.260m is the highest point of our country. We will enjoy beautiful landscapes from the scenic spots along the way and make some stops to take pictures of the Berber villages at the end of the afternoon and register to their riad inside the Medina. The night at the riad.

Day 8: Full Day to Visit Marrakech

Free day in Marrakech to see all the sights not seen before: After breakfast in the riad, you will enjoy the historical and cultural sights, including the Koutoubia Minaret; the Saadian tombs; the beautiful Bahia Palace, and the Ben Youssef Koranic school. Finally, end the morning strolling through the alleys of the medina, getting the chance to admire all the different artisans who perform their trades before reaching the famous Jamaa El Fna square. Lunch in a restaurant near the square, and then in the afternoon visit the gardens of Majorelle and take a short tour of Gueliz, the new city of Marrakech. After dinner, you will have the opportunity to stroll around the square entertained by magicians, storytellers, toothpaste, and food vendors. Accommodation in your riad.

Day 9: Marrakech to Essaouira

We will start in the morning traveling from Marrakech to Essaouira in a 2 and a half hour trip. There we will enter the museum of wooden crafts, located in an ancient palace. There is a watchtower and the port of Skala. From this port, we will see the coast, the islands and the city. The Port of the Navy is used to merge the city and the port, and there are auctions to buy fresh fish. The narrow streets of the medina show a lot of craftsmen who work jewelry, wood… They are installed under the ramparts of the city. At the top, there are some Spanish cannons from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. We will return to Marrakech to spend the night in the same riad as the two previous nights.

Day 10: Essaouira to Casablanca

We will leave Essaouira towards Casablanca. We will visit the mosque of Hassan II, the medina, and the new parts of the city. We’ll spend the night at the hotel.

Day 11: Casablanca – Rabat – Meknes

After breakfast, we will leave for Rabat. The city of Meknes has reached its golden age thanks to Sultan Mulay Ismail. There is a Roman town, known as Volubilis, 27 km from Meknes. We will walk through the Roman city, after the visit we will arrive in Meknes. There we will take a walk through the city, we will go to the tomb of Moulay Ismail, El Hedime square and Bab Mansour. We will spend the night in a hotel.