DAY 1: TANGIER → CHEFCHAOUEN

Your journey begins with a pick-up from Tangier airport, port, or hotel. The road heads south into the forested hills of the Rif Mountains, arriving in Chefchaouen by afternoon.

The Blue City greets you with its extraordinary medina — a maze of narrow alleyways washed in infinite shades of blue and white, smelling of cedar and fresh bread, alive with the sounds of fountains and artisan workshops. Check in to your riad and spend the rest of the day exploring at your own pace. In the evening, the medina takes on a different character — quieter, more atmospheric, lit by warm lanterns.

DAY 2: CHEFCHAOUEN → VOLUBILIS → MEKNES → FES

After breakfast, a final morning in Chefchaouen before heading south. The drive leads to Volubilis — Morocco’s most impressive Roman archaeological site, a UNESCO World Heritage treasure set on a hilltop with views across the Meknes plain. Its ancient mosaics, triumphal arch, and columns speak powerfully of a North African civilisation that predated Islam by centuries.

From Volubilis, you continue to Meknes — one of Morocco’s four imperial cities. The monumental Bab Mansour gate, the granaries and stables of Sultan Moulay Ismail, and a vibrant uncrowded medina make this an underappreciated gem. A final drive east brings you to Fes for the night.

DAY 3: GUIDED TOUR OF FES

A full day in Fes el-Bali — the ancient heart of Morocco’s oldest and most complex imperial city — with a specialist local guide. Founded in 789 AD, Fes is a living medieval city of extraordinary depth and beauty. Its 9,000-plus alleyways are home to the world’s oldest university, the most ornate madrasas in Morocco, the most ancient tanneries, and souks where artisans practise trades unchanged for centuries.

The day’s highlights include the Chouara Tanneries, the Bou Inania Madrasa, the Al-Qarawiyyin complex, the Jewish Mellah, and the copper, leather, and textile souks. An unforgettable and unrepeatable day.

DAY 4: FES → IFRANE → MIDDLE ATLAS MOUNTAINS → ZIZ VALLEY → MERZOUGA DESERT

Early departure south from Fes. The road climbs through cedar forests and past Azrou — where Barbary macaques can often be spotted by the roadside — through the alpine town of Ifrane and down into the long, lush Ziz Valley. The landscape transitions gradually from mountain green to desert gold. By late afternoon the great dunes of Erg Chebbi appear on the horizon.

Your camel ride into the dunes begins at golden hour, the sun descending in a blaze of colour as you rock gently across the sand. At your luxury desert camp, a traditional Moroccan dinner is followed by an evening of live Berber drumming and music. Your private tent, with its own en-suite bathroom, awaits beneath an extraordinary desert sky.

DAY 5: MERZOUGA DESERT → RISSANI → TODRA GORGE → DADES VALLEY

The desert sunrise is the perfect start to the day — a slow, golden spread of light across the dunes that is genuinely humbling. After breakfast, you depart west through the historic market town of Rissani before continuing to the Todra Gorge near Tinghir.

The gorge is one of Morocco’s great natural wonders: sheer limestone walls rising over 300 metres, pressed close on either side of a cool mountain stream. A walk through the canyon floor is dramatic, silent, and unforgettable. The afternoon drive continues through pre-Saharan oases to the Dades Valley, where the hotel’s setting among layered canyon walls provides a spectacular close to the day.

DAY 6: DADES VALLEY → OUARZAZATE → AIT BEN HADDOU → HIGH ATLAS MOUNTAINS → MARRAKECH

The penultimate day combines cultural heritage and mountain drama. The morning drive through the Valley of Roses leads to Ouarzazate — Africa’s Hollywood — and then to the Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose earthen towers have starred in Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, and Game of Thrones. After exploring the kasbah, the Tizi n’Tichka Pass in the High Atlas provides a spectacular final mountain crossing before the descent into Marrakech.

DAY 7: GUIDED TOUR OF MARRAKECH

The final day of the tour is given entirely to Marrakech — one of the world’s great cities. With a specialist local guide, you navigate the medina’s extraordinary highlights: the Bahia Palace, the Ben Youssef Madrasa, the ancient tanneries, the Saadian Tombs, and the legendary Jemaa el-Fnaa Square — a UNESCO-listed public space that transforms at dusk into an open-air theatre of storytellers, musicians, acrobats, and street food stalls.

The afternoon is yours to browse the souks, visit the Majorelle Garden, or simply sit in a café and watch Marrakech flow by.