2 Weeks from Tangier to the Sahara via the Imperial Cities

This 2-week private tour is a complete loop of Morocco that starts and ends in Tangier, so it works well if you cross by ferry from Spain or fly in and out of Tangier. It covers the four imperial cities — Meknes, Fes, Marrakech and Rabat — with two nights in the Sahara, at a pace that leaves free time in the places that deserve it.

The north: Tangier and Chefchaouen

The trip begins in Tangier itself: the kasbah and the medina above the port, the Grand Socco, and Cap Spartel and the Caves of Hercules, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean. From there we drive to Chefchaouen via the white medina of Tetouan, and you spend two nights in the blue city, with a full day to wander or to hike to the Akchour waterfalls and God's Bridge in Talassemtane National Park.

Meknes, Fes and the road to the Sahara

Heading south, you stop at the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the imperial city of Meknes before two nights in Fes, including a full day in Fes el-Bali with a licensed local guide. We then cross the Middle Atlas and follow the Ziz Valley to Merzouga for two nights: one at a guesthouse beside the dunes and one at our desert camp in Erg Chebbi after a sunset camel trek.

Gorges, kasbahs and Marrakech

From the desert the road turns west to the Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley, then past Skoura and Ouarzazate to a night in Ait Benhaddou. After crossing the Tizi n'Tichka pass, you spend two nights in Marrakech, with a guided walk through the Bahia Palace, the Koutoubia and Jemaa el-Fna, and time of your own for the souks and gardens.

Back north along the Atlantic

The last days follow the Atlantic coast: the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, a night in Rabat with the Hassan Tower and the Kasbah of the Udayas, and a stop in whitewashed Asilah before your final night in Tangier. If you have less time, our one-week desert tour from Tangier covers the north and the Sahara in seven days.