6 Days Desert Tour from Tangier

This 6-day private tour is for travellers who arrive in Tangier — by ferry from Spain, by plane or on the high-speed train — and want to reach the Sahara without backtracking. It crosses Morocco from north to south in one line: Chefchaouen, Fes, a night at our camp in Erg Chebbi, the gorges of the south and Ait Benhaddou, finishing in Marrakech.

From the Strait of Gibraltar to the dunes

We meet you at Tangier port, Ibn Battouta airport, the train station or your hotel and drive about two hours into the Rif mountains to Chefchaouen. The blue medina is at its best in the late afternoon, and we leave you time to walk up to the Spanish Mosque for sunset. The next day continues south to Fes, around four hours away, where a licensed local guide takes you through Fes el-Bali, the Chouara tanneries and the souks in the afternoon.

A night in the Sahara at Erg Chebbi

Day three is the long road south: over the Middle Atlas via Ifrane and the Azrou cedar forest, through Midelt and down the palm-lined Ziz Valley to Merzouga. We time the drive so you arrive for a sunset camel trek into the dunes and a night at our desert camp, with dinner, drums around the fire and the sunrise from the top of a dune the next morning.

Gorges, kasbahs and the road to Marrakech

From Merzouga the route turns west to the Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley, then follows the road of a thousand kasbahs past Skoura and Ouarzazate to Ait Benhaddou, where you sleep beside the ksar. On the last morning we cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass and reach Marrakech around lunchtime.

Pace and flexibility

The longest drive is on day three, about eight hours with stops; the other days range from two to five hours. Because the tour is private, we can finish in Fes or Casablanca instead of Marrakech, or add nights along the way. If you would like a full day in Fes and two nights in Merzouga, look at our one-week desert tour from Tangier.