8-day Sahara Desert Tour from Tangier to Marrakech
8 day Sahara Desert Tour from Tangier to Marrakech
In just over a week( 8 day Sahara desert tour from Tangier to Marrakech), you will experience the ideal blend of culture, history, and adventure in Morocco. Starting in Tangier, explore the blue-painted streets of Chefchaouen, the maze-like alleyways of Fes, and ride a camel into the shifting sands of the Sahara. Finish your trip in Marrakech among museums, medieval inns, and the many souks where you can pick up an authentic souvenir before returning home.
Summary of your 8 day Sahara desert tour from Tangier to Marrakech
Highlights of 8-day Sahara desert tour from Tangier to Marrakech
- Explore Chefchaouen’s pleasant, blue-painted streets
- Learn about the ancient Roman ruins of Volubilis
- Explore Fes’s maze-like medieval alleyways
- Explore Merzouga desert and visit nomads
- Ride a camel over the Sahara’s shifting sands
- Spend the night at a desert camp, where you will enjoy a campfire, music, and the stars
- Visit Ait Ben Haddou, Morocco’s most prominent and largest casbah
- Explore the markets and souks around Marrakech’s Jemaa el-Fna square
8 day Sahara Desert Tour Tangier to Marrakech detailed itinerary
The itinerary for a 8-day Sahara Desert Tour from Tangier to Marrakech is given below. If you have any questions or would like to modify your desert tour, please contact us. Morocco Sahara Desert Tours will create the most memorable desert travel experience for you.
Day 1: Tangier – Tetouan – Chefchaouen
Morocco Sahara desert tours invites you to spend a lovely vacation in Morocco. We will meet you at the port/airport/hotel in Tangier on the first day of your Moroccan tour and drive you through the Rif mountains and Tetouan city. On our journey to Chefchaouan, one of the breathtaking villages at the base of the Rif mountains, we can enjoy the spectacular scenic mountain views. The medina of Chefchaouen featured a Spanish-style square surrounded by a plethora of quirky arts and crafts shops, roof-top restaurants, and cafes. We will take you to your hotel where you will spend the night in a comfortable, quaint escape. Feel the cool night air and the beauty of nature. Stroll through the beautiful streets of this town and enjoy the blue houses and local markets.
Day 2: Chefchaouen – Volubilis – Meknes – Fez
After breakfast in the riad, we will keep moving toward Volubilis, through Rif mountain villages. In Volubilis we will discover the Roman ruins and learn about the Moroccan history in this archeological site. After our visit to the ruins, we will shift our way to Meknes, the 17th century capital of Morocco, where we will stop for lunch and hang around the huge historic walls of the medina, bab El mansour. Get a taste of the history of this remarkable town that was once the kingdom of Sultan Moulay Ismail. At the conclusion of our time of Meknes, we will drive directly to Fez, where you will spend the night in a beautiful riad.
Day 3: Fez city tour
In the morning, a local guide will meet you at your riad and take you around the old city. Fez’s old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and with your guide you will visit many famous cultural and historical attractions. The Fez city tour will include:
- Bab Bou Jeloud, an ornate city gate and the main western entrance to Fes
- El Bali, the old city of Fez
- Tanneries, with famous leather craftsmen
- Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts & Crafts
- University of Al Quaraouiyine, the oldest university in the world
- Palais Royale, the royal palace of the Alaouite, sultan in the city of Fez
- The Jewish quarter, where you will wander the narrow alleys of the medina
In the late afternoon, you will be taken to have a panoramic view of Fez and return to your riad for the evening.
Day 4: Fez – Ifrane – Midelt – Ziz Valley – Merzouga desert
Continue your Moroccan tour, moving from the fertile plains of northern and western Morocco to the arid desert-scapes famous to many visitors. We will begin our travel after breakfast, going to the remote eastern town of Merzouga via Ifrane. We will stop in Ifrane near the lion statue, taking a chance to stretch our legs and enjoy the beautiful gardens in this city. Our journey continues through a massive cedar forest, where we will have the opportunity to stop and see some friendly Barbary apes. We will traverse the Tizi Ntalghamt pass and Ziz Gorge, taking in views of the High Atlas plateau. Notice how the scenery changes to reveal hints of the desert as we approach the city of Errachidia. Here we will stop for lunch and enjoy the hospitality of the friendly Berber people. After lunch, we will drive along the luxuriant Ziz Valley, stopping for panoramic views along the way to Erfoud and Rissani. You will arrive in Merzouga in the late afternoon. Enjoy a welcoming glass of Moroccan mint tea before your checking into your hotel for the evening.
Day 5: Merzouga desert tour
Your guides will pick you up from the hotel at 9 am to visit Merzouga and the surrounding villages. Stop at Khamlia, the home of freed Sudanese slaves who have settled in Morocco for the past few generations. Listen to their Gnawa music, traditional spiritual songs, and lively dancing. We will take the tour off-road, driving behind the Erg Chebbi dunes to remote desert villages, abandoned mines, and visiting a nomadic Berber encampment. These hospitable nomadic families will welcome us with tea and an explanation of their lifestyle. After our visit, we will return to Merzouga for lunch—we highly suggest trying the traditional Berber “pizza,” with meat and vegetables stuffed into a bread crust and cooked over an open flame. In the late afternoon, you will be taken to the dromedaries—one-hump camels native to this region of Morocco—and you will take a 90-minute camel ride to our camp in the middle of the Erg Chebbi dunes (standard or luxury camp options available). Watch the sunset from behind the dunes and go on a dune sandboarding adventure if you would like. Return for a glass of traditional mint tea, dinner, and music. Our guides will play drums and castanets for you, breaking the stillness of the desert with sounds of laughter and singing. Under the brilliance of the Milky Way, you will tuck into your camp for the evening. Don’t forget to look up and see stars as you’ve never seen them before.
Day 6: Merzouga – Todgha Gorge – Boumalen Dades
Wake up early to watch the desert sunrise over the dunes of Erg Chebbi. After breakfast, we will return to civilization via dromedaries. Say goodbye to the majestic dunes as we depart to Rissani. We will stop to visit the local market, full of dates, spices, and other Moroccan treasures, and we will continue to Erfoud and the impressive Todgha Gorge. Take a beautiful walk through the rock canyon and enjoy a traditional Moroccan lunch. After lunch, we’ll continue our drive to Boumalen Dades, and enjoy the beautiful landscapes and the Kasbahs that line the mountains. We will stop to see a rock formation called Monkey’s Fingers, and you can decide if they do look like the fingers of monkeys. Take lots of pictures as we drive along the winding roads, stopping for a panoramic view of the Dades Gorges. Here we will spend the night in a nice hotel at the base of the canyon.
Day 7: Dades Valley - Skoura – Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah – Marrakech
After breakfast, we will travel through the Skoura Valley and the Kelaa Mgouna, the rose city, towards Ouarzazate. Our route through Skoura Valley is “the way of the thousand Kasbahs” – providing numerous opportunities to take some of the best photos of your trip. We will stop at Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah for lunch, the largest Kasbah in Morocco. It used to be one of the main thoroughfare stops for traders bringing silver, salt, jewelry, slaves, or other goods from sub-Saharan countries to Marrakech. Now, the Kasbah is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Cross the salty river or large dry riverbed next to the village, and walk through the narrow alleys to the top of the hill. There, next to the old granary you will have a panoramic view of the village. After our stop in Ait Ben Haddou, we will continue to Marrakech, once again watching the landscape shift from flat desert land to hills and mountains. We will cross over the High Atlas Mountains full of panoramic views and attractive Berber villages all along the way until we reach Marrakech, where you will stay overnight in a fancy riad in the city’s historic medina.
Day 8: Guided city tour of Marrakech
After breakfast at the riad, your local city guide will meet you and provide a tour of the old medina. Your Morocco Sahara Desert Tours guides will be there to pick you up after your medina tour, where we will travel together to Majorelle Gardens. Explore the magnificent gardens with their rare, exotic flowers, and take some time to picnic in this beautiful haven in the city. After you visit the gardens, we will have an afternoon visit to Menara Gardens a few kilometers outside of the city. We will also stop at the exquisite Bahia Palace, literally named for its brilliance, and one of the prominent palaces in the 19th century. With a quick drive back to the city, we will return to Marrakech for a late afternoon stroll through the medina. Take time to explore Jemaa el Fna, where the sounds of musicians, smells of rich food and spices, and the sight of snake charmers will captivate you. This space, often called the cultural crossroads of Morocco, is full of amazing performers, delicious food, and unique souvenirs.
After you have finished exploring, return to your riad near the main square and settle in for the evening.
About 8-day Sahara Desert tour from Tangier to Marrakech
Travel from Tangier to Marrakech on an 8-day Sahara desert tour. Explore Chefchaouen and Fes before heading to Merzouga for camel riding, a desert camp, and a campfire. Visit Ait Ben Haddou to read about Moroccan heritage and culture, as well as to try some of the country’s most popular dishes.
Things included
✅ Dinner, Bed, and Breakfast in a hotel (day 4 & 6) ✅ Off-road drive 4WD to visit the nomads ✅ Dromedary to the camp (70 minutes) ✅ Sandboarding on the dunes (if interested) ✅ Dinner and bed in the camp (day 5) ✅ Dromedary ride back or by car to the village ✅ Breakfast in the camp or the hotel (Day 6) ✅ Local guide (Imperial cities)( day 3 & 8) ✅ Private air-conditioned 4WD vehicle or mini-bus ✅ Fuel ✅ Professional English-speaking driver. ✅ Stay in a fancy riad or hotel & breakfasts (day 1, 2, 3, 7, & 8)
Things excluded
❎ Drinks ❎ Lunch ❎ Some tourist attractions charge admission fees ❎ Airline tickets ❎ Travel insurance
Book your trip with Morocco Sahara Desert Tours
ATV and UTV desert tours are available. If you want to include that in your 8 day Sahara desert tour from Tangier to Marrakech, please get in touch with us. Please notify us if you have any food allergies when you make your reservation. You can buy alcoholic beverages.
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