Ten days is the ideal length for a Morocco trip that goes beyond Marrakech: it gives you room to cross the Sahara desert loop and still continue north to Fes, one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the world, without every day being a travel day. Below is the itinerary we build most often for guests who want both the desert and the imperial cities.
Marrakech and the Sahara give you dramatic landscapes and Berber culture; Fes gives you Morocco's oldest and most intact medina, a genuinely different experience from Marrakech's more touristic souks. Routing the desert crossing so it ends in Fes rather than looping back to Marrakech means you're not retracing the same roads twice.
| Day | Route | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive Marrakech | Medina orientation, Jemaa el-Fnaa |
| 2 | Marrakech | Bahia Palace, Majorelle Garden, Saadian Tombs |
| 3 | Marrakech to Dades Valley | Tizi n'Tichka pass, Ait Ben Haddou, kasbahs |
| 4 | Dades Valley to Merzouga | Todra Gorge, dunes at sunset |
| 5 | Merzouga desert camp | Camel trek, overnight under the stars |
| 6 | Merzouga to Fes | Ziz Valley, Middle Atlas cedar forests |
| 7 | Fes | Medina, tanneries, madrasas |
| 8 | Fes to Chefchaouen | Rif Mountains, arrival in the blue city |
| 9 | Chefchaouen to Casablanca or return | Free morning, transfer for departure |
| 10 | Departure | Fly out |
If Chefchaouen feels like a stretch, the same 10 days work perfectly well ending in Fes with a flight out from Fes airport or a transfer to Casablanca. For a shorter version of the same idea, our 7-day Morocco itinerary covers just the Marrakech-desert loop. If you have more time available, our 14-day grand tour extends this same route to include Rabat, Casablanca, and the Atlantic coast.
Book Fes riads in the medina itself rather than the new city; it makes navigating the old town far easier with a local guide. For visa and entry requirements before you go, check the Visit Morocco official tourism site.
We operate this exact 10-day route as a private guided tour, with a dedicated driver throughout and a desert camp night already included, so you can focus on the experience rather than logistics.
