7-Day Morocco Small Group Tour: Marrakech, Fes & SaharaThe Classic South-to-North Crossing
7 days / 6 nights·Max 10
About this journey
Seven days is enough to do the full south-to-north crossing properly: Marrakech, the High Atlas, the kasbah route to the Sahara, a night in the dunes at Merzouga, and on to Fes rather than doubling back. Group is capped at 10 with one guide the entire way, which matters more on a longer route — you get to know the group, and the guide adjusts pace to match it. The shape of the week runs south to north: two days of desert build-up through Ait Benhaddou and the Dadès Valley, a night at Erg Chebbi, then a long but scenic drive north through the Middle Atlas cedar forests to Fes, where the last two days slow right down inside the medina. This suits travellers who want the desert and the imperial cities in one trip without flying between them, and who don't mind that day 4 is a long driving day (roughly 5–6 hours, broken into stops). It's not for anyone short on time who only wants one region — for that, our 5-day loop or 6-day Imperial Cities tour is a better fit. The Middle Atlas stretch between Merzouga and Fes is one people underrate — cedar forests, Barbary macaques at the roadside near Ifrane, a landscape that looks nothing like the Sahara you left that morning. Most itineraries treat it as pure transit. We build in a proper stop.
- Full south-to-north crossing: Marrakech to Fes, no backtracking
- Night in a Sahara bivouac camp at Erg Chebbi with sunset camel trek
- Middle Atlas cedar forest stop, with a chance to see Barbary macaques
- Two full days inside the Fes medina, the largest car-free urban area in the world
- Day trip to Meknes and the Roman ruins of Volubilis
Day by day
The crossing starts the same way our 5-day loop does — over the Tichka Pass, Morocco's highest year-round mountain road, with a stop at a viewpoint for coffee and your first Berber villages. Ait Benhaddou, the UNESCO kasbah from Gladiator and Game of Thrones, is walked properly before the coach groups arrive. Overnight in Ouarzazate.
- Tichka Pass
- Ait Benhaddou UNESCO ksar
- Overnight Ouarzazate
A rose-water cooperative stop breaks up the Dadès Valley drive, then a walk into the Dadès Gorge itself. By late afternoon you're in Merzouga as the dunes turn gold, with the camel trek to the bivouac timed for roughly 90 minutes before sunset.
- Dadès Valley rose cooperative
- Dadès Gorge walk
- Sunset camel trek to Erg Chebbi bivouac
Sunrise from the dunes, then camels back to the vehicle by mid-morning. The drive north follows the Ziz Valley, a green ribbon of date palms cutting through otherwise bare hills, with a stop at the Ziz Gorge viewpoint. Overnight in Midelt, a quiet Middle Atlas town most tours skip straight past.
- Sunrise from the dunes
- Ziz Valley palm groves
- Ziz Gorge viewpoint stop
The morning drive climbs into the Middle Atlas cedar forests near Ifrane, where troops of Barbary macaques often gather roadside — a genuinely different Morocco to the one you left that morning. We stop properly here rather than treating it as pure transit. You arrive in Fes by late afternoon with the evening free before tomorrow's medina walk.
- Ifrane cedar forest stop
- Barbary macaques (weather dependent)
- Arrival in Fes
A local Fes guide joins for a half-day walking tour of Fes el-Bali — the Chouara tanneries, the Al Quaraouiyine mosque and university exterior (the world's oldest continuously operating university), and the maze of souks organised by trade, tucked away from the tourist streets. The afternoon is free to get lost in the medina on your own, which is half the point.
- Chouara Tanneries viewpoint
- Al Quaraouiyine exterior
- Free afternoon in the medina
An easy day out from Fes: Meknes, the smallest and most underrated of the four imperial cities, followed by Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman ruins in Morocco, still scattered with intact mosaics. Both sites see a fraction of Fes's visitor numbers. Back in Fes for a final group dinner.
- Meknes imperial city
- Volubilis Roman mosaics
- Final group dinner in Fes
The tour ends after breakfast. Fes airport transfers are arranged around your actual flight time. If you're flying out of Marrakech or Casablanca instead, ask about onward transport when you book — it's a straightforward add-on.
- Free morning in Fes
- Flexible airport transfer
Inclusions & exclusions
What’s included
- 6 nights accommodation (2 riads, 2 kasbah guesthouses, 1 desert bivouac, 1 Fes riad)
- All transport in an air-conditioned minivan (max 10 seats)
- Licensed English-speaking guide for the full 7 days
- Camel trek to and from the bivouac camp
- 6 breakfasts, 4 dinners
- Entry fees at Ait Benhaddou, the Dadès/Todra Gorge stops, Volubilis and Meknes
- Local Fes medina guide for a half-day walking tour
Not included
- International flights (this tour ends in Fes, not Marrakech — factor in your return)
- Lunches (budget $8–$14/day)
- Personal travel insurance (required)
- Tips for guide and driver
- Alcohol and personal purchases
Choose your style
Small-Group Tour
- Max 10 travellers
- One-way route: Marrakech to Fes
- 6 nights accommodation included
- English-speaking guide throughout
- Private minivan transport
What travelers say
“Doing the desert then Fes without flying back to Marrakech first made so much more sense than I expected — the Middle Atlas drive was a highlight nobody had told me about.”
“The Volubilis day trip was better than the actual imperial cities in some ways — almost no one else there and mosaics still in the ground where they were found.”
“Seven days felt exactly right. Long enough to not feel rushed, short enough that I didn't need two weeks off work.”
Why choose AZA Morocco Tours
- Local expert guides — born and raised in Morocco
- Small groups capped at 10 people maximum
- All-inclusive pricing — no hidden fees
- Free cancellation up to 30 days before departure
- Weekly departures year-round (except desert tours Jul–Aug)
- Verified reviews on TripAdvisor
Questions about this tour
No — this is a one-way route from Marrakech to Fes, which is what lets you cross the whole country without retracing your steps. Factor in a domestic flight or train if you need to get back to Marrakech afterwards; we can advise on options.
Most days are 3–5 hours of driving broken into stops. Day 4, from Midelt to Fes, is the longest at around 5–6 hours including the Ifrane stop.
Most groups do, especially outside peak summer heat, but they're wild animals in a forest, not a zoo enclosure — we can't guarantee it on any given day.
You get one full day plus a day trip to Meknes and Volubilis, which covers the highlights well. If Fes is your main interest rather than the desert crossing, our dedicated Fes travel guide has more on spending longer there.
February to May and September to December. Summer in the Sahara section is punishing, and the Ziz Valley leg is exposed with limited shade.
Yes, on request — the itinerary runs the same in reverse. Mention it when you enquire.
As a guideline, $8–$10 per traveller per day for the guide and $5–$6 per day for the driver, given directly at the end of the tour.