This is the most-asked-for route in our catalogue — the trip travellers describe as 'the complete Morocco'. Ten days, eight destinations, two UNESCO ksar, four imperial-influenced cities (Tangier, Fes, Aït Benhaddou, Marrakech), one Sahara overnight, and the Tizi n'Tichka descent on the final morning. It starts at the Strait of Gibraltar and ends at the medina gates of Marrakech.
The arc runs Tangier (1 night) → Chefchaouen (2 nights) → Fes (2 nights) → Middle Atlas → Merzouga overnight Sahara camp → Dadès Valley → Aït Benhaddou → Marrakech (2 nights). Total driving distance is ~1,950 km distributed so no single day exceeds 7 hours of road time except the desert approach (which is 8 hours broken into 4 stops). The route works particularly well for travellers entering Morocco by ferry from Spain (35 minutes from Tarifa to Tangier).
We use a private 4×4 with an English-speaking driver throughout. Accommodations are mid-range to luxury riads in the medinas (Chefchaouen, Fes, Marrakech), a small boutique hotel in Tangier, and Sahrawi-run Berber camps at the dunes. The Marrakech end can be extended with 2 nights in Essaouira for the 12-day version, or with a 5-day Imlil-and-Toubkal trek for the 15-day adventurer build.
The reverse direction (Marrakech → Sahara → north → Tangier) is identical in price; we run it both ways. Travellers landing in Casablanca with a long-haul connection might prefer our [10-day Casablanca-start Grand Journey](/tours/10-days-casablanca) which has the same destinations in a slightly different sequence. For the 7-day fast version that drops Chefchaouen and shortens Fes, see [The Imperial-to-Desert 7-Day Tour](/blog/7-days-morocco-imperial-to-desert).
Why we built this trip
Youssef El Alaoui
Lead Morocco Specialist, Rissani-born
- 01Tangier and Cap Spartel where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean
- 02Two nights in Chefchaouen — proper time inside the blue medina
- 03Fes medina with a local guide — the world's largest car-free urban area
- 04Tizi n'Talghemt pass through the Middle Atlas cedars (1,900 m)
- 05Sahara overnight at Erg Chebbi — sunset camel trek, sunrise from the dune crest
- 06Dadès and Todra gorges on the route west
- 07Aït Benhaddou UNESCO ksar with a 2-hour stop including the climb to the kasbah summit
- 08Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m before descending into Marrakech
- 09Optional Essaouira coast extension as days 11–12
“If a traveller has 10 days and asks for 'the complete Morocco', this is the trip I build. The Tangier start is what makes it work — entering the country from the Strait of Gibraltar with the Atlantic on your right and Spain still visible behind you sets a totally different tone than landing at Casablanca airport. You feel like you're crossing into the country, not just disembarking. The other 9 days then unfold like a single long arc south.”
