6 Days Tour from Tangier to Marrakech: Chefchaouen, Fes & Sahara
From the Strait of Gibraltar to the Red City by way of the Blue City, Fes and the Erg Chebbi dunes
Tour Overview
This 6 days tour from Tangier to Marrakech is a private, one-way crossing of Morocco of about 1,380 km. It runs from the north coast through Chefchaouen and Fes to a night in the Erg Chebbi dunes, then past the gorges and kasbahs of the south to Marrakech.
It suits travellers arriving by ferry from Spain or flying into Tangier and leaving from Marrakech. You travel in your own vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide, and nobody else joins your group.
The tour comes in two accommodation tiers on the same route. Luxury uses boutique riads, Relais & Châteaux properties and a private-bathroom desert camp. Standard uses comfortable, well-reviewed riads and hotels in the same towns. Everything else, the driver, the vehicle and the visits, is identical.
- Route: Tangier → Chefchaouen → Fes → Merzouga → Dades Valley → Aït Benhaddou → Marrakech
- Length: 6 days, 5 nights
- Start and end: pickup in Tangier, drop-off in Marrakech, at the airport or your hotel
- Group: private, 1 to 6 travellers in one vehicle
- Price: from $1,100 for your group in the Standard tier. Prices are per group, not per person, and indicative: the final price is set once the itinerary is personalised. The Luxury tier is quoted on request.
- Best months: March to May and September to November. Summer days in the desert pass 40°C and winter nights at the camp drop close to freezing, but the tour runs all year.
- Customisable: add nights, swap a stop or change the pace. The route is a starting point, not a fixed package.
Highlights
Tangier: Start where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic, with time for the Kasbah and the Grand Socco if you arrive in the morning.
Chefchaouen: Spend an evening in the Blue City of the Rif Mountains, from Plaza Uta el-Hammam to the Spanish Mosque viewpoint at sunset.
Fes el-Bali: Explore the UNESCO-listed medina with a local guide, including Al Quaraouiyine, the Chouara Tanneries and the Mellah.
Ifrane and the Azrou cedar forest: Stop in the Middle Atlas town known as Little Switzerland and look for Barbary macaques among the cedars.
Erg Chebbi: Ride a camel into dunes up to 150 meters high for sunset and spend the night at a desert camp.
Todra Gorge: Walk the riverbed between limestone walls that rise more than 300 meters.
Aït Benhaddou: Sleep beside the UNESCO-listed earthen ksar and see it at sunset, when the day visitors have gone.
Tizi n'Tichka: Cross the High Atlas on the highest road pass in the range before descending to Marrakech.
Why Choose a Private Tour?
Detailed Itinerary
The Journey
"Your driver meets you at Tangier airport, the ferry port or your hotel. If you arrive in the morning there is time for the Kasbah and the Grand Socco before the drive south into the Rif Mountains. In Chefchaouen you have the afternoon for the blue-washed medina, Plaza Uta el-Hammam and the walk up to the Spanish Mosque at sunset."
The Journey
"You arrive in Fes by late morning and meet a local guide for Fes el-Bali, the largest car-free medina in the world. The visit covers Al Quaraouiyine, founded in 859 AD, the Nejjarine Fountain, the Chouara Tanneries seen from a terrace above the dye vats, the Mellah and the gates of the Royal Palace."
The Journey
"This is the longest drive of the tour, broken into easy stages. You stop in Ifrane, then in the Azrou cedar forest to look for Barbary macaques, cross the Middle Atlas and have lunch in Midelt. In the afternoon the road follows the palm groves of the Ziz Valley south to Merzouga. Camels wait at the edge of Erg Chebbi for a sunset ride of 1 hour or 90 minutes, as you prefer, to your desert camp. Dinner is served under the stars."
The Journey
"Wake early to watch the sunrise from the dunes, then ride back to Merzouga for breakfast. The road west passes through Tinghir to the Todra Gorge, where you walk along the river between cliffs more than 300 meters high. You continue to the Dades Valley, known as the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, and stay overnight among its red rock formations."
The Journey
"A shorter day. You follow the Rose Valley around Kelaat M'Gouna, known for its damask roses and rosewater, then stop in Ouarzazate at the Taourirt Kasbah. You arrive at Aït Benhaddou in the afternoon and walk up through the UNESCO-listed earthen ksar to the granary at the top, staying nearby to see it at sunset."
The Journey
"After breakfast you cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, with stops at the viewpoints and in the Berber villages along the road. You arrive in Marrakech by early afternoon, where your driver drops you at your hotel or at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK)."
Trip Logistics & Comfort: What to Expect
VIP Airport Welcome
Your private driver meets you in Tangier with a sign bearing your name, at the airport, the port or your hotel.
Your Private Vehicle
Your Driver & Guide
"Your driver is more than a chauffeur; he is your local host."
Transparent Pricing & Inclusions
The price covers your private vehicle, fuel, driver-guide, 5 nights of accommodation in the tier you choose, the camel ride and the visits listed below. You pay separately for lunches, drinks, entrance fees and tips.
What is Included
- Private TransportationToyota Land Cruiser Prado with A/C, fuel and highway tolls included.
- Driver-GuideEnglish-speaking driver-guide dedicated to your group for all 6 days.
- Door-to-Door ServicePickup at Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport (TNG), the Tangier ferry port or your hotel in Tangier, and drop-off at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) or your hotel in Marrakech.
- Accommodation (5 nights)Luxury tier properties are listed below. Standard tier uses comfortable riads and hotels in the same towns. Similar properties are booked if one is full.
- • Night 1 (Chefchaouen): Lina Ryad & Spa or Dar Ba Sidi.
- • Night 2 (Fes): Riad Fes (Relais & Châteaux) or Riad Karawan.
- • Night 3 (Merzouga): Sahara Magic Camp, Luxury Desert Camp Merzouga or Scarabeo Desert Camp.
- • Night 4 (Dades Valley): Xaluca Dades Hotel, Hotel Chez Pierre or Kasbah Tizzarouine.
- • Night 5 (Aït Benhaddou): Riad Ksar Ighnda.
- Meals
- • Breakfast every day.
- • Dinner at the desert camp (Night 3) and in the Dades Valley (Night 4).
- Experiences
- • Camel ride into Erg Chebbi at sunset (1 hour or 90 minutes, as you prefer) and back at sunrise.
- • Local guide for the Fes el-Bali medina.
What is Not Included
- LunchesAllow approximately €10–€12 (100–120 MAD) per person, per meal. (We stop at clean, local restaurants).
- DrinksWater, soda, and alcohol at hotels.
- Entrance FeesMonuments, museums and gardens, such as the Hassan II Mosque, the Bahia Palace and the Majorelle Garden.
- TipsDiscretionary tips for your driver, local guides and porters.
- Flights & InsuranceInternational or domestic flights and travel insurance.
Places on this route: Tangier · Chefchaouen · Fes · Ifrane · Merzouga · Dades Valley · Aït Benhaddou · Marrakech
Tour Details
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