10 Days Morocco Private Tour from Fes: Sahara, Marrakech and Essaouira

Your journey begins with your arrival in Fes. Our driver meets you at the airport and takes you to your riad or hotel, where you can unwind after your flight.

If you arrive early, take an introductory walk to feel the atmosphere of the city, with its old walls, gates and the first lanes of the medina.

Moment to remember: your first evening in the oldest of Morocco's imperial cities.

With a local guide, you start at a Fes pottery workshop, where artisans make ceramics with techniques passed down through generations. Then you pass through Bab Bou Jeloud into Fes el-Bali, the UNESCO-listed medina, to see the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university, founded in the 9th century, the Bou Inania and Attarine madrasas with their tilework and carved cedar, and the Nejjarine museum of wooden arts in a restored caravanserai.

You can also visit the Dar Batha museum of Moroccan crafts, the golden doors of the Royal Palace, the Chouara tannery and the Mellah, the Jewish quarter, with its cemetery and the restored Ibn Danan Synagogue. The day ends at the Merenid Tombs on the hill for a panoramic view over Fes.

Moment to remember: the view over the rooftops of Fes from the Merenid Tombs.

You leave Fes for Ifrane, the Little Switzerland of Morocco, and pass Al Akhawayn University. In the cedar forest near Azrou, look out for Barbary macaques among the ancient trees. Then you cross the Tizi n'Talghamt pass and follow the Ziz Valley, with its palm groves and Berber villages.

In Erfoud you visit a fossil museum, with ammonites, trilobites and ancient marine life. In Merzouga you ride a camel into the Erg Chebbi dunes with a local guide, reaching your luxury camp at sunset for mint tea, a Moroccan dinner and Amazigh music around the campfire under the stars.

Moment to remember: stargazing over the dunes to the sound of Amazigh music.

Wake up for sunrise as the dunes turn gold and pink, then have a traditional breakfast in the desert with mint tea, fresh bread, honey and olives. Ride your camel back to Merzouga, then set off on a 4x4 excursion around the dunes to Khamlia, a village known for its Gnawa musicians, where you can listen and perhaps join a traditional dance.

Try sandboarding down the dunes, meet nomadic Berber families and share their hospitality, and taste medfouna, a Berber bread stuffed with meat, vegetables and spices. Before the end of the day you can see Dayet Srji, the seasonal lake among the dunes, then spend the night at your hotel in Merzouga.

Moment to remember: Gnawa rhythms in Khamlia with the dunes just beyond the village.

You head to Rissani, known for its lively market, and visit the area of the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif, linked to the origins of Morocco's ruling dynasty. Then you reach the Todra Gorge, with its towering cliffs and river, for a walk along the canyon, and Tinghir, with its old kasbah and palm oasis.

In the afternoon you enter the Dades Valley, the valley of a thousand kasbahs, and drive into the Dades Gorges, with their sheer cliffs and winding road, before reaching Boumalne Dades at the foot of the High Atlas for dinner at your hotel.

Moment to remember: the winding road of the Dades Gorges seen from above.

After breakfast you pass the Valley of Roses around Kelaa M'Gouna, at its best during the spring harvest, and the Skoura oasis with its palm groves and earthen kasbahs. In Ouarzazate, the Hollywood of Morocco, you see the Taourirt Kasbah and visit a film studio.

Then you explore Aït Ben Haddou, a UNESCO-listed fortified ksar, and cross the High Atlas on the Tizi n'Tichka pass, with views over valleys and peaks. You arrive in Marrakech in the evening, at a riad close to Jemaa el-Fna, ready for a lively first night.

Moment to remember: the first view of Aït Ben Haddou rising above the riverbed.

With a local guide, you start at Jemaa el-Fna, in the heart of the UNESCO-listed medina, and walk into the souks and artisan stalls. You visit the 19th-century Bahia Palace with its decorated rooms and gardens, the 16th-century Saadian Tombs, and admire the Koutoubia Mosque, the largest in Marrakech, from outside.

You also see the ruins of the El Badi Palace, the Ben Youssef Madrasa, the souks of spices, lamps and ceramics, and the Mellah, the historic Jewish quarter. A highlight is the Jardin Majorelle, with its exotic plants, blue buildings and Berber museum.

Moment to remember: Jemaa el-Fna coming alive with music and food stalls at nightfall.

After breakfast you drive west through Chichaoua and the argan forest to Essaouira on the Atlantic, with stops for photos along the way. Start at the beach for the sea air; it is a popular spot for windsurfing and kitesurfing, or simply for a walk on the sand.

Then explore the UNESCO-listed medina, with its whitewashed lanes, galleries and musicians, have a seafood lunch overlooking the ocean, and visit the port to see the blue fishing boats, the fish market and the old Skala fortifications.

Moment to remember: grilled fish by the harbor as the gulls circle the blue boats.

After breakfast you drive back to Marrakech, arriving in the late morning.

The rest of the day is yours: shop for souvenirs in the souks, relax in a traditional hammam or spa, take a cooking class, or simply enjoy your riad.

Moment to remember: a slow afternoon in the souks at your own pace.

Your 10 days tour from Fes comes to a close. Your driver picks you up at your riad according to your flight time and takes you to Marrakech airport.

You leave with memories of the medina of Fes, the dunes of the Sahara, the kasbahs of the south, the souks of Marrakech and the Atlantic breeze of Essaouira.

Moment to remember: looking back on ten days from Fes to the Atlantic.