The ideal 12 Day Itinerary from Tangier to experience the country’s top attractions from north to south All those who have the time to discover Morocco’s secrets should take this journey. The Sahara Desert is the ideal complement to the natural scenery, culture, and imperial cities.
We will get the chance to visit Marrakech during our 12-day journey and learn about the majestic imperial cities of Morocco, the turquoise city of Chaouen, the lovely coastal city of Asilah, how to cross the Middle Atlas, and more.
We will also explore a variety of magnificent, contrast-filled natural landscapes, including palm trees, oases, Berber communities perched atop mountains, old adobe forts, and the stunning Erg Chebbi dunes in Merzouga.
You will be picked up by our driver/guide today at the port or airport. After that, we will take you to your hotel, where the rest of the day is free for you to do as you please.
We’ll travel to Tetouan after breakfast. We will stop at a few traditional villages throughout the Jbala region on the way. The area offers a lot, including the scent of the breeze and the clean air near the hills.
After arriving in Chefchaouen, we will explore the medina by strolling through the area’s bustling marketplaces and iconic square. We stay the night in a local hotel.
We leave today for Fes, where we’ll explore the ancient Roman city of Volubilis. The next stop on our journey is Meknes, another imperial city with historical treasures.
After exploring Meknes’ most appealing locations, we travel on to Fes, where we spend the night.
We will tour the medina (old city) with a professional guide after breakfast. One of the biggest and oldest cities in the world is Fes.
We will stroll through the winding lanes surrounded by the fragrant scent of spices, vibrant carpets, and several other Moroccan artifacts.
Visit the Royal Palace, the tanneries, the potters, and other side-lined artisans on your date. We will next eat lunch in a classic establishment in the middle of the Medina, continue the trip, and then head back to our hotel.
We’ll eat breakfast early today because we have a long journey to Merzouga across the Middle Atlas Mountains. Until we reach the Sahara Desert, we will go through lovely forests, wide grasslands, and Berber communities on the foothills of the Atlas Mountains.
In Midelt, the apple capital of the world, we will stop for lunch before continuing on the winding roads above the expansive Oued Ziz. As we make our way through the colorful city of Er-Rachidia and toward Merzouga, the pearl of the Sahara Desert, we pass kasbahs and palm trees.
You’ll ride your camel around the desert in the late afternoon to see a stunning sunset. We will have a fantastic hotel dinner and spend the night there.
After breakfast, we will go to the dunes via the Khamlia village (village of the blacks), the desert plateaus, and the two oasis of Merzouga, the home of the Berber nomads.
We will take a leisurely camel ride to the dunes to witness the stunning sunset. We’ll spend the night in a lovely oasis in nomadic tents.
We return to the hotel in the morning (after watching the sunrise in the desert). After getting ready and eating breakfast, we’ll go to the Rissani Souk (a popular market).
After that, we’ll travel to Alnif and turn toward the Todra Gorge. You will stroll close to the Canyons’ flowing streams. We keep going to the Dades Gorges, where we spend the night in a local riad.
We will travel today to the High Atlas Mountains through Ouarzazate and stop at Kasbah Ait Benhaddou, one of Morocco’s filming locations.
This location has drawn many filmmakers, and scenes from numerous award-winning films, including Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth, the Gladiator, and many others, were filmed there.
After eating lunch in the Kasbah, we’ll travel across the Tizi n Tishka pass in the Atlas Mountains to Marrakech, where we’ll spend the night in a Riad.
After breakfast today, we continue our 12 Day Itinerary from Tangier by traveling to Essaouira, a coastal city and historically significant location in Morocco.
As soon as you arrive, you’ll see historic buildings, museums, castles, and bronze cannons. We return to Marrakesh in the late afternoon, where we spend the night in a Riad.
We will spend the entire day today sightseeing in Marrakech, the “magnet of travelers,” taking in all that this stunning Moroccan city has to offer.
The Medina, its souks, the well-known Jamaa el Fna plaza, the Saadian Tombs, the Menara Gardens, and the palaces of El Bahia and Badia will all be on our itinerary. This evening, we spend the night in a hotel in Marrakech.
As we travel today toward Rabat, we will pass through key cities including Casablanca and Rabat, Morocco’s capital, where we will see the Hassan II Mosque. We spend the night in a hotel here.
After breakfast, we’ll drive to Tangier to finally end our 12 Day Itinerary from Tangier and see some of the sights before escorting you to the ferry terminal or airport in time for your flight.
The itinerary you see above is only a sample of what your Morocco Holiday could look like. Each traveler has different preferences, and we believe your tour should reflect that. If this plan doesn’t match what you’re envisioning, just let us know, we’ll adjust the route, pace, and activities to suit your interests and the time you have available.
The final price of the tour is depending:
Transportation costs are fixed, so the more people sharing the vehicle, the lower the price per person becomes. For an exact, detailed quote, simply contact us; we’ll be happy to provide one.
We can tailor this itinerary into a shorter version without losing its essence. Here are common alternatives:
Check out our most popular Morocco tour routes:
Marrakech Tours, Fes Tours, Casablanca Tours, Tangier Tours, Errachidia Tours and Ouarzazate Tours, each offering a unique way to discover Morocco.
Given that Tangier tours cover a vast distance, from the North to the Sahara, we recommend booking 4 to 6 months in advance. Longer, comprehensive tours require more planning to secure quality accommodation along the entire length of the country.
Yes, you have complete freedom to customize. Our tours are private and can be tailored to spend more time in the North (Chefchaouen/Rif Mountains) or include stops in lesser-known cities on your journey south.
The minimum recommended length for a tour from Tangier that reaches the Erg Chebbi desert is 5 to 7 days. This allows for necessary stops in Chefchaouen and Fez to break up the significant driving distance.
Your driver will handle pickup at the port, airport, or city hotel and can provide orientation. For exploring the Tangier medina itself, we recommend a short private walking tour with a local guide, which we can easily arrange.
Yes, as with all our destinations, accommodation and desert camps will be notified of your specific dietary restrictions upon booking to ensure your meals are safe and enjoyable throughout your journey.
Tangier tours naturally begin on the Mediterranean coast and transition into the cultural sites of the North (Chefchaouen, Fez). The vast majority continue inland to the desert and Imperial Cities, though coastal extensions are possible on longer routes.
