Morocco Adventure from Fes to Marrakech

Set out for a guided tour of the city with a local expert today. You'll start at the Royal Palace and walk through the old Jewish Quarter, up to one of the Borj towers for a panoramic view of the medina. Next, you’ll head to a mosaic house where you will have a demonstration of the traditional pottery methods utilized by Fassi artisans. You’ll see every step of the process, from the formation of the clay to the piecing together of the mosaics.

After the demonstration, the tour will take you into the medina of Fes where you will discover the ancient streets and neighborhoods, visit the various artisan sections (including the tanneries), and see the important historic monuments, including the tomb of Idriss II and the Al-Qarawaiyin University, the oldest continually operated university in the world. Your tour will end after midday meal, at which time you’ll have the rest of the afternoon and evening free to explore the medina. Don’t worry if you get lost—that is all part of the experience.

Leave Fes to head into the desert. On the way, you will travel through the largest cedar forest in Africa, which is also home to the Barbary apes (aka Atlas Monkeys), which are sure to entertain. You’ll cross the Middle Atlas Mountains to Midelt, on the high plains between the Middle and High Atlas Mountains, where you will stop for midday meal.

Continue into the High Atlas mountains via the Ziz River Gorge to the large dunes of Erg Chebbi. Take some time to explore the area around the dunes before meeting your camels and trekking into the heart of the dunes to your luxury base camp for the night. (If camels aren't quite your style, you can opt for a 4x4 instead.) Once you arrive, you can climb the nearest dune to watch the sun go down and the stars come out. Enjoy dinner, traditional music, and stargazing into the evening.

Get an early start to watch the sunrise over the dunes before you hop back on your camel and ride back to the edge of the dunes. From there, it's time to get on the road to the Dades Gorge.

Along the way, you’ll stop to visit the ancient irrigation system that once brought water to the desert from the distant Saghro Mountains, as well as a visit to the oasis town of Tinghir where you will have a guided walk of the palmery and old Jewish area. Next, you’ll visit the nearby Todra Gorge where you will walk through the most impressive part of the canyon before you reach the Dades Valley.

Make the drive to the “next valley over” to the heart of the Valley of Roses. On the way, you can visit a local market if your trip aligns with market day, and then go to the home of a local family, where you can help to prepare midday meal (or just relax) and then join the family for a traditional couscous midday meal. After midday meal (and a little more relaxation), you can explore a little more of the Valley either by car or by foot before heading back to your hotel in time for dinner.

If you're visiting while the roses are in bloom, you can head into the fields to try your hand at picking the flowers and seeing how much you would earn from your work. Pay a visit to the local rose cooperative to observe the distillation process involved in creating the valley's signature rose products, or see a different sort of creative process at the Azlag Cooperative, where they craft ceremonial Berber daggers. Linger in a coffee shop with views of the valley or stop for a steam in a traditional hammam.

This morning, lace up your shoes for a hike near M'Goun Mountain, one of the highest peaks in the region. You'll make your way through the M'Goun River Valley, passing local Berber villages and kasbahs in the hills below the mountain's peak. Once you've worked up your appetite, enjoy midday meal at a local home before you begin your trek into the High Atlas.

Using one of the less-traveled mountain roads, you'll head into the High Atlas, including nearly 50 miles (80 km) of off-roading along the way over M'Goun Peak.

Start your day with a morning hike in this mountain region. There are multiple hikes available for different levels. If you'd like a challenge, summit the peak known as the Cathedral for its church-like shape, which takes about three hours and is a highly technical hike. If you'd prefer something simpler, head for Happy Valley through its terraced agriculture and rock kasbahs, which can be customized to your preferred length.

Then head to Demnate and a local eco-lodge for midday meal, followed by an interactive carpet-weaving workshop. Carpets are one of the crafts most associated with Morocco, and you'll get to try your hand at creating one. Hit the road to your evening lodgings, but finish your day with one more hike over a nearby natural bridge before you turn in. You'll head to some fossilized dinosaur tracks to admire the footprints of these ancient creatures and then cross the natural bridge for a total hiking time of about 2.5 hours.

Make your way to Ouzoud this morning, home to one of the highest waterfalls in Morocco. This multi-step waterfall is 330 feet high (100 m), and is also home to the Atlas monkeys, who you may spot frolicking in the trees. Meet your guides and set out on a two-hour hike along the Ouzoud River to the top of the falls. Then head down to their base, where you can swim, take a boat ride under the falls, or just enjoy the view from one of the many terraces.

After your midday meal, you'll head to Marrakech, where you'll spend the evening at your leisure. The colorful oasis city of Marrakech offers up an old town tangle of bazaars with oriental lamps, woven carpets, and scents of spices, alongside Moorish riads and palm trees against colorful surroundings. Make your way through the alleys of the medina, where woven carpets, ceramics, parchment lamps, and huge spice stalls in all colors are stored up to the roof in the narrow, winding alleyways characterized by stairs and vaults.

After morning meal, meet your local private guide who will lead you through the old city of Marrakech. As you explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site, you will come across lively souks and maze-like alleys. You're sure to be dazzled by displays of djellabas, brightly colored babouches, intricately-pierced lanterns, conical mounds of exotic spices, and the intense hubbub of medina life. Along the way, your knowledgeable and energetic guide will regale you with the history and stories of the medina, the souk, and the Mellah neighborhoods of the Red City.

In the afternoon you'll continue your private tour, exploring places like the Koutoubia Mosque, Bahia and El Badii Palaces, and the Saadian Tombs.

Your tour will end by mid-afternoon, giving you the rest of the day to explore on your own. Do some retail therapy in the souks, sit down to a delicious local cuisine in one of Marrakech's fantastic restaurants, or wander the stalls of Jemaa el-Fna Square, where you can feast on incredible street food as you watch musicians and snake charmers perform for the crowds.

Spend the morning scouting out any spots you missed in Marrakech before you head to the airport to catch your flight home or onto your next adventure.