Seven days with the tanneries of Fes, the blue walls of Chefchaouen and a night on the Sahara in the same week. It works because Chefchaouen sits between the two rather than off to one side.
- Duration
- 7 days / 6 nights
- Route
- Fes → Fes
- Pace
- Two long drives, split across two nights
Overview
One week, three settings: the tanneries of Fes, the blue walls of Chefchaouen, and a night on the Sahara. Chefchaouen sits between the other two, which is why the driving stays reasonable.
Photos
Route
- 1Fes
- 2Chefchaouen
- 3Merzouga
Highlights
- Fes first — the tanneries and the medieval medina
- Chefchaouen in the middle, not bolted on at the end
- A night on the dunes inside the same week
- Three settings without a transfer-heavy schedule
Day by day
A representative plan. Every trip is adjusted to your dates, your pace and what you want to see.
1
Day 1
Arrive in Fes
You arrive in Fes and the day is yours. Stay near the edge of the medina, since everything here is entered on foot and the walk in becomes part of the routine.
Nothing strenuous on the first day. Eat close by and get an early night, because tomorrow is a long walking day and the driving picks up later in the week.
2
Day 2
The Fes medina
A full day on foot in Fes el-Bali: Bou Inania madrasa, the tanneries at Chouara, and the lanes between them, with a guide for the first hours so you can find your own way later.
This is the busiest walking day of the week. Leave what you do not need at the riad and carry water.
3
Day 3
Fes to Chefchaouen
About four hours north into the Rif. The road climbs, the towns get smaller, and then Chefchaouen appears on the hillside below the mountains.
The afternoon is spent walking the blue lanes at an easy pace. The town is compact and everything in it is reachable on foot.
4
Day 4
Chefchaouen to Midelt
The longest driving day of the week, about seven hours with stops. You leave the Rif in the morning, pass back down through Fes, then head south across the Middle Atlas through Ifrane and Azrou.
Lunch is a proper break. The cedar forest near Azrou is where the Barbary macaques are usually seen, and you stop for the night in Midelt, a small town on the high plain known for apples.
5
Day 5
Midelt to Merzouga
About four hours down the Ziz valley past Errachidia and Erfoud to Merzouga, at the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes. High plain, palm groves, then sand.
Leave the car behind and go out to a camp on the dunes by camel or 4x4. The hour before sunset out there and the night at camp are the reason for the week.
6
Day 6
Merzouga to Fes
Sunrise on the dunes, then the road back north. This is about seven hours of driving, the cost of a night in the Sahara and a week that also covered the Rif.
Lunch is a stop rather than a long one, and you are in Fes by late afternoon. The last evening is for eating and not much else.
7
Day 7
Departure from Fes
A slow morning. The airport is a short drive from the edge of the medina and the transfer is timed to your flight.
If there is time before it, the tanneries are a short walk from the main gates and are working by mid-morning.
Good to know
Best season
October to April suits both the walking and the desert. Erg Chebbi is cold after dark in December and January, so a warm layer goes in the bag. June to August is very hot on the Merzouga leg.
Pace and driving
Two days are made of driving on purpose. Day four runs about seven hours to Midelt and day six is about seven hours back to Fes. The Fes to Merzouga leg alone is roughly seven hours, so it is always split.
Who it suits
People who want a medina and a night on the sand in the same week, and who are fine paying for it in hours in the car. Chefchaouen sits north of Fes rather than on the way south, so it adds driving instead of saving it.
What's included
- Private vehicle and driver for the whole itinerary
- Accommodation each night, with breakfast
- Airport transfers at the start and end
- A local guide in the medinas where a guide adds most
- A named contact in Marrakech throughout your trip
Not included
- International flights
- Lunches, dinners and drinks unless listed
- Entrance fees to monuments and sites
- Tips for your driver and guides
- Travel insurance
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