A ten-day journey across Morocco’s ancient trade routes, from Marrakech’s imperial medina and the windswept ramparts of Essaouira to the dunes of the Sahara and the scholarly streets of Fez.
This route connects Morocco’s great contrasts: the rhythm of Marrakech, the ocean calm of Essaouira, the silence of the Sahara, and the artistry of Fez.
In Marrakech, founded in the 11th century by the Almoravids, life still centres on the red-walled medina: storytellers and spice merchants in Jemaa el-Fna, artisans in hidden workshops, and tiled palaces built when sultans ruled the desert trade.
The coastal town of Essaouira, once a Portuguese fort and later a key Atlantic port for Jewish and Berber merchants, offers sea breeze and rhythm, with its blue boats bob beneath the old cannons of Skala de la Ville.
From there the journey crosses the High Atlas Mountains, climbing to 2,260m at the Tizi n’Tichka Pass before dropping into the Draa Valley, where date palms grow beside adobe kasbahs like Aït Benhaddou, a UNESCO site once guarding the caravan route to Timbuktu. The trail leads east to Merzouga and the dunes of Erg Chebbi, where travellers still ride by camel into the desert sunset.
The final stop is Fez, Morocco’s oldest imperial city and home to the world’s first university, Al-Qarawiyyin. Its medina is a living museum of craftsmanship for mosaic, brass, leather, and cedar, echoing the city’s 1,200 years of scholarship and trade.
Essaouira's craftsmanship
Blue-and-white ramparts, artists’ studios, and waves rolling beneath Portuguese towers, wander through the historic walled medina, vibrant blue fishing port and rich arts scene (especially thuya wood crafts and Gnaoua music), consuming fresh seafood and perfecting your kitesurfing inbetween.
Essaouira's craftsmanship
Blue-and-white ramparts, artists’ studios, and waves rolling beneath Portuguese towers, wander through the historic walled medina, vibrant blue fishing port and rich arts scene (especially thuya wood crafts and Gnaoua music), consuming fresh seafood and perfecting your kitesurfing inbetween.
Marrakesh medina
Sahara
Arrive in Morocco’s “Red City,” once the capital of a medieval empire stretching across the Sahara. Check into a riad near the old walls, sip mint tea beneath carved cedar, and listen as the muezzin’s call rolls through the dusk.
Begin at the Koutoubia Mosque, built in the 12th century by the Almohads, its sandstone minaret inspired the Giralda in Seville. Wander through the souks, where metal-workers and tanners still shape goods by hand. Visit the Bahia Palace, a masterpiece of zellij tile and carved stucco built for a grand vizier in the 19th century, then rest in the shaded courtyards of Le Jardin Secret, once part of a Saadian noble estate.
Lunch at Mechoui Alley for slow-roasted lamb in a Marrakech institution (expect a 30 min to 1 hour queue). The afternoon includes the Jardin Majorelle and YSL museum, before watching the sunset from Nomad Restaurant (book in advance) as Jemaa el-Fna fills with smoke, music and the rhythm of the city. For drinks, try La Pergola a multi-storey riad converged bar with live music or Dardar rooftop for views, whilst in the New Town, Comptoir Darna is the place to be for a night out.
Drive west through argan forests where goats climb the branches, reaching Essaouira, the old Mogador fortress. Built by Portuguese engineers and later redesigned by a French architect for Sultan Mohammed III, its ramparts guarded the spice and slave routes of the 18th century. Walk the Skala de la Ville cannon walls, visit painters’ workshops, then head to the wide beach for camel rides or surf lessons.
Dinner at Oasis Beach, then sunset drinks at Salut Maroc or Taros, rooftops once used by seafarers to watch incoming ships.
Spend the morning in the harbour’s bustle, watching fishermen mending nets and traders auctioning the day’s catch. Stop at the Jewish quarter, once home to Morocco’s thriving Jewish merchants, before returning inland to Marrakech for the night.
Note: you can extend Essaouira by a day and fill your time with the vast amount of activities available (kite surfing, quad biking, horse riding, etc.), or relax by the sea if you are ok with the wind.
Join the classic overland route between Marrakech and Fez. This can be booked online via known tour operators, who all charge similar prices for similar itineraries.
- Day 5: Cross the High Atlas via the Tizi n’Tichka Pass, visiting roadside argan cooperatives and small Berber villages. Explore Aït Benhaddou, a ksar of clay and straw once part of the trans-Saharan caravan route and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continue via Ouarzazate through the Dades Gorge, whose layered red cliffs tell 150 million years of geological history.
- Day 6: Travel east toward Merzouga at the edge of the Sahara. As dunes rise from the horizon, trade wheels for hooves: ride a camel caravan into the Erg Chebbi dunes. At camp, share mint tea and tajine as Berber hosts drum beneath the stars.
- Day 7: Watch the sunrise over the dunes before the long drive north through the Ziz Valley and Middle Atlas cedar forests (stop to see the monkeys), arriving in Fez by evening.
Founded in 789 CE by Idris I, Fez became the intellectual centre of the Islamic west. Explore Fes el-Bali, the world’s largest car-free urban area. Visit Bou Inania Madrasa, a 14th-century theological school, and the Chouara Tanneries, where leather is dyed in natural pigments as it has been for a millennium. Lunch at The Ruined Garden, then see the Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts, housed in a restored caravanserai.
Morning walk through the Mellah, Fez’s Jewish quarter founded in the 15th century. Admire the golden Royal Palace doors, explore copper and mosaic workshops, or relax in a traditional hammam before dinner at Ouliya, a courtyard restaurant serving slow-cooked tagines.
Take one last wander through the medina’s narrow lanes, where artisans polish brass and boys deliver bread from communal ovens, before heading to the Airport.
- Transport: CTM and Supratours buses link Marrakech–Essaouira
- Etiquette: Dress modestly, remove shoes in mosques, always ask before photos.
- Food Tips: Try mechoui lamb, sardines in Essaouira, and Fez’s pastilla (pigeon pie).
"Essaouira is so under-rated. Horse riding on the beach, galloping at sunset with kite surfers in the sea and camels roaming, was a memory I will never forget"
"I studied architecture, so seeing Morocco’s layers of Berber, Arab, Andalusian, and French influence was incredible. Every doorframe felt like a different century."
"Travelling from the dunes to Fez was a deep immersion into Amazigh culture, learning about their way of life, traditions, cuisine, and struggles with modern day Moroccan society (this was the most interesting part)."
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