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Tangier to Merzouga 4x4 Tour
Six days by 4x4 from Tangier to Merzouga, crossing Morocco from the Mediterranean to the Sahara in comfort.
Morocco North to South Expedition
Ten days crossing Morocco from the Mediterranean coast to the Sahara and on to the Atlantic, much of it off-road.
Tour Overview
The Morocco North to South Expedition is our most ambitious long tour. Over ten days it crosses the whole country, from the Mediterranean coast down to the Sahara and across to the Atlantic. We designed it for experienced travellers who want to see how varied Morocco is in a single trip. You go from the Rif Mountains to the High Atlas, and from the dunes of Erg Chebbi to the coast at Essaouira.
Tour Highlights
- Cross Morocco north to south
- Mediterranean, mountains, Sahara, Atlantic
- Chefchaouen, Fes, Merzouga, Marrakech, Essaouira
- Rif, Middle Atlas, High Atlas, Anti-Atlas
- Nine nights accommodation
- Our longest off-road route through Morocco
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Tangier to Chefchaouen
Your driver meets you in Tangier, at the port, airport or your hotel, and you set off south almost straight away. Before leaving the coast there is time for a short stop at Cap Spartel, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic, and a look over the Strait toward Spain on a clear day.
The road then climbs into the Rif Mountains past Tetouan, through green hills, olive groves and small farming villages. You reach Chefchaouen in the afternoon and walk up into the old medina, where almost every wall and doorway is washed in shades of blue. Toward sunset, many people climb the path to the Spanish Mosque on the hillside for a view over the whole town. The evening is yours, and the night is spent in your riad inside the medina.
Day 2: Chefchaouen to Fes via Volubilis
Take a slow breakfast and one more walk through the quiet lanes before the town fills up, then head south out of the Rif. The landscape opens into rolling wheat fields and olive country as you approach the Zerhoun massif.
Around midday you reach Volubilis, the best preserved Roman site in Morocco. A local guide can walk you through the ruins of the basilica, the triumphal arch and houses whose mosaic floors are still in place, showing scenes from mythology and daily life. Just above the site you can see the holy town of Moulay Idriss clinging to its hill. From there it is about an hour and a half to Fes, where you arrive in the late afternoon and settle into your riad for the night.
Day 3: Fes Exploration
Today is dedicated to Fes el Bali, the old walled medina founded more than twelve centuries ago and still home to tens of thousands of people. With a licensed local guide you enter through the Blue Gate, Bab Boujloud, and follow the main lanes downhill into a maze of more than nine thousand alleys.
Along the way you see the Al Quaraouiyine mosque and university, the carved Bou Inania madrasa, the brass workers of Seffarine square and the Chouara tannery, where hides are still dyed in stone vats much as they were centuries ago. The afternoon can include a drive up to the Merenid tombs for a view over the rooftops, or simply time to rest. Your guide is happy to recommend a place for dinner, and you spend a second night in Fes.
Day 4: Fes to Merzouga
This is a long but varied driving day across the Middle Atlas. The first stop is Ifrane, a tidy mountain town often compared to a Swiss village, followed by the cedar forest near Azrou, where Barbary macaques live among the old trees.
The road then crosses the high plateau to Midelt and descends through the Ziz Gorges, where the river cuts through red rock and a long ribbon of palm groves follows the valley floor. After Errachidia and Erfoud, the dunes of Erg Chebbi appear on the horizon, glowing orange in the late light. You arrive in Merzouga in the late afternoon or early evening, and the night is spent at your hotel or a desert camp near the dunes, depending on the plan you have chosen.
Day 5: Sahara Adventure
A full day in and around Erg Chebbi. Many guests start early to watch the sunrise from a high dune, then come back for breakfast. Later your guide takes you out on quad, buggy or in the 4x4 into the dunes, starting on gentle slopes and building up as you get comfortable.
The route can include a visit to a nomad family for tea, the Gnawa musicians of Khamlia village, and the fossil-rich plain around the dunes. In the late afternoon you ride a camel or head by 4x4 to a desert camp for the night. After dinner there is usually drumming around the fire, and with no lights around, the stars over the Sahara are some of the brightest you will ever see.
Day 6: Merzouga to Dades Valley
After breakfast you leave the sand behind and drive west along the edge of the desert, past Rissani and the small oasis towns of the Tafilalet. The road follows a line of khettaras, old underground water channels whose wells dot the plain like a row of craters.
At Tinghir you turn into the Todra Gorge, where the canyon walls close in to only a few metres apart and rise straight up for hundreds of metres. There is time to walk along the river through the narrowest section. Later you continue to Boumalne and up into the Dades Valley, lined with earth-built kasbahs, almond trees and strange, rounded rock formations. The night is spent at your hotel in the valley.
Day 7: Dades to Marrakech
Today you cross from the desert side of the Atlas to Marrakech. The road runs through Kelaa M'Gouna, known for its damask roses, and the palm groves and kasbahs of Skoura before reaching Ouarzazate.
A short detour takes you to Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified earthen village above the Ounila river that has appeared in many films. You walk up through its lanes to the old granary at the top for a wide view of the valley. In the afternoon you climb the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, at about 2,260 metres, with hairpin bends and Berber villages built into the slopes. You arrive in Marrakech in the early evening and check into your riad.
Day 8: Marrakech Exploration
With a local guide, you spend the morning in the heart of the medina. Common stops include the Koutoubia mosque and its tall minaret, the painted rooms and courtyards of the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, and the Ben Youssef madrasa with its carved cedar and stucco.
The afternoon is free to explore at your own pace. You might visit the Jardin Majorelle and its cobalt blue villa, or wander the souks where each lane has its own trade: leather, spices, lamps, carpets. As the light fades, Jemaa el Fna square fills with food stalls, storytellers and musicians, and it is worth finding a rooftop café to watch it come alive. You spend the night in your riad.
Day 9: Marrakech to Essaouira
You leave Marrakech heading west across the plains toward the Atlantic. The drive takes around three hours, and as you get closer to the coast the land fills with argan trees. With luck you will see goats balanced in their branches, and you can stop at a women's cooperative where argan oil is still pressed by hand.
Essaouira feels very different from the other cities on the trip: white walls, blue shutters, sea wind and the cry of gulls. You can walk the ramparts of the Skala with its old bronze cannons, watch the blue fishing boats come into the harbour, and choose a fish lunch grilled on the quay. The night is spent in your riad near the medina.
Day 10: Essaouira & Departure
Enjoy a last relaxed morning by the sea. You might walk along the long sandy beach, browse the thuya wood workshops built into the ramparts, or simply sit with a coffee and watch the town wake up. The fish market near the port is at its busiest early, when the catch is laid out and sold straight from the boats.
At the agreed time your driver collects you for the transfer to your onward point, usually Marrakech airport or a hotel in the city, around three hours away. Ten days takes you from the Mediterranean to the Sahara and on to the Atlantic, and your driver is glad to help with any last practical questions before saying goodbye.
What's Included
- 4x4 vehicle with driver/guide
- Nine nights accommodation
- All meals
- Fuel and insurance
- All activities and entrance fees
What's Excluded
- Tips and gratuities
- Personal expenses
- Travel insurance
- Flights
Equipment Information & Vehicle Details
The route touches the Mediterranean, every major mountain range, the Sahara and the Atlantic coast over ten days. For that, our vehicles carry an expedition-grade toolkit, spares and reserves of fuel and water the whole way. You spend the nine nights in riads, desert camps and coastal accommodation, and our mechanics inspect every vehicle each morning before we set off. Learn more about our fleet.
Safety Information
On a trip this long and varied we keep the pace measured, with rest built into each leg so nobody is rushed between regions. There is a comprehensive first-aid kit in every vehicle. We match drivers to the day's terrain, whether that is mountain, desert or coast, and keep the group to ten so guides can pay closer attention to everyone. Read our full safety standards.
Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
The travel days are long, but the activities are moderate. You need to be in good health.
No more than 10 travellers, which keeps the group comfortable and small.
Book This Tour
To check dates or ask a question about Morocco North to South Expedition, send us a message on WhatsApp, call us or use the booking form on this page. We reply within 24 hours to confirm your booking.
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