Medinas, Mountains & Desert Roads
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: 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.
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.
Vibrant, labyrinthine souks selling spices, leather, carpets, and lanterns, historic architectural gems like the Koutoubia Mosque and Bahia Palace and traditional riads and palaces all coexist inside the Medina walls to create an intoxicating sensory overload of sights, sounds, and smells.
Ride camels into the silence of Erg Chebbi surrounded only by rolling dunes and star gaze the Milky Way through one of the clearest skies imaginable.
Day 1: Arrive in Marrakech
Day 2: Marrakech, palaces, souks and sunset rooftops
Day 3: Marrakech to Essaouira, the Atlantic port
Day 4: Essaouira morning, return to Marrakech
Day 5: Across the High Atlas to Aït Benhaddou and Dades Gorge
Day 6: Dades Gorge to Merzouga, into the Sahara
Day 7: Sahara sunrise and long drive north to Fez
Day 8: Fez, city of scholars and artisans
Day 9: Fez, royal gates and hidden hammams
Day 10: Departure from Fez
The first part of the day-by-day route, free to read.
Arrive in Morocco’s Red City, once the capital of a medieval empire stretching deep across the Sahara and into Andalusia. Check into a riad tucked behind the old walls, Sip mint tea in the courtyard or on the rooftop as dusk settles, and listen as the muezzin’s call drifts across the medina, echoing over terracotta walls and satellite dishes.
Head to Jemaa el-Fnaa, the Old Town's main square for the evening buzz of merchants and children playing. Head to Cafe de France rooftop for a great view over the square (especially at sunset).
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Open the full itinerary“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).”
Terra Nova Collective
