5-Day Fes to Blue City Chefchaouen & Sahara Desert

Today we will depart Fes in the morning, heading north into the Rif Mountains toward Chefchaouen, a drive of roughly three and a half hours through changing scenery — olive groves and open plains give way to pine forest and terraced Berber villages as the road climbs. Founded in 1471 as a small defensive fortress, Chefchaouen later became a refuge for Muslim and Jewish families fleeing the Spanish Reconquista, which explains the town's distinctly Andalusian character and its famous blue-washed walls, whose exact origins remain debated by historians, with theories ranging from a Jewish tradition symbolising the sky and heaven to more practical explanations involving mosquito-repellent limewash. We arrive in the early afternoon, with the rest of the day free to explore the impossibly photogenic medina at your own pace — wander past Plaza Uta el-Hammam and the 15th-century Kasbah fortress, browse handwoven textiles and the region's distinctive soft goat's cheese, and enjoy dinner on a rooftop terrace overlooking the surrounding Rif Mountains as the light turns golden over the blue walls, considered the best time of day for photography. Lunch or an early dinner in Chefchaouen is a good opportunity to sample Rif Mountain cuisine, often simple grilled meats or a hearty vegetable tagine.

This morning offers a further, unhurried opportunity to explore Chefchaouen before we begin heading back south — many guests find that a second morning here, without an itinerary to rush through, is the best way to properly appreciate the town's photogenic alleyways and relaxed pace. Around midday, we begin the journey back toward Fes and beyond, retracing our route south through the Rif foothills before continuing past Fes into the Saïss plain and toward the edge of the Middle Atlas. Rather than stopping in Fes itself today, we press on toward Sefrou, a smaller, less-visited walled town in the foothills known for its cherry orchards and a much quieter, more local atmosphere than Fes — an interesting contrast worth a brief stop if time allows. We continue to Midelt, a former mining town and gateway to the High Atlas, where we spend the night, positioning us well for tomorrow's push into the desert. Lunch is typically taken in Sefrou or a small roadside stop, giving a proper midday break on this long transitional driving day.

After breakfast in Midelt, we continue south, and the landscape quickly transforms as the road follows the dramatic Ziz Gorges and then the Ziz Valley, an extraordinary ribbon of palm groves and mudbrick ksour villages that snakes through an otherwise barren, rocky landscape — a genuine oasis in every sense, fed by the Ziz River, and one of the most photogenic drives in Morocco, with several stops at panoramic viewpoints. As the afternoon light softens, we arrive in Merzouga, on the edge of the Erg Chebbi dune sea, where camel handlers meet us for the final leg of the day's journey. Mounting your camel for a genuinely unforgettable sunset trek across the dunes, we arrive after 45-60 minutes at our exclusive desert camp, nestled among some of the highest dunes in Morocco. Enjoy a traditional dinner cooked over an open fire, and later, gather around the campfire as Berber musicians play traditional drums under one of the most spectacular starscapes anywhere on Earth. Lunch en route is usually a simple stop in Er-Rachidia or Erfoud, breaking up the drive south into the Ziz Valley.

For those willing to wake before dawn, this morning offers one of the most memorable experiences of the trip: climbing a nearby dune in the dark to watch the sunrise transform the desert from soft pink to deep gold. Afterwards, return to camp for a simple Berber breakfast before driving back to Merzouga village by 4x4, where your driver awaits for the long drive back north to Fes, retracing the Ziz Valley and climbing back into the Middle Atlas via Er-Rachidia and Midelt. Depending on timing, your driver may suggest a stop at the Azrou Cedar Forest, home to wild Barbary macaques, or in Ifrane, the curious alpine-style town built by the French in the 1930s. We arrive back in Fes in the early evening, with dinner and the rest of the evening free — a good opportunity to revisit any corners of the medina you'd like a second look at, now with the context of the desert journey behind you. Lunch on the return journey is typically taken in Er-Rachidia or Midelt, a welcome midday pause on this long drive back north.

This final morning offers time for a last exploration of Fes before your onward journey — perhaps a stroll through the medina to pick up ceramics, leatherwork, or brassware, all specialities of the city, or a visit to a traditional pottery cooperative to see artisans hand-painting the distinctive blue Fassi ceramics for which the city is famous. Argan oil, saffron, and ras el hanout spice blends also make excellent, easily packable souvenirs. At the appropriate time, your private driver will collect you and your luggage and transfer you directly to Fes-Saïs Airport, a journey of around twenty minutes from the medina, timed comfortably to your departure flight. Over these five days, you will have explored the mesmerising blue streets of Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains, crossed the Middle Atlas, and experienced a night beneath the stars in the golden dunes of the Sahara — a genuinely striking combination of two of Morocco's most visually distinctive landscapes, both starting and ending in the imperial city of Fes. On behalf of your driver, guides, and the entire Marokko Travel team, thank you for travelling with us on this striking combination of Chefchaouen's blue streets and the golden Sahara.