Discovering...
Fes el-Bali, Morocco’s oldest living medina
Fes Donkey Medina Tour
Donkeys and mules have moved the city’s goods for a thousand years. Walk beside them through lanes that no vehicle — and very few tourists — ever reach.
Yasmine El Amrani· Marrakech & Atlas Editor
Marrakech-born travel writer who has spent the last decade walking the medina’s souks and the High Atlas trails above Imlil. She covers the Red City, Berber villages and day trips into the mountains. Marrakech · 12+ years covering Morocco
Published 14 June 2025 Last updated 17 March 2026
The Fes el-Bali medina has no roads — not in the conventional sense. What it has instead are 9,000-plus lanes, many narrower than your outstretched arms, and a working transport system that predates the internal combustion engine by several centuries: donkeys and mules. Every morning, before the souk crowds thicken, teams of muleteers move propane cylinders, sacks of flour, scaffolding poles and bales of freshly dyed wool through streets that a motorbike cannot pass. It is not quaint theatre. It is how the city works.
A donkey medina tour in Fes is, at its best, a walk alongside that working reality. You follow a licensed guide who knows which muleteer covers which route, when the tannery deliveries arrive, and how to duck into a doorway when the shout of "balak, balak" (make way) echoes around a corner. The experience opens up a layer of Fes that standard walking tours barely touch — the residential derbs, the neighbourhood bread ovens, the foundouks where animals have rested between journeys since the 14th century.
Below is a practical breakdown of how it works, where it goes, what it costs, and what to watch out for when booking.
Why Mules Still Run Fes el-Bali
The medina’s geography makes motorised freight physically impossible — and that has preserved both its medieval street plan and its traditional economy.
Fes el-Bali was founded in the early 9th century. Its street grid was never designed for wheeled vehicles — the lanes follow water channels, property boundaries and the path of least resistance through a dense urban fabric. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 1981 largely because its medieval layout survived intact. That survival is directly linked to the mule.
The widest streets in the medina accommodate a laden donkey passing a pedestrian with perhaps 30 cm to spare. Many lanes are significantly narrower. The Chouara tannery — the largest leather-working complex in Morocco — receives its daily delivery of hides entirely by mule, the same way it has since the 11th century. The city’s foundouks (merchant caravanserais) were built with ground-floor stabling for exactly this reason; one of the best-preserved, Foundouk el-Najjarine near the woodworkers’ souk, still has its original animal troughs.
The city estimates somewhere between 800 and 1,200 working donkeys and mules operate inside Fes el-Bali on any given day — the numbers are hard to verify, but the animals are unmistakable as you walk the medina before mid-morning.
A Typical Route Through the Mule Quarter
Most guided half-day experiences follow the mule supply routes rather than the souvenir-shop streets. Expect these stops, in rough order:
| Location | What you see / why it matters |
|---|---|
| Bab Boujloud (Blue Gate) | Assembly point — the most recognisable entry into Fes el-Bali |
| Talaa Kebira | Main artery; mule trains pass continuously before 9 a.m. |
| Foundouk el-Najjarine | Ancient caravanserai where animals rested; now a woodwork museum |
| Chouara Tannery lanes | Narrow supply streets used exclusively by mules carrying hides |
| Dyers' Souk (Souk Sabbighine) | Skeins of wool drying above passages too tight for wheelbarrows |
| Residential Andalusian Quarter | East bank derbs where neighbours step aside for daily deliveries |
Timings flex: the best mule traffic is before 9 a.m. An early-morning start from Bab Boujloud means you walk with the working day rather than against it.
What to Expect on the Day
A well-run Fes donkey medina experience is not a theme-park ride. You will not be perched on a donkey for three hours while someone leads it through a curated circuit. What happens instead is something more interesting: your guide connects you with a working muleteer, and for a portion of the morning you walk his actual delivery route — stopping when he stops, ducking into a foundouk while he unloads, watching how a neighbourhood bread oven receives its daily fuel.
The lanes used by muleteers are almost entirely free of the souvenir-selling pressure that characterises the main souk streets. The people you pass are residents and tradespeople, not tourists. You will hear Darija (Moroccan Arabic) and Tamazight rather than the accented French and English of the tourist quarter.
Wear closed shoes — the cobbles are uneven and the lanes can be slippery where water channels run. Bring a small backpack rather than a large rolling suitcase; the lanes demand it. The medina is never silent, but it is loudest in the tannery quarter, where the smell of lime and pigeon dung (used in the softening process) is distinctive and unavoidable. Most tannery-viewing terraces offer a sprig of mint — accept it.
Duration
Half day (3–4 hours)
Indicative cost
300–600 MAD / person
Best group size
2–6 people (private)
How to Book — and What to Avoid
Use a licensed medina guide
Licensed guides carry official ID and have passed a Fes-specific exam. They know which muleteers run reputable routes and will not steer you into a carpet shop you did not ask to visit. Pre-booking through a tour operator removes the uncertainty of finding one at the gate.
Start before 9 a.m.
The working animals are most active in the early morning. By 10 a.m. the main lanes fill with tourists and the mule traffic thins. An 8 a.m. start from your riad gets you into the Talaa Kebira while the day’s deliveries are still underway.
Avoid the "free guide" offer at Bab Boujloud
Young men offering to show you "the real Fes" for free near the Blue Gate are almost always commission-based touts whose route ends at a shop or workshop where you will face a hard sell. Politely decline and proceed to your pre-arranged guide.
Combine with a tannery visit or cooking class
The mule route passes close to the Chouara tanneries and the Talaa Kebira spice section. A private full-day experience can link the donkey quarter walk with a tannery overview and either a Fassi cooking class or a pottery workshop — all within the medina and within comfortable walking distance.
Fes Donkey Medina Tour — FAQs
Can you ride a donkey in Fes medina?
Donkey and mule rides are available in the Fes medina, but the experience tourists book is better described as a guided walk alongside working animals rather than a sustained mounted ride. The lanes of Fes el-Bali are too narrow and uneven for comfortable riding in many sections. What you get is the chance to follow a muleteer on his daily delivery route — a genuinely immersive way to see parts of the medina that standard walking tours rarely reach. Some operators do offer short mounted sections on wider paths.
Are donkeys still used in Fes el-Bali?
Yes — donkeys and mules remain the primary method of moving heavy goods through the ancient medina of Fes el-Bali, and this is not a tourist conceit. Motorised vehicles cannot access the majority of the medina's 9,000-plus lanes. Every morning before 9 a.m., dozens of animals deliver building materials, propane canisters, produce, and tannery supplies. The sight of a laden mule rounding a corner in the Talaa Kebira is as ordinary as a van on a high street — the medina simply functions no other way.
How do I book a donkey tour in Fes?
The most reliable approach is to pre-book with a licensed guide who has established relationships with local muleteers. Showing up at the medina gate and negotiating independently is possible but often results in higher prices and encounters with unlicensed fixers. Private tour operators can arrange a half-day medina experience that combines a donkey-accompanied route with visits to the tanneries, a foundouk, and a traditional neighbourhood bakery. Booking 24–48 hours ahead is recommended in peak season (March–May, September–November).
Is a donkey medina tour ethical in Fes?
This is a reasonable question, and the answer depends on the operator. Working animals in Fes el-Bali are a reality of the city's economy — tourism did not create them, and a well-run experience simply walks alongside daily working life rather than staging it. Look for guides who work with muleteers using well-maintained, properly rested animals and avoid anyone who encourages overloading or striking. A responsible private tour will lead you along the animals' actual supply routes rather than a contrived circuit. The SPANA organisation monitors working animal welfare in Moroccan cities if you want to research further.
What parts of Fes medina are only accessible by mule?
The tannery quarter around Chouara and Sidi Moussa, the dyers' souk near Ain Azliten, and several residential derbs (dead-end lanes) in the Andalusian quarter on the east bank are effectively mule-only. These are the streets where the lane narrows to roughly 80 cm — just wide enough for a laden animal — and where the cobbles slope steeply enough that wheeled trolleys become impractical. Following a muleteer into these sections gives access to courtyards, bread ovens, and neighbourhood mosques that most guided tours skip entirely.
How much does a donkey experience in Fes cost?
Expect to pay roughly 300–600 MAD (indicative, around $30–60 USD) per person for a half-day private guided experience that incorporates a mule-accompanied route through the medina. This usually includes a licensed guide, the muleteer's time, and entry to one or two craft workshops or tannery viewpoints. Standalone "donkey ride" offers from street touts at medina entrances are typically 50–150 MAD for a very short circuit, but these have no structured itinerary. Budget more for a full-day private experience that combines the mule quarter with the tanneries and a cooking or craft demonstration.
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