7-Day Morocco Itinerary: Marrakech, Desert & Fes

Take a gentle walk through the northern souks near Mouassine. Browse without buying on day one -- get a feel for prices and the haggling rhythm. Visit the Mouassine Fountain and the small Mouassine Museum of Perfumes if open. Get your bearings in the medina.

Taxi to Jardin Majorelle (150 MAD entry, plus 30 MAD for the Berber Museum). The cobalt-blue garden created by Jacques Majorelle and later owned by Yves Saint Laurent is a refreshing escape from the medina heat. Allow 1-2 hours. Afterward, visit the YSL Museum next door (100 MAD) if fashion interests you.

At Ouzoud: hike down to the base of the falls, take a boat ride (20 MAD), and eat grilled tagine at the riverside restaurants (from 60 MAD). At Imlil: hike to the Berber village of Armed (1 hour each way), enjoy lunch in a traditional Berber home (from 80 MAD including mint tea), and admire the terraced walnut and cherry orchards.

Explore Ait Benhaddou on foot (allow 1.5-2 hours). Cross the river and climb to the top for panoramic views. Continue to Ouarzazate (30 minutes) for lunch and a visit to Atlas Studios (50 MAD entry), where countless Hollywood and Bollywood productions have been filmed. Then drive through the Dades Valley toward the desert.

At 16:00-17:00 (depending on season), mount your camel for the 1-1.5 hour trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes. The camel ride takes you deep into the sand sea, passing dunes reaching up to 150 meters high. Arrive at your desert camp as the sun begins to set. Watch the sunset from the top of a nearby dune.

Continue north through the Middle Atlas Mountains. Stop in Midelt for a roadside lunch (from 40 MAD). The landscape shifts from desert to cedar forest as you climb. Stop at the Azrou Cedar Forest to see the wild Barbary macaques. Pass through Ifrane, a surreal European-looking town at 1,650m altitude with flower gardens and a famous stone lion statue.

Visit the Chouara Tanneries (viewed from the surrounding leather shops -- buy a sprig of mint to hold under your nose). The sight of workers dyeing leather in ancient stone vats using techniques unchanged for centuries is unforgettable. Then visit the Nejjarine Museum of Wood Arts (60 MAD) for a quieter cultural experience and rooftop views.