7 Days Morocco Tour from Agadir

Your driver collects you from your hotel or the airport in Agadir, with time first for a couple of the city's own landmarks — the Kasbah, rebuilt on its hilltop above the bay, offers a wide panoramic view over Agadir and the coastline, and a stop at Crocoparc, Morocco's zoological park, is an easy add-on for families or anyone curious about it.

The drive north to Essaouira follows the coast for around three hours, with stops along the way at viewpoints and small fishing communities. By the time you arrive, there's time to settle into a riad inside Essaouira's old medina before the evening.

The morning is free to explore Essaouira properly. Rebuilt in the 18th century under Sultan Mohammed III, its medina is one of the more relaxed in Morocco — the Portuguese-built ramparts along the seafront, the working fishing port where the day's catch is sold and haggled over each morning, and simply time on the beach are all worth the unhurried pace.

After lunch, the route turns inland toward Marrakech, with a stop at an argan oil cooperative along the way to see the traditional hand-pressing process behind one of the region's best-known exports. The evening is spent settling into a riad in the Marrakech medina.

A local guide meets you mid-morning for a walking tour through the heart of the medina — the Koutoubia Mosque, the Saadian Tombs, the Bahia Palace, and the Ben Youssef Madrasa are woven together with time in the souks around Jemaa el-Fna square, where the day's market stalls and street performers give a sense of the city's constant motion.

After lunch, the pace shifts entirely for the Majorelle Garden in Gueliz, Marrakech's modern quarter — a cobalt-blue villa and botanical garden that couldn't feel further from the medina's density. The rest of the evening is free to relax or explore further at your own pace.

The road climbs out of Marrakech over the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka pass, with Berber villages dotting the mountainside and plenty of stops for photos along the way. On the far side, the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou — a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most recognisable fortified villages in Morocco — is worth an unhurried visit before continuing to Ouarzazate, known locally as the Hollywood of Morocco for its film studios.

After lunch, the "route of a thousand kasbahs" leads to the Valley of Roses around Kalaat M'Gouna, before a final forty-minute stretch brings you to the Dades Valley for the night, ahead of the desert crossing tomorrow.

The morning follows the Dades Valley toward the Todra Gorges, where a fifteen-minute walk along the canyon floor brings you beneath towering red cliffs with a stream running alongside — one of the more striking short stops on the whole route. Lunch follows in Tinjdad or Touroug, before continuing to Erfoud, known across Morocco for its dates and fossil workshops.

Erfoud is the last stop before the dunes. In Merzouga, camels are waiting for the ride into the Erg Chebbi dunes, arriving at a desert camp in time to settle in before dinner, music around the fire, and a night under a genuinely dark sky.

An early rise rewards you with sunrise over the dunes, best watched from wherever you happen to be standing near camp. After breakfast and a shower, the camels (or a 4x4, if you'd prefer) carry you back to the village to begin the day's drive.

Rissani is the first stop — its souk is considered the largest in southern Morocco, and worth the half hour it takes to wander. From there the route continues through Alnif and Tazarine into the Draa Valley, where an almost unbroken run of palm groves lines the road through Agdz, before the day ends in Ouarzazate at a riad or hotel.

The final day crosses back through Taznakht, well known for its Berber rugs and kilims, before a run of mountain roads brings you to Taliouine — the one part of Morocco where saffron is commercially grown. Lunch here is a fitting last stop before the road continues through Taroudant and on to Agadir, roughly three hours further, bringing the week to a close with a drop-off at your hotel or the airport.