How This 7-Day Route Works
The classic first-timer loop starts and finishes in Marrakech, swings east across the High Atlas, dips into the Sahara at Merzouga and climbs north to Fez. It is roughly 1,200 km of driving — but the road itself is the show: mountain passes, kasbah villages and palm oases break up every leg.
You can drive it yourself, but most travellers hand over the keys and take a private driver instead. Distances look short on the map; mountain roads halve your average speed, so the plan below keeps every moving day to three to five hours behind the wheel.
- Best for: first-timers, couples and families with children aged six and over.
- Total driving: about 1,200 km, spread across four moving days.
- Easy to shorten: skip the Fez extension and loop back to Marrakech from Merzouga.
