When you picture Morocco, many envision the glamorous Raids of Marrakesh or the bustling souks with stands piled high with vibrantly coloured spices. While these do exist, Marrakesh is only the gateway into the vast geographical climate, cultural history and warm hospitality that Morocco has the offer. From walking across amber wind-swept dunes of the Sahara or watching low-level clouds roll over the rooftops of Chefchaouen there is a perfect self-drive road trip for everyone.

Driving + Car Hire

All the usual big brand hire cars operate out of Morocco’s main airport. We has an excellent experience with Avis who only charged us £340 for the 12 days including the one-way fee from Tangier to Marrakesh. Things only felt a little hectic when driving into Marrakech and Fez but everything felt very similar to the UK with excellent road conditions 90% of the time. The one thing to really look out for is the heavy police presence on the road. We received two fines; one for overtaking on a single white line and the second for pulling over. They seemed to be nowhere in sight but managed to catch us out both times with each fine costing around £35 each.

It's a long drive to Fès so best to leave around mid-day taking with you some lunch to have in the car. Arriving in Fès will be the first insight into a large-scale working Medina so it is best to know the most suitable parking spot for your accommodation before you arrive. In Fès we checked into the beautiful Dar Seffarine and were greeted with a warm welcome from the owner as well as fresh fruit and cold beers. The Medina of Fès is bustling and full of life from shoppers to fresh produce stands and artisans busily working away in their workshops. After a long day in the car, we headed straight to Fondouk Bazaar for an early dinner and although the service was a little slow this ended up being some of my favourite food of the trip.

Accommodation: Dar Seffarine ££

To Eat: Fondouk Bazaar

Drive Time: 2 Hours

Day 3: Fès

One of the main attractions of Fès is to see the famous Chouara Tannery. Approximately 1000 years old and still using traditional production methods involving pigeon poop and cow urine these are unique to Fez these are a must-see. Like most attractions, it is best to go early morning before the crowds appear and the temperature starts to rise to see the circular baths full of colour dyes and leathers at different stages of the dying process. Once ticking this spot off your list take a wander around the media for some shopping and head to the historic El-Jdid mosque for a peak inside in-between prayer time. Navigating around this city can be tricky and exhausting so we ended up eating at Cloak Tower for lunch on their rooftop and spent the afternoon enjoying the sun on the stunning roof terrace of our Riad before a lovely dinner at the Ruined Garden.

Accommodation: Dar Seffarine ££

Drive Time: None

To Do: Admire the leather dying process at Chouara Tannery, get lost in the medina (trust me you will), stop to smell the roses at Jardin Jnan Sbil or simply enjoy the rooftop of your medina

To Eat: Cloak Tower + Ruined Garden

Day 4: Fes → Midelt

After finishing your final meal in Fès, which most likely consists of fresh fruits and Msemen which is a traditional thick crispy pancake, it's time to make your way back to the car and continued south to the town of Midelt. As this overnight stop is recommended to break up the long drive to the Sahara, and with little to do in this town as a tourist, I suggest selecting a hotel with an outdoor pool so can you can spend the afternoon lounging in the sun.

Accommodation: Villa Pomme D’Or

Drive Time: 4 hours

Day 6: Sahara

The are multiple activities that you can participle in while in the desert from 4x4 to go-carting or camel riding. After a huge buffet breakfast, we chose to spend the morning reading and having a dip in the pool as we waited for the heat of the day to cool off. We opted for quad biking which took us into the desert so we could see the true size and scale of the Sahara. Having spent time in the 4x4 on the way there a sunset camel ride was the best way to head back to camp for the evening and although a little uncomfortable it felt like we were walking through the set of Aladdin. After another large meal, we sat around the fire for some traditional Berber music and looked out for shooting stars as the embers turned from a deep red to black.

Accommodation: Sahara Majestic Luxury Camp ££

Drive Time: None

To do: Quad Biking, Camel Rides + Dune Tours

Accommodation: Kasbah Tebi £

Drive Time: 4 hours

To do: Take a walking tour of the town, walk to the top of some great views of Aït Ben-Haddou

Day 9: Ben Haddou → Oumnass

A windy drive through the Atlas Mountains awaits you on day 9 as you head towards Marrakesh. By this point, you will most likely be looking for something other than tagine so lunch at Kasbah Bab Ourika is the perfect spot for an outdoor dining experience up in the hills. After a few glasses of wine take a walk around the property and look out for the idyllic vegetable patch used by the restaurant to grow its fresh produce.

There are a huge amount of stunning boutique hotels or large-scale resorts for you to choose from around greater Marrakesh. We opted for Berber Lodge which is situated 30 minutes south of the city and consists of 9 separate lodges scattered amongst a private garden, pool area and vegetable garden. This is the perfect place after days on the road to settle down into green wicker chairs surrounded by olive trees, order a few cocktails and enjoy watching the local turtles run up and down the grass.

Tip: Google will take you the incorrect way to Kasbah Bab Ourika therefore you must follow the instructions on their website.

Accommodation: Berber Lodge £££

Drive Time: 4 hours

To Eat: Kasbah Bab Ourika

For my full thoughts and experience at Berber Lodge read here!

Having experienced a lot of local cuisines on our travels we were in search of some different flavours so headed to the new town area Gueliz to Plus61, a restaurant with a menu of mixed Mediterranean, middle eastern and south Asian flavours. The food and drinks were excellent and a refreshing change from Tajine. If you are not ready to head back after dinner walk straight to the theatrical bar Baromètre where they put on a show while creating cocktails full of flavour and drama.

Accommodation: Raid Dar-K

Drive Time: 40 Minutes

To Do: Le Jardin Majorelle + YSL museum

To Eat: Plus61, Baromètre + Jardin Restaurant

Coming to the end of our 12-day road trip through Morocco I didn’t find my main focus of reflection to be on the Instagram-worthy Riads or driving through the dunes of the Sahara. Although these elements will always define my time here what sets this country apart is the level of warm hospitality received from our hosts at every point on our journey.

Morocco has the perfect road trip for resort goers and adventure lovers. No matter how long, where or with who you choose to spend your time here there will always be a local willing to welcome you into their home for a pot of fresh mint tea.

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