7 days in Morocco in February: Marrakech - desert - Marrakech

Hi everyone,

Two adults and two kids—we’re thinking about a 7-day trip to Morocco in mid-February. Our flights would arrive in Marrakech at 3 PM on February 13th and depart at 7 AM on the 20th. We’ve based our itinerary on travel blogs, but we’re not experts, so we’d love your advice.

February 13th: Arrival in Marrakech at 3 PM. Settle in and explore the city. Night in Marrakech.

February 14th: Full day and evening in Marrakech.

February 15th: Drive via Teoulet to Aït Ben Haddou (~3.5 hours), visit the site. In the mid-afternoon, drive (~45 minutes) to Ouarzazate. Spend the rest of the day and night in Ouarzazate.

February 16th: Morning in Ouarzazate, then drive (~3 hours) to Foum Zguid. Night in Foum Zguid.

February 17th: Early departure (~2-hour drive) from Foum Zguid to Erg Chegaga with a guide. Desert experience and bivouac. Night in Erg Chegaga.

February 18th: Sunrise at Erg Chegaga, return to Foum Zguid where the car will be parked. Drive to an intermediate stop. We’re not sure what to do at this point—any recommendations? Is there a better option than heading back to Ouarzazate? Night at this intermediate stop.

February 19th: Return to Marrakech, sightseeing, and night near Marrakech airport.

February 20th: Early transfer for a 7 AM flight.

Questions:

Do these travel times seem realistic? Any suggestions for a smoother trip or interesting stops without adding days? Is Foum Zguid a good choice for visiting the desert? What temperatures should we expect in the desert, especially at night? We’d really appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

February 15: Route via Teoulet to Aït Ben Haddou (~3h30), visit. In the mid-afternoon, journey (~45 min) to Ouarzazate. End of the day and overnight in Ouarzazate.

Coming from Marrakech, you’ll first pass through Télouet, then Aït Ben Haddou before reaching Ouarzazate. Don’t always trust the travel times you find online.

Instead of returning to Marrakech via the same route, continue from "Erg Cheguigui" directly to M'Hamid El Ghizlane, Zagora, Ouarzazate... it's really worth it!!

Sorry about "Chegaga," and for the return trip too—sorry, I didn’t note the car drop-off in Foum Zguid. Too bad, the route was really worth it!! Definitely, the travel times are nothing like those in France.

February 15: Route via Teoulet to Aït Ben Haddou (~3h30), visit. In the mid-afternoon, route (~45 min) to Ouarzazate. End of day and overnight in Ouarzazate.

Coming from Marrakech, you’ll first pass through Télouet, then Aït Ben Haddou before reaching Ouarzazate. Don’t always trust the travel times you find online.

Yes, that’s what we meant: departure from Marrakech > Teoulet > Aït Ben Haddou. Is that correct?

Instead of returning to Marrakech via the same route, continue from "Erg Cheguigui" directly to M'Hamid El Ghizlane, Zagora, Ouarzazate... it’s really worth it!!

That adds a ton of driving, though!

Speaking of travel times, that was actually one of our questions. Are they close to reality? Thanks

For the "outbound" stages, the pace seems good to me. However, for the return trip, "Chegaga/Foum Zguid/Ouarzazate or the same route via Mhamid/Zagora/Ouarzazate—it’s pretty much the same. But the landscapes are different, and it’d be a shame to miss them!!! "The Draa Valley."

Hello, Do you have a good map of Morocco? Just so you know, I use Waze, which is a really good "GPS." From Ouarzazate to Foum Zguid, there are two routes. - A fairly recent one, "not on any map," that goes straight to the entrance of Tazernack, where you can join the road to Foum Zguid coming from Agdz. .... - The other, older and obviously better known, which goes through Agdz, and now directly from Agdz to Foum Zguid via Zagora.

we’d rather stop at the Fint Oasis instead of Ouarzazate

Great idea. So you’ll go through Tazenack, and the new direct road to Ouarzazate that passes right by Flint and not through Agdz.