Morocco is an amazing country and a gateway to North Africa, making it one of the best places to visit with your kids. There is so much variety in what it has to offer, from its rich history and vibrant cultural heritage through to its adventure activities such as camel trekking in the Sahara and surfing lessons on the Atlantic Coast.
Imagine a country with the charisma of Europe, the passion of Africa and the charm of the Middle East - a place where ancient cultures are intertwined with dramatic landscapes and time-worn medinas. Now, the whole family can fall under Morocco’s spell on this adventure from magical Marrakech to the old pirate port of Essaouira, covering everything from camel-clad deserts to ocean beaches along the way.
From the bustling souks of Marrakech to camel rides in the Sahara, these tours make it easy for all generations to explore together-at their own pace and stress-free. Whether your family includes Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X or Boomers, each activity is designed to excite, educate, and create lifelong memories your family will treasure for years to come.
From sipping mint tea with locals to riding camels across the Sahara at sunset, our Moroccan family tour offers unforgettable experiences that every generation will treasure.
Here’s a fantastic 10-day itinerary to help inspire you in your Moroccan family adventure!
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Day 1: Arrival in Tangier and Journey to Chefchaouen
To get to Morocco we took our car over on the ferry from Tarifa in Spain to Tangier. Straight away we headed up into the mountains to Chefchaouen - Morocco’s famous and beautiful blue city.
If you have time then you can visit Tangier, however, we kept it for the end of our family trip as we knew that we’d do it on our way to get the ferry back to Spain.
Chefchaouen: The Blue Pearl of Morocco
Chefchaouen: The Blue Pearl
Chefchaouen is a stunning mountain city that has been painted bright blue. The most popular theory is that after WWII, when the Jewish community grew, blue was painted on the walls, floors and steps as a religious practice. It is said to represent the colour of the sky and connect the city to heaven and God.
There are some amazing things to do there which makes it a great first stop on your Morocco family holiday.
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Exploring Chefchaouen
The best way to start your time in Chefchaouen is to explore the Medina (old town) and souks (shops) so that you can take in the vibe and the stunning blue colours all around you. In the central square “Plaza Uta el Hamman” you can enjoy a refreshing drink and a bite to eat whilst people watching. Our eldest Cam loved watching the street performers that sporadically came in to entertain us.
After exploring the Medina, you should head along the river to one of the cafes, order an orange juice and enjoy it with your feet in the cooling river water. One of the best places to head for sunset is up to the Spanish Mosque. It is high above the city and from there you’ll have an incredible view as the sunsets behind it.
You’ll find that it can get incredibly busy. However, there’s a wonderful atmosphere as people wait for the sun to set. Lots of people stopped to chat with Cam, and he had a great time running around at the top as we waited.
After sunset, there are lots of great places in the main square to choose for dinner. It was perfect as they were happy to make an omelette for Cam as he wasn’t quite ready for a full Moroccan cuisine. He happily had a nibble of our local dishes.
Day 2: Volubilis and Fes
After relaxing in the morning, you can then drive over to Fes. On the drive there we’d highly recommend making a stop at Volubilis. Quite a few people on this route might decide to stop at Meknes, which one of the imperial cities of Morocco. However, we’d heard that the main sites were shut when we were in Morocco so we decided not to go.
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Volubilis: Roman Ruins
This Roman ruins is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that dates back to the 1st century AD. It is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a large Roman colonial town. When we visited the museum was shut, and they were making some improvements to the site in general.
What makes it exceptional are the amazing mosaics, large pieces of which remain intact.
Top tip: There is zero shade at Volubilis.
Explore the Ancient Roman Ruins of Volubilis
Fes: Imperial City
On arrival at Fes we went straight to the Merenid tombs. These are the royal tombs on the outside of the city and have an epic panoramic view over the city. You can really see how large Fes is from this viewpoint. From the number of mosque minarets, the tanneries on one side and several of the city gates.
In the afternoon Fes Medina is a great place to wander around and take in the hustle and bustle of people going about their lives. We stayed relatively near Bab Boujloud in the afternoon so that we didn’t get lost. Cameron loved the sights, smells and sounds - plus seeing other young children there as well.
We found a perfect place for dinner called Cafe Clock. We enjoyed it because they were super welcoming of families with kids and we met quite a few kids there which was fun for Cam. And they also had a great menu with tasty food.
Day 3: Exploring Fes
We always like to, where possible, take a walking tour of any new city that we visit. And Fes was no exception. It’s got 10,000 streets in the Medina alone, so you’ll really get a lot from having a tour guide on hand.
Our tour guide took us from one side of the city at Bab Boujloud through to the Chouara Tannery and back. There’s a lot to see in Fes. There are no cars.
Water Park Fun
Yes, we just mentioned a water park! That’s because, after we toured the old medina and had some lunch, we wanted to cool off. We try to remember when we’re travelling with our kids, that as well as the cultural element, they also sometimes need a little kiddie fun time.
The water park was good for older children as well as it had some great slides. And for younger children, there was a special area with small slides and water canons. There was also a small restaurant on site if you wanted something to eat or drink.
Day 4: Drive to Merzouga
On this day, you’ll have an epic day of driving ahead of you, it’s a long trip. This is because, between Fes and Merzouga, where the Sahara Desert tour leaves from, there is not very much to stop and see.
We stopped at Ifran, the Moroccan version of Switzerland, for some drinks. There isn’t really much to see there, so you won’t want to stop for too long. And we then briefly stopped again a while later when we were in the forests and barbary monkeys were swinging from the trees.
This part of Morocco is famous for monkeys. Other than these couple of things to see, the only other time we stopped was a the gas station for fuel and a cold drink.
We do a lot of road trips and long haul flights, and on days like these, we simply let the tablet/iPad work its magic.
Day 5: Sahara Desert Tour
Oh wow, was the 7 hour journey worth it! We booked our Sahara Desert Tour with Camel Trip Morocco to start that afternoon. We arrived at our guest house for 4 pm and by 4:30 pm we were on our camel ride out to our desert camp in the Erg Chebbi sand dunes.
Carl had Cameron (our 3 year old) sat in front of him on the camel, and I had Dylan in a baby carrier on my front. Cam loved the experience of getting up high and going through the desert. And Dylan loved it so much that he spent most of the 2 hours asleep on me.
Our guide was incredible because he was welcoming and extremely caring. Plus he clearly respected his camels (he even slept with them during the night). We stopped about 20 minutes before sunset to watch the sun go down.
Experience a Camel Ride in the Sahara Desert
Luxury Desert Camp
After sunset, we ended up at our luxury desert camp. When they say luxury it’s important to remember that these are desert camps, and so they are simple luxury. Our bedouin-style tents were great, the beds were comfortable, the showers were hot and powerful, and they were warm.
After a dinner there was music, singing and dancing around a campfire.
Note: We wanted to make it clear, that the Erg Chebbi sand dunes are amazing. However, the area is also very touristy and busy. During our sunset camel ride there were at least 10 other camel rides happening at once, plus 4×4’s blasting around, and people on quad bikes.
Day 6: Sunrise in the Sahara, Quad Biking and 4x4 Tour
You’ll want to make sure that you are up for sunrise. It’s the quiet time in the Erg Chebbi sand dunes, and the perfect time to spot animal prints in the sand before everyone else rises.
After sunrise, no family adventure would be complete with some fun having a go at sand boarding. It’s easy to spend an hour having fun doing this. We ended up joining in with some other guests at the desert camp as we all took turn with the boards and cheering each other on. Cam loved coming down when one of us carried him - or when he was sat on the board.
Cameron has a love of all things fast and noisy - he’s a baby petrol head! We arranged for Carl to take him on a quad bike across the sand dunes. Yes, they take small children just 3 years old.
The quad biking can be added onto your day tour, and takes about an hour or so. They’ll kit you up in a helmet and goggles and then take you onto the sand dunes. Then you’ll bash around them doing high speed laps.
Berber Villages and Gnaou Music
The 4×4 tour takes you through the sand dunes and out to see the Berber villages. We went to one with a community bread oven and sat with some women as they baked. It was great as we had a chance to eat some fresh bread.
You’ll also get a chance to listen to some Gnaou musicians. They have their roots in sub-Saharan countries, including Sudan, Mali, and Niger. You’ll sit with some of the locals and musicians to listen to traditional Gnaou music, which involves lot of chanting and clanking, and dancing.
Day 7: Drive to Tinghir and Todra Gorge
In the afternoon you’ll need to start the drive back to Marrakech and a good place to stop is Tinghir. It’s in a valley between the High Atlas Mountains in the north and the Little Atlas Mountains in the south. Its a beautiful oasis town and makes the perfect place to stop and explore the Todra Gorge.
You’ll arrive late in the day and probably want to head straight to your accommodation. We found a wonderful restaurant called Restaurant Cafe Central which served fantastic Moroccan cuisine at a budget friendly price. And if your kids have some energy left, then we highly recommend heading to the public gardens opposite the restaurant.
Top tip: If you’re looking for some evening entertainment, then we found that most of the major cities and towns have these kids areas that come alive late afternoon and run into the evening.
Todra Gorge
The Todra Gorge is a series of spectacular limestone river canyons, some up to 400m hight. The last 600 metres of the Todgha gorge are the most spectacular. They are easily accessible from the main road into the gorge.
If you’re into climbing then there are tours that you can join that will take you up a variety of pitches up the limestone walls. Depending on the age of your kids and what sort of walking/hiking you like to do, there are lots of cools trails that you can follow. We went high up into the the gorge.
Explore the Majestic Todra Gorge
Day 8: Dades Gorge and Atlas Studios
In the Tinghir oasis you’ll go through the palm grove. This was amazing as you’ll walk through an area full of palm trees, alongside a system of artificial irrigation which provides the water needed to grow food within the oasis.
After lunch there is a fantastic drive into Dades Gorge. Dades Gorge is a zig zag of a road that takes you up into the mountains. At the top is a cool restaurant called Café-Restaurant Timzillite where you’ll get some great views of the surrounding area.
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