Palace riads in Marrakech or Fes
The medinas
Start slowly inside the old city walls: a private guide for the souks and palaces in the morning, the afternoon at the riad, dinner on the roof. Lanterns, brass, the call to prayer at dusk.
An anniversary trip to Morocco, years on
Two nights almost everywhere, and the date itself marked properly.
Le Jardin Secret, Marrakech Photo: muffinn, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized)
The short answer
For an anniversary, most couples want Morocco at an slower pace: palace riads in Marrakech or Fes, a night or two at a desert camp, and an easy finish on the coast at Essaouira. Our Anniversary Grand Tour covers the whole country in fourteen private days; shorter routes do the same at a smaller scale. We add the occasion itself: a private dinner, a cake or champagne, a couples' hammam, a vow renewal if you want one.
Years together, and a few days that are only yours
No alarm
No list on the fridge, nobody needing you.
A pool, the palms, and the dunes through the arch.
A kasbah hotel pool at the edge of the dunes
Afternoon
Tea that takes as long as it takes.
You talk the way you did when you first met, for hours, about nothing.
Mint tea and sweets on a tray Photo: مصطفى ملو, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized)
Evening
A table for two on a roof terrace, the mountains going pink.
Dinner by candlelight, booked ahead. Nothing to decide.
The date itself
On the day itself, the dunes as the sun goes down.
However many years it has been, it feels like the start.
Sunset over the Erg Chebbi dunes Photo: Thomas Fuhrmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized)
How could an anniversary trip unfold?
Brass lanterns in a souk lane
Over the mountains
High Atlas
Between the desert and Marrakech the road crosses the High Atlas, snow on the peaks in winter and spring. The Grand Tour stops a night at a mountain retreat, with time for walks and the spa.
A camp in the dunes
The Sahara
A private 4x4 crossing to the camp, a dune-crest dinner, and a free day in the sand. On the Grand Tour it is two nights at an exclusive-use camp at Erg Chigaga.
The coast to finish
Essaouira
A sea-view riad, the ramparts, the harbour in the morning. An easy last stop before the flight home.
Fourteen days. Two nights almost everywhere.
The Grand Tour is paced so you rarely pack two mornings running. With less time, we shorten the route and keep the standard of the stays.
The Menara pavilion, Marrakech Photo: Mustang Joe, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized)
In writing, before you book
What our team does, and what we book with local specialists
We arrange
- Your own driver-guide and private vehicle, with airport pickup and flight tracking
- Hand-picked riads, kasbahs and desert camps, booked for your dates
- A private dune-crest sunset with mint tea, on our desert journeys
- Candlelit dinners booked ahead and rose-petal turndowns
- A couples' hammam
- A photographer for a portrait session
- A cake or champagne, or a musician, for the evening
- A WhatsApp line to our concierge during your trip, Monday to Saturday, 09:00 to 18:00 GMT
With local specialists, in your quote
- A celebrant, if you add a vow renewal
- A private guide for a particular interest, such as gardens or craft
- Flowers or a gift waiting at the riad
We never
- Perform, register or witness a legal marriage
- Give legal, immigration or paperwork advice
- Promise a setting or a date until it is confirmed to you in writing
From first message to the day
How does planning work, step by step?
Tell us the occasion and your dates
Send a few lines from the enquiry form: the anniversary and the date, roughly when, how many of you, and the kind of setting you picture. A rough idea is enough.
We write back by email
A real person writes back with questions and a first outline: route, stays and where the moment could happen. No obligation and no deposit to get a quote.
We shape it with you
We adjust the route, the stays and the timing until it fits. For the event itself, such as flowers, music or a celebrant, your planner books local specialists and sets each one out in your written quote.
Confirmed in writing
Every stay, transfer and arrangement is confirmed in writing, with the price, before any deposit.
On the day
Your driver-guide is with you on the day, and our concierge answers WhatsApp Monday to Saturday, 09:00 to 18:00 GMT.
Starting points
Which of our journeys could carry it?
Each is private and changes freely; tell us which is closest and we build the occasion into it.
Straight answers
What do couples ask before booking?
Where should we go in Morocco for an anniversary?
Most couples combine a medina (Marrakech or Fes) with a desert camp and a few days on the coast at Essaouira. That mix gives you the cities, the Sahara and a rest at the end, and it works from about seven days upwards.
How many days do we need?
Seven to ten days covers Marrakech, the desert and the coast without rushing. Our Anniversary Grand Tour takes fourteen days to include the north as well, from Tangier and Chefchaouen to Fes. We can shorten it and keep the stays.
Can you mark the anniversary itself?
Yes: a private dinner with a cake or champagne, a couples' hammam, rose-petal turndowns, a photographer or a musician. Tell us the date and we build it into the right evening.
Can we renew our vows during the trip?
Yes, in the dunes or a riad courtyard. It is a symbolic ceremony with no paperwork. See our vow renewal page for the settings.
When is the best time for an anniversary trip?
Spring (roughly March to May) and autumn (roughly October to November). Inland Marrakech and the desert are very hot from June to August, so a summer date suits the cooler Essaouira coast. Winter days in Marrakech are mild, but desert and Atlas nights are cold, so plan for heaters and blankets.
Read before you plan
- Planning an anniversary or milestone trip
- Is a luxury Morocco tour worth it?
- Morocco for special occasions
Questions couples ask
Morocco Honeymoons, private trips for two
Which anniversary is it, and when?
Tell us the date and how long you have. A real person on our team writes back by email.
Plan our anniversary tripNo deposit to get a quote.
Other occasions
Planning something else?
- HoneymoonPalace riads, the Rose Valley, a desert camp and the Atlantic.
Destination weddingA riad courtyard, a desert camp, a mountain terrace or the Atlantic.
Vow renewalSame words or new ones, in a place that is yours for the evening.
ProposalOr a dune as the sun goes down. Your partner only needs to know they are on holiday.- ElopementSmall enough to move to the evening if the wind gets up.
- All weddings & celebrationsThe six occasions on one page, and how we plan them.
Photographs: our own trip photos, except Le Jardin Secret, Marrakech by muffinn (CC BY 2.0); Mint tea and sweets on a tray by مصطفى ملو (CC BY-SA 4.0); Sunset over the Erg Chebbi dunes by Thomas Fuhrmann (CC BY-SA 4.0); The High Atlas from the Agdal basin, Marrakech by Belbaraka (CC BY-SA 3.0); Essaouira's ramparts and the Atlantic by Kayaky (CC BY 3.0); The front courtyard of the Bahia Palace, Marrakech by Lionel Leo (CC BY-SA 3.0); A dune ridge at dusk, Erg Chebbi by Mike Prince (CC BY 2.0); Sunset from a rooftop over Jemaa el-Fnaa, Marrakech by Herokk (CC BY-SA 4.0); The Menara pavilion, Marrakech by Mustang Joe (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized.