8-Day Morocco Tour from Casablanca: Chefchaouen, Fes, Sahara & Marrakech

Overview

Highlights

• A night in Chefchaouen, the blue city of the Rif
• Volubilis Roman ruins and imperial Meknes
• Guided visit of the Fes medina
• Two nights in Merzouga: camel trek, desert camp and a 4x4 tour
• Gnawa music in Khamlia and the Rissani market
• Todra Gorge, Dades Valley and Aït Benhaddou
• Guided tour of Marrakech

Itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1 Casablanca – Rabat – Chefchaouen

   Pickup at your Casablanca hotel or at Mohammed V Airport. Drive north to Rabat for a short visit to the Kasbah of the Udayas and the Hassan Tower, the perfect leg stretch after an overnight flight. Continue through farmland into the Rif mountains, arriving in Chefchaouen in the late afternoon. Check in and take an evening walk through the blue lanes to the Outa el Hammam square, where cafés face the red walls of the kasbah. Dinner tonight is at your riad, and your driver will suggest the best time for photos the next morning.

   Overnight: Riad or guesthouse in Chefchaouen Meals: Dinner

2. 2

   Day 2 Chefchaouen – Volubilis – Meknes – Fes

   Enjoy an early stroll while Chefchaouen is still quiet, then drive south through olive country to Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman city in Morocco. Walk among mosaics, columns and the triumphal arch. Continue a short distance to Meknes, the city of Sultan Moulay Ismail, to see the grand Bab Mansour gate and El Hedim square. Arrive in Fes in the early evening for dinner at your riad. Bring cash for the entrance fee at Volubilis, where a local site guide can be hired at the gate. Lunch is usually in Meknes or in the hilltop town of Moulay Idriss nearby.

   Overnight: Riad in Fes Meals: Breakfast, dinner

3. 3

   Day 3 Fes guided visit

   A full day with a local guide in Fes el-Bali, the oldest of Morocco's imperial medinas. Discover the Bou Inania madrasa, the fountains and caravanserais, the doorway of the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university, and the dyers of the Chouara tannery seen from a terrace above. Visit artisans who work brass, cedar and ceramics using the same techniques as centuries ago. End with the panoramic view from the hills above the medina. Your guide adapts the rhythm to your group: more time with artisans, or a break for mint tea on a rooftop. In the evening, enjoy dinner at your riad or ask for tips on a local restaurant.

   Overnight: Riad in Fes Meals: Breakfast, dinner

4. 4

   Day 4 Fes – Ifrane – Midelt – Merzouga

   Start early and head into the Middle Atlas. Stop in Ifrane, then look for Barbary macaques in the cedar forest. After lunch in Midelt, the landscape turns dry and dramatic along the Ziz Valley and its palm-filled canyon. Reach Merzouga in the late afternoon and ride a camel into the dunes of Erg Chebbi for sunset. Dinner and night in a desert camp, with drums and a sky full of stars. Your main luggage stays safely in the vehicle, so pack only a small bag for the night. The drive is long, but the change of scenery from forest to desert is one of the best in Morocco.

   Overnight: Desert camp in Merzouga Meals: Breakfast, dinner

5. 5

   Day 5 Merzouga: 4x4, Khamlia and Rissani

   Watch the sunrise over the dunes, then ride back for breakfast. Today a 4x4 takes you around Erg Chebbi: nomad families, a seasonal lake that sometimes attracts flamingos, and old mining areas. In Khamlia, listen to Gnawa musicians whose ancestors came from sub-Saharan Africa. Continue to Rissani, a historic market town, to see stalls of dates, spices and livestock. Return to Merzouga for a relaxed evening and a second night by the dunes. If you prefer, spend part of the afternoon sandboarding or simply resting by the pool of a hotel at the foot of the dunes before dinner.

   Overnight: Hotel or camp in Merzouga Meals: Breakfast, dinner

6. 6

   Day 6 Merzouga – Todra Gorge – Dades

   Drive west through Erfoud and the oasis of Tinjdad to Tinghir, where the palm grove spreads below earthen villages. Walk into the Todra Gorge, where cliffs about 300 meters high close in around a river. After lunch, continue to the Dades Valley, famous for its rock formations and its winding road. Evening at your guesthouse with views of the valley. On the way, look out for the khettaras, ancient underground irrigation channels that still bring water to the oases. If you enjoy hiking, your driver can suggest a short walk through the palm groves of Tinghir.

   Overnight: Hotel or guesthouse in the Dades Valley Meals: Breakfast, dinner

7. 7

   Day 7 Dades – Ouarzazate – Aït Benhaddou – Marrakech

   Follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs through the Rose Valley and Skoura to Ouarzazate. Visit Aït Benhaddou, the fortified earthen village listed by UNESCO and used as a set for many films. After lunch, cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass at about 2,260 meters, with stops for views and Berber villages. Arrive in Marrakech in the early evening. Your driver can also stop at a women's argan oil cooperative on the descent toward Marrakech. Once there, enjoy a quiet dinner in your riad.

   Overnight: Riad in Marrakech Meals: Breakfast, dinner

8. 8

   Day 8 Marrakech guided visit, end of tour

   Meet your local guide for the highlights of Marrakech: the Koutoubia mosque, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian tombs and the craft souks of the medina. Your guide can also point out where to try street food and how to bargain fairly. The tour ends after the visit, leaving you free to enjoy the evening in Jemaa el-Fna square. Airport transfer or extra nights in Marrakech on request. Many travelers add a night or two to visit the Majorelle Garden or relax in a hammam before flying home.

   Overnight: — (tour ends in Marrakech) Meals: Breakfast

Prices

Prices in euros per person. The amount in your currency is an estimate; payment is processed in USD. Some peak-season dates carry a supplement; you will see it when you pick a date.

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