12-day private Morocco tour from Casablanca

The trip at a glance

Duration

12 days · 11 nights

Start and finish

Casablanca → Marrakech

Type of trip

Private: just your group

Vehicle

Air-conditioned 4x4 or van

Your driver speaks

English, Spanish, French or Italian

Nights

Casablanca, Chefchaouen (2), Fes (2), the desert (2), Dades Valley and Marrakech (3)

Day by day

Itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1: Casablanca

   Arrival in Casablanca and the Hassan II Mosque

   We pick you up at the airport, the port or your hotel. First stop: the Hassan II Mosque, built out over the Atlantic. Then a walk along the Corniche and through the centre of Morocco’s business capital.

   Night in Casablanca
2. 2

   Day 2: Casablanca → Rabat → Chefchaouen

   Rabat, the capital, and the Rif Mountains

   Along the coast to Rabat: the Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the Kasbah of the Udayas above the river mouth. Time for lunch, then north in the afternoon to Chefchaouen, tucked into the Rif Mountains.

   Night in Chefchaouen
3. 3

   Day 3: Chefchaouen

   A day in Chefchaouen

   A full day in the blue city: the whitewashed medina with its blue doors, Outa el-Hammam square, the kasbah and, if you like, the walk up to the Spanish Mosque viewpoint late in the afternoon.

   Night in Chefchaouen
4. 4

   Day 4: Chefchaouen → Volubilis → Meknes → Fes

   Volubilis, Meknes and on to Fes

   A last stroll in Chefchaouen, then south. At Volubilis, the Roman ruins and their mosaics, a World Heritage Site. In Meknes, Moulay Ismail’s imperial city and its Bab Mansour gate. Arrival in Fes.

   Night in Fes
5. 5

   Day 5: Fes

   Fes with a local guide

   A tour of Fes with a local guide: the gates of the Royal Palace, the Fes el-Bali medina, a World Heritage Site, with its craft souks and madrasas. Free time in the afternoon to keep exploring its lanes.

   Night in Fes
6. 6

   Day 6: Fes → Ifrane → Azrou → Midelt → Ziz Valley → Merzouga

   From the Middle Atlas to the Merzouga desert

   We head to Ifrane, the alpine-looking town of the Middle Atlas, and the Azrou cedar forest with its Barbary macaques. Through Midelt and the palm groves of the Ziz Valley to Merzouga, then by camel to the camp.

   Night in the desert
7. 7

   Day 7: Merzouga

   A day in the Sahara by 4x4

   Sunrise in the dunes, breakfast and back to the village by camel, where your driver is waiting. A day by 4x4 around Merzouga: an old kohl mine, tea with a nomad family in their tent and Khamlia, the village of Gnawa music. In the afternoon, back to the camp for a second night.

   Night in the desert
8. 8

   Day 8: Merzouga → Rissani → Erfoud → Todra Gorge → Dades Valley

   Rissani, the Todra Gorge and the Dades

   Rissani, the old capital of the Tafilalet, and its big market. Erfoud, known for its fossils. In the afternoon, the sheer walls of the Todra Gorge and the kasbah-dotted Dades Valley.

   Night in Dades Valley
9. 9

   Day 9: Dades Valley → Valley of Roses → Ouarzazate → Ait Ben Haddou → Tizi n’Tichka pass → Marrakech

   The road of the kasbahs to Marrakech

   The Valley of Roses, home to the rose festival in May. Ouarzazate, the gateway to the desert, and the Ait Ben Haddou kasbah, a World Heritage Site and the setting for films such as Gladiator. Over the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka to Marrakech.

   Night in Marrakech
10. 10

    Day 10: Marrakech

    Marrakech with a local guide

    A guided tour: the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, the Ben Youssef madrasa and the souks. The Majorelle Garden and the Koutoubia. In the evening, Jemaa el-Fna square at your own pace.

    Night in Marrakech
11. 11

    Day 11: Marrakech → Essaouira → Marrakech

    Day trip to Essaouira

    A day on the Atlantic coast. On the way, the argan trees and an argan oil cooperative. In Essaouira, the walled medina, the fishing harbour and the cannons on its ramparts. Back to Marrakech.

    Night in Marrakech
12. 12

    Day 12: Marrakech

    End of the trip in Marrakech

    Depending on your flight time, we take you from your accommodation to Marrakech airport.

    End of the tour

What’s included

Included and not included

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