10 Days Morocco Private Tour: Casablanca Round Trip

Your driver meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel in Casablanca. Once you have rested, you can see the Hassan II Mosque, which stands over the Atlantic, and take an easy walk along the Ain Diab Corniche in the evening.

If you want a longer city tour, ask us to add the Habous district and the Royal Palace gates. The rest of the day is free.

Moment to remember: the huge minaret of the Hassan II Mosque over the ocean.

You leave Casablanca and drive south through open Atlantic farmland and small villages. After a lunch stop, you arrive in Essaouira, the wind-swept port city with 18th-century Portuguese-influenced ramparts.

In the afternoon you walk the old medina, the Skala ramparts and the Mellah, and see the fishing port. Art galleries and small workshops line many streets. In the evening, have mint tea in a local cafe or dinner on the port.

Moment to remember: the ramparts above the ocean at sunset, with gulls over the blue boats.

After breakfast you drive inland through argan tree country, where goats sometimes climb the trees. A stop at a women's argan cooperative, on request, shows how the oil is made and used.

You reach Marrakech by early afternoon and check in to your riad in the medina. The rest of the day is free for a hammam, a cooking class or a walk to Jemaa el-Fna.

Moment to remember: the first evening at Jemaa el-Fna, with the smoke of the food stalls in the air.

With a local guide you start at Jemaa el-Fna, then visit the Koutoubia Mosque from outside, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and El Badi Palace, before walking through the souks of Souk el Attarin and Souk Smata.

The afternoon is free for Majorelle Garden, a hammam or more shopping. Your driver and vehicle are available if you prefer a slower day.

Moment to remember: the carved cedar ceilings of the Bahia Palace, then getting pleasantly lost in the souks.

You cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass at more than 2,200 meters, past Berber villages tucked into the slopes. You reach Aït Ben Haddou, a UNESCO-listed ksar used in many films, for a walk up to the old granary.

After lunch you continue to Ouarzazate, known for its film studios, then follow the road of a thousand kasbahs through the Rose Valley to the Dades Valley, where you spend the night.

Moment to remember: the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou rising above the river bed.

Prefer a shorter day? Add a night in Aït Ben Haddou or Ouarzazate and finish the route the next morning.

You stop at the Todra Gorges, where limestone walls rise over 200 meters, then drive through the palm groves of the Tafilalet toward the Erg Chebbi dunes.

At the foot of the dunes your camel guides meet you for a ride of about one hour into the desert, with sunset colors on the sand. Dinner in the camp is followed by Amazigh music and a very clear night sky.

Moment to remember: the sun touching the crest of the dunes as your camel walks toward the camp.

Prefer a shorter day? Add a night in Merzouga and keep the following day for the dunes and Khamlia.

You leave the dunes after a sunrise ride or walk, and drive north past the Tafilalet palm grove, the Ziz Valley and its viewpoints, and Midelt, where you stop for lunch.

Then you cross the cedar forests of Azrou, where Barbary macaques live along the road. Please do not feed them. In Ifrane, sometimes called the Switzerland of Morocco, you can stretch your legs before the final stretch to Fes.

Moment to remember: the change from red desert to cedar forest in a single day.

Prefer a shorter day? Add a night in Midelt or Ifrane and reach Fes the next morning.

With a local guide you start at the Merenid Tombs, above the city, for a first view over the medina. You then enter Fes el-Bali through Bab Boujloud and follow the main street, Talaa Kebira, past souks and workshops.

Highlights include the Chouara tannery from a terrace, the Attarine Madrasa with its tilework, and Al-Qarawiyyin, viewed from outside. The afternoon is free for the souks or a rest at the riad.

Moment to remember: the first look at the Chouara tannery from a rooftop, with its rows of dye pits.

You start with Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco, with mosaics still in place. Then you visit Meknes, an imperial city, seeing its gates and the old center.

After lunch you drive to Rabat, where you see the Kasbah of the Udayas, the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V from outside. You arrive in Casablanca in the evening.

Moment to remember: the mosaics of Volubilis with olive groves spreading out beyond.

Prefer a shorter day? Skip Meknes to save about 1.5 hours.

After breakfast your driver takes you to the airport. If your flight is later, you can leave your luggage at the hotel and visit the Hassan II Mosque, whose interior is ticketed and not included.

Moment to remember: the last mint tea and a small souvenir to take home.