12 Days Morocco Private Tour: Casablanca to Marrakech

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.

After breakfast you drive to Rabat, the capital. Stops include the Kasbah of the Udayas above the river, the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V from outside, and, if time allows, the Chellah necropolis.

After lunch you continue north into the green Rif mountains. You reach Chefchaouen in the late afternoon, in time for a first walk in the blue medina before sunset.

Moment to remember: your first view of the blue town on its hillside.

A full day with no driving. Wander the blue lanes of the medina, then rest in Plaza Uta el-Hammam beside the old kasbah and its garden. Ras El-Ma, at the edge of town, has a natural spring, small cafes and views back over the town.

Because Spain once ran this region, you will notice Spanish influence in the food and architecture. The late afternoon is good for the walk up to the Spanish Mosque.

Moment to remember: the light on the blue walls in the early morning.

You cross the Rif to Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco, with mosaic floors, a basilica and a triumphal arch. You then stop at Moulay Idriss, a hillside pilgrimage town, before Meknes, where you see the Bab Mansour gate and the old center.

You reach Fes in the late afternoon and check in to your riad in the medina.

Moment to remember: standing among the mosaics at Volubilis with olive groves below.

With a local guide you pass the gates of the Royal Palace, walk through the Mellah and into Fes el-Bali. Highlights include Al-Qarawiyyin, viewed from outside, the medersas, the Attarine area and the Chouara tannery seen from a terrace.

A tile or ceramics cooperative can be added on request. Before returning to your riad, take in the whole city from a viewpoint above the medina.

Moment to remember: the first view of the Chouara tannery from above.

A long but scenic day. You climb into the Middle Atlas through Ifrane, sometimes called the Switzerland of Morocco, and the cedar forest of Azrou, where Barbary macaques live along the road. Please do not feed them. After Midelt you follow the palm-lined Ziz Valley south toward the dunes.

In Merzouga you meet your camel guides and ride into the Erg Chebbi dunes for sunset. After dinner there is Amazigh music around the fire under a very clear night sky.

Moment to remember: the dunes turning orange as your camel caravan crosses the sand.

Prefer a shorter day? Add a night in Midelt or Ifrane and split the drive over two days.

After a sunrise over the dunes and breakfast, the day is yours to shape. Options include the seasonal Merzouga lake, which attracts birds when it holds water, a visit to a nomad family for tea, and the old mining area near the dunes.

In Khamlia, a village known for its Gnawa community, you can hear live music. Return to Merzouga for rest and a second evening near the dunes.

Moment to remember: the silence of the dunes at first light.

You leave the dunes for Rissani, once a key stop for Saharan caravans, then Erfoud, known for its fossil shops. The road continues through palm oases to the Todra Gorges, where limestone walls rise well over 200 meters above a narrow road.

You end the day in the Dades Valley, with its red kasbahs and the rock formations called monkey fingers, and spend the night in a hotel with a valley view.

Moment to remember: the walls of the Todra Gorges closing in above the car.

Prefer a shorter day? Skip Erfoud and Rissani to save about 1.5 hours.

You drive through the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, stop at Kelaa M'Gouna in the Rose Valley, and reach Ouarzazate, known for its film studios. Many international films were shot around here.

Then you visit Aït Ben Haddou, a UNESCO-listed ksar, where you can climb to the old granary for the view. Later you cross the Tizi n'Tichka pass at more than 2,200 meters and arrive in Marrakech in the evening. Jemaa el-Fna is a short walk from most riads.

Moment to remember: the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou in late afternoon light.

Prefer a shorter day? Add a night in Aït Ben Haddou or Ouarzazate, and reach Marrakech the next morning.

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 drive west through the argan tree country, where goats sometimes climb the trees. An argan cooperative stop is available on request. In Essaouira, walk the UNESCO-listed medina, the ramparts and the fishing port.

In the late afternoon you drive back to Marrakech, in time for a last evening at Jemaa el-Fna.

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

After breakfast your driver takes you to the airport. If your flight is later, you can leave your luggage at the hotel and take a last walk in the medina.

If you have questions before or after the trip, write to us on WhatsApp or email.

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