12-Day Grand Morocco Tour from Casablanca: Imperial Cities, Sahara and Essaouira

Day 1: Casablanca – Rabat

Your driver meets you at the airport and takes you to the Hassan II Mosque. You then continue to Rabat, Morocco’s administrative and political capital, and check in to your hotel.

Overnight: Rabat

Day 2: Rabat – Meknes – Fez

After breakfast, set off for Fez by way of the holy town of Moulay Idriss and the Roman ruins of Volubilis. You then stop in Meknes, known as the “Versailles of Morocco”, to see its monuments. Lunch is in Volubilis or Meknes. Arrival at your hotel or riad in Fez.

Overnight: Fez

Day 3: Fez (guided tour)

Spend the day exploring Fez, the oldest of Morocco’s imperial cities, on foot with an English-speaking guide. In the morning you see the medina, Bab Boujloud and the tanneries; in the afternoon, the Bou Inania madrasa, Hispano-Moorish architecture and the Nejjarine quarter. This is a full day of walking, so wear comfortable clothes and shoes.

Overnight: Fez

Day 4: Fez – Midelt – Ziz Valley – Erfoud – Merzouga

After breakfast, cross the Middle Atlas towards Merzouga, with lunch in Midelt. The road then follows the Ziz River to Erfoud, past a string of fortified villages whose architecture announces the pre-Saharan oases, with a stop in the Ziz Gorges. Dinner at your hotel or riad at the foot of the dunes.

Overnight: Merzouga

Day 5: Merzouga – Erg Chebbi – Merzouga (Sahara)

After breakfast, set out on a grand tour of the Erg Chebbi area: the oases of Merzouga, the village of Khamlia and the old mines where Berber nomads live. After lunch, return to the hotel, then ride a camel into the dunes to watch the sunset. Tonight you sleep in a nomad-style tent, with Berber music, local food and a sky full of stars.

Overnight: Merzouga – nomad-style tent

Day 6: Merzouga – Rissani – Todra Gorge

Ride a camel at dawn to watch the sunrise, then have breakfast. Drive via Rissani and Erfoud to the Todra Gorge, a renowned rock-climbing spot, and walk through the canyon. Dinner at your hotel.

Overnight: Todra Gorge

Day 7: Todra Gorge – Dades Valley – Valley of Roses – Ouarzazate

After breakfast, head for Ouarzazate through the Dades Valley and Kelaat M’Gouna, the Valley of Roses, where a rose festival is held every May. Stop in Skoura to visit the Amridil kasbah, then continue to Ouarzazate. Dinner at your hotel or riad.

Overnight: Ouarzazate

Day 8: Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou – Marrakech

After breakfast, leave for Marrakech. You see Ouarzazate, the setting for many famous films, and visit the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou before crossing the High Atlas. Afternoon arrival at your riad in Marrakech.

Overnight: Marrakech

Day 9: Marrakech (guided tour)

After breakfast, a guided tour of Marrakech: the Koutoubia, the Menara Gardens, the Saadian Tombs and the Bahia Palace in the morning; the souks, the medina and Jemaa el-Fna square in the afternoon. Much of the day is on foot, so wear comfortable shoes.

Overnight: Marrakech

Day 10: Marrakech – Essaouira

After breakfast, drive to Essaouira and start with a seafood lunch. In the afternoon, tour the town and the lanes of its medina, an old Portuguese-fortified port where Arab and European styles meet, known for its silver jewellery and thuya-wood marquetry.

Overnight: Essaouira

Day 11: Essaouira – Oualidia – El Jadida – Casablanca

After breakfast, follow the Atlantic coast north towards Casablanca, with lunch in the small seaside town of Oualidia and a drive through El Jadida. Arrival at your hotel in Casablanca.

Overnight: Casablanca

Day 12: Casablanca – Mohammed V Airport

After breakfast, transfer to Mohammed V Airport.