All four imperial cities, Chefchaouen, a night in the dunes of Merzouga, the road of the kasbahs and the Atlantic port of Essaouira.
Our most complete itinerary from Casablanca airport. Twelve days to combine the history of the imperial cities with the silence of the Sahara and the sea breeze of Essaouira.
This is the journey for travellers who want to see the whole of Morocco in one trip, with comfort and enough time in each place. You sleep two nights in Fes and Merzouga, a night facing the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou and finish with the ocean in Essaouira.
Everything can be adapted: the hotels, the order of the visits and the number of nights in each city.
Airport pick-up, the Hassan II Mosque and the Corniche.
After meeting your driver at Mohammed V airport, you visit the Hassan II Mosque, built partly over the Atlantic and one of the largest mosques in the world, with a minaret that rises above the whole city. Then a drive along the Corniche, a walk in the Habous quarter and dinner by the sea before your first night in Morocco.
The royal capital, then north into the Rif mountains.
In the morning you visit Rabat: the Hassan Tower, the mausoleum of Mohammed V and the Kasbah of the Oudayas. Then the road turns inland and climbs into the green Rif mountains, through cork oak forests and small villages, to Chefchaouen, where you arrive as the blue walls light up in the evening.
Morning in the blue town, then Volubilis, Meknes and Fes.
After a last morning walk in the blue medina you drive south through the hills of the Rif to Volubilis, the great Roman city with its mosaics and triumphal arch. You continue to Meknes to see Bab Mansour and the royal stables, and arrive in Fes in the late afternoon.
Guided visit of the oldest medina of Morocco.
Fes el-Bali is one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site. With a local guide you walk its maze of more than nine thousand lanes: the Bou Inania madrasa with its carved cedar and zellige tiles, the Al Quaraouiyine mosque and university, the Nejjarine fountain and the Chouara tanneries, seen from a terrace. You also meet weavers, coppersmiths and potters at work.
The Middle Atlas and the Ziz valley to the dunes.
Leaving Fes, you climb into the Middle Atlas to Ifrane, a surprising town with alpine roofs, and the cedar forest of Azrou, where Barbary macaques live in the wild. After lunch in Midelt, at the foot of the snowy Ayachi, the road follows the Ziz gorges and its endless palm groves past Errachidia and Erfoud to Merzouga, at the edge of the dunes.
4x4 tour, camel ride at sunset and night in the desert camp.
Merzouga is the gateway to Erg Chebbi, a sea of orange dunes up to 150 metres high. By 4x4 you visit a nomad family for tea, the village of Khamlia, where Gnawa musicians of sub-Saharan origin play their hypnotic music, the seasonal lake and the black stone desert. In the late afternoon a camel caravan takes you into the dunes for sunset and the night in the camp, with dinner, drums around the fire and a sky full of stars.
Sunrise, the Todra gorges and the Dades valley.
Wake up early to watch the sunrise from the top of a dune, then ride back to the village for breakfast and a shower. The road west passes Rissani, the old capital of the Tafilalet with its busy market, and the oases of Tinejdad. In the afternoon you walk in the Todra gorges and continue to the Dades valley, famous for its winding road and rock formations.
The Rose Valley, Skoura and a night by the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou.
Down the Dades valley you follow the Rose Valley and the palm grove of Skoura to Ouarzazate. In the afternoon you arrive in Ait Ben Haddou and sleep in a guesthouse facing the ksar, so you can walk up to the granary at the top at sunset and see the earthen houses glow in the evening light.
The Tizi n'Tichka pass over the High Atlas.
After breakfast with a view of the ksar, you take the old caravan road over the High Atlas. You can stop at the kasbah of Telouet or in the Berber villages near the Tizi n'Tichka pass, then descend through the valleys to Marrakech, arriving in the early afternoon.
Guided visit of the palaces, gardens and souks.
With a licensed local guide you discover the essentials of the red city: the minaret of the Koutoubia, the painted ceilings and gardens of the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the old Jewish quarter of the Mellah. In the afternoon you get lost in the souks of spices, leather, lanterns and carpets, and at sunset you watch Jemaa el-Fna fill with life from a café terrace.
The argan road and an afternoon in the port.
The road west crosses the plains to the argan forest, where you may see goats climbing the trees and can visit a women's cooperative that makes argan oil by hand. In Essaouira, the wind and the sea welcome you to a relaxed medina of white houses and blue shutters, with the fishing port and the Skala ramparts.
The coast road back and transfer to the airport.
The coast road north passes small fishing towns and the lagoon of Oualidia, famous for its oysters, and the Portuguese city of El Jadida with its underground cistern. You arrive in Casablanca in the afternoon for a final visit of the Hassan II Mosque or your transfer to the airport.
This is a private tour: only your group travels in the vehicle. You can add days, change cities or choose the level of the hotels.
The price depends on the number of travellers and the hotels you choose. Ask us and we will send you the exact price.
Yes. Only your group travels in the vehicle, with your own driver. We do not run shared tours.
The price depends on the number of travellers, the season and the level of accommodation. Send us your dates and we will reply with a clear price.
Of course. You can add days, start or finish in another city, or choose different hotels. Every tour can be adapted.
Our camps in Merzouga have tents with real beds, dinner and breakfast. Luxury tents with private bathroom are available on request.
Spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) are ideal. Winter days are sunny but desert nights are cold; summer is very hot in the south.
Grand tour13 daysTours from Casablanca · Rabat · Asilah · Tangier · Chefchaouen · Meknes · Fes · Merzouga · Dades · Ait Ben Haddou · Marrakech
Grand tour10 daysTours from Casablanca · Rabat · Meknes · Fes · Merzouga · Dades · Ait Ben Haddou · Marrakech · Essaouira
Grand tour15 daysTours from Casablanca · Rabat · Tangier · Chefchaouen · Meknes · Fes · Merzouga · Dades · Ouarzazate · Ait Ben Haddou · Marrakech · Essaouira