What you see and do
- Three nights in Marrakech, with a guided city day and a day trip to the Ourika Valley in the High Atlas.
- Two nights in a desert camp at Merzouga, with a sunset camel ride, a sunrise and a visit to Khamlia.
- A free day in Chefchaouen, with two nights in the blue town.
- A guided day in the Fes medina, one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world.
- Rabat, Volubilis and Meknes as stops on the two road days in the north.
- The southern road by Rissani, Todra Gorges, the Dades Valley and Ait Ben Haddou.
Day-by-day itinerary
12 days, about 1,679 km by road. Tap a day to open it.
Day 1Arrival in Casablanca
A driver collects you from Mohammed V Airport. The first day has no programme beyond getting you to your hotel.
Casablanca is a commercial city more than a sightseeing one. Its landmark is the Hassan II Mosque, completed in 1993 on the edge of the ocean. If you arrive early you can see it and take a walk on the Corniche. If not, it can be fitted in before you leave the city tomorrow.
Day 2Casablanca to Chefchaouen by Rabat346 km
North along the coast to Rabat. The capital is calmer than Casablanca and its sights sit close together: the Hassan Tower and the royal mausoleum on one esplanade, and the Kasbah of the Udayas a few minutes away, with its Andalusian garden and a cafe terrace over the estuary.
After lunch the road turns inland and climbs. The hills of the Rif get steeper and greener until Chefchaouen appears on its slope below two peaks. You arrive in the evening and settle into your riad.
Day 3Free day in Chefchaouen
A day at your own speed. The blue medina takes an hour or two to walk through and much longer to enjoy, since most of the pleasure is in side lanes and doorways. The kasbah on Outa el-Hammam square has a small garden and a tower you can climb.
Walkers can follow the path from the Ras el-Maa spring to the Spanish Mosque for the view back over the town, or ask about longer trails in the hills. Shops here sell woven blankets and wool goods that you will not see in the same form further south.
Day 4Chefchaouen to Fes by Volubilis and Meknes265 km
The route drops out of the Rif to Volubilis. Rome held this town until the late 3rd century, and the forum, the arch and the mosaic floors are still easy to read on the ground. Allow about an hour.
Nearby Meknes was an imperial capital in the 17th and 18th centuries. You see the Bab Mansour gate and the area around it, subject to the restoration work that has closed some sites. From Meknes it is a short motorway run to Fes.
Day 5Guided day in Fes
A local city guide leads you through the old city of Fes. First-time visitors find the medina hard to read: the alleys bend, split and end without warning. With a guide you can look at the place and stop watching the map.
You see the palace gates, a 14th-century madrasa, the tanneries from above and the streets of the coppersmiths, dyers and weavers. The day ends at a viewpoint over the whole medina. Wear shoes with grip, as the paving is worn smooth in places.
Day 6Fes to Merzouga and into camp458 km
The longest road day. The changes in scenery help: the sloped roofs and parks of Ifrane, the cedar forest around Azrou with its macaques, the bare plateau near Midelt, and then the Ziz Valley, a green line of palms through dry rock.
You reach Merzouga in the late afternoon, where camels are ready for the ride into Erg Chebbi. The timing is set for sunset on the dunes. The night is under canvas, with dinner and drumming by the fire. Unlike the eleven-day plan, this itinerary goes straight to camp on the first desert night.
Day 7A full day in the Merzouga desert
Most people get up in the dark to watch the sun rise over the sand. It is cold at that hour for much of the year, so bring a warm layer.
After breakfast you visit Khamlia, where families of West African descent have kept Gnawa music going. The rest of the day is slow: a walk on the dunes, a stop at a nearby oasis, or nothing at all. You return to camp for dinner and a second night. Two nights in a tent is a real choice. If you would like one of them in a hotel with a full bathroom, ask when you enquire.
Day 8Merzouga to the Dades Valley by Rissani and Todra Gorges276 km
Leaving the dunes, you stop in Rissani. It stands near the site of Sijilmassa, once a terminus of the trans-Saharan caravan trade, and its market still serves the whole area.
The road west leads to the Todra Gorges. The cliffs rise about 300 m on both sides of a road and a stream, and the walk through the narrowest part takes twenty minutes or so. You continue to the Dades Valley for the night.
Day 9Dades Valley to Marrakech by Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou334 km
A day of kasbahs and mountains. You pass through Ouarzazate, where the Taourirt Kasbah and the film studios can be visited at your own cost, and stop at Ait Ben Haddou, a walled earthen village that has stood in for ancient cities in many films.
The High Atlas crossing by the Tizi n'Tichka pass takes most of the afternoon. You arrive in Marrakech in the evening and stay put for three nights, the longest stop of the tour.
Day 10Guided day in Marrakech
A local city guide takes you around the main monuments of Marrakech: the Koutoubia from outside, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the covered souks. You pay entrance fees as you go.
With another full day based here, there is no pressure to fit everything in. Leave the gardens or the shopping for tomorrow evening if you are tired. Jemaa el-Fna is worth seeing both by day and after dark.
Day 11Day trip to the Ourika Valley
The day this tour adds. The Ourika Valley runs into the High Atlas south of the city. In about an hour the road goes from the plain to a river valley with terraced plots, walnut trees and Amazigh (Berber) villages built into the slopes.
You can stop at roadside markets and stalls on the way up. At Setti Fatma, where the road ends, an optional walk leads to a series of waterfalls. The path is rocky and steep in parts, and it is fine to skip it for lunch by the river. You are back in Marrakech by late afternoon. The valley fills with visitors from the city on weekends and in summer.
Day 12Departure from Marrakech or Casablanca
An unhurried morning, then your transfer to Marrakech Menara Airport. If you are flying from Casablanca, the motorway takes about two and a half to three hours, so a late flight is the safer choice.
Price and what changes it
This 12-day private tour costs €3,400 to €6,100 per person. Every trip is tailored, so the final price depends on your group size, hotel and camp level, and what you add.
- Group size. The vehicle and driver are yours for twelve days whatever the size of your party, so each added traveller lowers the price per person. A solo traveller pays the most.
- Accommodation level. Eleven nights at standard, comfort or luxury level. Three of them are in Marrakech, where the spread between a simple riad and a luxury one is wide.
- Two camp nights. A standard or luxury camp for both nights, or one night swapped for a hotel. See desert camps in Merzouga compared.
- Day eleven. The Ourika Valley can be exchanged for another of the day trips from Marrakech, which may change the quote. Our guide to what a Morocco tour costs covers the rest.
Other lengths are priced on the Morocco tour cost page.
Included and not included
Included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle for the twelve days
- English- or Spanish-speaking driver
- Airport pickup in Casablanca and departure transfer
- Eleven nights of accommodation at the level you choose
- Local city guides for the guided days in Fes and Marrakech
- Camel ride in the Erg Chebbi dunes
- Ourika Valley day trip with your driver
- Breakfast every day, and the dinners listed in your quote
Not included
- Lunches and drinks
- Entrance fees to monuments
- Optional activities such as quad bikes or a local guide for the Ourika waterfall walk
- Tips
- Flights
Is this the right tour for you?
It suits you if
- You want the High Atlas as well as the Rif, the cities and the Sahara, and you are not set on the sea.
- You like to unpack. Three nights in Marrakech is the longest single stay on any of our Casablanca routes up to this length.
- You want both desert nights in a camp among the dunes.
- You are flying out of Marrakech and do not need to return to Casablanca.
Think twice if
- You want to see the Atlantic. The 13-day Morocco tour from Casablanca goes on to Essaouira and back to Casablanca, though it has only one desert night. The 14-day tour has both.
- A valley day trip does not interest you. The 11-day Morocco tour from Casablanca is this route without it.
- Two nights in a tent is one too many. Ask for the second night in a hotel by the dunes.
- You are visiting in winter and hoping for green terraces. The Ourika Valley can be cold and grey from December to February, with snow on the peaks above.
Places on the route
What travellers say
★★★★★
“Everything was seamless, well-organized, and thoughtfully planned.”
Questions about the 12-day Morocco tour from Casablanca
What does the 12 day tour add to the 11 day tour?
A third night in Marrakech and a day trip to the Ourika Valley in the High Atlas. The plan for the desert also differs slightly: this route spends both Merzouga nights in a camp, where the 11 day plan uses a hotel for the first.
Does the 12 day Morocco tour include Essaouira?
No. It ends in Marrakech after the Ourika Valley day. The Atlantic coast is part of the 13 and 14 day tours. You can also ask us to replace the Ourika day with a day trip to Essaouira.
Can I swap the Ourika Valley for a different day trip?
Yes. Best Morocco Travel runs private day trips from Marrakech to the Agafay Desert, Essaouira, Imlil, Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou, and Ouzoud Waterfalls. Tell us which you prefer and it will be written into your itinerary.
How hard is the walk to the Setti Fatma waterfalls?
The first waterfall is a short but rough climb over rocks, and proper shoes are needed. It is optional. Local guides wait at the bottom of the path and are paid directly if you use one.
Is 12 days enough for Morocco?
It is enough for the north, the two great medinas, the Sahara and a taste of the High Atlas, with three days free of any fixed programme. It is not enough to add the coast without cutting something else.
How many days have no long drive?
Six of the twelve: the free day in Chefchaouen, the guided days in Fes and Marrakech, the desert day, the Ourika day trip, which is about an hour each way, and the departure day. Arrival day is only the airport transfer.
