10-Day Morocco Tour from Casablanca: Round Trip via Chefchaouen, Sahara and Essaouira

Overview

Highlights

• Round trip from Casablanca: easy return flights to the US
• Two nights and a free day in blue Chefchaouen
• Volubilis, Meknes and a guided day in Fes
• Two nights in Merzouga with a camel trek and desert camp
• Todra Gorge, Dades Valley and Aït Benhaddou
• A night in Essaouira, the windswept port on the Atlantic
• The Portuguese Cistern of El Jadida on the way back

Itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1 Casablanca – Rabat – Chefchaouen

   Your driver meets you at your Casablanca hotel or at arrivals in Mohammed V Airport. Head north along the coast to Rabat for a short visit: the Kasbah of the Udayas, with its view over the ocean, and the Hassan Tower beside the royal mausoleum. After lunch, continue inland through farmland and into the green hills of the Rif. You reach Chefchaouen in the late afternoon, check in to your riad and take a first walk through the blue lanes while the light softens. A gentle way to start after a long flight.

   Overnight: Riad in Chefchaouen Meals: Dinner

2. 2

   Day 2 Chefchaouen free day

   A whole day to enjoy Chefchaouen at your own pace, with no driving. Get up early to photograph the empty lanes, browse shops of woven blankets and goat cheese, or visit the kasbah museum on the main square. Walkers can follow the trail up to the Spanish Mosque for wide views over the town and the valley, or head to the Ras el Maa spring where locals still wash wool and clothes. Your driver can recommend a local hiking guide for the Rif trails if you want more. In the evening, taste a slow-cooked tagine on a rooftop terrace.

   Overnight: Riad in Chefchaouen Meals: Breakfast, dinner

3. 3

   Day 3 Chefchaouen – Volubilis – Meknes – Fes

   Leave the mountains behind and drive south through olive groves to Volubilis, the most complete Roman site in Morocco and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wander among the mosaics, the basilica columns and the triumphal arch, with the holy town of Moulay Idriss on the hill opposite. Continue to Meknes, the imperial city of Moulay Ismail, to see the monumental Bab Mansour gate and El Hedim square. Arrive in Fes in the early evening and settle into your riad in or near the old medina for dinner.

   Overnight: Riad in Fes Meals: Breakfast, dinner

4. 4

   Day 4 Fes guided visit

   Spend the day with a local guide in Fes el-Bali, a medieval medina where donkeys still carry goods through the lanes. Enter by the Blue Gate, Bab Boujloud, then discover the Bou Inania madrasa, the Nejjarine fountain, the doorway of the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university, and the dye pits of the Chouara tannery from a terrace above. Meet artisans working copper, cedar wood and silk thread. In the afternoon, visit the gates of the royal palace and the old Jewish quarter, then watch the medina from the hills as the sun sets.

   Overnight: Riad in Fes Meals: Breakfast, dinner

5. 5

   Day 5 Fes – Merzouga, desert camp

   An early start for the big crossing to the Sahara. Climb through the Middle Atlas via Ifrane and the cedar forests, where Barbary macaques often wait near the road. Stop for lunch in Midelt, then follow the Ziz Valley and its long canyon of palm trees. In the late afternoon, reach Merzouga at the foot of the Erg Chebbi dunes. Swap the vehicle for a camel and ride across the sand for sunset, then arrive at your desert camp for dinner, drumming and a night under a sky full of stars.

   Overnight: Desert camp in Merzouga Meals: Breakfast, dinner

6. 6

   Day 6 Merzouga full day

   Climb a dune for sunrise, then return to Merzouga for breakfast. The day is yours to enjoy the desert. A popular choice is a loop around Erg Chebbi: nomad tents, the seasonal lake of Dayet Srji, the Gnawa village of Khamlia where musicians play the guembri and iron castanets, and the historic market town of Rissani. You can also try sandboarding, rent a quad bike or simply rest by a pool at the foot of the dunes. Your driver helps you book whatever suits you. Second night in Merzouga.

   Overnight: Hotel or camp in Merzouga Meals: Breakfast, dinner

7. 7

   Day 7 Merzouga – Todra Gorge – Dades

   Drive west through Erfoud and the oasis of Tinjdad, passing lines of khettaras, the old underground irrigation channels that still water the palm groves. In Tinghir, walk into the Todra Gorge, where limestone walls about 300 meters high close in over a clear river and climbers hang on the cliffs. After lunch, continue to the Dades Valley, known for its rock formations, its earthen villages and the hairpin road above the gorge. Dinner and overnight with views over the valley.

   Overnight: Hotel or guesthouse in the Dades Valley Meals: Breakfast, dinner

8. 8

   Day 8 Dades – Aït Benhaddou – Marrakech

   Follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs through the Rose Valley and Skoura, then pass Ouarzazate on the way to Aït Benhaddou. This fortified earthen village is a UNESCO site that has featured in many films and series; cross the river and climb to the old granary at the top for the view. After lunch, the road climbs over the Tizi n'Tichka pass at about 2,260 meters, with stops at viewpoints and Berber villages. You reach Marrakech in the early evening and check in to your riad near the medina.

   Overnight: Riad in Marrakech Meals: Breakfast, dinner

9. 9

   Day 9 Marrakech – Essaouira

   After a free morning in Marrakech to explore the souks or Jemaa el-Fna square, drive west across the plains, about three hours, to Essaouira. Along the way, look for goats climbing argan trees and stop at a women's cooperative that produces argan oil. Essaouira is a laid-back port with a UNESCO-listed medina, white and blue houses and the Skala ramparts facing the Atlantic. Watch the fishing boats come in, eat grilled sardines at the port and enjoy the sunset from the walls.

   Overnight: Riad in Essaouira Meals: Breakfast, dinner

10. 10

    Day 10 Essaouira – El Jadida – Casablanca, end

    Take a final walk through Essaouira in the morning, then follow the coast north. Stop in El Jadida, a former Portuguese fortress town and UNESCO site, to visit its famous underground Portuguese Cistern, where light falls through a single opening onto a shallow pool. Continue to Casablanca, arriving in the late afternoon or early evening. Your driver drops you at your hotel or at Mohammed V Airport for your flight home. End of the tour. If you have a late flight, there is time for a final seafood lunch on the Casablanca Corniche.

    Overnight: — (tour ends in Casablanca) Meals: Breakfast

Prices

Prices in euros per person. The amount in your currency is an estimate; payment is processed in USD. Some peak-season dates carry a supplement; you will see it when you pick a date.

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