12-Day Luxury Morocco Tour from Casablanca: Palace Riads, Private Desert and Marrakech

Overview

Highlights

• Five-star welcome in Casablanca and the Hassan II Mosque
• Boutique riad in Chefchaouen with a free day
• Palace riad in Fes and a private cooking class
• Luxury desert camp at Erg Chebbi with dinner on the dunes
• Night in a historic kasbah in the Skoura oasis
• Private guide, gardens and hammam in Marrakech
• Agafay desert or Atlas lodge day before you fly home

Itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1 Arrival in Casablanca, Hassan II Mosque

   Your driver welcomes you at Mohammed V Airport and takes you to your five-star hotel in Casablanca to rest after the flight. In the afternoon, when you are ready, visit the Hassan II Mosque, one of the few in Morocco open to non-Muslims, with its minaret soaring about 210 meters over the Atlantic. Follow it with a drive along the Corniche of Aïn Diab at sunset and a welcome dinner by the sea. A soft landing that lets jet lag fade before the journey begins.

   Overnight: Five-star hotel in Casablanca Meals: Dinner

2. 2

   Day 2 Casablanca – Rabat – Chefchaouen

   After a leisurely breakfast, drive about an hour to Rabat, the elegant capital. Stroll the Kasbah of the Udayas and its Andalusian garden, then see the Hassan Tower and the Mohammed V Mausoleum. Continue north into the Rif mountains, arriving in Chefchaouen in the late afternoon. Check in to a boutique riad in the medina, with a terrace overlooking the blue rooftops and the mountains. Enjoy dinner at the riad as the call to prayer echoes across the valley. Lunch can be by the river in Rabat.

   Overnight: Boutique riad in Chefchaouen Meals: Breakfast, dinner

3. 3

   Day 3 Chefchaouen at leisure

   A day without schedules. Wander the blue lanes in the early morning when only the cats are awake, then breakfast on your terrace. Browse for woven blankets and local goat cheese, visit the kasbah garden on Outa el Hammam square, or follow the path to the Spanish Mosque for a golden view at sunset. If you would like a guided walk or a short hike in the Rif, your driver can arrange it. Otherwise, simply relax at your riad and enjoy the mountain air.

   Overnight: Boutique riad in Chefchaouen Meals: Breakfast, dinner

4. 4

   Day 4 Chefchaouen – Volubilis – Fes

   Drive south through rolling olive country to Volubilis, the most beautiful Roman site in Morocco and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk among the mosaic floors, the columns of the basilica and the triumphal arch, with the hills of Zerhoun all around. Continue to Fes, where you check in to a restored palace riad, with carved cedar, zellige tilework and a quiet courtyard, often with a fountain. Dinner at the riad and an evening to settle in. Lunch is in the hills nearby.

   Overnight: Palace riad in Fes Meals: Breakfast, dinner

5. 5

   Day 5 Fes: guided medina and private cooking class

   In the morning, a private guide leads you through Fes el-Bali: the Bou Inania madrasa, the doorway of the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university, the Nejjarine fountain and the Chouara tannery from a terrace above the dye pits. You meet artisans whose families have worked brass and cedar for generations. In the afternoon, join a private cooking class: shop for spices, then learn to prepare a tagine, salads and bread with a local cook, and enjoy the meal you have made together.

   Overnight: Palace riad in Fes Meals: Breakfast, dinner

6. 6

   Day 6 Fes – Merzouga, luxury desert camp

   Cross the Middle Atlas via Ifrane and the cedar forests, with stops for Barbary macaques and coffee. After lunch in Midelt, follow the palm-filled Ziz Valley south to the Sahara. In the late afternoon, reach the dunes of Erg Chebbi and ride a camel to your luxury camp for sunset. Your tent has a proper bed, a private bathroom and quality linens. Dinner is served by candlelight, followed by music around the fire and a sky crowded with stars. Your main luggage stays in the vehicle.

   Overnight: Luxury desert camp in Merzouga Meals: Breakfast, dinner

7. 7

   Day 7 Merzouga private experiences

   Wake for sunrise from the top of a dune, coffee in hand. After breakfast, a private 4x4 takes you around Erg Chebbi: nomad families, the seasonal lake that sometimes draws flamingos, and the village of Khamlia, where Gnawa musicians perform for visitors. Return to the camp to rest during the hottest hours. In the evening, enjoy a private dinner set up for you among the dunes, lit by lanterns. It is the kind of moment our honeymoon guests talk about long after they get home.

   Overnight: Luxury desert camp in Merzouga Meals: Breakfast, dinner

8. 8

   Day 8 Merzouga – Todra Gorge – Skoura oasis

   Drive west through the oasis towns of the Tafilalt to Tinghir and walk into the Todra Gorge, where cliffs about 300 meters high frame a narrow river. Continue along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, through the Dades Valley, to Skoura, a vast palm grove dotted with earthen kasbahs. Tonight you sleep in a restored luxury kasbah surrounded by palm trees, with a pool and a peaceful garden. Dinner at the kasbah, often with produce from its own garden. Time for a swim before dinner.

   Overnight: Luxury kasbah in Skoura Meals: Breakfast, dinner

9. 9

   Day 9 Skoura – Aït Benhaddou – Marrakech

   Enjoy a slow breakfast and a walk through the palm grove, then drive past Ouarzazate to Aït Benhaddou, the fortified village listed by UNESCO and famous from many film sets. Climb to the granary at the top for the view over the valley. After lunch, cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass at about 2,260 meters, stopping at viewpoints along the way. In the early evening you arrive in Marrakech and check in to a luxury riad in or near the medina.

   Overnight: Luxury riad in Marrakech Meals: Breakfast, dinner

10. 10

    Day 10 Marrakech: private guide, gardens and hammam

    Discover Marrakech with a private guide: the Koutoubia mosque, the painted rooms of the Bahia Palace, the Saadian tombs and the craft souks, with tips on bargaining fairly. In the afternoon, step into the calm of the Majorelle Garden or another of the city's gardens, then unwind in a hammam with a traditional scrub and massage. In the evening, see Jemaa el-Fna square come alive, or enjoy dinner on a rooftop with a view of the Koutoubia. Your guide adapts the pace to you.

    Overnight: Luxury riad in Marrakech Meals: Breakfast, dinner

11. 11

    Day 11 Agafay desert or Atlas lodge day

    Choose how to spend your last full day. Option one: the Agafay desert, a stone desert about 40 minutes from Marrakech, for a camel ride or a quad session, lunch with views of the Atlas and a sunset you will remember. Option two: the High Atlas, with a drive to a mountain lodge near Imlil, a walk through Berber villages and walnut groves, and lunch on a terrace facing the peaks. Either way, you return to your riad in Marrakech for the evening.

    Overnight: Luxury riad in Marrakech Meals: Breakfast, dinner

12. 12

    Day 12 Departure transfer, end of tour

    Enjoy a final breakfast on the riad terrace and some last-minute shopping in the souks if your flight allows. Your driver then takes you to Marrakech Menara Airport for your flight home. Flying back on a nonstop from Casablanca instead? Tell us when you book and we will plan a private transfer to Mohammed V Airport, roughly 2.5 to 3 hours by road, timed to your departure. End of the tour and, we hope, the start of many stories. Safe travels home.

    Overnight: — (tour ends) 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.

Included

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