Grand Morocco tour · From Casablanca
Ten days to see Morocco properly, from the Mediterranean to the Sahara.
About this tour
This grand tour covers the whole country at a comfortable pace. Begin on the Atlantic in Casablanca and Rabat, head north to artistic Asilah and cosmopolitan Tangier, then climb into the Rif mountains to the blue town of Chefchaouen.
From there the route turns south to Roman Volubilis and imperial Meknes, with a guided day in the medina of Fes, before crossing the Middle Atlas to the Sahara for a night among the dunes of Erg Chebbi. The return west follows the Todra and Dades gorges, the Valley of Roses and Aït Benhaddou to Marrakech, where a guided day completes the journey.
Ten days, nine nights, two great medinas, one desert night and a private driver-guide throughout. Ideal for a first trip that shows you all of Morocco.
Best for: First-time visitors who want to see the north, the imperial cities and the Sahara in one trip.
Casablanca · Hassan II Mosque · Mohammed V Square · Corniche · About 1 hour of driving
We meet you at Mohammed V airport or your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, visit the Hassan II Mosque, built partly over the Atlantic, with a minaret around 210 metres high, one of the tallest in the world. It is one of the few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslim visitors on guided tours.
Continue to Mohammed V Square and its Art Deco and Mauresque buildings, stop for a photo at Rick's Café, inspired by the famous film, and end with a walk along the Corniche as the sun sets over the ocean.
Casablanca · Rabat · Asilah · About 3.5 hours of driving
Drive up the coast to Rabat, Morocco's calm capital, for about an hour. Walk among the columns around the unfinished 12th-century Hassan Tower, see the richly decorated Mausoleum of Mohammed V guarded by horsemen, and wander the blue-and-white lanes of the Kasbah of the Udayas above the mouth of the Bou Regreg river.
Continue north along the coast to Asilah, a small whitewashed town inside Portuguese ramparts, famous for the murals painted on its walls during its summer arts festival. Walk the sea walls at sunset.
Asilah · Cap Spartel · Caves of Hercules · Tangier · Chefchaouen · About 3 hours of driving
Drive to Cap Spartel, the north-western tip of Africa, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, and visit the Caves of Hercules nearby. In Tangier, wander the kasbah and medina, long a crossroads of cultures, writers and artists.
In the afternoon, climb into the Rif mountains to Chefchaouen, whose houses and lanes are painted every shade of blue. Settle into your riad and explore the medina in the evening light.
Chefchaouen · Volubilis · Meknes · Fes · About 4 hours of driving
Enjoy an early stroll through Chefchaouen's blue lanes while they are still quiet, then drive south out of the Rif mountains to Volubilis. The Roman city's Arch of Caracalla and mosaic floors stand in open countryside, a wonderful place to imagine life at the edge of the empire.
Continue to Meknes, the imperial city of Moulay Ismail, known for its huge ramparts, the Bab Mansour gate and the royal stables that once held thousands of horses. Arrive in Fes in the evening.
Fes el-Bali · Royal Palace · Mellah · Borj Sud · Walking tour
A full day to discover Fes, Morocco's oldest imperial city. Begin with a panoramic view from the Borj Sud fortress and a stop at the golden gates of the Royal Palace, then enter the medina with a licensed local guide.
Visit the Bou Inania Madrasa, with its carved cedar and zellige tiles, see the Al Quaraouiyine university, founded in 859, from its doorways, watch leather being dyed at the Chouara tannery, and meet the coppersmiths, weavers and potters who keep centuries-old crafts alive. In the evening, choose a restaurant in the medina or ask your riad to cook for you.
Fes · Ifrane · Azrou cedar forest · Midelt · Ziz Valley · Erfoud · Merzouga · about 458 km · About 7 hours of driving
Today you trade cities for wide-open spaces. Leaving Fes at 8:00 am, the road climbs through the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, with a stop in Ifrane and a chance to see Barbary macaques near Azrou. Lunch is in Midelt, beneath the peaks of Jbel Ayachi.
In the afternoon, cross the Tizi n'Talghemt pass and follow the Ziz Valley south through a canyon of palm groves and ruined kasbahs to Erfoud and Merzouga. Your camel guide is waiting at the edge of the dunes: ride into Erg Chebbi for sunset, try sandboarding, and spend the night in a Berber camp with dinner, drumming and a sky full of stars.
Merzouga · Rissani · Erfoud · Tinjdad · Tinghir · Todra Gorge · Dades Valley · about 265 km · About 5 hours of driving
After a Saharan sunrise and breakfast at camp, you ride back to meet your driver and head west. Rissani, the town from which Morocco's Alaouite dynasty rose, is the first stop; if it is a market day (Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday), wander through the souk. Then cross the desert plains to Tinghir and its long palm oasis.
Walk through the narrow Todra Gorge between walls of orange limestone, then follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs to the Dades Valley. A short drive up the valley shows you the rounded Monkey Fingers rocks and the famous hairpin road before you reach your hotel for dinner.
Dades Valley · Kalaat M'Gouna · Skoura · Ouarzazate · Aït Benhaddou · Tizi n'Tichka · Marrakech · about 353 km · About 6.5 hours of driving
Leave the Dades Valley after breakfast and head west through Kalaat M'Gouna, famous for its roses and rosewater, and the Skoura oasis, where earthen kasbahs rise above the palms. Pass Ouarzazate, the gateway to the Sahara, to reach Aït Benhaddou.
Explore the ksar on foot: cross the river, climb through the lanes and enjoy the view from the old granary. Then cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, with photo stops above the Berber villages, and arrive in Marrakech in the late afternoon for two nights in the Red City.
Marrakech medina · Walking tour
Visit the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the Ben Youssef Madrasa with a local guide, admire the Koutoubia minaret and explore the souks of the medina.
In the afternoon, visit the Majorelle Garden (tickets booked online) or relax in a hammam, then enjoy a final dinner overlooking Jemaa el-Fna.
Marrakech or Casablanca airport
After breakfast, transfer to Marrakech Menara airport, or back to Casablanca (about three hours) if your flight leaves from there.
Your driver-guide can plan a coffee stop on the way and help with your luggage at the airport.
Every tent is private. Pick the comfort level that suits you; tell us your choice when you book.
Private tents with their own en-suite bathroom, offering a good balance between comfort and the authentic feel of a Berber camp.
Spacious, elegantly furnished tents equipped with air conditioning and heating, so you stay cool on summer nights and warm in winter. Ideal for couples and families.
Absolutely. Every tour is private, so you can add or remove nights, change the camp style, combine routes or start on a different date. Tell us what you have in mind and we will adapt the plan and price.
A private, air-conditioned minivan or 4x4, depending on group size. Our vehicles are under five years old, regularly inspected and insured for tourist transport.
Yes, families travel with us often. Children love the camel ride and the camp. For young children we usually recommend a longer version of the route, with shorter driving days.
Comfortable clothes, a warm layer for the evenings, a hat or scarf, sunglasses, sun cream and closed shoes. For the desert night, a small backpack is enough; your main luggage stays safely in the vehicle.
Both camps have private tents with en-suite bathrooms, hot showers and comfortable bedding. The mid-range luxury camp offers a good balance between comfort and authenticity. The luxury camp adds air conditioning and heating in every tent, plus more spacious, elegantly furnished tents, so you stay comfortable on hot summer nights and cold winter ones.
Before you go
What makes each of the four royal capitals different, and how to link them in one journey.
Where the dunes are, the best season to visit and what a night in Erg Chebbi is really like.
When to go, how long to stay, how to get around and how to build a route that fits your time.
Related tours
Morocco's essentials in under a week: Roman Volubilis and Meknes, a guided day in the Fes medina, two nights in the Sahara, then the gorges and kasbahs on the road to Marrakech.
An imperial-cities journey with no long desert drives: Rabat, Meknes and Volubilis, guided days in Fes and Marrakech, and the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas in between.
Imperial cities and two nights at the dunes in eight days: Casablanca, Rabat and Meknes, a guided day in Fes, Merzouga with a camel trek and a 4x4 day, the Dades Valley and guided Marrakech.
The classic first trip in nine days, with pick-up at Casablanca airport or your accommodation: Rabat, blue Chefchaouen, Volubilis and guided Fes, a night in the Merzouga dunes, the Dades Valley and two nights in Marrakech.
