A Taste of Morocco: Casablanca to Marrakech – 9 Days
- Private vehicle & driver — Pick-up at your riad, pace set by you
- Local licensed guide — Licensed guide nº2898 · since 2011
- Book on WhatsApp — Reply within 1 hour · no payment at this stage
- A real overnight in Chefchaouen — the blue hour without the day-trip crowds
- Guided days in both Fes and Marrakech with licensed local guides
- Sunset camel trek and ensuite camp night at the Erg Chebbi
This private 9-day circuit from Casablanca costs from €1350 per person — your own vehicle, driver and licensed guide, never in a group. The route reaches Rabat, Fes and Meknes; hotels and a night at a Sahara camp are included.
Nine days from Casablanca to Marrakech at the pace the country deserves — our seven-day grand tour with the hurry taken out. The extra nights fall exactly where travellers always wish they had them: a real overnight in Chefchaouen instead of a lunch stop, and two full days in Marrakech at the end instead of a sprint to the airport.
In between, nothing essential is skipped: Rabat’s kasbah, the blue city, Volubilis and Meknes on the road to Fes, a full guided day in the medieval medina, the great crossing to the Erg Chebbi for camels and a camp night, and the kasbah road over the Atlas. Every second day is light on driving — the nine-day shape exists precisely to breathe.
Private vehicle and driver-guide throughout, licensed local guides in Fes and Marrakech, ensuite desert camp, riads inside the medinas.
- A real overnight in Chefchaouen — the blue hour without the day-trip crowds
- Guided days in both Fes and Marrakech with licensed local guides
- Sunset camel trek and ensuite camp night at the Erg Chebbi
- Volubilis, Meknes, the Todra Gorge and Aït Ben Haddou along the way
- Two full days in Marrakech to finish — city, souks and hammam time
- Every second day light on driving, by design
Photos from the tour
Itinerary
Open a day to see the detail: transport, accommodation, meals and activity time.
Day 1 Casablanca to Rabat
Landing in Casablanca, your driver takes the coast road to Rabat for the first night — a softer landing than the big city. Time, jet lag permitting, for the Kasbah of the Oudayas and a walk on the ocean wall; dinner near the medina and an early night.
Day 2 Rabat to the blue city
A guided morning covers the capital's essentials — the Hassan Tower, the mausoleum's craftsmanship, the Chellah if the storks tempt you — then the Rif road north through olive country. Chefchaouen receives you in the late afternoon, exactly when its blue turns deepest; the evening and the rooftops are yours.
Day 3 Volubilis and Meknes to Fes
This is what the overnight buys: the blue city at dawn, empty and photographable, then a guided morning through the kasbah and the wool souks. After lunch the road bends south to Fes via a golden-hour trick — arriving with the medina lamps just coming on.
Day 4 Fes, the medieval medina
A full guided day in Fes el-Bali, the world's largest car-free city: madrasas, the tannery terraces, Al-Qarawiyyin's doorways, artisans at working pace. The evening can end at a family table if you say the word — the dishes with no written recipe are the ones you remember.
Day 5 To the Erg Chebbi dunes
The great crossing: cedar forests and monkeys near Azrou, Midelt under the Ayachi wall, the Ziz gorges' palm ribbon, and the sand at last. Camels at golden hour carry you into the Erg Chebbi; the camp is ensuite, lantern-lit, and ends the day with drums at the fire under a ridiculous number of stars.
Day 6 Desert towns to Ouarzazate
Dunes at dawn, then a westward day through the desert's greatest hits: the fossil towns near Erfoud, Tinghir and the Todra Gorge for the canyon walk, and the Dades valley's kasbah parade to Ouarzazate for the night.
Day 7 Aït Ben Haddou and the Tichka
Aït Ben Haddou in the quiet morning light — guided through the UNESCO ksar to the granary viewpoint — then the Tizi n'Tichka pass with its mint-tea belvederes and the long descent into Marrakech. Evening free; Jemaa el-Fna at dusk is the correct first move.
Day 8 Marrakech, the Red City
Marrakech unlocked with a licensed guide: the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, the Koutoubia gardens and a decoded run through the souks. The afternoon offers choices — Majorelle with timed tickets, a hammam, or nothing at all in the riad courtyard. All three are correct.
Day 9 Departure
A genuinely free final day-and-departure: a last souk errand, a rooftop breakfast that refuses to end, perhaps the photography museum or a food-stall lunch — then the private transfer to the airport whenever your flight calls. Nine days, no minute rushed.
Nine days turns the classic route from efficient into comfortable: only two stages exceed five hours, both on the country's most beautiful roads. It runs equally well reversed from Marrakech. Prime months are March–May and September–November; the desert night wants a warm layer in any season.
Included in your tour
- Private air-conditioned 4×4 or minivan with English/French-speaking driver-guide — 9 days
- Pickup at Casablanca airport or your hotel
- Night 1: Rabat riad — half-board
- Night 2: Chefchaouen riad — half-board
- Nights 3–4: Fes riad (2 nights) — half-board
- Night 5: luxury ensuite desert camp — half-board
- Night 6: kasbah hotel, Ouarzazate — half-board
- Nights 7–8: Marrakech riad (2 nights) — half-board
- Guided visit of Fes with a licensed local guide (Day 4)
- Guided visit of Marrakech with a licensed local guide (Day 8)
- Guided visit of the Aït Ben Haddou ksar (UNESCO)
- Camel trek in the dunes
- Drop-off at your Marrakech hotel or at the airport
Not included
- International flights
- Lunches and beverages
- Entrance fees to monuments and historical sites (optional — pay directly)
- Tips for guide and driver
- Personal expenses
- Travel insurance (recommended)
Questions travellers ask
How many days does Fes deserve?+
Two nights minimum — one guided day inside Fes el-Bali barely scratches it. Our favourite pattern is a guided day plus a free morning, which is why several of our circuits sleep two nights there.
What is special about the Fes medina?+
It is the world's largest car-free urban area — some 9,000 lanes where everything still moves by handcart and mule. Founded in the 9th century, it holds the Al-Qarawiyyin university, the great madrasas and craft souks that never became museums.
Are the tanneries worth seeing, and do they smell?+
The Chouara tannery from a leather-shop terrace is one of Morocco's great sights — a honeycomb of dye pits worked as it was centuries ago. Yes it smells; the sprig of mint you are handed at the door genuinely helps.
Can I visit Al-Qarawiyyin?+
The prayer hall is closed to non-Muslims, but the doorways give famous views of the courtyard, and the associated library and the nearby Attarine and Bou Inania madrasas — open to all — show the same artistry up close.
