13-Day Private Morocco Tour from Casablanca

Welcome to Morocco. Your driver will meet you at Casablanca airport and take you to your hotel. Settle in and rest after your flight. If your arrival time allows, take a short city tour, including the Corniche and the outside of Hassan II Mosque. An interior visit can be arranged around the mosque’s visitor schedule.

After breakfast, drive to Rabat. Visit Hassan Tower, part of an unfinished 12th-century mosque, and the nearby Mausoleum of Mohammed V. Walk through the Kasbah of the Udayas above the Bou Regreg River, then continue through the countryside to Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains. Settle into your accommodation and enjoy a first walk through the blue lanes if arrival time allows. Visits are arranged around opening times and the day’s driving.

Enjoy a short morning walk through Chefchaouen’s blue lanes before leaving for Volubilis. Explore the archaeological site with a local guide. Founded before Roman rule, the town preserves house mosaics, a basilica and a triumphal arch. Continue to Meknes, the imperial capital of Sultan Moulay Ismail in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. See the old city and monumental gates, then drive to Fes. Access to individual monuments depends on restoration work and opening hours. This is a full travel day, so the morning walk is kept short.

Spend the day exploring Fes with your local guide. Walk through Fes el Bali, the old walled medina, where workshops, markets and neighbourhood fountains still shape daily life. Visit a historic madrasa when open, and see the Nejjarine square and fountain; the nearby woodcraft museum occupies a former merchants’ inn. View Al Quaraouiyine from the permitted public areas and stop at a tannery viewpoint. Later, see the Royal Palace gates and the Mellah, the historic Jewish quarter. Your guide will adjust the route to opening hours and your interests.

Leave early for the Sahara. Cross the Middle Atlas, stopping in Ifrane and the cedar forests near Azrou. If Barbary macaques are nearby, observe them from a distance without feeding them. Continue through Midelt and the Ziz Valley, with viewpoints over palm groves, then pass Erfoud on the way to Merzouga. This is one of the longest driving days, with regular breaks. Arrive at your desert hotel and rest before dinner.

Explore the Merzouga area by private 4×4. Visit Khamlia to hear Gnawa music and learn about the village’s musical traditions. A tea visit with a local family may be arranged when hosts are available and happy to welcome guests. Enjoy your included lunch, then return to prepare for the dunes. In the late afternoon, take a camel ride towards camp, with time to enjoy the sunset when conditions allow. Dinner is served at your desert camp, where your tent has a private bathroom.

Wake early if you would like to see sunrise over the dunes. After breakfast, leave Merzouga and stop in Rissani, a historic trading town near the old caravan routes. Market activity varies by day. Continue towards Tinghir and walk through the Todra Gorge, where high limestone walls rise above the river. Travel on to the Dades Valley for dinner and your overnight stay.

Travel through the Valley of Roses and the Skoura area towards Ouarzazate. Continue to Ait Ben Haddou, a fortified village of earthen buildings on an old trade route between the Sahara and Marrakech. Walk through the lanes and climb to a viewpoint if you wish. Cross the High Atlas via the Tizi n’Tichka pass, with breaks along the way, then arrive in Marrakech. A film-studio visit or extra kasbah stop can be considered if time allows; this is already a full travel day.

Explore Marrakech with your local guide. See the Koutoubia Mosque from outside, then visit the Bahia Palace and the Saadian Tombs, subject to opening hours. The palace shows the work of Moroccan artisans, while the tombs belong to the dynasty that ruled Marrakech in the 16th century. Walk through the medina’s workshops and souks and finish around Jemaa el-Fna square. Keep the afternoon flexible rather than rushing through too many sights. Majorelle Garden can be arranged separately with advance reservations.

Drive into the High Atlas to Imlil. Meet your local mountain guide for a walk through villages and terraced fields, with the length and difficulty suited to your group. Learn about local Amazigh life and enjoy your included lunch before returning to Marrakech. Bring comfortable walking shoes and layers; mountain weather can change quickly. If you prefer Ouzoud Waterfalls, this can be arranged instead, with different driving times and activities agreed in advance.

Travel west to Essaouira on the Atlantic coast. On arrival, explore with your local guide. Walk along the sea walls, see the working fishing port and wander through the medina. Much of the town’s present layout dates to the 18th century, when it developed as a trading port linking Morocco with Europe and beyond. Enjoy the rest of the day at your own pace, with time for the beach or the small shops and galleries.

Enjoy a relaxed morning in Essaouira before the drive to your final hotel. Depending on your departure airport and flight time, stay in Marrakech or continue to Casablanca. We will confirm this final overnight stop when planning your trip, so your airport transfer is practical. If continuing to Casablanca, leave enough time for the longer journey.

Your driver will take you to the agreed airport for your departure. Pickup time will be confirmed around your flight, departure airport and final hotel. Breakfast is included at your accommodation; availability before an early pickup depends on the hotel’s breakfast hours.