12-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, travel to Rabat, Morocco’s capital. Walk through the Oudayas Kasbah, with views over the Bou Regreg estuary and the Atlantic. See Hassan Tower, the unfinished minaret of a large Almohad mosque project, and the nearby Mohammed V Mausoleum when access allows. After a lunch break, continue through the countryside toward Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains. Check in and enjoy a first walk through the blue-painted medina if arrival time allows. Your full guided visit is planned for tomorrow, so there is no need to rush the afternoon.

Meet your local guide for a walk through Chefchaouen. Explore the blue lanes, craft shops and Uta el Hammam square, with time for the Kasbah if you wish. The town began as a mountain stronghold in the 15th century and later welcomed families from Andalusia. Enjoy a free afternoon. If you feel like a climb, walk up to the Spanish Mosque viewpoint near sunset. An optional Akchour excursion requires a separate half day and replaces some free time.

Travel south to Volubilis and explore the archaeological site with a local guide. The settlement dates to the 3rd century BC and later became an important Roman town. Look for the house mosaics, basilica and 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 its monumental gates, then drive to Fes. Access to individual monuments depends on restoration work and opening hours.

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.

Enjoy breakfast and any free time your flight schedule allows before your private transfer to Marrakech airport. Your driver will confirm the pickup time around your departure, allowing time for traffic and check-in. If you plan to fly from Casablanca instead, tell us before booking so we can adjust the final night and transfer; Casablanca airport is a much longer drive from Marrakech.