7-Day Private Guided Tour: Casablanca to Marrakech

You ride camels into the Sahara and wake to the desert sunrise.

A 7-day private guided tour starting in Casablanca and ending in Marrakech, visiting Morocco's imperial cities, mountain towns and desert dunes with an English, Spanish, Italian or French-speaking guide. Each day moves through a new region (from the whitewashed medina of Chefchaouen to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, the tanneries of Fes, a camel trek across Erg Chebbi dunes, and the kasbahs of the south) with nights in local riads and hotels, including one in a Sahara desert camp.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Casablanca to Chefchaouen via Rabat

• Depart Casablanca airport or hotel
• Visit Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca
• Drive to Rabat
• Visit Hassan Tower and Royal Palace exterior
• Visit Kasbah of Oudayas
• Travel to Ouazane and Chefchaouen
• Explore Chefchaouen medina
• Overnight in local riad or hotel

Day 2: Chefchaouen to Fes via Meknes and Volubilis

• Drive from Chefchaouen to Meknes via Ouazane
• Visit Meknes city
• Discover Volubilis UNESCO site
• Drive to Fes
• Explore Fes local medina
• Overnight in local riad or hotel

Day 3: Fes medina excursion

• Breakfast in local riad or hotel
• Explore Fes historical sites and souks
• Visit tanneries
• Visit Place an-Nejjarine
• Visit Kairaouine Mosque
• Visit Souk El Attarine
• Free afternoon program
• Overnight in local riad or hotel

Day 4: Fes to Merzouga desert via Ifran and Erfoud

• Breakfast in local riad or hotel
• Travel through Ifrane and Azrou cedar forest
• Travel to Midelt
• Lunch in Midelt
• Discover Ziz valley and fossils in Erfoud
• Reach Merzouga and ride camels in Sahara dunes
• Overnight in Sahara desert camp
• Dinner and Berber music in desert camp

Day 5: Merzouga to Dades Gorges via Rissani and Todra

• Watch desert sunrise in Erg Chebbi
• Ride camels back to Merzouga village
• Breakfast in local camp
• Drive to Rissani and visit ancient souk
• Travel to Tinijdad
• Explore Todra Gorge
• Continue to Dades Gorges
• Dinner and overnight in local riad

Day 6: Dades Gorges to Marrakech via Ouarzazate

• Explore Dades Gorges
• Drive via Thousand Kasbahs road
• Visit kasbah in Skoura
• Transfer to Ouarzazate and visit film studios
• Lunch at Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou UNESCO site
• Cross Tizi n‘Tichka pass
• Arrive in Marrakech and drop off at riad or hotel
• Overnight in local riad or hotel

Day 7: Marrakech city tour

• Breakfast in local riad or hotel
• Visit Koutoubia Mosque
• Visit Bahia Palace
• Visit Saadian Tombs
• Lunch break
• Explore Jemaa el Fna Square
• Walk through Marrakech souks
• Overnight at riad

The experience

Casablanca is the starting point, where your guide picks you up from your hotel or the airport. The first day moves north through Rabat (Morocco's capital) to Chefchaouen, a town of blue-painted buildings in the Rif mountains where you'll walk the medina and see the Ras el-Maa Waterfall. From there the route turns inland toward Fes, stopping in Meknes and at Volubilis, a UNESCO site with Roman ruins scattered across hillside terraces.

Day four is the pivot: you leave the cities behind and drive south through Ifrane and its cedar forests toward the Sahara. By late afternoon you reach Merzouga, where you mount a camel and ride across the Erg Chebbi dunes to a desert camp. After dinner you listen to Berber music under the stars. The next morning you watch the sunrise from the dunes before riding back to the village, then continue south through Rissani and the Todra Gorge to the Dades Gorges, where you spend the night.

The final two days move west through the Thousand Kasbahs road (a route lined with fortified clay buildings) stopping at Skoura and Ouarzazate (where film studios operate) and the UNESCO kasbah of Ait Benhaddou. You cross the Tizi n'Tichka pass through the Atlas Mountains and arrive in Marrakech, where the last day is a city tour: the Koutoubia Mosque, Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, and the Jemaa el Fna Square with its food stalls, musicians and snake charmers. The guide drives an air-conditioned vehicle throughout and handles all logistics: transfers, hotels, the camel ride and drop-off at your final riad or airport.

What’s included

• All transfers from your hotel or Casablanca airport and drop-off in Marrakech.
• a private air-conditioned vehicle with an experienced guide.
• overnight stays in local hotels and traditional riads.
• one night in a Sahara desert camp.
• the camel ride across Erg Chebbi dunes.
• and a knowledgeable local guide in your chosen language.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day5 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 09:00

Book up to8h before

AgesAdult (18 to 75 years) · Child (4 to 17 years) · Infant (under 4)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, Italian and Arabic

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePets welcome

Operated by Morocco Tours Services

Is this one for you?Seven days is long enough to move slowly through five regions (north to the mountains, south to the desert, then west through the kasbahs to Marrakech) without rushing between stops. If you have less time, a 5-day tour skips the desert. If you have more, a 9-day version adds the coastal towns or the Anti-Atlas.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, Italian and Arabic.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 17 years); Infant (under 4).

What is Chefchaouen like when you arrive on the first night?

Chefchaouen is a mountain town in the Rif where the buildings and streets are painted blue. You explore the medina (old town) on foot and can visit the Ras el-Maa Waterfall nearby. It's a small, walkable place where you spend the night in a local riad or hotel.

How does the camel ride work in Merzouga?

On day four you ride a camel across the Erg Chebbi sand dunes to reach a desert camp where you stay overnight. The next morning you ride back to Merzouga village after watching the sunrise from the dunes.

What happens in Fes on day three?

Fes is an ancient city where you explore the medina, visit the tanneries (where leather is dyed in traditional vats), see the Place an-Nejjarine, the Kairaouine Mosque and Souk El Attarine. The afternoon is free, and you sleep in a riad or hotel.

Which sites are UNESCO World Heritage sites on this tour?

Volubilis (Roman ruins visited on day two) and Ait Benhaddou (a kasbah visited on day six) are both UNESCO sites. Volubilis sits on a hillside in the north. Ait Benhaddou is a fortified clay village in the south near Ouarzazate.

Is the guide the same person for all seven days?

Yes, your guide is a local, English-speaking professional (or Spanish, Italian or French if you choose) who drives the air-conditioned vehicle and leads you through each stop for the entire tour.