Casablanca to Marrakech: 8-Day Desert & Imperial Cities Tour

Eight Days Across Morocco: From Coastal Casablanca to the Sahara and Back

You travel by private car from Casablanca through five imperial cities and the Merzouga Desert over eight days, with daily breakfast, local guides in Fes and Marrakech, and entry to major sites including Hassan II Mosque, Volubilis, Todra and Dades Gorges, Ait Ben Haddou, and Marrakech's palaces and souks. The fixed itinerary and included transport remove the logistics of moving between regions, leaving you to focus on walking, looking, and absorbing each place before moving to the next.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Casablanca, Rabat, and Meknes visit

• Arrive in Casablanca
• Visit Hassan II Mosque
• Travel to Rabat
• Visit Chellah archaeological site
• See Hassan Tower and Mohamed 5th mausoleum
• Travel to Meknes
• Overnight in Meknes

Day 2: Meknes and Volubilis exploration

• Breakfast in Meknes
• Visit Sahrij Swani granary
• Visit Sultan's mausoleum
• See Bab Mansour gate
• Travel to Volubilis
• Explore Volubilis Roman site
• Travel to Fes

Day 3: Fes old medina sightseeing

• Breakfast in Fes
• Meet local guide
• Explore Fes medieval medina
• Visit tanneries
• Enjoy Fes cuisine
• Panoramic view from southern tower
• Visit pottery cooperative
• Optional dinner show with belly dancers

Day 4: Fes to Merzouga Desert journey

• Leave Fes
• Stop in Ifrane
• See monkeys in Azrou cedar woods
• Lunch in Midelt
• Drive through Ziz valley
• Arrive in Merzouga Desert

Day 5: Merzouga to Ouarzazate via gorges

• Breakfast in Merzouga
• Leave Sahara
• Break in Tinjidad
• Lunch in Todra valley
• Visit Todra Gorges
• Explore Dades valley and rock formations
• Cross Rose Valley
• Overnight in Ouarzazate

Day 6: Ouarzazate to Marrakech via kasbahs

• Visit Taourirte Kasbah
• Visit cinema studio
• Walk in Ait Ben Haddou village
• Visit Telouet Kasbah
• Drive over Tizi-n-Tichka pass
• Arrive in Marrakech

Day 7: Marrakech city tour

• Meet local guide
• Visit Bahia Palace
• Visit Saadian Tombs
• Explore Marrakech souks
• Visit Majorelle Garden
• Finish at Jamaa Elfana square

Day 8: Departure from Marrakech or Casablanca

• Transfer to Marrakech or Casablanca airport
• End of tour

The experience

What happens when you have a week and want to see the whole arc of Morocco (the coast, the mountains, the desert, the ancient cities) without piecing it together yourself? This 8-day tour from Casablanca moves you through it all in sequence, starting with the Hassan II Mosque (built between 1987 and 1993, it holds 25,000 worshipers inside and another 80,000 in the courtyard), then pushing inland through Rabat's UNESCO-listed Chellah ruins and into Meknes before you ever reach the medina. The rhythm is steady: you're picked up from your hotel in Casablanca, driven to each place, given time to walk and look, and moved on. No arranging taxis between cities, no guessing which gate to enter.

Days 3 and 4 are where the tour shifts. In Fes, a local guide takes you into the old medina (9,000 alleyways, the itinerary says, and it feels like it) past the tanneries where you watch workers in the leather pits, through the pottery cooperative, into the noise and color of a city that hasn't fundamentally changed in centuries. Then you leave that behind and cross the Middle Atlas Mountains toward the Sahara. You stop in Ifrane (sometimes called the small Switzerland, with Morocco's first ski resort), pass through cedar woods where Barbary macaque families live, and by evening you're in Merzouga, at the edge of the desert. The landscape shift is real and sudden.

Days 5 and 6 take you through the gorges and valleys on the way back west. Todra Gorge is 15 kilometers of date palms ending in a rock wall. Dades Valley has formations carved by millions of years of erosion. You cross the Rose Valley (the only place in Morocco where Damascus roses are harvested for rose water and oil), and then arrive at Ait Ben Haddou: the ancient clay village where Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator were filmed, also UNESCO-listed since 1987. From there, the Telouet Kasbah, built by a 19th-century lord of the Atlas, and then the drive north over the Tizi-n-Tichka pass (2,260 meters) into Marrakech.

Your final two days are in Marrakech itself. Day 7 includes the Bahia Palace with its mosaics and stucco work, the Saadian Tombs from the 17th century, the sprawling souks, and the Majorelle Garden (the one with the famous indigo-blue walls and plants from around the world). Jemaa el-Fnaa square (the main plaza where snake charmers, musicians, and food vendors work) is where the city tour ends. Day 8 is a transfer to either Marrakech or Casablanca airport, depending on where you need to be. Breakfast is included every morning. Some dinners are included as well. Private transportation means you're not on a bus with thirty other people, and the local guides in Fes and Marrakech know the medinas well enough to move you past the obvious stops.

What’s included

• Your eight days include private transportation from Casablanca through Rabat, Meknes, Fes, the Merzouga Desert, Ouarzazate, and Marrakech.
• daily breakfast at each location.
• dinner at select stops.
• entry to Hassan II Mosque, Chellah archaeological site, Volubilis Roman ruins, Fes medina and tanneries, Todra and Dades Gorges, Ait Ben Haddou village, Telouet Kasbah, Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, Majorelle Garden, and Marrakech souks.
• local guides in Fes and Marrakech.
• and a final transfer to your departure airport.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

Book up to10h before

AgesAdult (28 to 40 years) · Senior (41 to 80 years) · Youth (18 to 27 years) · Child (11 to 17 years) · Infant (under 11)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Arabic

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 40 pickup points.

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

Prices and times updated 15 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by love Morocco Desert

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to see Morocco's main regions (coast, mountains, desert, and imperial cities) in one eight-day loop without arranging transport between them or deciding which sites to enter. The fixed itinerary and private car handle the logistics so you can focus on each place.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

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

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (18 to 27 years); Child (11 to 17 years); Infant (under 11).

What is included in the 8-day Casablanca to Marrakech tour?

Private transportation, daily breakfast, and dinner at some locations. Entry fees to Hassan II Mosque, Volubilis, Todra Gorge, Dades Valley, Ait Ben Haddou, and Marrakech sites (Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, Majorelle Garden) are included. Local guides are provided in Fes and Marrakech.

How long is the drive from Casablanca to Merzouga Desert?

The itinerary spans Days 1–4, with stops in Rabat, Meknes, Volubilis, and Ifrane before reaching Merzouga. The full journey is broken across multiple days with overnight stays, not a single drive.

Do you visit Ait Ben Haddou on this tour?

Yes, on Day 6. Ait Ben Haddou is an ancient clay village and UNESCO site where films including Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator were shot. You walk through the village with time to explore.

What happens on the last day of the tour?

Day 8 is a transfer from Marrakech to either Marrakech airport or Casablanca airport, depending on your flight. This marks the end of the tour.

What is the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech?

A peaceful botanical garden in the new city (ville nouvelle) containing exotic plants from around the world, known for its distinctive indigo-blue painted walls. It is included in the Day 7 Marrakech city tour.