9-Day Morocco Tour From Casablanca: Sahara, Mountains & Medinas

Nine days, one driver, the whole country

A 9-day private guided tour from Casablanca takes you through Morocco's most visited regions: Rabat's royal sites, the blue-washed medina of Chefchaouen, the historic city of Fes, a camel trek and desert camp in Merzouga, the Todra Gorges and Dades Valley, the UNESCO kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, and Marrakech's palaces and souks. The same air-conditioned vehicle and driver stay with you the entire journey. Local guides lead walks through Fes and Marrakech. Pickup from Casablanca airport is included, as is the camel ride and one night in a traditional Sahara desert tent.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and Casablanca city

• Arrive at Casablanca Airport
• Transfer to hotel in Casablanca
• Overnight in Casablanca hotel

Day 2: Casablanca, Rabat and Chefchaouen

• Visit Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca
• Travel to Rabat
• Visit Hassan Tower, Bab Challah, Mausoleum of Mohammed V, royal palace gate, Oudaya Kasbah
• Travel to Chefchaouen
• Walk blue alleys and explore medina
• Overnight in Chefchaouen hotel

Day 3: Chefchaouen and travel to Fes

• Free morning to visit Chefchaouen
• Visit Outa el Hammam square and casbah
• Lunch in Chefchaouen
• Travel to Fes
• Check in hotel in Fes

Day 4: Fes city tour

• Breakfast in riad
• Visit Royal Palace gate and Jewish quarter
• Visit Al Qaraouine University, Tanneries, Moulay Idriss mausoleum
• Lunch
• Visit tiles cooperative
• Panoramic view over Fes medina
• Overnight in Fes hotel

Day 5: Fes to Merzouga Sahara Desert

• Breakfast in Fes
• Travel via Ifrane and cedar forest
• Stop at Azrou to see Barbary apes
• Lunch in Midelt
• Travel through Tiz Ntalghamt pass and Ziz Gorge
• Stop for views in Ziz Valley
• Arrive Merzouga, welcome with mint tea
• Camel ride to desert camp
• Overnight in Berber tent in Sahara

Day 6: Merzouga to Dades Valley

• Early camel ride to watch sunrise
• Camel trek back to Merzouga village
• Breakfast and shower in riad
• Travel to Rissani, Tinghir, Todra Gorges
• Lunch in Todra Gorges
• Drive through Dades Valley, see rock formations
• Overnight in Dades Valley hotel

Day 7: Dades Valley to Marrakech

• Breakfast in Dades Valley hotel
• Travel through Dades Valley to Ouarzazate
• Stop at Kalaat M’Gouna rose valley
• Visit Kasbah of Taourirt and Cinema Museum
• Visit Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah
• Travel over Tizi n’Tichka Pass
• Visit Argan oil cooperative
• Overnight in Marrakech hotel

Day 8: Marrakech sightseeing

• Breakfast in hotel
• Visit Majorelle Gardens, Koutoubia Tower
• Visit Saadian tombs and Bahia Palace
• Lunch near the square
• Walk through souks and handicrafts
• Free afternoon in Marrakech
• Overnight in Marrakech hotel

Day 9: Transfer to airport

• Breakfast in hotel
• Transfer to Casablanca or Marrakech Airport

The experience

You arrive at Casablanca airport and your driver meets you at the exit with a sign bearing your name. He transfers you to your hotel or riad in the city, and the next morning the 9 days begin. The first stop is the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, then the drive north to Rabat, where you walk past the Hassan Tower, Bab Challah, and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V before continuing to Chefchaouen. You reach the Blue City in the late afternoon with time to walk its steep cobbled alleys. The medina's buildings are painted in faded blue tones, and the narrow streets fill with leather workshops and weaving studios. The central square, Outa el Hammam, holds a fifteenth-century casbah with red walls and an ethnographic museum.

Day three gives you a free morning in Chefchaouen to explore on your own, then a three-hour drive to Fes. The next day is a full city tour: you walk the Royal Palace gate, the Jewish quarter (the Mellah, built in the 14th century), the Al Qaraouine University, the oldest in the world, the Tanneries, and the Moulay Idriss mausoleum. After lunch you visit a tiles cooperative and climb to a panoramic overlook of the entire medina. Day five is the longest drive: you leave Fes heading south through Ifrane (called the Switzerland of Morocco), stop at the cedar forest on the Middle Atlas where Barbary apes live, pass through Midelt, cross the Tiz Ntalghamt pass and the Ziz Gorge, and arrive in Merzouga in the afternoon. After mint tea, you mount a camel and ride across the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi to a traditional Berber tent camp in the desert.

The next morning your camel guide wakes you before dawn to watch the sunrise over the dunes, then you trek back to the village. After breakfast and a hot shower, you drive to the Todra Gorges (the highest and narrowest in Morocco), and have lunch in the heart of the gorge. The afternoon takes you through the Dades Valley, where rock formations called "monkey toes" rise from the earth and kasbahs dot the landscape. Day seven begins with a drive through the Dades Valley toward Ouarzazate, stopping at Kalaat M'Gouna in the rose valley, then continuing to the red-earth kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO site of earthen buildings with high towers decorated in raw brick designs. You cross the Tizi n'Tichka Pass (2260 meters) over the High Atlas and stop at a Berber women's argan oil cooperative before reaching Marrakech. Day eight is a full city tour: the Majorelle Gardens, Koutoubia Tower, Saadian tombs, Bahia Palace, lunch near the main square, and a walk through the souks. The morning of day nine is free, then your driver transfers you to Casablanca or Marrakech airport depending on your flight.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned vehicle and driver for all 9 days.
• accommodations in hotels and riads.
• camel ride across the Erg Chebbi dunes.
• one night in a traditional Berber tent in the Sahara desert.
• local guides in Fes and Marrakech.
• airport pickup from Casablanca.

Information

Lasts 9d, runs every day with no fixed time, from US$ 3,079 per person, with live guides in 6 languages, as a private tour and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery day

GroupPrivate1 in a group ›

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

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

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 3 pickup points.

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

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availableNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Tilila Travel

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you're landing in Casablanca without a rental car or local knowledge. The driver meets you at the airport, handles all the driving across mountains and desert, and the itinerary holds together without you building it. The 9-day length means you see the Sahara, the gorges, and both major medinas without rushing any of them.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

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

What's included in the 9-day Morocco tour from Casablanca?

The tour includes the air-conditioned vehicle and driver for all 9 days, accommodations in hotels and riads, a camel ride and one night in a traditional Sahara desert tent, local guides in Fes and Marrakech, and airport pickup. Lunch and drinks are not included.

Do I need to arrange my own transport between cities?

No. The same driver and vehicle stay with you for the entire 9 days, so all transport between Casablanca, Rabat, Chefchaouen, Fes, Merzouga, Dades Valley, Ouarzazate, Ait Ben Haddou, and Marrakech is handled.

What happens during the night in the Sahara desert camp?

You ride a camel across the Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset and arrive at a traditional Berber tent camp where you spend the night. The next morning a camel guide wakes you before dawn to watch the sunrise over the dunes, then you trek back to the village.

How much time do I spend walking through the medinas of Fes and Marrakech?

Fes has a full day of guided walking through the oldest city in Morocco, covering the Royal Palace gate, Jewish quarter, Al Qaraouine University, Tanneries, and Moulay Idriss mausoleum, plus a panoramic overlook. Marrakech has a full day of sightseeing including the Majorelle Gardens, Koutoubia Tower, Saadian tombs, Bahia Palace, and the souks, with a free afternoon to explore on your own.

Is the Todra Gorges stop included in the itinerary?

Yes. On day six, after leaving the Sahara desert camp, you drive to the Todra Gorges (the highest and narrowest in Morocco) have lunch in the heart of the gorge, then continue through the Dades Valley.