9-Day Morocco Tour from Casablanca: Imperial Cities & Sahara

Cross Morocco from coast to desert in nine days, sleeping in riads and waking in the dunes.

A 9-day guided tour departing from Casablanca that moves through Morocco's imperial cities, mountain passes and desert, with eight nights in hotels and riads. You'll visit the Hassan Tower in Rabat, walk the blue-painted streets of Chefchaouen, explore the Roman ruins of Volubilis, spend a night at a Berber camp in the Sahara with a camel ride at sunrise, and end in Marrakech touring the Koutoubia Tower, Saadian tombs and souks. A local guide leads the full journey in English or French.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and Casablanca city transfer

• Meet driver at Casablanca airport
• Transfer to hotel in Casablanca
• Overnight at Casablanca hotel

Day 2: Casablanca to Chefchaouen via Rabat

• Meet at hotel and depart to Rabat
• Visit Hassan Tower and Oudayas Kasbah
• Lunch in Rabat old city
• Drive through Rif Mountains to Chefchaouen
• Evening leisure and overnight in Chefchaouen

Day 3: Chefchaouen to Fes via Volubilis and Meknes

• Morning leisure in Chefchaouen
• Drive to Roman ruins of Volubilis
• Visit Volubilis ruins
• Drive through Meknes to Fes
• Overnight in Fes

Day 4: Guided city tour of Fes

• Full day guided tour of Fes old city
• Visit historical monuments and markets
• See tanneries and handcrafts
• Overnight in Fes

Day 5: Fes to Merzouga Sahara Desert

• Depart Fes via Ifrane and Midelt
• Lunch in Midelt (not included)
• Continue to Arfoud and Merzouga
• Camel ride to luxury desert camp
• Overnight in desert camp with Berber music

Day 6: Sahara Desert to Dades Valley

• Early sunrise camel ride in desert
• Return to Merzouga village by 4x4
• Visit Todra Gorges and have lunch
• Drive through Dades Valley
• Overnight at hotel or riad in Dades

Day 7: Dades Valley to Marrakech via Ouarzazate

• Breakfast and depart Dades Valley
• Stop at Kalaat M’Gouna rose valley
• Visit Ouarzazate and Cinema Museum
• Visit Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou
• Drive over Tizi n’Tichka Pass
• Explore Argan oil cooperative
• Overnight in Marrakech hotel or riad

Day 8: Marrakech sightseeing

• Breakfast at hotel or riad
• Visit Majorelle Gardens and Koutoubia Tower
• See Saadian tombs and Bahia Palace
• Lunch near the square
• Walk through souks and handicrafts
• Afternoon free time in Marrakech
• Overnight in Marrakech

Day 9: Departure transfer

• Transfer to Casablanca or Marrakech airport

The experience

The tour opens with airport pickup in Casablanca and a night to settle. Day two moves north to Rabat to see the unfinished Hassan Tower and the Oudayas Kasbah, then climbs into the Rif Mountains to Chefchaouen, where the medina is painted in shades of blue and the evening is free to wander. After a morning at leisure there, you drive past the Roman ruins of Volubilis and through Meknes to Fes, where a full day with a local guide takes you through the old city's tanneries, markets and handcrafts: Fes is the place to buy leather goods and souvenirs.

Day five is the long push south: you leave Fes after breakfast, pass through Ifrane (a mountain village known as the Switzerland of Morocco), cross the Ziz valley and arrive at the edge of the Sahara in Merzouga. A 4x4 takes you to the desert camp, where you ride a camel into the dunes for the night. A Berber music performance happens around the fire. Before dawn the next morning your guide wakes you to watch the sunrise over the Erg Chebbi sand dunes from the desert floor, then a 4x4 brings you back to the village. The route south continues through the Todra Gorge (the highest and narrowest in Morocco), and into the Dades Valley, where rock formations called "monkey toes" rise from the earth and you sleep in a hotel or riad overlooking the valley.

The final stretch crosses the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka Pass at 2,260 meters, stopping at an Argan oil cooperative run by Berber women, then descends to Ouarzazate and the fortified earthen city of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO site of seventeenth-century kasbahs and towers built into a hillside. Marrakech comes next, with a guided tour of the Majorelle Gardens, Koutoubia Tower, Saadian tombs and Bahia Palace, followed by an afternoon in the souks. The tour ends with a transfer to either Casablanca or Marrakech airport depending on your flight.

What’s included

• Local tour guide throughout the journey.
• eight nights in hotels or riads with breakfast.
• camel ride and one night at a Berber camp in the Sahara with live music around the fire.
• airport pickup in Casablanca and transfer to Casablanca or Marrakech airport at the end.
• guide fluent in English and French (Spanish and Italian available on request).

Options for this experience

2 options

9-day Morocco tour starting in CasablancaUp to 15 per booking · Guide in 5 languages · No fixed timeAccommodation in 4-star hotels or riads, which we offer as good, clean and highly rated. A guided city tour in Fes and Marrakech is provided. Breakfast is served 8 times and dinner 2 times. We use modern, clean vehicles. Pickup is included.

Private tour guides and meals included.Up to 4 per booking · Guide in 5 languages · No fixed timeStays in 4-star hotels or riads, plus a private guided city tour of Fes and Marrakech. Includes 8 breakfasts and 2 dinners, travel in a private modern car, and pickup is included.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (16 to 55 years) · Senior (56 to 95 years) · Youth (12 to 15 years) · Child (3 to 11 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German and Italian

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.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 12.19

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortInfant seats availableNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by moroccoinsighttours

Is this one for you?Book the group departure if you're traveling with at least one other person. Choose the private option if you're going solo or want a dedicated guide throughout.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

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

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (12 to 15 years); Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What's the Hassan Tower and why do we stop there on day two?

The Hassan Tower is an unfinished minaret in Rabat built in the twelfth century. It stands as one of Morocco's most recognizable monuments and the tour includes it as part of the morning visit to Rabat's old city before heading south to Chefchaouen.

Do I ride a camel in the Sahara, and how long do I spend at the desert camp?

Yes, you ride a camel from the hotel in Merzouga into the dunes to reach the Berber camp, where you spend one night. A guide wakes you before dawn the next morning to watch the sunrise over the Erg Chebbi sand dunes from the desert, then a 4x4 returns you to the village to continue south.

What are the Todra and Dades gorges, and what do we do there?

The Todra Gorge is the highest and narrowest gorge in Morocco, with towering rock walls on either side. The tour includes lunch in the heart of it. The Dades Valley lies south and is known for dramatic rock formations and traditional architecture. You stay overnight in a hotel or riad overlooking the valley.

Is Ait Ben Haddou a real place, or is it a film set?

Ait Ben Haddou is a real fortified city built into a hillside, made of earthen buildings with high towers decorated in raw brick designs. The oldest structures date from the seventeenth century. It has been used as a film location, but it is an inhabited UNESCO World Heritage site that the tour visits on day seven.

What do we do in Fes, and why is a full day there?

Fes has one of the world's largest medinas, and the tour includes a full-day guided visit with a local guide from 10am to 4pm, covering the old city's historical monuments, local markets, tanneries and handcrafts. Fes is known as the best place in Morocco to buy leather goods and souvenirs.

Does the tour include entrance fees to the monuments in Marrakech and Fes?

Entrance fees to monuments in Marrakech and Fes are not included in the tour price and are paid separately at each site.