6-Day Private Desert Tour: Casablanca to Marrakech
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- Duration
- 6 Days / 5 Nights
- Tour type
- Private
- Tour category
- Cultural Tours
- Languages
- English, French, Spanish
- Difficulty
- Easy
About this tour
6 Days / 5 Nights from Casablanca to Merzouga and Erg Chebbi (Sahara). From EUR 495 per person.
Tour highlights
- Collection straight from Casablanca airport
- A photo stop at the Hassan II Mosque on the Atlantic shore
- An evening and a morning in the blue medina of Chefchaouen
- The Roman ruins of Volubilis, a UNESCO site
- Two nights at a riad in Fes, with a full day there and a local Fes guide
- The Royal Palace, Al-Qarawiyyin University, the Chouara tanneries and the artisan souks of Fes
- Ifrane, and the Barbary macaques in the cedar forest at Azrou
- A lunch stop in Midelt
- The descent through the Ziz Valley
- Camels into Erg Chebbi at sunset and back out at sunrise
- A luxury ensuite desert camp, with dinner and a campfire
- The dates market at Rissani
- A walk in the Tinghir oasis and the Todra Gorge with its 300 m cliffs
- A night at a hotel in the Dades Valley
- The Rose Valley, and Skoura with Kasbah Amridil
- The UNESCO ksar of Aït Ben Haddou
- The Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, and the drop-off in Marrakech
Route at a glance
6 Days / 5 Nights · Casablanca → Merzouga
- Casablanca Starting point
- Merzouga
About this tour
Six days one way, Casablanca at one end and Marrakech at the other, with a private air-conditioned 4×4 or van and a driver-guide who speaks English and French. The start is a pickup at Mohamed V Airport or at a city hotel, plus a photo stop beside the Hassan II Mosque. Then it is north to the Rif and a night inside the blue medina at Chefchaouen, on to the Roman site at Volubilis, and into Fes for two nights with one whole day given over to a guided walk of the medina.
After that the route turns south across the Middle Atlas through Ifrane, Azrou and Midelt, down the Ziz Valley to Merzouga for a camel ride into the dunes at sunset and a night at a luxury ensuite desert camp, then back west by Rissani, Tinghir, the Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley, and at the last the Rose Valley, the Skoura oasis, then Aït Ben Haddou, then the Tizi n’Tichka pass and down into Marrakech. Included: half board on all five nights, the Fes guiding day, guided visits at Tinghir and at Aït Ben Haddou, and the two camel rides. Left out: lunches, entrance fees, tips, insurance.
Day by day itinerary
Print this itinerary- Day 1 of 6
Casablanca - Hassan II Mosque - Chefchaouen (5h drive) / Casablanca Arrival, Hassan II Mosque & the Blue City of Chefchaouen
Your driver will be at Casablanca Mohamed V Airport when you land, or at your hotel if you are already in town. The first stop is the Hassan II Mosque, second-largest in the world, built out over the Atlantic. You see it from outside and take your photographs. After that the drive north begins, into the Rif Mountains and Chefchaouen, where you arrive in the late afternoon and settle into a riad within the medina. Your evening is free: blue-washed lanes, the doorways everyone photographs, a rooftop cafe above it all. You eat at the riad. Half board.
- Day 2 of 6
Chefchaouen - Volubilis Roman ruins - Fes (4h drive) / Blue City Morning, Ancient Roman Ruins & Arrival in Fes
The morning is unhurried and spent in Chefchaouen: the blue medina in daylight, the viewpoint at the Spanish Mosque, artisan shops, blue stairways. Come the afternoon you drive to Volubilis, where the Roman ruins carry a UNESCO World Heritage listing and the well-preserved mosaics and columns go back to the 3rd century BC. From there it is on to Fes, arriving with time to eat at the riad, which sits right in the middle of the medina. Half board.
- Day 3 of 6
Full day guided Fes medina tour / Royal Palace, Al-Qarawiyyin, Tanneries & the Artisan Souks of Fes
The whole day goes to the Fes medina in the company of a local guide. This is one of the best-preserved medieval cities on earth, and the biggest car-free urban area in the world. You look at the Royal Palace from outside, then Al-Qarawiyyin University, which dates from 859 AD and is the oldest university in the world still functioning, then the Chouara tanneries, then the artisan souks and their metalwork, leather, ceramics and textiles. Lunch is at a traditional restaurant in the medina. Tonight dinner is yours to arrange, either out on your own or back at the riad.
- Day 4 of 6
Fes - Ifrane - Azrou - Midelt - Ziz Valley - Merzouga - sunset camel trek - luxury camp (7h drive) / Cedar Forests, Ziz Valley & Your Sunset Ride into the Sahara
You leave Fes for the Middle Atlas. Ifrane comes first, Morocco's "Little Switzerland", and then the cedar forest at Azrou where Barbary macaques live. Midelt is the lunch stop. The afternoon is a long descent of the Ziz Valley: date palms, fortified kasbahs, high cliffs, and the desert growing nearer all the while. At Merzouga a camel takes you out into the Erg Chebbi dunes for the sunset. You sleep at the luxury desert camp in a tent of your own, ensuite, with real beds, electricity and a hot shower, a Moroccan dinner served under the stars, Berber drumming and a sky with nothing in the way of it. Half board.
- Day 5 of 6
Merzouga - Rissani - Tinghir - Todra Gorge - Dades Valley (4h drive) / Sahara Sunrise, Rissani, Todra Gorge & the Valley of Kasbahs
Up before the light for a camel ride back across the dunes as the sun comes up, then breakfast once you are back at camp. Rissani is next, the town where Morocco's Alaouite dynasty started, and you look round its local dates market. Then Tinghir, with a walk in the oasis beside the river, and after that the Todra Gorge, 300 m of limestone standing over you; lunch happens at the gorge. The rest of the day follows the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs into the Dades Valley. You dine and sleep at a hotel there. Half board.
- Day 6 of 6
Dades - Rose Valley - Skoura - Aït Ben Haddou - Tizi n'Tichka - Marrakech (6h drive) / Rose Valley, Skoura, UNESCO Ksar, High Atlas & Arrival in Marrakech
The morning takes you along the Valley of the Roses and into the Skoura oasis, where a restoration has turned Kasbah Amridil into a private museum of Berber architecture. Ouarzazate follows. Around midday you reach Aït Ben Haddou, a ksar on the UNESCO World Heritage list that has stood in for Gladiator and Game of Thrones; a guide crosses the river with you and takes you round the village, and lunch is close by. Then the High Atlas, crossed at the Tizi n'Tichka pass, 2,260 m up, and Marrakech in the late afternoon, where you are dropped at your hotel or riad.
What's included
Included
- A private air-conditioned 4x4 or van with an English and French-speaking driver-guide for 6 full days
- Collection from Casablanca airport or your Casablanca hotel
- Night 1: a riad in Chefchaouen, half board
- Nights 2-3: two nights at a riad in Fes, half board, with dinner at leisure on Day 3
- Night 4: a luxury ensuite camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes, half board
- Night 5: a hotel in the Dades Valley, half board
- The guided Fes medina day with a local guide on Day 3
- Guided visits at Tinghir
- at Aït Ben Haddou
- The sunset camel trek on Day 4
- the sunrise camel ride on Day 5
- Drop-off at your Marrakech hotel or riad
Not included
- Lunches and drinks
- Entrance fees at the historical sites, which are optional and paid on the spot
- Tips for the guide and the driver
- Travel insurance, which we recommend
What to bring
- Light layers
- Warm layers for the desert
- Comfortable walking shoes, Fes especially
- A hat
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- A small backpack for the camel ride
Group rates
| Group size | Price per person |
|---|---|
| 1 person | €1,800 per person |
| 2 people | €985 per person |
| 3 people | €780 per person |
| 4 people | €680 per person |
| 5 people | €620 per person |
| 6 people | €595 per person |
| 7-9 people | €575 per person |
| 10-13 people | €545 per person |
| 14-17 people | €495 per person |
Frequently asked questions
What sets the six-day route from Casablanca apart?
One trip that takes in Volubilis, Chefchaouen, the Sahara and a full guided day in Fes, so three imperial cities plus the desert, running from Casablanca airport all the way to Marrakech.
How long do we get in Fes?
Two nights, plus one full day on foot with a local guide: the Royal Palace, then Al-Qarawiyyin, then the tanneries, then the souks where the artisans work.
Is Chefchaouen worth the detour?
Yes. Few Moroccan towns are photographed more, and you get the blue-washed streets, the views out to the mountains and the artisan shops. Your time there covers one evening and the following morning.
What exactly is Volubilis?
Roman ruins, UNESCO listed, and the best preserved anywhere in Morocco. Mosaics and columns there date to the 3rd century BC.
Which months suit this trip best?
March to May and September to November, for moderate temperatures. Summer is hot, and winter is cold at night though the skies stay clear.
Do we have to ride the camels?
No. If you would rather not, a 4x4 will run you out to the luxury camp instead, and there is no extra cost for it.
What should we pack for six days?
Light layers and warm ones for the desert. Shoes that are comfortable to walk in, above all for Fes. Sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat. A small backpack to carry on the camel.
Can the itinerary be adjusted?
Yes. We can lengthen or shorten the stops, put the Atlas Film Studios in, or extend your stay in Chefchaouen or in Fes. Tell us what you want and we will build it in.
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