PRIVATE TOUR — 7 DAYS MOROCCO ITINERARY FROM CASABLANCA TO MARRAKECH

OVERVIEW

A week is about the minimum to see Morocco properly without feeling like you’re just ticking boxes. This 7 day private tour from Casablanca adds the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the imperial city of Meknes to the standard route — giving you a bit of ancient and imperial history alongside the usual highlights of Chefchaouen, Fes, the Sahara, the Atlas gorges, and Ait Ben Haddou.

You’ll finish in Marrakech having seen the big cultural highlights, spent a night in the desert, crossed two mountain ranges, and walked through several of the country’s most important historical sites.

Every itinerary is fully customisable to suit your preferences and pace.

DURATION: 7 DAYS / 6 NIGHTS
START: CASABLANCA
END: MARRAKECH
TOUR STYLE: PRIVATE

HIGHLIGHTS

– The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca
– Chefchaouen, Morocco’s blue city
– The Roman ruins of Volubilis
– A full day in the Fes medina with a local guide
– Camel trekking across the Erg Chebbi dunes
– Sunset and sunrise over the Sahara
– A night under the stars in a luxury desert camp
– A walk through the Todra Gorge
– The UNESCO-listed Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou
– Crossing the High Atlas Mountains

ITINERARY

DAY 1: CASABLANCA → RABAT

Pick-up at Mohammed V International Airport. We start with the Hassan II Mosque — the largest in Morocco, built right on the Atlantic, with one of the tallest minarets in the world. Then we drive to Rabat, the capital, for a tour of the Hassan Tower and the Oudayas Kasbah.

Overnight in Rabat. Note: if your flight arrives at night, we’ll take you to a Casablanca hotel instead and start the tour properly the next morning.

Approximate driving distance/time: 128 km / 2 hours 10 minutes

DAY 2: RABAT → CHEFCHAOUEN

After breakfast, we drive north to Chefchaouen — a small town in the Rif Mountains where almost every building is painted in some shade of blue. The drive takes around four hours through rolling hills.

You’ll have the afternoon and evening to explore the old town at your own pace. Overnight in Chefchaouen.

Approximate driving distance/time: 254 km / 4 hours

DAY 3: CHEFCHAOUEN → VOLUBILIS → MEKNES → FES

A driving day with two good stops. First is Volubilis, a Roman city founded in the 3rd century, with surprisingly well-preserved mosaics still visible in situ. Then on to Meknes — the 17th-century imperial capital of Sultan Moulay Ismail — for lunch and a walk through the medina, including the Bab el Mansour gate and the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail.

The day ends in Fes, where you’ll sleep in a riad in the medina.

Approximate driving distance/time: 260 km / 4 hours 30 minutes

DAY 4: GUIDED TOUR OF FES

Full day in Fes with a local guide. The medina is UNESCO-listed and among the largest in the world — trying to navigate it without help usually means seeing half of what you should. The route covers the Royal Palace gate, Al-Qarawiyyin University, the Al-Attarine Madrasa, the Nejjarine fountain, the Chouara tanneries, and the Mellah (old Jewish quarter), and ends at a fortress for a panoramic view over the city.

Back to your riad for the night.

DAY 5: FES → IFRANE → MIDDLE ATLAS → ZIZ VALLEY → MERZOUGA

The long desert day. After breakfast we drive south, stopping briefly in Ifrane, then crossing the Middle Atlas with a stop in a cedar forest where Barbary macaques often appear. Lunch on the way, then the road drops through the Ziz Valley — a long corridor of palm groves — to Merzouga.

By late afternoon you’ll be on a camel crossing the Erg Chebbi dunes, pausing on a high ridge for sunset before arriving at your luxury camp. Dinner, drumming around the campfire, and a night in your private tent with stars overhead.

Approximate driving distance/time: 500 km / 7 hours 30 minutes

DAY 6: MERZOUGA → RISSANI → TODRA GORGE → DADES GORGE

Early wake-up for sunrise over the dunes, then breakfast at camp. Return to Merzouga by camel or 4×4.

If it’s a Sunday, Tuesday, or Thursday, we can stop at the Rissani souk. Then on to the Todra Gorge for a walk, followed by the drive into the Dades Valley with its “monkey fingers” rock formations. Overnight in Dades.

Approximate driving distance/time: 310 km / 5 hours

DAY 7: DADES → OUARZAZATE → AIT BEN HADDOU → HIGH ATLAS → MARRAKECH

The final drive. Ouarzazate first, with an optional stop at Atlas Studios. Then Ait Ben Haddou — the UNESCO-listed kasbah used in Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, and Game of Thrones — with time to walk through it.

Lunch at a local restaurant, then the climb over the High Atlas via the Tizi n’Tichka pass (2260 metres) and down into Marrakech. Drop-off at your accommodation ends the tour.

Approximate driving distance/time: 353 km / 6 hours 30 minutes

IMPORTANT NOTES

– Driving times don’t include stops for lunch and sightseeing.
– This itinerary can also start from Tangier.
– Dietary preferences (vegetarian, vegan, allergies) can be accommodated — please mention this when booking.
– On your Fes day, you can add a cooking class, a traditional hammam, or a massage — let us know at booking.
– Quad biking or buggy activity in the Erg Chebbi dunes can be added on request.
– Prefer not to ride a camel? A 4×4 can take you into and out of the camp instead.
– Three accommodation categories are available, from comfortable riads to luxury hotels.
– Shorter (5, 6 day) or longer (8, 9, 10, 12 day, 2-week) versions available.