Eight days is enough to see the whole of Morocco at a human pace: the coast and the imperial cities in the north, the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, a night in the Sahara, and the kasbah-path back to Marrakech through the Dades Valley.
This is our signature route — the one we suggest to first-timers who want everything. It is private end to end, the vehicle stays with you, and the days below are a shape we are happy to stretch, shorten or reshuffle.
- Duration
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Pickup
- Casablanca — hotel or airport
- Accommodation
- Riads, hotels & desert camp
- Group
- Private, 2–6 travellers
Itinerary outline
Arrival in Casablanca
Welcome to Morocco. You are met at Mohammed V International Airport and transferred to your hotel. Depending on arrival time, a visit to the Hassan II Mosque — one of the largest in the world, its minaret standing over the Atlantic — is worth catching at sunset. Night in Casablanca.
Casablanca → Rabat → Chefchaouen
After breakfast, north to Rabat: the Kasbah of the Udayas, the Hassan Tower and the Mohammed V Mausoleum. Then across the Rif foothills to the blue city of Chefchaouen, where you sleep in a riad inside the medina.
Chefchaouen → Volubilis → Fes
A free morning among Chefchaouen’s blue-washed streets. After lunch the road runs to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, then climbs to Fes, Morocco’s spiritual capital, for two nights in a riad of the old city.
Full day in Fes
A guided day in Fes el-Bali, the world’s largest car-free urban area: the Al-Qarawiyyin University, the Chouara tanneries, the Bou Inania Madrasa and the souks. A local certified guide brings the medina to life.
Fes → Middle Atlas → Merzouga (Sahara)
South through the Middle Atlas: Ifrane, the cedar forest of Azrou and its Barbary macaques, then Midelt and the Ziz Valley to Merzouga. Sunset camel trek into the dunes, dinner and Berber music at the camp. Night in the desert.
Merzouga → Todra Gorge → Dades Valley
Sunrise over the dunes, breakfast, and the camels back to Merzouga. Then west to the Todra Gorge and on to the Dades Valley, with its red rock formations and palm groves. Night in a hotel in the Dades Valley, dinner included.
Dades Valley → Ouarzazate → Aït Ben Haddou → Marrakech
Through the Valley of Roses to Ouarzazate — the Atlas Film Studios and the Taourirt Kasbah, optional — then a walk through the earthen ksar of Aït Ben Haddou. The road crosses the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka pass, dropping into Marrakech in the evening. Night in a Marrakech riad.
Full day in Marrakech & departure
A guided morning across Marrakech’s highlights — the Koutoubia, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the Majorelle Garden — with Jemaa el-Fna waiting at dusk. Depending on your flight, you are transferred to the airport or left at your riad.
What’s included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle & driver-guide
- 7 nights: riads, hotels & desert camp
- Daily breakfast & two dinners
- Local guides in Fes & Marrakech
- Camel trek & night in the desert
- Airport pick-up & drop-off
- Bottled water, fuel and road taxes
- Lunches & drinks
- Monument entrance fees
- Optional local guide at Aït Ben Haddou
- Personal expenses
- Traveller tips
Accommodation
Seven nights across two worlds: hotels and boutique riads in Casablanca, Chefchaouen, Fes and Marrakech, a family hotel in the Dades Valley, and one night in a Berber camp among the dunes. Daily breakfast everywhere; dinners included at the Dades hotel and the desert camp.
Good to know
Are the dates flexible?
Yes. Every departure is private, so the route runs on your calendar — tell us when you arrive and we build the days around it.
What happens if the weather turns?
Safety comes first. In rain or a heavy sandstorm we swap the exposed sections for an adapted route or a 4x4, and keep the rest of the experience intact.
Which airport do we use?
The tour starts at Mohammed V International in Casablanca — we meet you on arrival and transfer you to your hotel. It ends in Marrakech, where we drop you at your riad or airport to suit your departure.
How guided is the tour?
Your driver-guide is with you from day one. In Fes and Marrakech, where the medinas are a maze, local licensed guides take over for the day so nothing is missed.
Can the pace change?
Yes — every stop is a suggestion. Favourite changes: an extra day in Chefchaouen or the Sahara, or skipping the studios in Ouarzazate for a slower drive.