5-Day Tour from Casablanca to Marrakech via Fez & the Sahara
5 days · 4 nightsCasablanca → Fez → Merzouga → MarrakechEasyPrivate
Land in Casablanca and see the essential Morocco in five days: Hassan II mosque, Rabat, Meknes, Volubilis, Fez, a day in Merzouga with a night in our camp and Marrakech.
Many flights arrive in Casablanca, and this tour turns the arrival into the start of a great journey. The first two days follow the imperial cities of the north, the third crosses the Middle Atlas to the dunes.
After a full day around Merzouga and a night in our camp, the last day crosses the south through the Draa valley and the High Atlas to Marrakech, where you can continue your stay or take your flight home.
Highlights
Airport pick-up in Casablanca
Hassan II mosque and Rabat
Meknes, Volubilis and Fez
Full day in Merzouga and night in our camp
Draa valley and arrival in Marrakech
Day by day
Day 1
Arrival in Casablanca – Hassan II mosque – Rabat
Welcome to Morocco. Your driver meets you at Mohammed V airport or at your hotel in Casablanca and takes you first to the Hassan II mosque, built over the Atlantic Ocean, with the tallest minaret in the world at 210 metres; it is one of the few mosques in Morocco that non-Muslims can visit inside, with a hall that holds 25,000 faithful and a roof that opens to the sky. We drive along the Corniche of Ain Diab and through the white art-deco centre, then follow the coast to Rabat, the elegant capital of the kingdom. There you visit the Hassan tower and the mausoleum of Mohammed V, guarded by horsemen in red uniforms, and the kasbah of the Oudayas, a village of white and blue houses above the river mouth with an Andalusian garden. Dinner and night in a riad in Rabat.
Day 2
Rabat – Meknes – Volubilis – Fez
After a morning walk to the Hassan tower and the mausoleum of Mohammed V, we leave Rabat and drive inland through the cork oak forest of Mamora and the fertile plain of the Gharb. At Meknes we visit the imperial city of Moulay Ismail, the sultan who built more than 40 kilometres of walls: the monumental gate of Bab Mansour, decorated with green zellige and marble columns, the royal stables and granaries, and the lively square of El Hedim. A short drive north brings us to Volubilis, the Roman city whose mosaics, columns and triumphal arch stand in the middle of olive groves, and to the holy town of Moulay Idriss, built on two hills. We arrive in Fez in the late afternoon and settle into a riad in the medina, where dinner is served in the patio.
Day 3
Fez – Ifrane – Azrou – Midelt – Ziz valley – Merzouga
Today we leave the cities behind and travel towards the Sahara. The road climbs into the Middle Atlas to Ifrane, a mountain town of red roofs and gardens, and crosses the cedar forest of Azrou, where you can stop to see the Barbary macaques. We continue across the high plateaus, grazed by flocks of sheep, to Midelt for lunch, with the snowy peaks of the Jebel Ayachi in the background. In the afternoon the landscape becomes desert: we descend the Ziz gorges, a narrow canyon carved by the river, and follow the palm valley of the Ziz, with its old ksour of earth, through Errachidia and Erfoud. At sunset the dunes of Erg Chebbi appear on the horizon, glowing orange and pink. Dinner and night in a hotel at the foot of the dunes in Merzouga.
Day 4
Merzouga: Rissani, nomads and Gnawa music, camel ride and night in our camp
A day dedicated to the desert. In the morning your driver takes you around Erg Chebbi by 4x4: the market town of Rissani, heir of the medieval caravan city of Sijilmassa, the tent of a nomad family in the black hamada, where you share tea and bread baked in the sand, and the village of Khamlia, where the Gnawa musicians welcome you with their drums and songs. After lunch you can rest at the hotel pool or add a quad, buggy or sandboard session in the dunes. In the late afternoon you meet your cameleer and ride into the dunes with the caravan, climbing a high crest on foot for the sunset. At nightfall you reach our camp, where you sleep in a private tent with bed and bathroom, after a dinner of tajine and an evening of music around the fire.
Day 5
Sunrise in the dunes – Draa valley – Ouarzazate – Marrakech
Wake up early and climb the dune behind the camp to watch the sunrise: the sky turns pink, then gold, and the shadows of the dunes slowly shorten. After breakfast at the camp you ride back to Merzouga by camel, take a shower if you wish and start the journey back to Marrakech. It is the longest day of the tour, so we take it easy, with stops whenever you need them. The road crosses the oasis of Alnif and the Saghro mountains towards the Draa valley, where an endless line of palm trees follows the river, and continues to Ouarzazate for lunch. In the afternoon we cross the High Atlas again by the Tichka pass, enjoying the views we missed on the first day, and arrive in Marrakech in the evening, where your driver leaves you at your riad or hotel.
Included
Private air-conditioned vehicle
Local driver-guide
Pick-up and drop-off at your riad, hotel or airport
Nights in riads, kasbahs and guesthouses
Dinners and breakfasts
Camel ride with cameleer
Night in our desert camp in Erg Chebbi
Not included
Lunches
Local guides in the cities (on request)
Entrance fees to monuments
Tips
Good to know
Pick-up between 7:00 and 8:00 at your riad, hotel, airport or port. Bring a small bag for the desert night: big luggage stays in the vehicle. Hotels can be upgraded on request.
No payment is needed to book: you pay on arrival in cash (dirhams or euros). Free changes if the weather is not good.
Questions
Are the tours private?
Yes. Only your group travels in the vehicle, with your own driver, and the program can be adapted.
Where do the tours start?
Wherever you are: your riad or hotel in Marrakech, Fez, Tangier, Casablanca, Agadir, Ouarzazate, Errachidia or Essaouira, or the airport or port when you land.
Which camp do we sleep in?
In our own camp in Erg Chebbi, with private tents, bathrooms with hot shower, dinner and breakfast, and Berber music by the fire.
Can I change the itinerary?
Yes, every tour is private and flexible: add nights in the desert, a quad or buggy ride, a different finishing city or better hotels. Just tell us when you write.
