10-Day Imperial Cities and Sahara Tour from Casablanca to Marrakech

Arrival in Casablanca

You are met at Mohammed V Airport and taken to your hotel. We then visit the Hassan II Mosque, built partly over the Atlantic with a 210-metre minaret and a roof that slides open. The evening is a stroll along the Corniche seafront, which makes for a relaxed first day.

Airport transfer only

Hôtel Club Val d'Anfa or similar, Casablanca

Casablanca to Chefchaouen via Rabat

We drive north to Rabat to see the unfinished Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the Oudaya Kasbah above the river. The road then climbs into the Rif Mountains to Chefchaouen, the Blue Pearl, in time for the evening light on its blue lanes.

About 5 hours on the road, roughly 340 km, plus stops

Dar Echchaouen or similar, Chefchaouen

Chefchaouen to Fez via Volubilis and Meknes

After a morning in Chefchaouen we drive south to Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco, with its mosaic floors and triumphal arch. At Meknes we see the great Bab Mansour gate before arriving in Fez in the evening.

About 4.5 hours on the road, roughly 260 km, plus stops

Riad Fez Mahal or similar, Fez medina

Full Day in the Fez Medina

With a local guide we spend the day in Fez el-Bali. We visit Al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 and widely regarded as the oldest continuously operating university in the world, and the Bou Inania Madrasa, look down on the Chouara Tanneries from a rooftop, pass the brass gates of the Royal Palace and walk through the Mellah.

No driving today

Riad Fez Mahal or similar, Fez medina

Fez to Merzouga via the Middle Atlas

We travel south through Ifrane and the cedar forest at Azrou, then drop through the Ziz Gorges and along the Ziz Valley to Merzouga. At sunset you ride a camel into the Erg Chebbi dunes to a luxury camp.

About 7.5 hours on the road, roughly 460 km, plus stops

Tiziri Desert Camp or similar, Erg Chebbi

A Full Sahara Day in Merzouga

We climb a dune for the sunrise, then set out by 4x4 to Khamlia, where Gnaoua musicians play, and to a nomadic Berber family's tent for mint tea. The afternoon is open for sandboarding or quad biking on the dunes.

Short 4x4 excursion only

Tiziri Desert Camp or similar, Erg Chebbi

Merzouga to the Dades Valley via Todra Gorge

We drive west to Todra Gorge, where 300-metre limestone walls rise above a cool river, and walk the gorge. The road continues through the Dades Valley, past the Monkey Fingers rock formations and old earthen kasbahs, to our riad.

About 4.5 hours on the road, roughly 280 km, plus stops

Dades Paradise or similar, Dades Valley

Dades Valley to Ouarzazate via the Rose Valley and Skoura

We drive west through the rose-growing valley of Kelaat M'Gouna, where petals are picked each spring for rose water and oil, and the Skoura palm oasis with its old kasbahs. We continue to Ouarzazate, a gateway to the south and a hub of the Moroccan film industry, where we spend the night.

About 2.5 hours on the road, roughly 130 km, plus stops

Kasbah Yu Palace or similar, Ouarzazate

Ouarzazate to Marrakech via Ait Benhaddou

We drive to Ait Benhaddou for an unhurried morning with a local guide, crossing the river to climb through the kasbahs to the granary tower. We then cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, 2,260 metres at the summit, and descend through Berber villages to Marrakech as the red city walls glow in the afternoon light.

About 4 hours on the road, roughly 210 km, plus stops

Riad Aslal or similar, Marrakech medina

Marrakech Medina and Farewell

A guided morning in the medina takes in the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the Koutoubia minaret, followed by the souks. We finish at Jemaa el-Fna, the UNESCO-listed square of storytellers, musicians and food stalls, before the tour ends.

No driving today