Morocco imperial cities and desert tour: 8 days from Casablanca

Overview

This Morocco imperial cities and desert tour is built for travellers who land in Casablanca and want to see the whole country in one loop. In eight days you visit all four imperial capitals — Rabat, Meknes, Fes and Marrakech — add the blue town of Chefchaouen and the Roman ruins of Volubilis, and still spend a night in a camp among the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga.

The order matters. The north comes first, while you are fresh: Rabat's ocean-side kasbah, the mountains around Chefchaouen, then a full day in the Fes medina. From there the road crosses the Middle Atlas to the Sahara, swings west through the Todra and Dades gorges, and climbs over the High Atlas to Marrakech, where you get a whole day on foot before the short drive back to Casablanca. No day goes much beyond eight hours on the road, stops included.

It runs as a private tour: your own vehicle and driver for the eight days, with the stops and the pace you choose. If you are short on time, the 3-day Fes to Marrakech desert tour covers the Sahara section on its own.

Highlights

• All four imperial cities: Rabat, Meknes, Fes and Marrakech
• A night in the blue-washed lanes of Chefchaouen in the Rif mountains
• Roman mosaics still in place at Volubilis
• A full day in the Fes medina, with two nights in a riad
• Camel ride into the Erg Chebbi dunes and a night at a desert camp
• Todra gorge, Aït Ben Haddou and the Tizi n'Tichka pass on the way to Marrakech

Itinerary, day by day

1. 1

   Casablanca → Rabat → Chefchaouen

   Pickup around 8:00 at your hotel in Casablanca, with a stop outside the Hassan II Mosque on the seafront. About an hour up the coast, Rabat is the first imperial city: the Hassan Tower and its field of columns, the Mohammed V Mausoleum and the white-and-blue lanes of the Kasbah of the Udayas above the river mouth. In the afternoon the road turns inland through farmland and into the Rif, reaching Chefchaouen in time for an evening walk.

   About 7 hours including stops · Overnight: a riad or guesthouse in Chefchaouen

2. 2

   Chefchaouen → Volubilis → Meknes → Fes

   An early wander through the quiet blue medina before the day-trippers arrive, then south through olive country to Volubilis, where the Roman floor mosaics lie open to the sky. Meknes, the city Moulay Ismail built as his capital, is half an hour away: the Bab Mansour gate, the old granaries and his mausoleum. Fes is about an hour further on.

   About 7 hours including stops · Overnight: a riad in Fes

3. 3

   Fes: a day in the medina

   No long drive today. Fes el-Bali is a car-free maze of more than a thousand lanes, so we recommend a licensed local guide for the morning (optional, booked through us). The usual route takes in the Bou Inania madrasa, the Chouara tanneries seen from a leather shop terrace, the doors of the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and the metalworkers' square. Your driver can take you up to the Merinid tombs for the view over the city at the end of the afternoon.

   Mostly on foot · Overnight: the same riad in Fes

4. 4

   Fes → Middle Atlas → Merzouga → camel ride to camp

   The longest drive of the trip, about 470 km. You pass Ifrane with its sloping roofs, the cedar forest near Azrou where Barbary macaques wait by the road, and the high plateau of Midelt. After lunch the road follows the Ziz valley past its palm groves to Erfoud and Merzouga. The camels are ready at the edge of Erg Chebbi; you ride out as the dunes turn red. Our Merzouga desert guide explains what you'll see.

   About 8 hours including stops · Camel ride about 1 hour · Overnight: standard desert camp in Erg Chebbi (luxury upgrade available)

5. 5

   Sunrise in the dunes → Todra gorge → Dades valley

   Climb a dune for sunrise, ride back for breakfast and a shower, then head west past Rissani and the long line of khettara wells towards Tinghir. You walk into the Todra gorge, where the walls rise to about 300 m and almost close overhead. The last stretch follows the Dades valley, with its earthen kasbahs and almond trees, to your hotel for the night.

   About 6 hours including stops · Overnight: a hotel or guesthouse in the Dades valley

6. 6

   Dades → Ouarzazate → Aït Ben Haddou → Marrakech

   Along the "road of a thousand kasbahs" through Kelaat M'Gouna and the palm grove of Skoura to Ouarzazate, the town of film studios. A short detour leads to Aït Ben Haddou, the earthen ksar listed by UNESCO, which you cross on foot. Then the climb over the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, about 2,260 m, and the long descent to Marrakech.

   About 8 hours including stops · Overnight: a riad in Marrakech

7. 7

   Marrakech: palaces, souks and Jemaa el-Fna

   A day for the fourth imperial city. Start early at the Bahia Palace, before the groups, for its painted ceilings and courtyards, then walk through the souks of the dyers, slipper-makers and metalworkers. Rest in the riad through the heat of the afternoon and come back to Jemaa el-Fna at dusk, when the food stalls light their grills and the square fills with musicians and storytellers.

   On foot, at your own pace (local guide optional) · Overnight: the same riad in Marrakech

8. 8

   Marrakech → Casablanca

   After breakfast, the motorway north across the plains back to Casablanca, about 3 hours. We drop you at your hotel or at the airport, timed around your flight.

   About 3 hours · Drop-off at your hotel or Casablanca airport

Hotels and desert camps on this tour

Standard accommodation is included in the price. You can upgrade to superior hotels and camp for €35 per person per night; choose it in the booking panel.

Good to know before you go

Route map

Casablanca → Rabat → Chefchaouen → Volubilis → Meknes → Fes → Ifrane → Midelt → Merzouga → Todra → Dades → Ouarzazate → Aït Ben Haddou → Tizi n'Tichka → Marrakech → Casablanca

Questions about the imperial cities and desert tour

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