5-Day Casablanca to Marrakech Desert Tour

Highlights

• Pick-up at Casablanca airport and a visit to the Hassan II Mosque
• Rabat's Hassan Tower and Kasbah of the Udayas
• Meknes and the Roman ruins of Volubilis
• Camel ride to a high dune for sunset and a night in a luxury desert camp
• The Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley and Ait Benhaddou
• Drop-off in Marrakech

Photo gallery

1. Day 1

   Arrival in Casablanca – Rabat

   Pick-up from Casablanca Mohammed V Airport or your accommodation. Visit the Hassan II Mosque, one of the few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslim visitors, and walk along the Ain Diab corniche. Drive to Rabat, the capital (about 1 hour 30 minutes), to explore the Hassan Tower — the minaret of an unfinished 12th-century mosque — the Kasbah of the Udayas with its ocean views, and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V.

   Overnight:

   Hotel in Rabat

2. Day 2

   Rabat – Meknes – Volubilis – Fes

   Depart for Meknes, one of Morocco's imperial cities, to see the monumental Bab Mansour gate, the Heri es-Souani royal granaries and stables, and El Hedim Square. Continue to Volubilis, a UNESCO-listed Roman site with fine mosaics, a basilica and a triumphal arch, and arrive in Fes in the evening (about 210 km in total).

   Overnight:

   Riad in Fes

3. Day 3

   Fes – Ifrane – cedar forest – Midelt – Ziz Valley – Merzouga

   Drive south through Imouzzer to Ifrane, the cedar forest of the Barbary macaques and Midelt for lunch, then over the Tizi n'Talghemt pass and along the Ziz Valley. In the afternoon, switch to camels at Merzouga and cross the dunes to watch the sunset, then continue to your camp for Berber drums around the fire, dinner and the night.

   Overnight:

   Luxury desert camp, Erg Chebbi

4. Day 4

   Merzouga – Rissani – Erfoud – Todra Gorge – Dades Valley

   Wake early for sunrise, have breakfast and ride back by camel to meet your driver. We visit Rissani, the historic capital of the Tafilalet, and a fossil workshop in Erfoud. Through the palm groves of Touroug and Tinejdad we reach the Todra Gorge for a walk and lunch, then continue via Boumalne Dades to the "Monkey Fingers" rock formations and a viewpoint over the valley.

   Overnight:

   Hotel in the Dades Valley

5. Day 5

   Dades Valley – Valley of Roses – Skoura – Ouarzazate – Ait Benhaddou – Marrakech

   Visit the Valley of Roses at Kelaat M'Gouna, drive through the palm groves of Skoura and stop at the film studios in Ouarzazate. At Ait Benhaddou, a short walk leads up through the ksar. Cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Marrakech, where we drop you at your accommodation or the airport.

Practical information

Tour type

Private one-way tour from Casablanca to Marrakech

Pick-up

Casablanca Mohammed V Airport (CMN) or your accommodation

Drop-off

Your accommodation or the airport in Marrakech

Longest drive

Day 3, from Fes over the Middle Atlas to Merzouga, with stops along the way

Frequently asked questions