Why 10 days instead of 7?

The 7-day version compresses Fes to a single afternoon and skips Chefchaouen entirely. Ten days lets you actually explore the Fes medina, do the Volubilis Roman ruins properly, and spend two nights in the Blue Pearl instead of a drive-through. Travellers who choose 7 days because of work calendars often write afterwards saying they wish they'd done 10.

Is the Sahara overnight in this tour the same camp as the 3-day desert tour?

Yes — same Sahrawi-run camps at Erg Chebbi, same camel trek logistics, same sunrise from the dune crest. The only difference is approach: this tour comes in from the north via Fes and the Middle Atlas, the 3-day tour comes in direct from Fes. Camp quality is mid-range to luxury, your choice at booking.

Can we add a 2nd Sahara night?

Yes — frequently. The second sunrise is when the silence starts to actually land. Add ~$180–280/person depending on camp class. We re-time the Aït Benhaddou day to accommodate.

What does Casablanca itself add to the trip?

Practically: it's where most long-haul flights land, so it's the natural arrival point. Sights-wise: the Hassan II Mosque is the world's third-largest and Morocco's most photographed building; the corniche is a pleasant evening walk. We typically spend a half-day in Casablanca on day 1 — if you're keen, an extra night absorbs the jet lag and gives a full day for the mosque tour and the medina.

Is the Volubilis stop worth it?

Yes, especially if you've been to Rome. Volubilis is the best-preserved Roman provincial city in North Africa — mosaic floors still in situ, the basilica and triumphal arch standing, and the setting (olive groves, the holy town of Moulay Idriss on the next hill) is spectacular. Plan 90 minutes including the walk.

Can we run this tour with a Tangier start instead?

Yes — that becomes our 10-day 'Coast to Kasbah' route. Tangier start is best if you're entering Morocco by ferry from Spain (35 min from Tarifa); Casablanca start is best for direct long-haul arrivals from North America or the Gulf.

Why 10 days instead of 7?

The 7-day version compresses Fes to a single afternoon and skips Chefchaouen entirely. Ten days lets you actually explore the Fes medina, do the Volubilis Roman ruins properly, and spend two nights in the Blue Pearl instead of a drive-through. Travellers who choose 7 days because of work calendars often write afterwards saying they wish they'd done 10.

Is the Sahara overnight in this tour the same camp as the 3-day desert tour?

Yes — same Sahrawi-run camps at Erg Chebbi, same camel trek logistics, same sunrise from the dune crest. The only difference is approach: this tour comes in from the north via Fes and the Middle Atlas, the 3-day tour comes in direct from Fes. Camp quality is mid-range to luxury, your choice at booking.

Can we add a 2nd Sahara night?

Yes — frequently. The second sunrise is when the silence starts to actually land. Add ~$180–280/person depending on camp class. We re-time the Aït Benhaddou day to accommodate.

What does Casablanca itself add to the trip?

Practically: it's where most long-haul flights land, so it's the natural arrival point. Sights-wise: the Hassan II Mosque is the world's third-largest and Morocco's most photographed building; the corniche is a pleasant evening walk. We typically spend a half-day in Casablanca on day 1 — if you're keen, an extra night absorbs the jet lag and gives a full day for the mosque tour and the medina.

Is the Volubilis stop worth it?

Yes, especially if you've been to Rome. Volubilis is the best-preserved Roman provincial city in North Africa — mosaic floors still in situ, the basilica and triumphal arch standing, and the setting (olive groves, the holy town of Moulay Idriss on the next hill) is spectacular. Plan 90 minutes including the walk.

Can we run this tour with a Tangier start instead?

Yes — that becomes our 10-day 'Coast to Kasbah' route. Tangier start is best if you're entering Morocco by ferry from Spain (35 min from Tarifa); Casablanca start is best for direct long-haul arrivals from North America or the Gulf.

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Private Morocco Tour

The Grand Journey

Casablanca → Marrakech • 10 Days

Culture10 days

A private 10-day route from Casablanca through the four imperial cities, the Rif Mountains and Chefchaouen, the Middle Atlas cedars, the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga, and Aït Benhaddou before finishing in Marrakech.

The journey

This is the slow version of the Morocco grand tour — the version we build for travellers who don't want to wake up at 5am on day 4 because the operator under-budgeted the driving hours. Ten days lets us spend two nights in Chefchaouen, properly explore the Fes medina with a local rather than a rushed half-day, and reach Merzouga with energy left for the dunes instead of arriving wrecked.

The arc runs Casablanca → Rabat → Meknes & Volubilis → Fes (2 nights) → Chefchaouen (2 nights) → Middle Atlas → Merzouga (overnight Sahara camp) → Dadès Valley → Aït Benhaddou → Marrakech (2 nights). It covers about 1,800 km on the road, distributed so no day is over 7 hours of driving except the Sahara approach.

We use a private 4×4 with an English-speaking driver throughout. Accommodations are mid-range to luxury riads in the imperial cities (Fes and Marrakech medinas) and Sahrawi-run Berber camps at the dunes. The Chefchaouen leg uses a small family-run riad inside the blue medina with a roof terrace overlooking the Rif. If your trip starts with a long-haul flight, we recommend an extra night in Casablanca on the front end so day 1 isn't a jet-lagged forced march.

For a 7-day version that drops Chefchaouen and shortens Fes, see [The Imperial-to-Desert 7-Day Tour](/blog/7-days-morocco-imperial-to-desert). For the reverse direction (Marrakech → north → Casablanca), the pricing is identical; just specify in your enquiry.

Made in Morocco

Why we built this trip

Youssef El Alaoui

Lead Morocco Specialist, Rissani-born

Ask the specialist about this trip →

01All four imperial cities — Rabat, Meknes, Fes, and Marrakech — without the rush
02Two nights in Chefchaouen, not the standard one-night drive-through
03Volubilis Roman ruins on the descent from Meknes to Fes
04Sahara overnight in a Sahrawi-run camp at Erg Chebbi — sunset camel trek, sunrise from the dune crest
05Aït Benhaddou UNESCO ksar with a 2-hour stop (not a 20-minute photo stop)
06Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m, the highest paved road in North Africa
07Optional Essaouira coast extension from Marrakech for a 12-day version
08Private 4×4 with English-speaking driver, no group, no commission stops

“Ten days is the right length for travellers who want all four imperial cities AND the Sahara without being on the road every morning. The two pairs of two-night stays — in Fes and Chefchaouen — are what make it feel like travel instead of a transfer schedule. If you only have 7 days, drop Chefchaouen rather than the imperial cities; it's the easier sacrifice.”

Day-by-day

Your route through Morocco

An overview of the verified stops named in this itinerary.

Day-by-day

Day by day

Day 1Casablanca arrival → Hassan II Mosque
- Drive · 4h
- Night · Casablanca
Airport pickup at Casablanca Mohammed V.
More details
Drop bags at a corniche hotel. Afternoon: guided visit of the Hassan II Mosque (the world's third-largest, and the only major Moroccan mosque non-Muslims can enter) and a slow walk through the Habous quarter for first tea. Light dinner. Early night recommended if you flew long-haul.
Day 2Casablanca → Rabat → Meknes → Fes
- Stay overnight
- Night · Fes medina
Morning drive up the coast to Rabat: 90 minutes at the Kasbah of the Udayas, the Royal Mausoleum, and Hassan Tower.
More details
Continue east to Meknes for lunch and a 60-minute walk through Lahdim Square and Bab Mansour. Late afternoon stop at Volubilis (the best-preserved Roman city in North Africa — mosaic floors still in situ). Arrive Fes at sunset for dinner inside the medina.
Day 3Fes medina with a local guide
- Stay overnight
- Night · Fes medina
Full day in the Fes el-Bali medina with a licensed Fassi guide who knows the 9,000 alleys.
More details
Morning: Bou Inania Medersa, Al-Qarawiyyin (the world's oldest continuously-operating university), the Andalusian quarter. Lunch at a converted riad. Afternoon: Chouara tanneries from a leather-shop terrace, the spice souk, the brass quarter. Evening at leisure.

Show the full itinerary (10 days)

Day 4Fes → Chefchaouen via the Rif
- Drive · 4h
- Night · Chefchaouen medina
Mid-morning departure north into the Rif Mountains.
More details
Lunch at a roadside Berber restaurant near Ouezzane. Continue to Chefchaouen, arriving by mid-afternoon with light still on the blue walls. Check in to a small family-run riad inside the medina. Walk the Plaza Uta el-Hammam at golden hour; dinner under the kasbah walls.
Day 5Chefchaouen at slow pace
- Stay overnight
- Night · Chefchaouen medina
No driving day.
More details
Sunrise from the Spanish Mosque viewpoint above the town (15-minute uphill walk). Late breakfast on the riad terrace. Morning: wander the blue medina without a map. Optional half-day hike to the Akchour waterfalls or God's Bridge in the Talassemtane National Park (45 minutes by 4×4 to trailhead). Evening dinner in the medina.
Day 6Chefchaouen → Middle Atlas → Midelt
- Drive · 7h
- Night · Midelt
Long but scenic drive south.
More details
Through Fes again (no stop), then up into the Middle Atlas cedars near Ifrane National Park — wild Barbary macaque colony at the Cèdre Gouraud. Lunch in Ifrane (the alpine 'Switzerland of Morocco'). Continue over the Col du Zad to Midelt for the overnight at a comfortable mountain auberge. ~7 hours of road, broken into 3 stops.
Day 7Midelt → Ziz Valley → Merzouga
- Camel trek · 1h
- Night · Erg Chebbi
Morning descent into the Ziz Valley palmerie: 250,000 date palms along a single ribbon of green water cutting through orange rock.
More details
Lunch at Erfoud (the fossil capital). Late afternoon arrival at the edge of Erg Chebbi. Meet your camel team. One-hour camel trek into the dunes, arriving at the Sahrawi camp as the sun sets. Tagine dinner, Gnawa drumming, the Milky Way overhead.
Day 8Sahara sunrise → Dadès Valley
- Drive · 6h
- Night · Dadès Valley
Sunrise from the dune crest behind camp (your guide wakes you 30 minutes before).
More details
Camel ride back to the auberge for breakfast and shower. Long drive west through Tinghir and the Todra Gorge (lunch stop with a short walk under 300-metre cliffs). Continue to the Dadès Valley, overnight at a rooftop kasbah-hotel above the Rose Valley.
Day 9Dadès → Skoura → Aït Benhaddou
- Drive · 4h
- Night · Aït Benhaddou
Morning at the Dadès gorges — short walks to the rock formations known as the Monkey Fingers.
More details
Continue west through Skoura (the palm oasis with the famous Amerhidil kasbah). Late afternoon at Aït Benhaddou: 2-hour visit including the climb to the top of the kasbah for the southern view across the Ounila Valley. Overnight at a riad facing the ksar.
Day 10Aït Benhaddou → Tizi n'Tichka → Marrakech
- End of journey
Last morning at Aït Benhaddou with the early light on the mud-brick walls.
More details
Drive over the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 metres — the highest paved road in North Africa, with the Atlas opening south. Lunch stop at a Berber co-operative for argan oil. Descent into Marrakech by mid-afternoon. Drop at your Marrakech riad. End of the road.

Your trip budget

A clear starting point, then tailored to your group.

$1290per person

The final quote reflects your dates, group size, rooms, and chosen extras.

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Price clarity

What your trip price covers

What's included

Airport pickup at Casablanca and drop-off in Marrakech
Private 4×4 with English-speaking driver throughout (also speaks Arabic and French)
All 9 nights of accommodation: mid-range to luxury riads in the medinas, mountain auberge at Midelt, Sahrawi-run Berber camp at Erg Chebbi, kasbah-hotel in the Dadès Valley
Camel trek (sunset arrival, sunrise option) with experienced cameleer
Licensed local guide for the Fes medina (half-day) and Volubilis (60 minutes)
All breakfasts and the camp dinner; further dinners as specified per night
Driver expenses (fuel, parking, tolls)
24/7 WhatsApp support from the Marrakech office

Not included

International flights to/from Morocco
Lunches and the dinners not specified above
Drinks, personal purchases, and tips
Travel insurance — strongly recommended; we can suggest HeyMondo or SafetyWing
Optional helicopter sunrise over the dunes (~€800/group, weather-dependent)

Where you'll sleep

Stays chosen for place, rest, and character

Mid-range to luxury riads in the imperial cities (Fes, Chefchaouen, Marrakech); Sahrawi-run mid-range or luxury Berber camp at Erg Chebbi; mid-range hotels in Rabat and the Dadès Valley. Specific riad upgrades available; ask at booking.

Practical details

What to know before you decide

Pace

Moderate. The longest single driving day is the Middle Atlas → Merzouga leg (~7 hours, broken across 3 stops). Two-night stays in Fes, Chefchaouen, and Marrakech absorb the rest.

Best time to travel

March–May and September–November are the season. October is the single best month — the Sahara heat has broken, the High Atlas hasn't yet got winter snow, and the imperial cities are at their most photogenic. June–August is workable for the north but the desert leg becomes uncomfortable above 38 °C; December–February the dunes are quiet and the light is excellent but pack real winter layers and expect Tizi n'Tichka closures (we reroute via Ouarzazate when needed).

Entry formalities

Entry requirements depend on your nationality. We confirm the current documents for your group before booking.

Travelling thoughtfully

We favour local partners, realistic pacing, and smaller-scale experiences wherever the route allows.

Key numbers

Total distance: ~1,800 km (Casablanca → Marrakech via the north + Sahara)
Imperial cities visited: 4 — Rabat, Meknes, Fes, Marrakech
UNESCO sites: 5 — Rabat, Volubilis, Fes medina, Aït Benhaddou, Meknes
Sahara nights: 1 at Erg Chebbi (extendable to 2)
Tizi n'Tichka altitude: 2,260 m

Travellers' stories

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