Morocco in Eight
8-Day Morocco Tour: Casablanca to Marrakech
The flagship route, with the extra day spent in the desert
- 8 days · 7 nights
- Casablanca → Marrakech
- About 32 hours over 8 days. driving
Eight days is the length I recommend more than any other. The classic route with enough slack that a long lunch or an unplanned stop does not wreck the schedule. The extra night goes to the desert, so you get a sunset, a full day and a sunrise instead of one hurried evening. Everything else is the standard circuit, because the standard circuit is standard for a reason.
Why I run it this wayThe seven-day classic with one more day, and the day goes to the Sahara rather than to another city. That is the change most people wish they had made.
The things worth stopping for
- Two nights in the Sahara with a full free day between
- Chefchaouen overnight with the blue lanes at dawn
- Volubilis and the Roman north
- A guided day in Fes with a licensed local guide
- Todra, Dades, Skoura and the Rose Valley
- Ait Ben Haddou with an overnight and a sunrise
- Published drive times before you pay a deposit
Where this trip takes you
Straight lines between stops, not the exact roads — the driving is the winding version of this.
How the trip goes
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Day 1: Casablanca to Chefchaouen via Rabat
Driving: About 6 hoursPickup, Hassan II mosque, Rabat's Udayas and mausoleum, then north into the Rif.
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Day 2: Chefchaouen to Fes via Volubilis
Driving: About 4 hoursThe medina early before the day-trippers, Volubilis in the afternoon, Fes for the night.
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Day 3: Fes, guided
Driving: No drivingA full guided day in the medina, evening free on a rooftop.
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Day 4: Fes to Merzouga
Driving: About 8 hoursThe long leg, told in advance. Ifrane, Azrou, Midelt, the Ziz. 4x4 at the dunes, camel to camp.
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Day 5: The desert
Driving: About 2 hours localSunrise on the crests, then the 4x4 morning: Khamlia Gnawa, nomad families, fossil beds and the lake. Second night at camp.
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Day 6: Merzouga to Dades
Driving: About 5 hoursWest through Rissani and Tinghir, Todra gorge, up into the Dades.
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Day 7: Dades to Ait Ben Haddou
Driving: About 3 hoursTissdrine, the Rose Valley, Skoura, Ouarzazate. Night below the ksar.
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Day 8: Ait Ben Haddou to Marrakech
Driving: About 4 hoursSunrise at the ksar, the Tichka, Marrakech by midday.
I'll email you this itinerary — every day, what's included, what it costs — so you can think it over and share it.
One email with the itinerary. No account, and I don't pass your address to anyone — see the privacy policy.
What's included
Included
- Private van with me driving
- 4x4 and local desert driver for the dune days
- 7 nights including 2 desert
- Licensed guide in Fes
- Breakfast daily, half board outside cities
- Camel ride
- Casablanca pickup, Marrakech drop-off
- Published drive times before deposit
Not included
- Flights
- Most meals
- Entry fees
- Tips
Read more about where you'll be
A closer look
Questions about this route
Can you pick us up at Casablanca airport?
Yes. Day one runs from Casablanca to Chefchaouen via Rabat, so arriving the day before or on an early flight works best.
What's the longest driving day?
Fes to Merzouga — about 8 hours with stops. Across the whole trip it's around 32 hours of driving over 8 days, with a full day in Fes that has no driving at all.
How much does the 8-day tour cost?
$1,120–$1,500 per person. The lower figure assumes four sharing, the upper assumes two.
Other routes worth a look
2 Days · 1 Nights2-Day Zagora Desert Tour from Marrakech
Two Days to Zagora$230–$310 per person · accommodation included
3 Days · 2 Nights3-Day Merzouga Desert Tour from Marrakech
Three Days to the Dunes$390–$530 per person · accommodation included
3 Days · 2 Nights3-Day Marrakech to Fes Desert Tour via Merzouga
The High Atlas Crossing$420–$580 per person · accommodation includedTell me when you're coming
Every route bends: more time somewhere, a different start, a night added. Send your dates and I'll plan it around you.