Cedars, Kasbahs and Dunes
9-Day Morocco Tour: Casablanca to Marrakech via the Sahara
Nine days from Casablanca to Marrakech, inland through the cedar forest instead of north to the coast
- 9 days · 8 nights
- Casablanca → Marrakech
- About 29 hours over 9 days. driving
My other routes out of Casablanca all turn north for Chefchaouen and Tangier. This one turns inland instead. It goes down through the imperial cities, into the Middle Atlas — Ifrane, the cedar forest, the macaques, country that looks nothing like the Morocco on the postcards — and then follows the Ziz gorges all the way to the Sahara before coming back over the Atlas to Marrakech. It's a full crossing of the country that skips the coast entirely, and it's the easiest of my long routes to do with children: the driving is broken up, the macaques are a guaranteed hit, and there's something to get out and look at every couple of hours.
Why I run it this wayStarting in Casablanca and finishing in Marrakech means you're never doubling back — you see the country in one line rather than a loop, and you can fly out of a different airport than you flew into.
The things worth stopping for
- Rabat and Meknes, which most itineraries skip past
- Roman mosaics still in the floors at Volubilis
- Barbary macaques in the cedar forest above Azrou
- The Ziz gorges, and a night in the dunes at Erg Chebbi
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, Rabat, and on to Meknes
Driving: About 4 hoursThe Hassan II mosque first, which is worth the stop even if you've seen photographs. Then Rabat — the kasbah of the Udayas above the river, and Chellah, where storks nest on Roman columns. Meknes for the night.
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Day 2: Meknes and Volubilis
Driving: About 3 hoursThe gates and the enormous granaries at Meknes in the morning. Volubilis after — mosaics still in the floors of the houses they were laid for — then up to Moulay Idriss on its two hills before dropping into Fes.
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Day 3: Fes, with someone who knows it
Driving: NoneA full day in the medina with a local guide. Over nine thousand alleys is not somewhere to work it out for yourself the first time — I handle the road and the timing, they handle the maze.
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Day 4: Into the cedar forest
Driving: About 4 hoursSouth through Ifrane, built to look Alpine and doing a convincing job of it, then the cedars above Azrou and the Barbary macaques that come down to the roadside. On to Midelt for the night.
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Day 5: The Ziz, and the dunes
Driving: About 5 hoursDown the Ziz gorges, following a palm valley that runs most of the way to the desert. Erfoud, then out to Erg Chebbi for the night under the dunes.
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Day 6: Desert dawn, then west
Driving: About 4 hoursSunrise on the sand, then Rissani market — dates, iron and livestock, none of it arranged for visitors — and west along the road to the Todra gorge.
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Day 7: Gorges and roses
Driving: About 4 hoursTodra in the morning, the Dades switchbacks from the viewpoint above them, Rose Valley and the palm groves at Skoura into Ouarzazate.
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Day 8: Ait Ben Haddou and over the Atlas
Driving: About 5 hoursThe ksar in the afternoon light, the Ounila back road, Telouet, and then the Tizi n'Tichka into Marrakech.
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Day 9: Marrakech
Driving: NoneThe medina, the gardens, and whatever's left on the list. I'll get you to the airport whenever the flight is.
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 air-conditioned van with me driving
- 8 nights accommodation including 1 in a desert camp
- Breakfast each morning, dinner at the camp
- Fuel, tolls and parking
- Casablanca pickup, Marrakech drop-off
Not included
- Flights and visas
- Travel insurance
- Lunches and dinners unless listed
- Entrance fees to monuments and museums
- Local guides inside the medinas
- Tips
Read more about where you'll be
A closer look
Other routes worth a look
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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.