14 Days Tour from Casablanca

Day 4 is a full day of sightseeing in Chefchaouen, with no packing and no long drive. After a slow breakfast, you walk through the medina when it is still quiet, with its blue walls, painted steps and wooden doors, and every corner gives a new photo.

You visit the Kasbah and its garden, then sit in Plaza Uta el-Hammam, the main square, under the old red walls. The small shops sell woven blankets, wool hats, natural soap and local goat cheese, and the sellers are calm and friendly, so it is a pleasant place to shop.

In the afternoon you can walk up to the Spanish Mosque on the hill for the best view of the blue town and the mountains, especially at sunset. If you want a longer excursion, you can add a visit to the Akchour waterfalls, a green valley with clear pools.

Lunch and dinner are free, so you can try the local dishes at your own pace, such as fresh bread, tagine and mountain honey. Tonight you sleep again in Chefchaouen and rest before the road to Fes.

Driving distance: none, sightseeing day
Driving time: none, optional trip to Akchour about 1 hour each way
Overnight: riad or hotel in Chefchaouen

On day 5 you leave the Rif Mountains after breakfast and drive south to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins stand among olive groves and wheat fields, and you can see columns, an arch, mosaic floors and the remains of houses and a basilica from the ancient province of Mauretania.

Close to the ruins you can stop in Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, a holy town built on two hills where the founder of the first Moroccan dynasty is buried. The terrace views over the valley are excellent, and a mint tea on a rooftop is a nice break before the road continues.

You then drive to Meknes, one of the four imperial cities, and see the Bab Mansour gate, the old walls and the royal stables built by Sultan Moulay Ismail. After a lunch in the old town, you continue through farmland toward Fes.

In the late afternoon you reach Fes, the oldest imperial city in Morocco. You check in to your traditional riad or hotel near the medina and rest, and in the evening you can have dinner in a local restaurant before your guided day.

Driving distance: about 300 km
Driving time: about 5.5 hours, with stops
Overnight: riad or hotel in Fes

Day 6 is a complete day in Fes with a licensed local guide, who meets you at the riad after breakfast. Fes el Bali, the old walled city, has lived for more than a thousand years, and its maze of lanes is one of the largest car-free areas in the world. The guide leads the way and tells the stories behind each place.

You see the Al-Qarawiyyin area, the Bou Inania Madrasa with its carved cedar and tile work, and the Nejjarine Fountain. Your guide also shows you the old gates and the viewpoints over the roofs, so you understand how the city is organised.

The craft quarters are the highlight. You watch leather workers dye skins in the stone vats of the tanneries, visit the weavers and potters, and see brass workers hammer patterns into metal. In the souks you can buy leather bags, lamps, spices and ceramics, with your guide’s help for fair prices.

Lunch is in a restaurant inside the medina, with typical Fes dishes such as pastilla and tagine. After lunch you can rest at the riad or stay longer in the souks, and the evening is free for a walk or a quiet dinner.

Driving distance: none, guided walking tour
Driving time: about 6 to 7 hours on foot, with breaks
Overnight: riad or hotel in Fes

Day 7 is the long road to the Sahara, so you leave Fes early. You first drive to Ifrane, a neat mountain town with alpine-style houses and flower gardens, and then to the cedar forest near Azrou, where wild Barbary macaques come close to you and the old cedars are very tall.

The road climbs to Midelt and then drops into the Ziz Valley, with its long palm oasis and red earth villages. You stop for lunch on the way, then pass through the Rich Gorges and the tunnel of the Legionnaires before the landscape opens into the wide gold plains of the south.

Late in the afternoon you reach the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes near Merzouga. Here your camel waits for you, and you ride slowly over the dunes at sunset to your desert camp, with a view of the sand changing colour from orange to deep red.

At the camp you are welcomed with mint tea, and you can try sandboarding on the dunes before dinner. After a traditional dinner and Berber drumming around the fire, you sleep in your tent under a sky full of stars.

Driving distance: about 480 km
Driving time: about 8.5 hours, with stops
Overnight: desert camp in Merzouga

Day 8 gives you more time in the Sahara with a jeep tour of the Merzouga region. If you like, you wake early for the sunrise over the dunes, then enjoy a long breakfast at the camp before your driver takes you out into the open desert in a 4×4.

You visit a nomadic family who live in the desert in tents and traditional houses. They welcome you with sweet mint tea and bread, and you learn how they care for their goats and camels, find water and live far from any city. It is one of the most personal moments of the trip.

Then you see the old M’ifis mine and its tunnels, and continue to Khamlia, a village of Gnawa musicians whose drum and chant rhythms came from sub-Saharan Africa. You can also stop at Lake Dayet Srij, where flamingos appear in the wet season and the colours are special.

After lunch you return to the camp for rest, a walk on the dunes or sandboarding. In the evening you enjoy a second night in the desert, with a hot dinner, a campfire and a clear sky that is perfect for looking at the stars.

Driving distance: about 30 to 40 km
Driving time: about 3 to 4 hours, with stops
Overnight: desert camp in Merzouga

Day 9 starts with a last quiet moment in the desert, and after breakfast you leave the dunes behind. You drive first to Rissani, the old oasis town of the Tafilalet region and the home of the Alaouite dynasty, where the weekly souk is full of spices, dates, donkeys and handmade goods.

You continue across stony plains and green oases, and you reach Todra Gorge, where the limestone walls rise about 300 metres on both sides of a narrow canyon. A shallow river runs along the road, so it is a pleasant place to walk and cool your feet.

After lunch you drive on to the Dades Valley near Boumalne Dades. The landscape here is made of red rocks that look like stacked stones, together with fields and palm trees, and you can take photos from the viewpoints on the mountain road.

In the evening you check in to your hotel or guesthouse, rest with a view of the valley and enjoy dinner there. It is a quiet night in the mountains before you head west across the Atlas.

Driving distance: about 300 km
Driving time: about 6 hours, with stops
Overnight: hotel or guesthouse in Boumalne Dades