A tighter version of our longer Casablanca route, for travellers with less time but who still want a night in the desert on the way to Marrakech.
Tour highlights
- Hassan II Mosque and Rabat
- The Middle Atlas and Ziz Valley
- Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi dunes
- Dades and Todra gorges
- Ait Ben Haddou
Itinerary
Day 1 — Casablanca to Fes via Rabat
We start at the Hassan II Mosque, built out over the Atlantic, then drive up the coast to Rabat for its royal monuments — the Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the Kasbah of the Oudayas. From there it's inland to Fes for the night.
Day 2 — Fes to Merzouga
We cross the Middle Atlas through Ifrane and its cedar forest, then follow the Ziz Valley's palm groves and fortified villages south to Erg Chebbi. In the evening we ride camels into the dunes for sunset and spend the night at a desert camp.
Day 3 — Merzouga to Ouarzazate
Sunrise over the dunes, then a short camel ride back for breakfast. The road west runs through Erfoud and Tinghir to the Todra Gorge, then the kasbahs and rose fields of the Dades Valley, before we reach Ouarzazate for the night.
Day 4 — Ouarzazate to Marrakech
We visit Ait Ben Haddou, the earthen kasbah on the old caravan road and a frequent film location, then cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, arriving in Marrakech in the afternoon.
Day 5 — Marrakech
A guided day in Marrakech: the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, the Koutoubia mosque and its gardens, and the souks around the Jemaa el-Fna before your onward journey.
