The Gates of Sahara
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Around Morocco — 16 Days from Casablanca

The full circle: imperial cities, the Erg Chebbi dunes, Taroudant and the painted rocks of Tafraoute in the Anti-Atlas, then Agadir, Essaouira and Marrakech.

Length
16 days / 15 nights
Travelling
Private · Your party only

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Around Morocco — 16 Days from Casablanca

The journey

The longest of the journeys, and the only one that reaches the Anti-Atlas. North from Casablanca to Rabat, Meknes and Fes; across the Middle Atlas to the Erg Chebbi dunes; west by the Todra Gorge to Ouarzazate; then through carpet and saffron country to Taroudant, two nights in the granite valley of Tafraoute, and the Atlantic at Agadir and Essaouira before Marrakech and the road back to Casablanca.

  • Rabat, Meknes, Volubilis and Fes, with local guides
  • A night in the Erg Chebbi dunes after a 4x4 morning at Merzouga
  • Taznakht's carpets and Taliouine's saffron on the road to Taroudant
  • Two nights in Tafraoute in the Anti-Atlas
  • Agadir, Essaouira and a guided day in Marrakech

Day by day

  1. Day 1: Arrival in Casablanca

    Welcome at the airport. The Hassan II Mosque today if you have the energy, or tomorrow morning if not.

    Night
    Casablanca
  2. Day 2: Casablanca → Rabat → Meknes

    In Rabat, the Kasbah of the Udayas, the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V; then by motorway to Meknes.

    Night
    Meknes
  3. Day 3: Meknes with a local guide

    A guided tour of Moulay Ismail's capital: Bab Mansour, the Qara prison, the Sahrij Swani basin. The afternoon free on Lahdim Square.

    Night
    Meknes
  4. Day 4: Meknes → Volubilis → Fes

    The Roman ruins of Volubilis, then Fes by early afternoon for a guided visit to its great monuments, ending with a view over the whole old medina.

    Night
    Fes
  5. Day 5: Fes → Ifrane → cedar forest → Merzouga

    Across the Middle Atlas by Ifrane and the cedar forest, where you can visit one of its oldest trees and see wild Barbary macaques, and on south to Merzouga.

    Night
    Merzouga
  6. Day 6: Merzouga by 4x4, then camels to camp

    A morning around the Berber villages near the dunes by 4x4, with Gnawa music at Khamlia. In the afternoon, camels into Erg Chebbi for a night at camp under a clear sky.

    Night
    Desert camp, Erg Chebbi
    Meals
    Dinner
  7. Day 7: Erg Chebbi → Rissani → Todra Gorge → Rose Valley → Ouarzazate

    Rissani's souks, the Todra Gorge and the Rose Valley on the way west to Ouarzazate, the film-studio town.

    Night
    Ouarzazate
    Meals
    Breakfast
  8. Day 8: Ouarzazate → Taznakht → Taliouine → Taroudant

    Through Taznakht, a town of Berber carpet weavers, and Taliouine, where saffron is grown, to Taroudant inside its earthen walls.

    Night
    Taroudant
  9. Day 9: Taroudant → Anti-Atlas → Tafraoute

    Over the Anti-Atlas, some of the finest mountain scenery in the south, to Tafraoute, an oasis among huge rounded granite boulders.

    Night
    Tafraoute
  10. Day 10: Tafraoute

    A day around Tafraoute: argan oil cooperatives, carpet weaving and the villages of the valley.

    Night
    Tafraoute
  11. Day 11: Tafraoute → Agadir

    Down from the mountains to Agadir on the Atlantic, with plenty of stops for the views.

    Night
    Agadir
  12. Day 12: Agadir → Essaouira

    North along the coast to Essaouira, the old Mogador, and an evening in its white medina.

    Night
    Essaouira
  13. Day 13: Essaouira → Marrakech

    Inland by Chichaoua to Marrakech, stopping at an argan oil cooperative, the region's best-known craft.

    Night
    Marrakech
  14. Day 14: Marrakech with a local guide

    The old medina with a licensed guide: the Saadian Tombs, the Bahia Palace, the Majorelle Garden and Jemaa el-Fna.

    Night
    Marrakech
  15. Day 15: Marrakech → Casablanca

    By motorway back to Casablanca.

    Night
    Casablanca
  16. Day 16: Departure

    Transfer to Casablanca airport at the time your flight needs.

The route

Starts from: Casablanca — Mohammed V airport

Atlantic OceanAnti-AtlasSaharaTaznakhtCasablancaRabatMeknesVolubilisFesIfraneMerzougaErg Chebbi, MerzougaRissaniTodra GorgeOuarzazateTaliouineTaroudantTafraouteAgadirEssaouiraMarrakech
About 2,370 km by roadRoads © OpenStreetMap contributors. Coastline: Natural Earth.

Open the meeting point in Google Maps

What's included

Included

  • Welcome at Casablanca airport; transfer back to Casablanca airport
  • Private vehicle with driver throughout, and a 4x4 morning around Merzouga
  • Licensed local guides in Meknes, Fes and Marrakech
  • Fifteen nights in hotels and riads along the route
  • Camel ride into the Erg Chebbi dunes and a night at a desert camp, with dinner and breakfast

Not included

  • International flights
  • Meals not listed as included
  • Drinks, personal expenses and tips
  • Travel insurance

Frequently asked questions

Is there a shorter version?
The Best of Morocco in 10 days also starts and ends in Casablanca and keeps Fes, the Sahara, the gorges, Marrakech and Essaouira, without the Anti-Atlas.

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