Chefchaouen, Fes, two nights at Merzouga, the gorges, Marrakech and Essaouira: the whole of Morocco in ten days, from Casablanca airport and back.
Ten days that take in nearly everything travellers come to Morocco for, in the order the roads allow. North first to the blue town of Chefchaouen in the Rif, then Volubilis and a guided day in Fes. Across the Middle Atlas to Merzouga for two nights, one of them in the dunes. Back west by the Todra and Dades gorges and Aït Ben Haddou to Marrakech, out to Essaouira on the Atlantic, and up the coast to Casablanca for your flight.
From the airport to the Hassan II Mosque, one of the few mosques in Morocco that non-Muslims may visit, on a guided tour. On to Rabat for the Kasbah of the Udayas and the Hassan Tower, then north through Ouazzane to Chefchaouen.
A morning walk through the blue lanes of Chefchaouen's medina, then south through the green country around Ouazzane to the Roman city of Volubilis, and on to Fes.
A full day in Fes el-Bali with a licensed guide: its gates, its lanes too narrow for any vehicle, the Al-Qarawiyyin and the old Jewish quarter.
Through the cedars of the Middle Atlas and its Barbary macaques, lunch in Midelt, then the open plateau, the Ziz Valley and the date palms of the Tafilalet to Merzouga.
The morning at Rissani, near the ruins of Sijilmassa, the caravan city that traded across the Sahara: its old market and a traditional herbalist. Lunch at Khamlia facing the dunes, with medfouna, the stuffed bread of the region, and Gnawa music. In the afternoon, camels into Erg Chebbi for a night at camp.
Sunrise from the dunes and the camels back for breakfast. West to the Todra Gorge and, after lunch, up the Dades valley for the night.
A rose distillery in the Rose Valley, the Skoura palm grove, Ouarzazate and Aït Ben Haddou, then the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m) and a women's argan cooperative on the way into Marrakech.
A guided morning in the medina, the Saadian Tombs, the Bahia Palace and the Ben Youssef Madrasa, ending at Jemaa el-Fna. After lunch, the Majorelle Garden and a short tour of Guéliz, the new town.
West across the plain to the Atlantic, with a stop at a women's argan oil cooperative. Lunch by the sea, a guided walk through Essaouira's walled medina, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a free afternoon.
Up the coast to Casablanca's Mohammed V airport for your flight.
Starts from: Casablanca — Mohammed V airport
PrivateFrom Casablanca by Rabat, Meknes and Volubilis to Fes, across the Middle Atlas to the dunes, and over the High Atlas to Marrakech, with a guided day in each great medina.
PrivateRabat, the lagoon at Moulay Bousselham, Asilah, two nights in Chefchaouen, Volubilis, two nights in Fes and Meknes: northern Morocco in a week.
PrivateThe full circle: imperial cities, the Erg Chebbi dunes, Taroudant and the painted rocks of Tafraoute in the Anti-Atlas, then Agadir, Essaouira and Marrakech.
PrivateFrom the Atlantic to the Erg Chebbi dunes by Taroudant, Taliouine, Aït Ben Haddou and the Todra Gorge, with a sunset camel ride and a night at camp.
