PrivateRabat to the Heart of Morocco — 9 Days
A loop from Rabat airport: Casablanca and Marrakech, the High Atlas and the gorges, a night in the Erg Chebbi dunes, Fes, Meknes and Volubilis.
- Length
- 9 days
- Starts from
- Rabat
- Price
- Price on request
Imperial Cities, Sahara and Essaouira — 14 Days from Rabat
The slow version of Morocco: guided days in Meknes, Fes and Marrakech, two nights at Merzouga, a night beside Aït Ben Haddou, and Essaouira, from Rabat and back.
- Length
- 14 days / 13 nights
- Starts from
- Rabat — Rabat-Salé airport
- Travelling
- Private · Your party only
The journey
Fourteen days with time in each place rather than a new hotel every night. Meknes and Fes with local guides, a night in Midelt to break the road south, two nights at Merzouga with a day by 4x4 around the dunes, the Todra and Dades gorges, a night beside the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou, Marrakech, Essaouira, and the coast road home by El Jadida and Casablanca.
- Guided visits in Meknes, Fes and Marrakech
- Two nights at Merzouga: a 4x4 day and a night at camp in the dunes
- A night beside the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou
- A riad in Essaouira's medina
- The coast road home by El Jadida and Casablanca
Day by day
Day 1: Arrival in Rabat
Welcome at Rabat airport. If time allows, the Kasbah of the Udayas and the Hassan Tower; if not, the next morning.
- Night
- Rabat
Day 2: Rabat → Meknes
To Meknes, Moulay Ismail's capital, for a guided visit: Bab Mansour, Lahdim Square, the Qara prison, the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail and the Sahrij Swani basin. A free afternoon on the square.
- Night
- Meknes
Day 3: Meknes → Volubilis → Fes
Volubilis, where the Roman mosaics, street plan and paving survive, a photo stop above the holy town of Moulay Idriss, and on through green hills past the Sidi Chahed reservoir to Fes.
- Night
- Fes
Day 4: Fes with a local guide
Fes el-Bali with a licensed guide: the Zaouia of Moulay Idriss, the Nejjarine fountain, the tanneries and, after lunch, the gates of the Royal Palace and the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter, with a visit to a ceramics workshop and a view over the whole medina to finish.
- Night
- Fes
Day 5: Fes → Ifrane → cedar forest → Midelt
Through Ifrane and the Middle Atlas cedar forest, where Barbary macaques live wild, to Midelt for the night.
- Night
- Midelt
Day 6: Midelt → Ziz Gorges → Aoufous → Merzouga
South on the caravan road through the Ziz gorges and the palm valley of Aoufous, to a hotel at the edge of Erg Chebbi.
- Night
- Hotel at the edge of Erg Chebbi
Day 7: Behind the dunes by 4x4, then camels to camp
A morning by 4x4 round the back of Erg Chebbi: the old lead mines of Mifis, tea with a nomad family, and Khamlia's Gnawa music. In the afternoon, camels through the dunes to a camp for the night.
- Night
- Desert camp, Erg Chebbi
- Meals
- Dinner
Day 8: Sunrise → Rissani → Todra Gorge → Dades
Sunrise and the camels back to the hotel for breakfast. Rissani's old souk, once a stop for caravans from south of the Sahara, then Tinghir and the Todra Gorge, and up the Dades valley to a hotel overlooking it.
- Night
- Hotel overlooking the Dades valley
- Meals
- Breakfast
Day 9: Dades → Kalaat M'Gouna → Skoura → Ouarzazate → Aït Ben Haddou
Kalaat M'Gouna, the rose capital, with an optional stop at a rose distillery; the Kasbah Amridil in the Skoura palm grove; a guided visit to a film studio at Ouarzazate. The night near Aït Ben Haddou.
- Night
- Hotel near Aït Ben Haddou
Day 10: Aït Ben Haddou → Tizi n'Tichka → Marrakech
Aït Ben Haddou in the morning light, then over the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m) to Marrakech and a riad near Jemaa el-Fna.
- Night
- Riad near Jemaa el-Fna, Marrakech
Day 11: Marrakech with a local guide
A guided morning: the Koutoubia, the Saadian Tombs, the Bahia Palace and the Ben Youssef Madrasa, then the artisans' lanes to Jemaa el-Fna. The afternoon is free.
- Night
- Riad near Jemaa el-Fna, Marrakech
Day 12: Marrakech → Essaouira
West to the Atlantic, with an argan oil cooperative on the way, and a free afternoon in Essaouira.
- Night
- Riad in Essaouira's medina
Day 13: Essaouira → El Jadida → Casablanca → Rabat
The coast road north: lunch and the old port at El Jadida, the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, and a riad in the old medina of Salé, across the river from Rabat.
- Night
- Riad in the medina of Salé
Day 14: Departure
Transfer to Rabat airport at the time your flight needs.
The route
Starts from: Rabat — Rabat-Salé airport
What's included
Included
- Welcome at Rabat airport; transfer back to Rabat airport
- Private vehicle with driver throughout, and a 4x4 day around Merzouga
- Licensed local guides in Meknes, Fes and Marrakech
- Thirteen nights, including a riad in Essaouira's medina and a riad in the old medina of Salé on the last night
- 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?
Sea and Sahara in 11 days covers much the same ground from Rabat in three fewer days.
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- Length
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- Starts from
- Rabat
- Price
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PrivateRabat and the North — 9 Days
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- Length
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- Starts from
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- Price
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PrivateAgadir to Erg Chegaga, 2 Days in the Desert
From the coast to the dunes of Erg Chegaga by the southern road through Tata and Foum Zguid, with a camel ride at sunset and another at dawn.
- Length
- 2 days
- Starts from
- Agadir
- From
- €320/ person for 5+