20 Days: Exotic Treasures of Morocco

Overview

In short: Private tour · 20 days / 19 nights, starting and ending in Casablanca airport — about 2,975 km and 32 places, including 2 nights in the desert.

Duration

20 days / 19 nights

Starts

Casablanca airport

Ends

Casablanca airport

Tour type

Private tour

Group size

Up to 50 travellers

Language

Flexible, on request

Distance

≈ 2,975 km in total

Stops

32 places

A three-week grand loop with plenty of extras: Casablanca, Rabat, Asilah and Tangier, Tetouan and Chefchaouen, Volubilis, Meknes and Fes, three nights around Erg Chebbi (including a free day at a hotel pool facing the dunes), the gorges and Ait Ben Haddou, Marrakech with a balloon flight, a food tour and Chez Ali, the Ouzoud falls, then Essaouira with a beach horse ride and a hammam before returning to Casablanca.

It is the closest sibling of the 24-day programme and includes more activities than any other tour we offer.

Highlights

• Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier and Asilah
• Chefchaouen and Tetouan
• Fes, Meknes and Volubilis
• Ifrane and Midelt
• Sahara: camel ride, sandboarding, ATV/buggy, 4×4 over the dunes
• Nomad life, Rissani and a Berber show
• Ouarzazate, Atlas Studios and Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou
• Dades Valley and the Roses village
• Tizi n'Tichka
• Hot-air balloon and a food-tasting tour in Marrakech
• Ouzoud waterfalls
• Essaouira: horse ride and hammam

Route

• Day 1
• Day 3
• Day 4
• Day 5
• Day 7
• Day 9
• Day 10
• Day 12
• Day 13
• Day 15
• Day 17
• Day 19
• Day 20

Lines join the stops in order; they are not the exact roads. Distances are road estimates. Open the route in Google Maps

Day by day

1. Day 1Arrival – Casablanca airport transfer

   Casablanca Airport › Casablanca

   Transfer from Casablanca airport to your hotel.

   ≈ 30 kmOvernight: Casablanca
2. Day 2Casablanca with a local guide

   The Corniche, Hassan II Mosque, Morocco Mall, the Habous old medina and the Jewish quarter; free evening.

   Overnight: CasablancaMeals: Breakfast
3. Day 3Casablanca – Rabat – Asilah – Tangier

   Casablanca › Rabat › Asilah › Tangier

   Rabat: Hassan Tower, the Chellah ruins and the Kasbah of the Udayas.

   Along the coast to Asilah, known for its annual art festival and murals, and its Skala bastion with views of the medina and the sea. On to Tangier.

   ≈ 390 kmOvernight: TangierMeals: Breakfast
4. Day 4Tangier

   Tangier › Hercules Caves › Tangier

   Hercules Caves, the Kasbah near the harbour, the medina's craft shops and a Mediterranean view; afternoon at the beach.

   ≈ 20 kmOvernight: TangierMeals: Breakfast
5. Day 5Tangier – Tetouan – Chefchaouen

   Tangier › Tetouan › Chefchaouen

   Tetouan's medina and its famous 'zaazaa' fruit shake, then Chefchaouen.

   ≈ 120 kmOvernight: Riad in ChefchaouenMeals: Breakfast
6. Day 6Exploring Chefchaouen

   Blue walls, doors and shops, and the Andalusian-style new town with the park on Avenue Mohammed V.

   Overnight: Riad in ChefchaouenMeals: Breakfast
7. Day 7Chefchaouen – Volubilis – Meknes – Fes

   Chefchaouen › Volubilis › Meknes › Fes

   Volubilis through the Rif farmland, then Meknes: the medina walls, Bab el-Mansour and the Moulay Ismail mausoleum. Night in Fes.

   ≈ 255 kmOvernight: FesMeals: Breakfast
8. Day 8A full day in the Fes medina

   Al-Qarawiyyin, Al-Attarine madrasa, the Blue Gate, the Chouara tannery and the souks, then a panoramic view of the medina.

   Overnight: Riad in FesMeals: Breakfast
9. Day 9Fes – Ifrane – Midelt – Merzouga (luxury camp)

   Fes › Ifrane › Azrou › Midelt › Ziz Gorges › Errachidia / Ziz › Erfoud › Rissani › Merzouga

   Ifrane, Azrou's macaques, the Tizi n'Talghemt pass and the Ziz Gorges; lunch near Errachidia.

   Mint tea in Merzouga, then a camel ride of about 1h30 to a luxury camp (beds, shower, private toilet).

   ≈ 475 kmOvernight: Luxury desert campMeals: Breakfast + dinner
10. Day 10Erg Chebbi – Khamlia – Merzouga lake – Rissani

    Merzouga › Khamlia › Rissani › Merzouga

    Sunrise, then a buggy or ATV ride back to Riad Café du Sud.

    4×4 tour: Khamlia's Gnawa music, the seasonal lake with its birds, a nomad home, and Rissani, birthplace of Moulay Ali Cherif. Lunch: madfouna ('Berber pizza') baked in the embers.

    Back to your 'royal' luxury tent in the afternoon.

    ≈ 100 kmOvernight: Luxury tentMeals: Breakfast + dinner
11. Day 11Free day in Merzouga

    Relax at the hotel pool facing the dunes and palm trees; optional evening of Amazigh music at the camp.

    Overnight: Merzouga hotelMeals: Breakfast + dinner
12. Day 12Todra Gorge – Dades – Valley of Roses – Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou

    Merzouga › Erfoud › Tinghir › Todra Gorge › Boumalne Dades › Kelaat M'Gouna › Skoura › Ouarzazate › Ait Ben Haddou

    A 30-minute walk in the Todra Gorge among palms and olive groves, a visit to Amazigh families, and lunch in the gorge.

    The Road of 1,000 Kasbahs, a rose cooperative in Kelaat M'Gouna, the Skoura palm grove, Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou with its rooftop café; studio visit before the hotel.

    ≈ 460 kmOvernight: Ouarzazate areaMeals: Breakfast
13. Day 13Atlas Mountains – Marrakech

    Ait Ben Haddou › Tizi n'Tichka › Marrakech

    Leave at 9:00 over Tizi n'Tichka, arrive in Marrakech around 15:00 and explore Jemaa el-Fna.

    ≈ 135 kmOvernight: MarrakechMeals: Breakfast
14. Day 14Marrakech with a local guide – Chez Ali

    Palaces, the Jewish quarter, Bahia, Menara, the Saadian Tombs, the Koutoubia, Ben Youssef Madrasa, Jemaa el-Fna, the ramparts and Majorelle Garden.

    Evening: dinner-show at Chez Ali (music and horse show).

    Overnight: Riad/hotel in the medinaMeals: Breakfast + dinner
15. Day 15Day trip to the Ouzoud waterfalls

    Marrakech › Ouzoud Falls › Marrakech

    Leave at 9:00; a local guide, a boat ride to the foot of the falls, red-earth villages and terraced fields. Back in the early evening.

    ≈ 330 kmOvernight: MarrakechMeals: Breakfast
16. Day 16Hot-air balloon – spa day pass – night food tour

    Pick-up at 5:00, take-off around 6:00 for sunrise, about 2 hours in the air, then breakfast.

    Afternoon day pass with lunch at a resort hotel.

    Evening food tour with a guide beyond Jemaa el-Fna: spices, oils and local dishes.

    Overnight: MarrakechMeals: Breakfast
17. Day 17Essaouira with a local guide – beach horse ride

    Marrakech › Argan forest › Essaouira

    Leave at 8:00 via Sidi Mokhtar and the argan forest (tree-climbing goats), an argan cooperative and optionally the Val d'Argan vineyard.

    Guided visit: medina, Mellah, Kasbah and fishing port; lunch at a local eatery.

    Before sunset, a horse ride on the beach with a professional photographer.

    ≈ 230 kmOvernight: EssaouiraMeals: Breakfast
18. Day 18Free day in Essaouira

    Free day: beach, kitesurf or surf.

    Overnight: EssaouiraMeals: Breakfast
19. Day 19Hammam & spa – transfer to Casablanca

    Essaouira › Casablanca

    Morning hammam and spa, then the drive to a downtown Casablanca hotel near the shopping streets.

    ≈ 400 kmOvernight: CasablancaMeals: Breakfast
20. Day 20Transfer to Casablanca airport

    Casablanca › Casablanca Airport

    Transfer to the airport, two hours before your flight.

    ≈ 30 kmMeals: Breakfast

What’s included

Good to know

• Best season for the desert: October to April. In summer daytime heat often exceeds 40°C; in winter nights at camp can drop close to freezing.
• The Tizi n'Tichka pass (about 2,260 m) can get snow or brief closures in winter; the driver adjusts timings to road conditions.
• Pack a small daypack for the camp night (water, charger, warm layer, toiletries). Large luggage stays in the vehicle or hotel.
• Essentials: sunscreen, sunglasses, a scarf/cheche against sand, comfortable shoes and a warm jacket for the evening.
• In the old medinas (Marrakech, Fes, Chefchaouen) wear comfortable shoes; alleys are narrow and unsuitable for wheeled suitcases — riads usually arrange porters.
• Use only official licensed guides and ignore unofficial 'guides' at the medina gates.
• Dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered) near religious sites; Hassan II Mosque is the only mosque open to non-Muslims, on guided visits.
• With so many activities included, confirm the exact list in writing (balloon, food tour, hammam, horse ride, ATV, Chez Ali) before paying a deposit.

Guided visits on this route

Our local guides also lead these walks and day trips in towns this tour passes through. Ask us to add one.

Read before you go

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