10-Day Self-Launched Morocco: Imperial Cities, Atlas Mountains & Sahara Desert

Arrive at Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport and make your way into the city by the express train (ONCF Casablanca Airport line, ~£3, 35 mins) to the city centre. Check into a budget riad or hostel in the Maarif or city centre area. If you arrive early, head to the Hassan II Mosque — one of the world's largest and most stunning mosques, with guided tours available for non-Muslims (~£10). Grab dinner at a local café in the Maarif neighbourhood.

🚌ONCF airport express train to city centre, ~£3

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Casablanca city centre (e.g. Backpackers Casablanca or similar, ~£14/night)

• →Arrive and take ONCF express train to city centre (~£3)
• →Check in to hostel/budget riad
• →Optional: Guided tour of Hassan II Mosque (~£10 via GetYourGuide or direct booking)
• →Evening stroll along the Corniche

Take an early ONCF train from Casablanca Voyageurs station to Rabat (~45 mins, ~£4). Spend the morning exploring the Mohamed V Mausoleum, Hassan Tower, and the scenic Kasbah des Oudayas and Place des Oudaya overlooking the Atlantic. After lunch, catch a CTM bus from Rabat to Chefchaouen (~4 hrs, ~£8). Arrive in the blue city in the evening and wander the magical medina as it lights up at dusk.

🚌ONCF train Casablanca–Rabat (~£4); CTM bus Rabat–Chefchaouen (~£8)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Chefchaouen medina (e.g. Dar Zitoun or similar, ~£14/night)

• →ONCF train Casablanca → Rabat (~£4)
• →Visit Mohamed V Mausoleum (free)
• →Visit Hassan Tower (free)
• →Explore Place des Oudaya and Kasbah (free)
• →CTM bus Rabat → Chefchaouen (~£8, ~4 hrs)
• →Evening walk through Chefchaouen's blue medina

Enjoy a free morning wandering Chefchaouen's photogenic blue streets, browsing handicraft stalls and picking up souvenirs. After lunch, board a CTM bus from Chefchaouen to Fes (~4 hrs, ~£8). Arrive in the early evening, check into your riad in the medina, and take a gentle first stroll through the old city streets.

🚌CTM bus Chefchaouen–Fes (~£8, ~4 hrs)

🛏Budget riad or hostel inside Fes el-Bali medina (e.g. Riad Boujloud or hostel nearby, ~£16/night)

• →Free morning exploration of Chefchaouen medina and souks
• →Souvenir shopping (woven blankets, blue ceramics)
• →CTM bus Chefchaouen → Fes (~£8, ~4 hrs)
• →Evening orientation walk in Fes el-Bali medina

Spend a full day exploring UNESCO-listed Fes el-Bali, one of the world's best-preserved medieval cities. Book a half-day walking tour via GetYourGuide or direct (~£15) to navigate the labyrinthine alleys with a local guide. Visit the Bou Inania Medersa, El Qaraouiyyin Mosque (the world's oldest university), the Nejjarine Fountain and its ornate fountain house, and the famous Chouara Tanneries — head to a leather shop terrace for a free bird's-eye view. Enjoy a traditional lunch in the medina and a leisurely afternoon at your own pace.

🚌On foot within medina

🛏Budget riad or hostel inside Fes el-Bali medina (~£16/night)

• →Half-day guided medina walking tour via GetYourGuide (~£15)
• →Visit Bou Inania Medersa (~£2 entry)
• →View El Qaraouiyyin Mosque exterior and courtyard (free)
• →Nejjarine Fountain and nearby Nejjarine Museum (~£2)
• →Chouara Tanneries viewing from leather shop terrace (free with shop visit)
• →Traditional tagine lunch in the medina (~£5)
• →Afternoon free exploration of craftspeople's souks

This is a long travel day across some of Morocco's most dramatic landscapes. Take a morning CTM bus or shared grand taxi from Fes toward Midelt (~3–4 hrs), stopping en route through the Middle Atlas mountains and the cedar forests of Azrou where Barbary macaques roam freely. Continue by bus or shared taxi through Midelt, the Ziz Gorges and the stunning Ziz Valley palm oasis to reach Errachidia, then a final shared grand taxi to Merzouga (~2 hrs). Arrive in time to watch the sun set over the enormous Erg Chebbi sand dunes from your guesthouse rooftop.

🚌CTM bus Fes–Midelt (~£8); shared grand taxis Midelt–Errachidia–Merzouga (~£11 total)

🛏Budget desert guesthouse on dune edge in Merzouga (e.g. Maison Merzouga or Kasbah Mohayut, ~£18/night)

• →CTM/Supratours bus Fes → Midelt (~£8, ~3 hrs)
• →Stop at Azrou cedar forests to spot Barbary macaques (roadside, free)
• →Shared grand taxi Midelt → Errachidia (~£6)
• →Shared grand taxi Errachidia → Merzouga (~£5)
• →Sunset viewing over Erg Chebbi dunes from guesthouse rooftop (free)

The highlight of the whole trip. Book a camel trek and overnight desert camp package directly through your guesthouse — this is standard and highly competitive locally (~£35–45 pp including camel ride, dinner, breakfast, and a night in a furnished Berber bivouac tent with Western bathroom facilities). Ride camels into the dunes for sunset, try sandboarding, share tea with a local nomadic family, enjoy a traditional Berber dinner in the camp restaurant tent, and fall asleep under an impossibly starry sky to the sound of drumming and live music around the campfire. During the day, visit the village of Khamlia to hear Gnaoua music and try Berber pizza and spiced coffee (~£4).

🚌Camel trek into dunes (included in camp package); local transfers by foot or moto-taxi (~£2)

🛏Equipped desert bivouac camp in Erg Chebbi dunes — book via guesthouse (~£40/night including dinner & breakfast)

• →Morning off-road walk or optional ATV hire (~£20 extra) in the Hamada desert
• →Visit Khamlia village for Gnaoua music, Berber pizza and spiced coffee (~£4)
• →Camel safari into Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset (included in camp package)
• →Sandboarding on the dunes (board hire ~£3)
• →Sunset over the dunes
• →Traditional Berber dinner at desert bivouac camp (included in package)
• →Campfire drumming, dancing and stargazing

Wake before dawn to watch sunrise paint the dunes in gold — a truly unmissable moment. Enjoy a big camp breakfast, then camel (or 4x4) back to Merzouga village. Browse the Rissani weekly souk if it falls on a Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday (~£0, great for local produce, ceramics and textiles). Pick up a shared grand taxi or local minibus northwest through Tinghir to the spectacular Todra Gorges — sheer 300m canyon walls you can walk through for free. Continue by shared taxi to the Dades Valley and its famous Monkey Fingers rock formations for the night.

🚌Camel back to village (included); shared grand taxis Merzouga–Tinghir–Dades Valley (~£11)

🛏Budget guesthouse or auberge in Dades Valley (e.g. Auberge Chez Pierre or similar, ~£15/night)

• →Sunrise viewing over Erg Chebbi dunes (free)
• →Big breakfast at desert camp (included)
• →Camel or 4x4 ride back to Merzouga village (included in camp package)
• →Optional: Rissani Souk visit (free entry, Sun/Tue/Thu only)
• →Shared grand taxi Merzouga → Tinghir (~£6)
• →Walk through Todra Gorges (free)
• →Shared grand taxi Tinghir → Dades Valley (~£5)

Another epic travel day through Morocco's most cinematic landscapes. Take a shared grand taxi or local minibus through the Rose Valley of Kalaa Mgouna (buy local rosewater from roadside stalls ~£2–4), past the Route of a Thousand Kasbahs, and through the Skoura Oasis where you can walk to the 17th-century Kasbah Ameridhil (entry ~£1.50). Stop at Ouarzazate — gateway to the Sahara and used as a film set for Game of Thrones and Gladiator. From here, take a shared grand taxi to Ait Ben Haddou UNESCO World Heritage ksar (~30 mins, ~£3) — explore independently for free (small donation at gate appreciated). Finish with a shared CTM bus or grand taxi over the spectacular Tizi n-Tichka High Atlas pass into Marrakech, arriving by evening.

🚌Shared grand taxis Dades–Kalaa Mgouna–Skoura–Ouarzazate–Ait Ben Haddou (~£10); CTM bus Ouarzazate–Marrakech (~£8)

🛏Hostel or budget riad in Marrakech medina (e.g. Waka Waka Hostel or Riad near Djemaa El Fna, ~£16/night)

• →Shared grand taxi Dades → Kalaa Mgouna (~£4) — buy rosewater roadside
• →Pass through Skoura Oasis; visit Kasbah Ameridhil (~£1.50)
• →Stop in Ouarzazate — browse Atlas Studios exterior (free)
• →Shared grand taxi to Ait Ben Haddou (~£3); explore UNESCO ksar (free/donation)
• →Lunch by Ait Ben Haddou — local café tagine (~£5)
• →CTM bus or shared grand taxi over Tizi n-Tichka pass to Marrakech (~£7–10)

Dive into Marrakech with a morning walking tour of the historic medina — book a 3-hour guided city tour via GetYourGuide (~£15) or follow a self-launched route. Visit the 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque (exterior free), the Saadian Tombs (~£2), the El Badi Palace ruins (~£2), the dazzling Majorelle Gardens (~£7, book ahead online), and lose yourself in the souks of the medina. Converge on the legendary Djemaa El Fna square at dusk as it transforms into an open-air carnival of storytellers, musicians, snake charmers and food stalls. Optional: treat yourself to a traditional hammam and scrub at a local public hammam (~£5–10).

🚌On foot and occasional petit taxi within Marrakech (~£3–5/day)

🛏Hostel or budget riad in Marrakech medina (~£16/night)

• →Morning guided medina walking tour via GetYourGuide (~£15)
• →Koutoubia Mosque exterior and gardens (free)
• →Saadian Tombs (~£2)
• →El Badi Palace (~£2)
• →Majorelle Gardens (~£7, pre-book online)
• →Explore souks and handicraft sellers in the medina (free to browse)
• →Djemaa El Fna square at dusk — street food dinner (~£6)
• →Optional: traditional hammam (~£8)

Enjoy a final Moroccan breakfast of msemen, amlou and mint tea at a local café. Pick up any last-minute souvenirs from the souks or Mellah market. Take a petit taxi to Marrakech Menara Airport (~£5) for your departure. Alternatively, if departing from Casablanca, take the Supratours/CTM bus or ONCF train to Casablanca (~3–3.5 hrs, ~£8–10). Safe travels!

🚌Petit taxi to airport (~£5); or Supratours/ONCF to Casablanca (~£9)

🛏N/A — departure day

• →Final Moroccan breakfast at a medina café (~£4)
• →Last souvenir shopping in Marrakech souks
• →Petit taxi to Marrakech Menara Airport (~£5)
• →Alternative: Supratours bus or ONCF train to Casablanca (~£8–10)