7-Day Self-Launched Moroccan Adventure: Casablanca to Marrakech
7 days · Morocco
Morocco Premium Tours charges £1,390
No-markup version: ~£492 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An independent take on Morocco Premium Tours' 7-day Casablanca–Chefchaouen–Fes–Sahara–Marrakech loop. You'll cover the same headline stops — Hassan II Mosque, Rabat's Oudayas Kasbah, the blue streets of Chefchaouen, a guided wander through the Fes medina, the Middle Atlas, a camel trek into Erg Chebbi and a night in a Berber desert camp, the Todra Gorges, Ait Benhaddou and the Tizi n'Tichka Pass — but travelling by CTM/Supratours coaches, shared grand taxis and the overnight option between Fes and Merzouga's edge, booking day guides locally, and staying in hostels, riads and budget guesthouses instead of 3–4* hotels. Note that this is a fast-moving loop: several of these days are long (4–8 hours on the road), so book coaches in advance and expect early starts.
Day-by-day
Casablanca: Hassan II Mosque & the old medina
Casablanca
Arrive into Casablanca (Mohammed V airport train to Casa Voyageurs ~£4). Drop bags at a hostel or budget hotel near the old medina, then walk the corniche to the Hassan II Mosque — the guided interior visits run several times daily in English for around £11 and are worth it for the scale of the prayer hall. Continue on foot or by tram to Mohammed V Square and the art-deco centre-ville, ending with mint tea in the Habous quarter. Book tomorrow's coach to Rabat online tonight (CTM or Supratours, roughly £4–5, ~1hr 15).
🚌Airport train ~£4; tram/walk in town ~£2
🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse near the old medina (dorm ~£12–15, private double ~£28)
- →Hassan II Mosque guided interior visit (~£11)
- →Mohammed V Square and art-deco centre-ville walk (free)
- →Habous quarter and corniche stroll (free)
Rabat en route to Chefchaouen
Rabat → Chefchaouen
Early CTM coach to Rabat (~£4.50, 1hr 15). Leave your bag at the station lockers, then walk to the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V (free), and wander the Oudayas Kasbah and its blue-and-white lanes down to the river mouth (free, ~£2 for the Andalusian garden). Grab a cheap tagine lunch in the medina. Mid-afternoon, take the CTM/CTM-affiliate coach north to Chefchaouen (~£11–13, 4–5hrs, usually via a change in Tangier or direct evening service — check the timetable that morning). Arrive into the blue town in the evening and check into a small riad or guesthouse in the medina.
🚌Casablanca–Rabat coach ~£4.50; Rabat–Chefchaouen coach ~£12; local petit taxi ~£1
🛏Small riad/guesthouse inside the Chefchaouen medina (~£16–20 dorm, ~£30 private)
- →Hassan Tower & Mausoleum of Mohammed V (free)
- →Oudayas Kasbah and Andalusian garden (~£2)
- →Evening wander of the blue medina (free)
Chefchaouen morning, then coach to Fes
Chefchaouen → Fes
Spend the morning getting properly lost in Chefchaouen: the blue-washed alleys, the Ras El Maa spring, and the Spanish Mosque viewpoint above town for the classic photo (20-minute uphill walk, free — do it early before the heat). Climb the kasbah museum if you want the garden terraces (~£2). After lunch, take the afternoon CTM coach to Fes (~£7–9, 4hrs). In Fes, stay in a budget riad in the medina or a guesthouse near Bab Boujloud; this saves you the tour's two consecutive nights in the same 4* riad but at a fraction of the cost.
🚌Chefchaouen–Fes coach ~£8; petit taxis ~£2
🛏Budget riad or guesthouse in the Fes medina (~£15–18 dorm, ~£32 private)
- →Ras El Maa spring and Spanish Mosque viewpoint hike (free)
- →Chefchaouen kasbah museum (~£2)
- →Medina wander (free)
Fes medina with a local guide
Fes
The Fes medina is genuinely hard to navigate alone, so this is the one place worth paying for a guide: pre-book a half-day medina walking tour on GetYourGuide (~£25–35) or arrange a licensed guide through your riad (expect ~£30 for a half day). Cover the Kairaouine Mosque and university exterior, the Bou Inania madrasa, the tanneries (view from a terrace; ignore 'free' tannery tours that end in a hard sell), and the Royal Palace gates. Afternoon: buy your own food in the souk and relax — or take the overnight option tonight if you want to save a day of travel (see Day 5). Otherwise, buy your coach ticket for tomorrow.
🚌Walking; petit taxi ~£2
🛏Same Fes riad/guesthouse
- →Half-day guided medina walking tour (~£30, book via GetYourGuide or riad)
- →Bou Inania madrasa (~£2)
- →Tannery terrace view (~£1 tip)
Middle Atlas to the Sahara: camel trek and desert camp
Fes → Merzouga
Long travel day. Take the early CTM or Supratours coach from Fes towards Merzouga/Rissani (~£15–18, 7–8hrs) — book a couple of days ahead as seats sell out. If you'd rather break the journey, a shared grand taxi hop to Midelt or Errachidia is possible but pricier and slower. Watch the scenery shift through Ifrane (the 'Moroccan Switzerland'), the cedar forest around Azrou with its Barbary macaques, Midelt and the Ziz Valley palm oasis. In Merzouga, a pre-booked desert camp package (many camps, ~£35–50 per person including camel trek in, dinner, breakfast and camel out at sunrise) covers the Erg Chebbi dunes sunset ride and the night in a Berber tent — book direct with the camp rather than through a middleman. Note: some operators run the Fes–Merzouga leg as an overnight coach; it's cheaper but skips the scenery.
🚌Fes–Merzouga coach ~£16; camel trek in/out included in camp package
🛏Berber desert camp in Erg Chebbi (included in the ~£40 camp package, shared tent)
- →Ifrane, Azrou cedar forest and Ziz Valley stops (free, on the coach route)
- →Camel trek into Erg Chebbi for sunset (~included)
- →Night in a Berber desert camp with dinner (~included)
Sunrise over the dunes, Todra Gorges, on to Ouarzazate
Merzouga → Todra Gorges → Ouarzazate
Wake before dawn for sunrise on the dunes and camel back to Merzouga village for breakfast at the camp or a café. Then head west: the direct public transport options are limited, so the practical budget approach is a shared grand taxi or minibus from Rissani/Merzouga to Tinghir (~£10–14 per person when shared, ~2.5–3hrs), then a short shared taxi or local bus out to the Todra Gorges (free to walk the gorge floor; ~£2–4 for the ride). From Tinghir, catch the afternoon CTM/Supratours coach to Ouarzazate via the Dades Valley (~£10–12, 4–5hrs, often with a change at Kelaat M'Gouna). It's a long day — if you can, book the Tinghir–Ouarzazate seat the day before. Overnight in a budget kasbah-style guesthouse in Ouarzazate.
🚌Shared taxi Merzouga/Rissani–Tinghir ~£12; shared taxi to Todra Gorges ~£3; coach Tinghir–Ouarzazate ~£11
🛏Budget kasbah guesthouse in Ouarzazate (~£16–20 dorm, ~£30 private)
- →Sunrise on the Erg Chebbi dunes (free)
- →Walk the Todra Gorges (free)
- →Dades Valley views from the coach (free)
Ait Benhaddou and Tizi n'Tichka to Marrakech
Ouarzazate → Ait Benhaddou → Marrakech
Morning shared taxi or local bus from Ouarzazate to Ait Benhaddou (~£2–3, 40 mins). Entry to the ksar is free to walk; a local guide at the gate costs ~£8–10 and is worthwhile for the kasbah interiors and film-location stories. Then continue to Marrakech: either a shared grand taxi to Télouet/the pass road plus onward transport, or — simpler and cheaper — the CTM/Supratours coach Ouarzazate–Marrakech (~£8–10, 4hrs) which climbs the Tizi n'Tichka Pass with photo stops at the top. Arrive Marrakech in the late afternoon, check into a hostel or budget riad near Jemaa el-Fnaa, and finish with dinner in the square or a cheap local grill. If departing tonight, Marrakech Menara airport is a short taxi (~£6–8) or bus (~£0.50) away.
🚌Shared taxi to Ait Benhaddou ~£3; coach Ouarzazate–Marrakech ~£9; airport taxi ~£7
🛏Hostel or budget riad near Jemaa el-Fnaa (~£12–16 dorm, ~£28 private)
- →Ait Benhaddou ksar walk and UNESCO site (~£9 local guide)
- →Tizi n'Tichka Pass crossing (free, on coach)
- →Jemaa el-Fnaa evening (free)
Self-launched vs. Morocco Premium Tours
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Morocco Premium Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£492 | £1,390 |
| Duration | 7 days | 7 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £898 per person (65%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Morocco Premium Tours-style trips? Check them out here.~£492
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does 7-Day Self-Launched Moroccan Adventure: Casablanca to Marrakech cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £492 per person for 7 days in Morocco. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Morocco Premium Tours?+
Yes — Morocco Premium Tours charges around £1,390 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £492 — a saving of roughly £898 (65%) per person.
How long is the Morocco trip?+
This itinerary runs 7 days, covering 7 day-by-day stops through Morocco.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, culture, hiking trip through Morocco, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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