Exotic Morocco: Self-Launched Independent Route

Fly into Marrakech Menara (RAK); airport bus #19 to Jemaa el-Fna costs ~30 MAD (~£2.40) or a petit taxi ~100 MAD. Check into a riad or guesthouse inside the medina — this is the single biggest upgrade over the coach tour, which uses a big out-of-town hotel. Evening wander of Jemaa el-Fna square, fresh orange juice and a cheap street-food dinner (grilled skewers, msemen). If you want company, join a free walking tour or a hostel group dinner — that replaces the operator's welcome meeting.

🚌Airport bus #19 to Jemaa el-Fna ~£2.40; petit taxi ~£8

🛏Medina riad/guesthouse, private twin or dorm (e.g. Riad Dar Anika-style budget riads, Rodamon Riad Marrakech, or a hostel private room) — £15–22

• →Airport bus/taxi into the medina
• →Jemaa el-Fna square at dusk
• →Optional: free walking tour or hostel group dinner (~150 MAD)

Morning: do the Marrakech classics yourself — Koutoubia Mosque (free exterior), Saadian Tombs (~70 MAD), Bahia Palace (~70 MAD) and Dar Si Said / Museum of Marrakech. Book a timed ticket online or just pay at the gate; a half-day local guide costs ~250–350 MAD if you want the stories. Catch an afternoon CTM or Supratours bus to Essaouira (~2h45, ~90–110 MAD). Many buses stop near an argan women's cooperative outside town — if not, visit the cooperative in Essaouira itself. Evening: sunset on the ramparts and a seafood grill at the port.

🚌CTM/Supratours bus Marrakech–Essaouira ~2h45 ~£8

🛏Essaouira medina guesthouse (Riad Zahra-type, or a hostel private room) — £15–22

• →Koutoubia Mosque & gardens
• →Saadian Tombs
• →Bahia Palace
• →Argan women's cooperative visit
• →Essaouira ramparts sunset

Free morning in the UNESCO-listed medina: Skala de la Ville, the port, thuya-wood workshops, sea walls. Then bus to Casablanca (CTM ~5h, ~120–150 MAD) — the operator does this leg by coach, but the public bus runs the same road. Arrive late afternoon, stay near the old medina or Gauthier district. Evening stroll along the Corniche or the medina, and an optional sunset look at Rick's Café's exterior (the interior is expensive; drinks only if you fancy it).

🚌CTM bus Essaouira–Casablanca ~5h ~£11

🛏Casablanca budget hotel/hostel (e.g. Odyssée Centre-ville or a Gauthier guesthouse) — £18–25

• →Essaouira medina & Skala de la Ville
• →Port and ramparts walk
• →Casablanca medina & Corniche evening

Book a Hassan II Mosque guided-entry slot online (~140 MAD) — it's one of the few mosques in Morocco non-Muslims can enter, and the visit is worth the early start. Then hop the train from Casa Voyageurs to Rabat (~1h, ~40 MAD). In Rabat do the walking circuit yourself: Kasbah of the Udayas, Chellah ruins (~70 MAD), Hassan Tower and Mohammed V Mausoleum, plus a quick look at the Royal Palace exterior. From Rabat Ville take the train to Tangier or direct to Fes, or the CTM bus toward Chefchaouen (via Tetouan, ~5h). Note: the coach tour sleeps in Tetouan and drives back — skip that and sleep in Chefchaouen instead, as past guests have recommended. Long day; alternatively take a night bus or split with a Fes stop.

🚌Train Casablanca–Rabat ~£3.50; CTM bus Rabat/Tetouan–Chefchaouen ~5–6h ~£10–12

🛏Chefchaouen medina guesthouse, e.g. a small riad or Dar-style house — £14–20

• →Hassan II Mosque guided visit
• →Kasbah of the Udayas
• →Chellah ruins
• →Hassan Tower & Mohammed V Mausoleum

Full morning in Chefchaouen: hike up to the Spanish Mosque for the classic view, wander the blue-painted medina, Outa el-Hammam square for a mint tea and the Ras el-Maa waterfall. Skip the overpriced 'dinner show' — instead grab a cheap tagine and head for the midday or early-afternoon CTM bus to Fes (~4h, ~100 MAD, book a day ahead as it fills up). Evening arrival in Fes; check into a medina riad. Fes is a maze — arrange a pickup or share your location with your host.

🚌CTM/Nejme Chamal bus Chefchaouen–Fes ~4h ~£8

🛏Fes medina riad (mid-budget dar, e.g. around Talaa Kebira) — £16–24

• →Spanish Mosque viewpoint hike
• →Chefchaouen medina & Outa el-Hammam Square
• →Ras el-Maa waterfall
• →Optional: cooking class or hammam in Fes (~250–300 MAD)

Book a licensed Fes medina guide through GetYourGuide or your riad (~300–450 MAD for a half-day) — genuinely worth it for the medina's 9,000 lanes and to fend off touts. Route: Bab Bou Jeloud, Bou Inania Madrasa (~70 MAD), Al-Attarine Madrasa, Nejjarine Square, the tanneries (viewpoints are free but 'guides' will push leather shops — tip 20–50 MAD and move on), the Mellah and the historic pottery/tile workshops. Afternoon: optional traditional hammam (~150–300 MAD). Eat away from the tourist circuit — try a cheap local spot in the Ville Nouvelle or a medina hole-in-the-wall for harira and pastilla.

🚌Walking; petit taxis around the city ~£2–4

🛏Fes medina riad — £16–24

• →Guided Fes medina half-day (licensed guide)
• →Bou Inania & Attarine madrasas
• →Chouara tanneries
• →Mellah & Nejjarine Square
• →Optional hammam

The big transfer day (~7–8h by road). Easiest DIY option: book a shared 3-day Fes–Merzouga–Marrakech desert tour via GetYourGuide or a local agency (~£90–130, includes transport, a camel trek, desert camp night, some meals) — this replaces the coach leg and solves the transport problem. Independent option: CTM bus Fes to Rissani/Merzouga (~7h) or shared grand taxis via Midelt and Erfoud, then arrange a camp directly. Either way, arrive for a late-afternoon camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes, sunset on the sand, tagine dinner and Berber drumming under the stars. Book the camp in advance and check recent reviews — tour-operator guests have complained about dirty camps; independent camps like those at Erg Chebbi's quieter edge are usually better.

🚌Shared desert tour from Fes, or CTM bus Fes–Merzouga ~7h ~£15–18 plus local transfer

🛏Desert camp, standard Berber tent incl. dinner & breakfast — £18–30 (included in shared tour price)

• →Ziz Valley viewpoints / Midelt stop
• →Sunset camel trek into Erg Chebbi
• →Desert camp dinner and music under the stars

Sunrise over the dunes, camp breakfast, then a 4x4 excursion into the dunes and to a nomad family or the Khamlia Gnawa music village (~200–300 MAD per person shared). Sandboarding, a swim in a guesthouse pool if you stay a second night, and a slow afternoon. Most travellers then continue the next day; if you have slack, a second desert night is cheap. Alternatively push on to Todra Gorge or Dades Valley if you're extending.

🚌Shared 4x4 ~£18–25

🛏Guesthouse in Merzouga village, or second desert-camp night — £15–25

• →Sunrise over Erg Chebbi
• →4x4 dune safari & nomad visit
• →Khamlia Gnawa music
• →Sandboarding

The longest day: ~9–10 hours by road via Rissani, Todra/Dades, Ouarzazate and the Tizi n'Tichka pass. If you're on the shared desert tour, this leg is included. If going independently, take a CTM bus Merzouga–Marrakech (usually overnight, ~£18–22) or break it with a night in Ouarzazate — and if you can, tack on a half-day at Aït Ben Haddou (UNESCO ksar, not included on the original tour but an easy add). Arrive in Marrakech, check back into your medina riad, and spend the evening in Jemaa el-Fna with a cheap grill dinner.

🚌Shared desert tour transfer, or overnight CTM bus ~£18–22

🛏Marrakech medina riad/guesthouse — £15–22

• →High Atlas / Tizi n'Tichka pass
• →Optional Aït Ben Haddou ksar
• →Jemaa el-Fna evening & souk browsing

Last morning for the things you missed: Le Jardin Secret or the Majorelle Garden (book ahead, ~100–150 MAD), the souks around Souk Semmarine, or a hamman. Stock up on spices and argan oil. Airport bus #19 back to RAK (~30 MAD). If your flight is late, a riad day-room or a café near Jemaa el-Fna is cheap.

🚌Airport bus #19 ~£2.40

🛏—

• →Jardin Majorelle or Le Jardin Secret
• →Souk shopping
• →Airport transfer