Imperial Cities & the Sahara: A Self-Launched 8-Day Morocco Adventure
8 days · Morocco
Best Tours Morocco charges £1,015
No-markup version: ~£512 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Best Tours Morocco's Casablanca-to-Marrakech loop: Atlantic Casablanca, the blue medina of Chefchaouen, Roman Volubilis, Fes el-Bali, a Sahara night in the Erg Chebbi dunes, Draa Valley kasbahs, Ait Benhaddou and the High Atlas, finishing in Marrakech. Instead of a private driver-guide you'll string together Morocco's cheap and frequent CTM/Supratours coaches, the overnight-ish Fes–Merzouga bus, shared desert transfers and grand taxis, booking guides and desert camps directly or via GetYourGuide. Costs are rough backpacker estimates, not quotes — food, camp upgrades and haggling will move the needle.
Day-by-day
Land in Casablanca & the Atlantic Corniche
Casablanca
Fly into Mohammed V Airport and take the ONCF train (about 45 mins, ~£4) into Casa Voyageurs or Casa Port, then walk or use the tram (~£0.50) to your medina-adjacent hostel. Spend the afternoon strolling the Aïn Diab Corniche and photographing the exterior of Hassan II Mosque — the ocean-side plaza is free and best around sunset. If it's not Friday, join an interior tour directly at the mosque ticket office (~£11, slots roughly 09:00-15:00). Grab mint tea at a seafront café and an early dinner of sardines and harira in the old medina.
🚌ONCF airport train ~£4; walk/tram locally
🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in the medina or near Casa Port (~£18/night dorm)
- →Aïn Diab Corniche walk
- →Hassan II Mosque exterior (interior tour ~£11 optional)
- →Casablanca medina wander
- →Mint tea at a seaside café
Coach north to the blue city of Chefchaouen
Chefchaouen
Book a CTM or Supratours coach online a day ahead: Casablanca to Chefchaouen takes 5-6 hours with a change (usually at Tangier or via Bab Taza) and costs roughly £12-15. Arrive by mid-afternoon, drop your bag at a small riad or hostel inside the medina. Get lost in the blue alleyways, browse the artisan shops, then hike 20 minutes up to the Spanish Mosque for the classic sunset view over the town. Finish on a rooftop terrace with tagine and tea.
🚌CTM/Supratours coach ~£13
🛏Budget riad or hostel inside the blue medina (~£16/night)
- →Chefchaouen medina blue-alleyway walk
- →Artisan shops and markets
- →Hike to the Spanish Mosque
- →Rooftop sunset
Roman Volubilis en route to Fes
Volubilis / Fes
Take an early coach or grand taxi (shared, ~£3) to Bab Taza then onward toward Meknes/Moulay Idriss. The easiest self-launched option: a shared grand taxi to Moulay Idriss (~£5-7), then a local taxi or 30-minute walk to Volubilis. Entry to the Roman/Amazigh ruins with their mosaics and arches is ~£6; a signboard guide is enough, or hire an on-site guide for ~£8 split between a few travellers. Continue by shared taxi to Meknes station and catch a train to Fes (~£3, 45 mins). Check into a medina guesthouse in Fes el-Bali.
🚌Shared grand taxis ~£10 plus train Meknes-Fes ~£3
🛏Budget riad/guesthouse in Fes el-Bali (~£18/night)
- →Volubilis Roman ruins (~£6 entry)
- →Moulay Idriss hillside views
- →Countryside photo stops
- →Evening in the Fes medina
Fes el-Bali with a local guide
Fes
Fes el-Bali is genuinely hard to navigate alone, so book an official local guide through your riad or a GetYourGuide half-day medina walk (~£20-25, often with tannery entrance). Cover Bab Boujloud, the Al-Attarine Madrasa (~£2), the Chouara tanneries, the Mellah, and finish near Al Quaraouiyine. Expect a stop at a carpet or leather cooperative — polite decline is fine. Lunch of bissara and msemen inside the medina (~£4). In the afternoon wander the souks independently or climb to Borj Nord for city views.
🚌On foot / short petit-taxi hops ~£2
🛏Budget riad/guesthouse in Fes el-Bali (~£18/night)
- →Guided Fes medina walk (~£22)
- →Al-Attarine Madrasa
- →Chouara tanneries
- →Borj Nord viewpoints
- →Medina food stall lunch
Long drive to the dunes — Sahara camp night
Merzouga (Erg Chebbi)
This is the big transfer day: the CTM/Supratours bus from Fes to Merzouga runs overnight or early morning and takes 9-10 hours (~£18). Alternatively take a bus to Rissani and a shared taxi onward. On the way you'll pass Ifrane, the Ziz Gorge and the palm-filled Ziz Valley. Pre-book a standard desert camp plus camel trek in Erg Chebbi on GetYourGuide or directly with a Merzouga operator (~£45-60 including dinner, breakfast, camel trek and 4x4 drop-off). Ride a camel into the dunes for sunset, eat a Berber dinner around the fire with drumming, then lie back for Sahara stargazing.
🚌CTM/Supratours Fes-Merzouga bus ~£18; 4x4 transfer included in camp price
🛏Standard desert camp, shared tent, in Erg Chebbi (~£45 incl. meals, bundled with activities)
- →Ifrane and Ziz Gorge photo stops
- →Camel trek into the dunes
- →Berber dinner and campfire music
- →Stargazing and sandboarding
Sunrise dunes & the road to Ouarzazate
Merzouga to Ouarzazate
Wake for sunrise over the dunes, then a 4x4 back to Merzouga village for breakfast and a bucket shower. Buses don't run directly Merzouga-Ouarzazate, so the traveller-friendly route is a shared grand taxi or local bus to Rissani/Tinejdad, then a CTM coach toward Ouarzazate with a change at Tinghir (~£12-15 total, 7-8 hours). Keep an eye out for the Todra Gorge detour option and the Draa Valley palm groves near Agdz. In Ouarzazate, poke around the kasbah and grab an early dinner; a short taxi to nearby Aït Benhaddou for sunset is worth it if time allows.
🚌Shared taxi plus CTM coach ~£14
🛏Budget guesthouse in Ouarzazate (~£16/night)
- →Sahara sunrise
- →Draa Valley palm groves
- →Kasbah photo stops
- →Optional Aït Benhaddou sunset
Aït Benhaddou, Atlas Studios & over the High Atlas
Aït Benhaddou / Marrakech
Take a shared grand taxi or local bus 30 minutes to Aït Benhaddou (~£2) and spend the morning walking the fortified ksar alleys — it's free to enter, with a small fee for some granaries. Optional: Atlas Studios in Ouarzazate (~£5) and Telouet Kasbah if you're routing via the Telouet pass. For the crossing, the CTM coach Ouarzazate-Marrakech runs ~4-5 hours over the Tizi n'Tichka pass (~£8) — sit on the left for the best views. Arrive Marrakech by evening and check into a medina hostel or riad.
🚌Shared taxi ~£2 plus CTM coach Ouarzazate-Marrakech ~£8
🛏Hostel or budget riad in the Marrakech medina (~£18/night)
- →Aït Benhaddou ksar walk
- →Atlas Studios (~£5 optional)
- →Tizi n'Tichka pass crossing
- →Evening in Jemaa el-Fnaa
Marrakech medina on foot (or with a guide)
Marrakech
Do Marrakech independently: start at Koutoubia Mosque gardens (free), then Bahia Palace (~£6) and the Saadian Tombs (~£6). Wind through the souks — spice markets, lantern workshops, carpet cooperatives — and stop for mint tea on a terrace over Jemaa el-Fnaa. If you want the storytelling and hidden-alley context, a GetYourGuide medina walking tour costs ~£15-20. Eat a final lunch of tanjia or a £3 stall meal, then get to Menara Airport by bus 19 or petit taxi (~£3-4) for your flight, or extend a night or two in Marrakech.
🚌On foot; bus 19 or petit taxi to Menara Airport ~£4
🛏None (departure) — or add a night in Marrakech (~£18)
- →Koutoubia Mosque and gardens
- →Bahia Palace (~£6)
- →Saadian Tombs (~£6)
- →Souk and artisan-quarter wander
- →Jemaa el-Fnaa and mint tea
Self-launched vs. Best Tours Morocco
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Best Tours Morocco | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£512 | £1,015 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £503 per person (50%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Best Tours Morocco-style trips? Check them out here.~£512
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 Imperial Cities & the Sahara: A Self-Launched 8-Day Morocco Adventure cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £512 per person for 8 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 Best Tours Morocco?+
Yes — Best Tours Morocco charges around £1,015 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £512 — a saving of roughly £503 (50%) per person.
How long is the Morocco trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 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 culture, adventure, budget 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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