Self-Launched 9 Days in Morocco: Casablanca, Chefchaouen, Fes, Sahara & Marrakech
9 days · Morocco
Moro Tours charges £1,530
No-markup version: ~£605 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Moro Tours' classic 9-day Casablanca-to-Casablanca loop, done entirely on your own booking: public trains and CTM buses between cities, a shared minibus/3-day desert tour for the Sahara leg, and budget riads and hostels instead of the operator's mid-range hotels. You still hit every headline: Hassan II Mosque, Rabat's kasbah, the blue streets of Chefchaouen, Roman Volubilis, a full day in Fes medina, the Erg Chebbi dunes with a night in a Berber camp, Todra Gorges, Ait Ben Haddou and Marrakech. Costs below are approximate backpacker/budget rates and assume shared accommodation; solo travellers pay a bit more for private rooms unless they use dorms.
Day-by-day
Arrive Casablanca — Corniche and Hassan II Mosque at sunset
Casablanca
Fly into Mohammed V Airport and take the train (ONCF, ~45 mins, about £3) into Casa Voyageurs or Casa Port, then a petit taxi (agree ~£3-4) to your place in the old medina. Check in, then walk the Corniche and the city centre, and time your visit to Hassan II Mosque for the late-afternoon light over the Atlantic. Skip an expensive taxi tour — everything central is walkable.
🚌Airport train ~£3 + petit taxi ~£4; walking after that
🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel dorm in the medina (e.g. Hotel Aday equivalent), ~£16/night
- →Walk the Corniche
- →Wander the city centre
- →Photo stop at Hassan II Mosque exterior
Casablanca → Rabat → Chefchaouen
Rabat / Chefchaouen
Take an early ONCF train Casablanca to Rabat (about 1h, £5). From Rabat Ville walk up to the Oudaya Kasbah, Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V — all either free or a few dirhams and close together. In the afternoon take the train Rabat to Tangier or Kenitra and connect to a CTM bus to Chefchaouen (total roughly 5-6 hrs, ~£15-18) — book the bus on the CTM website a couple of days ahead. Arrive into the blue medina in the evening for a tagine on Place Outa el Hammam.
🚌Train Casablanca–Rabat £5 + train/bus combination to Chefchaouen ~£16
🛏Family-run guesthouse/riad in the Chefchaouen medina, ~£18/night
- →Hassan Tower
- →Mausoleum of Mohammed V
- →Oudaya Kasbah
- →Evening in Chefchaouen medina
Chefchaouen → Volubilis → Fes
Volubilis / Fes
Spend the morning wandering Chefchaouen's blue-painted lanes and the Spanish Mosque viewpoint at the top of the hill (free, 20-min climb). Mid-morning take a bus or shared grand taxi to Ouazzane/Meknes, then a local taxi or bus out to Volubilis (allow ~4 hrs total, ~£12). The Roman ruins and mosaics are best with a guide — you can pick up a licensed local guide at the gate for around £12-15, or use an audio guide app. Continue by grand taxi to Meknes and train or bus onward to Fes (~£6). Check into a medina riad.
🚌Bus/shared taxi Chefchaouen–Volubilis–Meknes ~£12 + train to Fes ~£6
🛏Budget riad or guesthouse in the Fes medina, ~£18/night
- →Chefchaouen blue streets and Spanish Mosque viewpoint
- →Volubilis archaeological site with a local guide at the gate
- →Roman mosaics and triumphal arch
Full day in the Fes medina
Fes
Book a licensed medina guide the evening before through your riad (typically £25-35 for a half day, and worth it — the medina is a genuine maze). Cover the Royal Palace gates, the Mellah (Jewish Quarter), Al-Quaraouiyine, Bou Inania Madrasa and the Chouara Tanneries. Afterwards, walk the souks at your own pace and finish with a rooftop dinner overlooking the medina.
🚌Walking; occasional petit taxi ~£1-2
🛏Budget riad or guesthouse in the Fes medina, ~£18/night
- →Guided medina walk (Royal Palace gates, Mellah, Al-Quaraouiyine, Bou Inania Madrasa)
- →Chouara Tanneries viewpoint
- →Souk browsing
- →Rooftop sunset
Fes → Azrou cedar forest → Ifrane → Merzouga dunes
Merzouga (Erg Chebbi)
This is the long driving day. The cheapest good-value route is a seat on a 3-day shared desert minibus tour (Fes–Merzouga–Marrakech or Fes–Merzouga–Dades, widely sold for about £90-120 including two nights, breakfasts and dinners and the camel trek) — book via GetYourGuide or a Fes riad. Along the way you stop at the Azrou cedar forest to look for Barbary macaques, pass through alpine-looking Ifrane, and drive the scenic Ziz Valley. Public CTM bus Fes–Merzouga exists (about 7-8 hrs, ~£12) but then you need to arrange a camp separately. Arrive in time for a camel trek into Erg Chebbi and sunset over the dunes.
🚌Shared 3-day desert minibus from Fes (cost counted across days 5-7) with stops at Azrou and Ifrane
🛏Berber desert camp at Erg Chebbi (standard tent, shared bathroom), ~£22/night including dinner
- →Cedar forest of Azrou and Barbary macaques
- →Ifrane stop
- →Ziz Valley viewpoints
- →Camel trek into the dunes at sunset
Sunrise in the Sahara → Todra Gorges → Dades Valley
Todra Gorges / Dades Valley
Wake for sunrise on the dunes (free and the highlight of the trip), then breakfast at camp and continue with the shared minibus through Rissani and Tinghir to the Todra Gorges, where you can walk between the 300m canyon walls (free, an hour on foot). Overnight in Boumalne Dades or Dades Valley in a small family guesthouse. If you skipped the shared desert tour, take a shared grand taxi Merzouga–Tinghir (~£8-10, ~3 hrs) and a local taxi on to Dades (~£5).
🚌Shared minibus/grand taxi Merzouga–Tinghir–Dades (included in desert package or ~£15 separately)
🛏Family guesthouse in Dades Valley, ~£16/night
- →Sunrise over Erg Chebbi
- →Walk between the walls of Todra Gorges
- →Dades Valley viewpoints
Dades → Valley of Roses → Ait Ben Haddou → Marrakech
Ait Ben Haddou / Marrakech
Continue with the shared tour (or a grand taxi plus CTM bus) via Kalaat M'Gouna and the Valley of Roses, stopping at Ait Ben Haddou for a guided walk through the UNESCO ksar with a local guide (about £8-12 at the gate; UNESCO site entry itself is cheap). Cross the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka Pass with photo stops. If you're travelling independently, the Ouarzazate–Marrakech CTM bus is about £7. Arrive in Marrakech in the evening and check into a riad in the medina.
🚌Shared desert-tour vehicle to Marrakech, or grand taxi + CTM bus Ouarzazate–Marrakech ~£7
🛏Budget riad in the Marrakech medina, ~£20/night
- →Valley of Roses and Kalaat M'Gouna stop
- →Guided walk of Ait Ben Haddou ksar
- →Tizi n'Tichka Pass drive
Marrakech — palaces, souks and Jemaa el-Fna
Marrakech
Do Marrakech self-paced: buy a combined ticket at Bahia Palace and add the Saadian Tombs (each around £6-7), see the Koutoubia from outside, and spend the afternoon in the souks. Optionally pre-book a half-day walking tour on GetYourGuide (~£20-25) or pay a licensed guide on the spot at Jemaa el-Fna. End the day with street food in the square — grilled skewers and harira soup for a few pounds.
🚌Walking and petit taxis ~£3
🛏Budget riad in the Marrakech medina, ~£20/night
- →Bahia Palace
- →Saadian Tombs
- →Koutoubia exterior
- →Souks and Jemaa el-Fna food stalls
Marrakech → Casablanca and departure
Casablanca
Take the morning ONCF train Marrakech to Casablanca (about 2h45, ~£8-10) or, if you're flying out of Marrakech, skip the transfer and head straight to Menara Airport. If you need to be back in Casablanca for an onward flight, allow plenty of buffer — trains are frequent but fill up, so buy the ticket the day before. End of trip.
🚌ONCF train Marrakech–Casablanca ~£9; airport taxi/train ~£3
🛏None (departure day) — add ~£18 if you need a final night
- →Final morning in Marrakech or transfer to Casablanca
Self-launched vs. Moro Tours
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Moro Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£605 | £1,530 |
| Duration | 9 days | 9 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £925 per person (60%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Moro Tours-style trips? Check them out here.~£605
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 Self-Launched 9 Days in Morocco: Casablanca, Chefchaouen, Fes, Sahara & Marrakech cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £605 per person for 9 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 Moro Tours?+
Yes — Moro Tours charges around £1,530 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £605 — a saving of roughly £925 (60%) per person.
How long is the Morocco trip?+
This itinerary runs 9 days, covering 9 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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