Self-Launched Moroccan Grand Loop: Casablanca to the Sahara & Marrakech

Start early at the Hassan II Mosque (guided interior visit ~£12, book a slot online or just turn up for one of the fixed tour times) — it's a 10-minute walk from the Casa Port area. Then take the tram or a petit taxi to Casa Voyageurs station and catch a CTM or ONCF train/bus toward Tangier or a direct CTM bus to Chefchaouen (~6-7 hrs, £13-16). If timings are awkward, take the train to Tangier (2h15, ~£10) and a shared grand taxi or Supratour bus on to Chefchaouen (~2h, £6). Settle into a cheap riad in the medina, then wander the blue-washed lanes and watch sunset from the Spanish Mosque viewpoint. Dinner of bissara soup and tagine at a local spot near Place Outa el Hammam (£6-8).

🚌Tram/taxi to Casa Voyageurs, then CTM bus or train + shared taxi to Chefchaouen ~£18

🛏Budget riad/guesthouse in the Chefchaouen medina (dorm or simple double), ~£16

• →Hassan II Mosque guided visit
• →Chefchaouen blue medina wander
• →Spanish Mosque sunset viewpoint

Morning bus from Chefchaouen to Moulay Idriss/Volubilis area (CTM or local bus to Meknes then shared taxi, ~3.5-4 hrs, ~£9). Hop off at Volubilis and spend 1.5-2 hrs among the Roman mosaics and triumphal arch (entry ~£6; a local guide at the gate costs ~£8 if you want context). Continue by shared grand taxi to Meknes (~£3) and a train or bus on to Fes (~1h, £3-4). Check into a guesthouse in the Fes medina and, if you have energy, take a self-guided dusk loop of Bab Boujloud and the main tanneries viewpoint terraces (free, tips appreciated).

🚌Bus Chefchaouen–Volubilis/Meknes + shared taxi + train to Fes ~£15

🛏Guesthouse/dar in the Fes medina, ~£17

• →Volubilis Roman ruins
• →Meknes medina stop
• →Evening wander of Fes el-Bali

This is the long transfer day. The cheapest DIY route is the CTM or Supratour bus Fes–Merzouga/Rissani (~9-10 hrs, £16-20, departs early morning) — book the day before online or at the station. If you want the Azrou cedar forest stop with the wild Barbary macaques, break the journey: bus Fes–Azrou (~1h15, £4), a short shared taxi to the cedar forest, then rejoin a later bus toward Midelt/Merzouga. Alternatively, most Merzouga desert camps offer shared 4x4 or minibus pickup from Rissani for ~£5. On arrival take the sunset camel trek into Erg Chebbi (usually bundled into the camp price, ~£30-40 for a basic-but-comfortable tented camp with dinner, Berber drumming and stargazing — book via GetYourGuide/Klook or direct with the camp).

🚌CTM/Supratour bus Fes–Merzouga ~£18, plus shared transfer ~£5

🛏Shared desert camp tent in Erg Chebbi with dinner and breakfast, ~£32 (bundled with camel trek)

• →Azrou cedar forest and Barbary macaques
• →Sunset camel ride in Erg Chebbi
• →Berber music and stargazing at desert camp

Sunrise over the dunes, breakfast at camp, then a shared 4x4 or minibus back to Rissani (~£4) where you can poke around the famous donkey souk on market days. Take a bus or shared grand taxi west along the N10 to Tinghir (~3-3.5 hrs, £8-10), then a local taxi or 20-minute walk into the Todra Gorge for the afternoon — free to enter, best light late in the day. Continue by shared grand taxi to Boumalne Dades (~1.5 hrs, £6) and check into a simple guesthouse with a terrace over the Dades Valley. Dinner at the guesthouse or a village café (£7).

🚌Shared 4x4 to Rissani + bus/grand taxi to Tinghir + grand taxi to Dades ~£22

🛏Budget guesthouse with valley views in Boumalne Dades, ~£16

• →Dune sunrise
• →Rissani souk
• →Todra/Tinghir Gorge hike

Early shared grand taxi or bus from Boumalne Dades to Ouarzazate (~1.5-2 hrs, £7). If the film studios appeal, Atlas Studios is a 20-minute taxi from town (entry ~£7) — otherwise skip straight on. Take a shared grand taxi to Ait Ben Haddou (~45 min, £4) and spend 2 hrs climbing the ksar's lanes (free; local guide ~£6 optional). Then either join a shared minibus over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Marrakech (~3.5-4 hrs, £10-12, book through your riad or at the taxi stand) or take the afternoon CTM bus Ouarzazate–Marrakech (£9). Arrive Marrakech in the evening, dump your bag and head straight to Jemaa el-Fna for the food stalls, storytellers and juice carts — a cheap dinner grazing the stalls costs £6-8.

🚌Grand taxis Dades–Ouarzazate–Ait Ben Haddou + shared minibus/bus over Tizi n'Tichka ~£26

🛏Budget riad/hostel in the Marrakech medina, ~£18

• →Ouarzazate Atlas Film Studios
• →Ait Ben Haddou ksar climb
• →Tizi n'Tichka pass drive
• →Jemaa el-Fna night market

Use the morning for Marrakech's headline sights on foot: Koutoubia Mosque gardens (free), the Saadian Tombs (~£6), Bahia Palace (~£6) and Ali Ben Youssef Madrasa (~£5) — buy a combined/individual tickets at each gate, and get there at opening (9am) to dodge queues and heat. Then an hour of haggling practice in the souks. In the afternoon take the ONCF train Marrakech–Casablanca (~3 hrs, £7-8, hourly-ish, book at the station) or a CTM bus (£7), arriving Casablanca late afternoon in time for onward flights/trains from Casa Voyageurs or the airport train.

🚌ONCF train Marrakech–Casablanca ~£8

🛏Not included — onward travel or add a final night in Casablanca (~£18)

• →Koutoubia Mosque
• →Saadian Tombs
• →Bahia Palace
• →Ali Ben Youssef Madrasa
• →Souk shopping