Self-Launched Morocco Grand Journey: Casablanca to Marrakech
12 days · Morocco
Moroccan Best Tours charges £1,580
No-markup version: ~£711 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A solo-friendly, self-launched version of Moroccan Best Tours' 12-day private Casablanca–Marrakech loop. You'll cover the same headline stops — Casablanca's Hassan II Mosque, Rabat's kasbah, Chefchaouen's blue medina, Volubilis, Fes, a Sahara night in Merzouga, Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley, Ait Benhaddou, the Tizi n'Tichka pass and Marrakech — using Morocco's excellent CTM/Supratours coaches, grand taxis and shared desert transfers, plus local guides booked through GetYourGuide or directly with riads. Expect riads and guesthouses of comparable quality to the original's mid-range picks, but you pay as you go. Costs are approximate backpacker/budget-traveller rates in GBP and assume dorm or budget double rooms and local eateries; booking desert and Volubilis/Moulay Idriss transfers 3–5 days ahead matters in high season.
Day-by-day
Arrive Casablanca & Hassan II Mosque
Casablanca
Land at Mohammed V Airport and take the ONCF train to Casa Voyageurs or Casa Port (~£3, 40 mins). Check into a budget hotel or hostel near the old medina. In the afternoon, walk the corniche to the Hassan II Mosque and join a guided interior tour (fixed slots, roughly £12 via the mosque ticket office or a GetYourGuide city pass). Evening: cheap seafood or a sandwich at a medina snack stall, or a mint tea at a café on Place Mohammed V.
🚌Airport train to city ~£3; walkable city centre
🛏Budget hotel/hostel near Casa Port or the medina (~£22)
- →Hassan II Mosque guided interior tour
- →Corniche stroll
- →Medina of Casablanca wander
Casablanca → Rabat → Chefchaouen
Rabat & Chefchaouen
Early ONCF train to Rabat (~£4, 1 hr). Store bags at the station, then walk or take a petit taxi to the Oudaya Kasbah, Hassan Tower and the Mohammed V Mausoleum — all free to enter, and a local guide in the kasbah can be arranged on the spot or pre-booked on GetYourGuide (£15–20). After lunch, take a CTM or Supratours coach from Rabat to Chefchaouen (~£9–12, 4–5 hrs, usually via a change or direct evening service — check ctms.ma). Arrive and check into a guesthouse inside the medina.
🚌Train Casablanca–Rabat ~£4; CTM coach Rabat–Chefchaouen ~£10
🛏Medina guesthouse in Chefchaouen (~£20)
- →Oudaya Kasbah
- →Hassan Tower
- →Mohammed V Mausoleum
- →Medina kasbah viewpoint
Chefchaouen blue medina day
Chefchaouen
A free day to get lost in the blue-washed lanes. Climb to the Spanish Mosque for the classic sunset view (free, 20-min walk), browse the artisan shops around Plaza Uta el-Hammam, and drink tea at a rooftop café. Optional: guided medina walk with local delicacy tasting (~£20) or a hammam (~£8–12). Keep it slow — this is your recovery day before the long coach south.
🚌On foot
🛏Medina guesthouse in Chefchaouen (~£20)
- →Spanish Mosque viewpoint hike
- →Plaza Uta el-Hammam
- →Artisan shops
- →Optional hammam
Akchour Falls & God's Bridge hike
Chefchaouen / Akchour
Take a grand taxi from Chefchaouen to Akchour (~£10 each way per taxi, share with other travellers from your guesthouse to cut it to ~£3 each; 45 mins). Hike to the Akchour Falls and cross God's Bridge — a 3–4 hour round trip, easily done without a guide, though a local guide at the trailhead costs ~£20 if you want one. Back in town, finish with a tagine dinner (~£6) or a hammam.
🚌Shared grand taxi to Akchour ~£3–5 pp each way
🛏Medina guesthouse in Chefchaouen (~£20)
- →Akchour Falls hike
- →God's Bridge crossing
- →Tagine dinner
Chefchaouen → Volubilis → Fes
Volubilis & Fes
Take the morning coach or shared grand taxi to Ouazzane/Meknes and onward to Moulay Idriss (roughly £10–14 total, 3–4 hrs; CTM has a direct Chefchaouen–Fes service around midday — check timetables the day before). Hop off at Moulay Idriss and take a short grand taxi to Volubilis Roman ruins (~£2). Site entry ~£6; audio guide or a licensed local guide ~£12. Then continue to Fes by coach or grand taxi (~£4–6). Check into a riad in the medina.
🚌Coach/grand taxi Chefchaouen–Moulay Idriss ~£12; taxi to Volubilis ~£2; onward to Fes ~£5
🛏Budget riad in Fes medina (~£25)
- →Volubilis Roman ruins
- →Moulay Idriss viewpoint
Fes medina deep dive
Fes
Book a half-day licensed medina guide through GetYourGuide or your riad (~£25–35 for a shared or private walk) — worth it in Fes, where the lanes are genuinely maze-like. Cover the Medersa Bou Inania (~£3), the Chouara tannery (view from a terrace, tip the leather shop ~£1–2), the ceramic workshop and the souks. Afternoon free for a café stop and souvenir browsing. Note: guides are licensed in Fes, so avoid unlicensed touts.
🚌On foot
🛏Budget riad in Fes medina (~£25)
- →Fes medina guided walk
- →Medersa Bou Inania
- →Chouara tannery
- →Ceramic workshop
Fes → Merzouga desert camp
Merzouga / Erg Chebbi
This is the one leg where self-launching needs a booked transfer: take the CTM coach Fes–Rissani (~£14, 7 hrs) then a local taxi to Merzouga (~£8), or pre-book a shared desert-camp transfer/driver through a Merzouga camp for ~£30–40 pp. Overnight desert camps (including camel ride at sunset, dinner and a tent) are widely available direct or via GetYourGuide for ~£30–45 per person. Ride camels into the dunes for sunset, eat tagine by the fire and sleep under the stars.
🚌Coach Fes–Rissani ~£14 + taxi ~£8, or shared camp transfer ~£35
🛏Desert camp tent in Erg Chebbi, dinner included (~£38)
- →Camel ride at sunset
- →Dune sunset walk
- →Berber camp dinner and music
Merzouga → Todra Gorge → Dades Valley
Todra Gorge & Dades Valley
Early camel ride back to Merzouga village, then take a shared grand taxi or local bus to Tinerhir (~£6–8, 3 hrs). Store bags and walk the Todra Gorge canyon floor (free) — the classic 1-hour out-and-back between the cliff walls. In the late afternoon take a grand taxi up to the Dades Valley/Boumalne (~£6) and check into a valley guesthouse with a view terrace. Dinner at the guesthouse ~£6.
🚌Shared taxi Merzouga–Tinerhir ~£7; taxi Tinerhir–Dades ~£6
🛏Dades Valley guesthouse, dinner included (~£22)
- →Todra Gorge canyon walk
- →Dades Valley viewpoints
Dades Valley → Ait Benhaddou → Ouarzazate
Ait Benhaddou & Ouarzazate
Take the morning coach or shared taxi from Boumalne to Ouarzazate (~£6–8, 3 hrs), with a stop at Kelaat M'Gouna's rose valley if timing allows. From Ouarzazate, a grand taxi to Ait Benhaddou is ~£10 each way (share to halve it) — or take the local bus. Entry to the ksar is free; a local guide or the historic house/turrets visit is ~£2–3. Walk the ancient lanes and climb the granary for panorama views. Return to Ouarzazate for the night, optionally visiting the Atlas Film Studios (~£7) and Tawesna teahouse.
🚌Coach Boumalne–Ouarzazate ~£7; shared taxi to Ait Benhaddou ~£5 each way
🛏Budget hotel in Ouarzazate (~£22)
- →Ait Benhaddou ksar walk
- →Granary turret climb
- →Atlas Film Studios (optional)
- →Tawesna teahouse
Ouarzazate → Tizi n'Tichka → Marrakech
Marrakech
Take the CTM or Supratours coach over the High Atlas and the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Marrakech (~£8–10, 4 hrs) — sit on the left for the best valley views. Check into a medina riad. In the evening head straight to Djemaa el-Fna for the food stalls, storytellers and juice carts; a street-food dinner of grilled skewers and msemen costs ~£5.
🚌Coach Ouarzazate–Marrakech ~£9
🛏Budget riad in Marrakech medina (~£25)
- →Tizi n'Tichka pass views
- →Djemaa el-Fna Square
- →Street food safari
Marrakech medina & food tour
Marrakech
Join a small-group street-food and medina walking tour via GetYourGuide (~£35–45, includes tastings of grilled meats, salads, couscous and mint tea) — this replaces the operator's included guided medina and tasting day. Alternatively, self-guide the souks and palaces (Bahia Palace ~£6, Le Jardin Secret ~£8, Ben Youssef Medersa ~£5). Consider lunch at the AMAL Women's Training Center (~£8) to support a good cause. Optional extras: hammam and spa (~£20), or a cycle tour (~£20).
🚌On foot / petit taxi ~£2
🛏Budget riad in Marrakech medina (~£25)
- →Street-food and medina walking tour
- →Bahia Palace
- →Le Jardin Secret
- →AMAL Women's Training Center lunch
- →Optional hammam
Marrakech departure
Marrakech
Morning for last-minute shopping in the souks or a mint tea on a riad rooftop, then take the airport bus (Alsa line 19, ~£3) or a petit taxi (~£6–8) to Menara Airport. If you have a late flight, drop bags at the riad and revisit Djemaa el-Fna in daylight.
🚌Airport bus ~£3 or taxi ~£7
🛏None (departure day)
- →Souk shopping
- →Rooftop mint tea
Self-launched vs. Moroccan Best Tours
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Moroccan Best Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£711 | £1,580 |
| Duration | 12 days | 12 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £869 per person (55%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Moroccan Best Tours-style trips? Check them out here.~£711
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 Morocco Grand Journey: Casablanca to Marrakech cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £711 per person for 12 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 Moroccan Best Tours?+
Yes — Moroccan Best Tours charges around £1,580 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £711 — a saving of roughly £869 (55%) per person.
How long is the Morocco trip?+
This itinerary runs 12 days, covering 12 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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