Self-Launched Morocco Loop: Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fes, the Sahara & Marrakech (12 Days)
12 days · Morocco
Desertbrise Travel charges £1,785
No-markup version: ~£880 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of Desertbrise Travel's 12-day northern-to-central Morocco circuit, done with buses, shared grand taxis and trains instead of a private vehicle and guide. You'll cover Tangier, the blue city of Chefchaouen, Roman Volubilis, Fes, the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga, the Dades Gorge and Ait Benhaddou, Marrakech, Atlantic-side Essaouira and finish at Casablanca's Hassan II Mosque. All the marquee sights are self-bookable via GetYourGuide/Klook or directly with local guides, riads and camps, and night buses/CTM coaches keep transport costs low. Costs are backpacker-to-midrange estimates in GBP, excluding international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Tangier & on to Chefchaouen via Tetouan
Tangier → Tetouan → Chefchaouen
Land or arrive at Tangier's port/airport and head straight for the CTM or Supratours bus station. Take a coach to Tetouan (~1.5 hrs, ~£4) and stop a couple of hours to wander the whitewashed UNESCO medina and grab a cheap lunch. Then a shared grand taxi or local bus from Tetouan to Chefchaouen (~1 hr, ~£2–3). Check into a medina guesthouse and spend the late afternoon drifting through the blue alleyways. Settle into Outa el Hammam square for mint tea and people-watching at sunset.
🚌CTM/Supratours bus Tangier–Tetouan ~£4; shared grand taxi Tetouan–Chefchaouen ~£2-3
🛏Medina guesthouse/riad dorm or simple private room, Chefchaouen (~£14)
- →Tetouan medina wander (free)
- →Chefchaouen blue streets at own pace (free)
- →Sunset mint tea at Outa el Hammam square (~£1.50)
Chefchaouen at your own pace + hike to the Spanish Mosque
Chefchaouen
Free morning exploring the medina, the kasbah museum and the riverside tanneries and dye houses (small tip expected). In the late afternoon walk 20 minutes up to the Spanish Mosque for the classic sunset view over the blue town. Book your onward transport to Fes tonight — the shared grand taxi rank fills up in the morning and is faster and cheaper than the bus.
🚌On foot
🛏Medina guesthouse/riad, Chefchaouen (~£14)
- →Kasbah Museum entry (~£5)
- →Sunset hike to Spanish Mosque (free)
- →Medina exploration
Chefchaouen to Fes with Volubilis & Meknes en route
Chefchaouen → Volubilis → Meknes → Fes
Take an early shared grand taxi or bus to Ouazzane/Meknes, then a grand taxi out to the Volubilis Roman ruins (UNESCO site, entry ~£6). Plan around 1.5 hrs among the mosaics and arches. Continue by taxi/bus to Meknes for a quick look at Bab al-Mansour and the medina, then hop the train (Meknes–Fes, ~45 min, ~£2). Arrive Fes in the evening and check into a riad in or near the medina.
🚌Shared grand taxes Chefchaouen–Ouazzane–Meknes ~£8; Meknes–Fes train ~£2
🛏Riad/guesthouse in Fes medina (~£16)
- →Volubilis Roman ruins self-guided with info board/local guide (~£6 entry)
- →Bab al-Mansour & Meknes medina (free)
- →Optional Moulay Idriss detour
Fes medina: tanneries, artisans & a proper food walk
Fes
Book a half-day small-group medina walking tour through GetYourGuide (~£20–25) — it's the easiest way to navigate the 9,000 alleys and includes the Chaouwara tanneries and mosaic/artisan workshops without the hard-sell. Afternoon free for the Bou Inania madrasa and a self-guided street-food crawl of bissara, msemen and harira. Consider a traditional hammam (~£10) in the early evening.
🚌On foot / petit taxi ~£1-2
🛏Riad/guesthouse in Fes medina (~£16)
- →Small-group Fes medina walking tour incl. tanneries (~£22 via GetYourGuide)
- →Bou Inania madrasa entry (~£2)
- →Street food crawl
- →Optional local hammam (~£10)
Fes → Merzouga: over the Middle Atlas to the dunes
Fes → Midelt → Erfoud → Merzouga
The long transfer day. Take the CTM or Supratours coach Fes–Erfoud/Rissani (roughly 8–9 hrs, ~£15–18), which climbs through Azrou's cedar forest and the Ziz Valley — sit on the right for the views. From Erfoud take a shared 4x4/grand taxi to Merzouga (~45 min, ~£6). Have your desert camp's driver pick you up in Merzouga village. Most budget camps include dinner, a camel ride and Berber music around the fire; book direct or via GetYourGuide (~£30–40 pp for a basic desert camp).
🚌CTM/Supratours coach Fes–Erfoud ~£16; shared 4x4 Erfoud–Merzouga ~£6
🛏Standard desert camp, Erg Chebbi (~£32 incl. dinner, camel ride & music)
- →Camel ride into the dunes at sunset
- →Sunset from the sand dune
- →Berber music & campfire evening
- →Optional ATV/sandboard (~£15)
Sunrise over Erg Chebbi & on to Ouarzazate via Ait Benhaddou
Merzouga → Rissani → Todra/Dades → Ait Benhaddou → Ouarzazate
Get up for sunrise on the dunes and breakfast at camp. Take a shared 4x4/van back to Rissani, then the CTM coach south via Alnif, Tinejdad and the Dades Gorge toward Ouarzazate — it's a long day (~8 hrs), so book morning departures. Break the journey at Ait Benhaddou, either tonight or tomorrow morning, and take a local guide across the ksar (~£8–10). Continue to Ouarzazate for the night.
🚌Shared 4x4 Merzouga–Rissani ~£3; CTM coach Rissani–Ouarzazate ~£13
🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel in Ouarzazate (~£15)
- →Sunrise on the dunes (free)
- →Rissani market stop (free)
- →Ait Benhaddou guided walk with local guide (~£9)
Ait Benhaddou & Tizi n'Tichka to Marrakech
Ouarzazate → Ait Benhaddou → Marrakech
If you didn't get to Ait Benhaddou yesterday, go first thing — it's 30 min from Ouarzazate by shared grand taxi (~£2). Then take a suq/CTM bus or shared grand taxi over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Marrakech (~4–5 hrs, ~£10). Arrive late afternoon, check into a medina riad or hostel, and head to Jemaa el Fna for the evening spectacle. Grab dinner from the grill stalls (a full meal ~£6–8).
🚌Shared grand taxi to Ait Benhaddou ~£2; bus/grand taxi Ait Benhaddou–Marrakech ~£10
🛏Hostel/riad in Marrakech medina (~£16)
- →Ait Benhaddou ksar (free to enter)
- →Tizi n'Tichka viewpoint stop
- →Jemaa el Fna at dusk
- →Rooftop café overlooking the square (~£3)
Marrakech: cooking class, souks & medina
Marrakech
Morning: a Marrakech medina walking tour (small-group, ~£18 through GetYourGuide) covering the Bahia Palace, souks and the Ben Youssef area. Afternoon: book a half-day cooking class that includes a market ingredient shop — 3.5–4 hrs, ~£30–35 pp, and you eat what you make. Evening free for the spice souks and a hammam or rooftop sunset.
🚌On foot
🛏Hostel/riad in Marrakech medina (~£16)
- →Marrakech medina & souks guided walk (~£18)
- →Market-to-table cooking class (~£33)
- →Bahia Palace entry (~£3)
Marrakech to Atlantic-side Essaouira
Marrakech → Essaouira
Take a CTM or Supratours coach Marrakech–Essaouira (~3 hrs, ~£7) and stop at the Sidi Mokhtar women's argan oil cooperative if you take a shared grand taxi instead. In Essaouira, check into a guesthouse inside the UNESCO medina and walk the ramparts over the Atlantic, the fishing port and the old Jewish quarter. Seafood straight off the boats at the port grills is the cheapest and best meal of the trip (~£7).
🚌CTM/Supratours coach Marrakech–Essaouira ~£7
🛏Medina guesthouse/hostel, Essaouira (~£15)
- →Argan oil women's cooperative visit (free/small purchase)
- →Essaouira ramparts & medina (free)
- →Port seafood grill (~£7)
- →Moulay Hassan square sunset
Essaouira free morning → El Jadida cistern
Essaouira → El Jadida
Spend the morning on the beach or kitesurf-watching, then take an afternoon CTM coach up the coast to El Jadida (~4–5 hrs, ~£10). Visit the Portuguese Cistern (entry ~£2–3, closed Tuesdays) and the Church of the Assumption, and walk the old ramparts. Overnight in El Jadida — Azemmour medina is an easy side trip if you arrive early.
🚌CTM coach Essaouira–El Jadida ~£10
🛏Budget hotel/guesthouse in El Jadida (~£16)
- →Portuguese Cistern entry (~£3)
- →El Jadida ramparts & Church of the Assumption
- →Optional Azemmour medina walk
El Jadida to Casablanca: Hassan II Mosque & Habous
El Jadida → Casablanca
Short train ride El Jadida–Casablanca (~1.5 hrs, ~£4, or CTM bus). Book the Hassan II Mosque guided tour slots directly on the mosque's own site (~£12, fixed times, closed to non-Muslim visitors outside tour slots). Then wander the Habous quarter, the Jewish Museum (~£2) and the Corniche. Treat yourself to dinner at Rick's Café if you want the film reference, or eat for a third of the price at a local grill.
🚌El Jadida–Casablanca train ~£4; Casablanca Tramway ~£0.50/ride
🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Casablanca (~£17)
- →Hassan II Mosque guided tour (~£12, book direct)
- →Habous quarter (free)
- →Jewish Museum entry (~£2)
- →Corniche walk
Casablanca departure
Casablanca
Final morning for the central market, a last pastry and mint tea, and any souvenir shopping you skipped. Casablanca Mohammed V airport is linked by train from Casa Voyageurs (~40 min, ~£3) or the airport bus. Depart — and book your return to see the Rif and Atlas again.
🚌Train Casa Voyageurs–Mohammed V Airport ~£3
🛏—
- →Central market
- →Old medina walk
Self-launched vs. Desertbrise Travel
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Desertbrise Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£880 | £1,785 |
| Duration | 12 days | 12 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £905 per person (51%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Desertbrise Travel-style trips? Check them out here.~£880
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 Loop: Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fes, the Sahara & Marrakech (12 Days) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £880 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 Desertbrise Travel?+
Yes — Desertbrise Travel charges around £1,785 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £880 — a saving of roughly £905 (51%) 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?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
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