Self-Launched Northern Morocco: Chefchaouen, Fes & the Rif Mountains

Fly into Casablanca Mohammed V Airport and take the train (ONCF, ~45 min, ~£3) into Casa Voyageurs or Casa Port station. Check into a medina-adjacent guesthouse or hostel in the old town. Spend the afternoon walking the corniche and, if timing allows, join a guided interior tour of the Hassan II Mosque (bookable on the day, ~£12). Pick up a Moroccan SIM (Maroc Telecom/Orange, ~£8 for data). Evening: grab a cheap tagine or fresh seafood near the port.

🚌ONCF airport train to city centre, ~£3

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in Casablanca medina, ~£18-25/night (private twin or dorm)

• →Hassan II Mosque guided interior visit
• →Casablanca medina and corniche wander
• →Buy Moroccan SIM card

Take an early CTM or Supratours bus from Casablanca to Chefchaouen (roughly 6-7 hrs with a change, ~£15-18) — or break the journey via Tangier by high-speed Al Boraq train. Watch the landscape shift from farmland to the Rif foothills. Arrive in the afternoon and simply get lost in the blue-washed alleyways of the medina. Climb to the Spanish Mosque viewpoint for sunset over the valley. Dinner at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the medina.

🚌CTM/Supratours coach Casablanca–Chefchaouen, ~£16

🛏Riad-style guesthouse in the Chefchaouen medina, ~£20-30/night

• →CTM/Supratours bus to Chefchaouen
• →Wander the blue medina
• →Sunset at the Spanish Mosque viewpoint

Do your own version of the tour's 'OMG Day' hike. Take a shared grand taxi or local bus to Akchour (~40 min, ~£3-4) and hike to the Cascades d'Akchour and the natural 'Pont de Dieu' rock arch (allow 4-5 hrs return, free, no guide needed for the main trail). Alternatively, hike from Chefchaouen itself into the Talassemtane National Park toward the God's Bridge viewpoint. Eat a picnic lunch of bread, olives and cheese bought in the medina. Return to town for a hammam (~£8-10) in the evening.

🚌Shared grand taxi to Akchour return, ~£7

🛏Riad-style guesthouse in Chefchaouen, ~£20-30/night

• →Akchour waterfalls and Pont de Dieu hike
• →Talassemtane National Park trails
• →Local hammam

Travel to Fes, breaking the journey in Meknes. Easiest DIY route: bus or shared taxi Chefchaouen–Meknes (~3.5 hrs, ~£8), then a shared grand taxi to Volubilis (~30 min, ~£3). Explore the UNESCO Roman ruins of Volubilis (entry ~£6; hire an on-site licensed guide for ~£10-15 split between a few travellers). Back to Meknes for a self-paced walk past Bab Mansour and the medina, then take the train Meknes–Fes (~45 min, ~£3). Check into a guesthouse in the Fes medina.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Chefchaouen–Meknes ~£8, grand taxi to Volubilis ~£3, train Meknes–Fes ~£3

🛏Riad/guesthouse inside the Fes medina, ~£20-30/night

• →Volubilis Roman ruins (UNESCO)
• →Meknes: Bab Mansour and imperial medina walk
• →Train Meknes to Fes

Hire a licensed local medina guide for a half-day (roughly £25-35 split between 2-4 travellers, bookable via GetYourGuide or through your riad) to navigate the 9,000-street medina. Hit the highlights: Bou Inania Madrasa, Al-Attarine, the Nejjarine woodwork museum, and the Chouara tanneries viewed from a leather shop balcony. In the afternoon, DIY it — buy fresh orange juice, browse the souks, and try a pastilla or harira for dinner. Skip the taxi and walk; the medina is best on foot.

🚌Walking; occasional petit taxi ~£2

🛏Riad/guesthouse in the Fes medina, ~£20-30/night

• →Guided Fes medina walking tour
• →Chouara tannery visit
• →Bou Inania Madrasa and Nejjarine museum

A long travel day. Take a CTM/Supratours bus Fes–Beni Mellal (~5 hrs, ~£12), then a shared grand taxi or local taxi up to Bin El Ouidane (~45 min, ~£6). The Middle Atlas scenery — cedar forests, berber villages, viewpoints — is the reward. Book a lakeside guesthouse or mid-range hotel overlooking the reservoir (a budget alternative to the tour's Widiane Resort). Evening: watch the sun set over the lake; kayak hire can be arranged locally (~£8/hr).

🚌CTM bus Fes–Beni Mellal ~£12, shared taxi to Bin El Ouidane ~£6

🛏Lakeside guesthouse/hotel at Bin El Ouidane, ~£25-35/night

• →Middle Atlas scenic bus journey
• →Bin El Ouidane lakeside sunset
• →Optional kayaking

Hire a local guide in Bin El Ouidane or Beni Mellal for the hike to the Imsfrane Cathedral (roughly £20-25 for a half-day, split between travellers) — it's a substantial walk with route-finding, so a local guide is worth it. The massive natural rock formation is a spectacular geological sight. Arrange a lunch with a local Amazigh family through your guesthouse (~£8-10) and learn to make traditional bread. Relax by the lake in the afternoon.

🚌Local transport to trailhead, ~£5

🛏Lakeside guesthouse/hotel at Bin El Ouidane, ~£25-35/night

• →Guided hike to Imsfrane Cathedral rock formation
• →Lunch with an Amazigh family
• →Traditional bread-making

Take a shared taxi or bus to Azilal/Ouzoud (~1.5 hrs, ~£5) and spend the morning at Ouzoud Waterfall — 110m of cascades, with wild Barbary macaques and small boats to the base (~£5). Then continue by bus or shared taxi to Marrakech (~3 hrs, ~£8). Dump your bags at a riad in the medina and head straight to Jemaa el-Fnaa for the evening food stalls, storytellers and juice carts. Optional: pre-book the hot air balloon for tomorrow morning (~£170 via GetYourGuide).

🚌Shared taxi/bus to Ouzoud ~£5, bus Ouzoud–Marrakech ~£8

🛏Riad/guesthouse inside the Marrakech medina, ~£25-35/night

• →Ouzoud Waterfall
• →Jemaa el-Fnaa square at night
• →Marrakech souk wander

Morning self-guided walk of the historic medina: Bahia Palace (~£6), the Saadian Tombs (~£6), and the spice and artisan souks. Haggle for souvenirs, then grab a final mint tea on a rooftop. If your flight is later, visit the Jardin Majorelle or Le Jardin Secret. Take a petit taxi to the airport (~£6) or the ONCF train if continuing onward.

🚌Petit taxi to Marrakech airport, ~£6

🛏Departure day — no overnight (or add a night if flight is late)

• →Bahia Palace
• →Saadian Tombs
• →Marrakech souks and Jemaa el-Fnaa
• →Optional Jardin Majorelle