Day 1: Welcome to Casablanca, Morocco

Welcome to Morocco! Your 17 days Morocco tour from Casablanca begins the moment you land. Your driver-guide will meet you at the airport and take you into the city for a first look at Morocco’s largest metropolis. If time allows, you’ll stop at the Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world, before enjoying dinner at a local restaurant featuring classic dishes like couscous, tagine, and pastilla.

Day 2: Casablanca – Rabat – Tangier [365 km]

After breakfast, you’ll drive north to Rabat, Morocco’s capital and one of the essential stops on any Morocco itinerary. Highlights here include the Hassan Tower, an unfinished 12th-century minaret that’s become one of the city’s defining landmarks, and the Kasbah of the Udayas, a fortified 12th-century citadel with whitewashed lanes, blue-painted doorways, and sweeping views over the Atlantic where the Bou Regreg River meets the sea. You’ll also walk through the peaceful Andalusian Gardens before continuing north.

From Rabat, the road continues to Tangier, a port city shaped for centuries by trade between Europe and Africa. Once there, you’ll explore the Kasbah, once home to the city’s sultans, and wander the medina’s narrow lanes filled with cafés, art galleries, and small shops selling leather and spices. If time allows, a stop at Cape Spartel the point where the Atlantic officially meets the Mediterranean makes for a memorable end to the day, followed by fresh seafood at a restaurant overlooking the water.

Day 3: Tangier to Chefchaouen [115 km]

Today’s drive winds through the Rif Mountains toward Chefchaouen, one of the most photographed towns in the country and a highlight of any 17 day Morocco itinerary. Rolling hills and small villages line the route, and once you arrive, you’ll have time to wander the blue-painted alleys that give the city its nickname, the Blue City. Between the artisan shops, quiet courtyards, and mountain views, Chefchaouen is a welcome, slower-paced contrast to the busier cities earlier in the trip.

Day 4: Free Day in Chefchaouen

Today is yours to enjoy at your own pace. Spend the morning wandering the blue medina, visit the Kasbah Museum, or browse the local markets for handmade textiles and crafts. In the afternoon, a rooftop café with mint tea and mountain views is one of the best ways to unwind before the next leg of your Morocco tour from Casablanca.

Day 5: Chefchaouen – Volubilis – Meknes – Fes [264 km]

Leaving Chefchaouen, you’ll head toward the Roman ruins of Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and once the capital of the Roman province of Mauretania Tingitana. The site’s floor mosaics depicting mythological scenes, animals, and daily Roman life are some of the best-preserved anywhere in North Africa, and the standing columns of the Basilica give a real sense of scale to what was once a thriving city.

From there, you’ll continue to Meknes, one of Morocco’s four imperial cities and the least visited of the group, which keeps it feeling notably less crowded. You’ll see the monumental Bab Mansour gate, considered one of the most beautiful gateways in North Africa, and can also visit the Heri es-Souani royal granaries, built to store grain for thousands of horses under Sultan Moulay Ismail. By early evening, you’ll arrive in Fes arguably the cultural centerpiece of any Morocco travel itinerary and settle in with a traditional dinner ahead of a full day of exploring tomorrow.

Day 6: Explore Fes with a Local Guide

Fes deserves a full day, and this is it. With a knowledgeable local guide, you’ll walk through the ancient medina one of the oldest and largest car-free urban areas in the world where daily life has changed little in centuries. Highlights include the Al-Qarawiyyin University, the Bou Inania Madrasa, and the famous tanneries, where leather has been dyed using traditional methods for generations. You’ll also visit artisan workshops for pottery, textiles, and metalwork, making Fes one of the most immersive stops on your trip.

Day 7: Fes – Ifrane – Cedar Forests – Midelt [198 km]

This morning you’ll leave Fes and climb into the Middle Atlas Mountains, starting with Ifrane often called the Switzerland of Morocco for its alpine architecture and cool, clean air. From there, you’ll continue to the cedar forests near Azrou, where a short walk might introduce you to a troop of wild Barbary macaques. By afternoon, you’ll arrive in Midelt, a quiet mountain town that makes for a peaceful overnight stop before heading toward the desert.

Day 8: Midelt – Ziz Valley – Merzouga Desert [265 km]

Today’s drive takes you through the Ziz Valley, known for its palm groves and small traditional villages, before arriving at the Merzouga Desert the centerpiece of any Morocco desert tour. Once you reach Erg Chebbi, you’ll trade your vehicle for a camel and ride out across the dunes as the sun sets over the Sahara. You’ll spend the night in a private desert camp, with a traditional Moroccan dinner and Berber music.

Day 9: Explore Merzouga Desert Area

Set an early alarm for one of the trip’s best moments sunrise over the dunes. After breakfast, you’ll explore the surrounding desert at a relaxed pace, including a visit to Khamlia village, known for its Gnawa music and warm hospitality. Lunch might be a traditional Berber pizza, cooked the local way, and the afternoon is yours to choose between sandboarding, a 4×4 desert excursion, or quad biking across the Sahara.

Day 10: Merzouga Desert – Todra Gorge – Dades Valley [265 km]

Leaving the Sahara behind, you’ll stop first in Rissani, the historic gateway to the desert and the ancestral home of Morocco’s ruling Alaouite dynasty. Its souk is one of the liveliest and most authentic in the south, with traders selling spices, dates, and handmade goods much as they have for generations.

From there, you’ll continue to Todra Gorge, where limestone cliffs rise as high as 300 meters on either side of a narrow river canyon a landscape popular with rock climbers from around the world, and a striking place for a short walk along the canyon floor. The day ends in the Dades Valley, often called the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs for the fortified clay buildings scattered along its winding roads, with rock formations locally nicknamed the “Monkey Fingers” for their unusual shapes. You’ll spend the night here, surrounded by one of the most photogenic landscapes on the route.

Day 11: Dades Valley – Ouarzazate – Ait Benhaddou – Marrakech [325 km]

Today’s route passes through Ouarzazate, nicknamed the “door of the desert” and home to Atlas Film Studios, one of the largest film studios in the world, where productions such as Gladiator and Game of Thrones have filmed desert scenes.

From there, you’ll visit Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage ksar (fortified village) built from rammed earth and clay along an old caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech. Its earthen towers and narrow alleys have appeared in dozens of films and TV productions, and walking through it gives a real sense of how these desert communities were built for defense as much as daily life.

From Ait Benhaddou, the road climbs into the High Atlas Mountains via the Tizi n’Tichka pass, Morocco’s highest paved mountain road, with switchbacks and viewpoints over the valleys below. You’ll arrive in Marrakech by evening, ready to settle in after a full day on the road.

Day 12: Explore Marrakech with a Local Guide

A guided day in Marrakech covers the city’s essentials, the Jemaa el-Fnaa square, the winding souks, the Koutoubia Mosque, and landmarks like Bahia Palace, Badi Palace, and Ben Youssef Madrasa. Between the history, architecture, and constant energy of the medina, this day is a highlight of your 17 days Morocco itinerary and a fitting introduction to Morocco’s most famous city. If you’d rather base your whole trip here, our tours from Marrakech cover many of the same routes in reverse.

Day 13: Day Trip to Ourika Valley [120 km]

Today’s excursion to the Ourika Valley is a refreshing change of pace from city life. The drive passes through green countryside and small Berber villages on the way to the Setti Fatma waterfalls, where you can take a light hike or simply relax by the river. It’s one of the most popular Atlas Mountains escapes from Marrakech, and you’ll return to the city by evening.

Day 14: Marrakech to Essaouira [178 km]

Today you’ll head to the coast and Essaouira, a laid-back fishing town known for its historic medina and relaxed pace. You’ll have time to explore the harbor, walk the beach, and enjoy fresh seafood a nice contrast to the inland cities earlier in your Morocco travel itinerary.

Day 15: Free Day in Essaouira

Today is unstructured, and Essaouira makes the most of it. Walk the coastline, browse the local markets, or settle into a café overlooking the ocean. It’s one of the best places on the whole route to slow down before heading back to Casablanca.

Day 16: Essaouira to Casablanca [376 km]

You’ll trace the Atlantic coast back to Casablanca, with stops along the way at small coastal towns and scenic viewpoints. You’ll arrive in the evening for your final night in Morocco.

Day 17: Transfer to Casablanca Airport [45 km]

Your driver will transfer you to Casablanca airport for your departure flight. Your 17 days Morocco tour from Casablanca comes to an end here, and we hope this journey across the country’s cities, mountains, desert, and coast gave you the full picture of what makes Morocco special. We look forward to welcoming you back.