7 Days Tour from Casablanca: Imperial Cities and Sahara

7 days tour from Casablanca

7 Days Tour from Casablanca – Private 7 days tour from Casablanca: Rabat, Chefchaouen, Fes, Merzouga camel trek and desert camp, Dades Gorge, Ait Ben Haddou and Marrakech.

The most popular and highly-rated route for a 7-day trip in Morocco starting from Casablanca is the Classic Imperial Cities & Sahara Desert Loop. This comprehensive itinerary allows you to experience historic medinas, the striking blue city of Chefchaouen, a night in the Sahara dunes, and the vibrant life of Marrakech before returning.

See Casablanca's coastal Hassan II Mosque, tour Rabat's historic monuments.

Walk the well-preserved ancient Roman ruins of Volubilis and sleep inside the medieval old city of Fes.

Take a guided walking tour of the ancient, car-free Fes Medina and watch the iconic Chouara Tannery at work.

Drive through Morocco's alpine cedar forests and ride camels at sunset into a Sahara Desert luxury camp.

Watch a desert sunrise, then walk between the massive, 300-meter-high limestone rock walls of Todra Gorge.

Explore the famous mud-brick fortress of Aït Benhaddou (seen in Gladiator) and cross the High Atlas Mountains to Marrakech.

Tour the palaces and vibrant souks of Marrakech before taking the highway or train back to Casablanca.

Pick up from your hotel or riad or airport in Casablanca. Visit Hassan || Mosque. Rabat: Hassan Tower, Kasbah des Oudaias. Meknes: Bab Mansour Gate, The Roman Ruins of Volubilis, Moulay Idriss. Overnight in Fez.

Riad with breakfast.

A full first day through three imperial cities. In Rabat you see the Hassan Tower and the white lanes of the Udayas kasbah above the ocean. After lunch, Meknes shows its huge Bab Mansour gate and the stables of Sultan Moulay Ismail, and on request we stop at the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the holy town of Moulay Idriss. You reach Fes in the evening and check in to a riad in the medina.

Overnight: traditional riad in Fes
Meals: breakfast.

Tour with local guide after your breakfast.

1. Fes el-Bali: The oldest Medina, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a maze of narrow alleys.
2. Al-Attarine Madrasa: A stunning example of Marinid architecture, and a hidden gem.
3. Bou Inania Madrasa: A beautiful madrasa, with intricate woodwork and stunning tile work.
4. Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque: One of the oldest universities in the world, and a center of Islamic learning.
5. Chouara Tannery: Chouara Tannery in Fes is the largest and oldest (11th century) leather tannery in the city, located in the heart of the Fes el Bali medina.

Overnight in a traditional riad, with breakfast included.

A licensed local guide leads you through the 9,000 alleys of Fes el-Bali, founded in the 9th century. You see craftsmen at work: coppersmiths, weavers, tile makers and the leather dyers of the Chouara tannery seen from a terrace. Stop at the Nejjarine fountain and the Attarine madrasa, and in the afternoon visit the Merinid tombs for a panoramic view over the whole medina.

Overnight: traditional riad in Fes
Meals: breakfast (dinner free in the medina).

After the breakfast Leaving Fez and going to Merzouga, passing through Ifrane to arrive at the cedar forests of Azrou where the wild monkeys are located.

It will be a good opportunity to take photos of wilderness in Morocco. Lunch in a small Berber village of Zaida.

We continue the way through the Atlas Mountains enjoying the landscapes of Medilt to arrive at the small town of Rich, Erfoud in which we’ll feel the beginning of the Saharan oasis of Tafilalet.

And then continue to Merzouga, the camels they will be ready with camel guide to take you to inside the desert of Erg Chebbi, for an interesting ride for one hour, they you will arrive to the camp and the team will show you your own luxury tent with private bathroom.

Then there will be a time for a cup of tea, then you have the time for sunset and sand boarding in dunes near the camp, later will be the dinner and Berber music.

This long but beautiful drive crosses the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, where Barbary macaques live, and the Ziz valley with its palm groves and kasbahs. In the late afternoon you meet your camels at the edge of Erg Chebbi and ride for about 1 h 30 to the camp while the dunes turn orange. Dinner is served under the stars, often with Berber drums around the fire.

Overnight: desert camp in the Erg Chebbi dunes (private tent with bathroom)
Meals: dinner and breakfast.

Woke up for sunrise in dunes near the camp, you come back to the camp for breakfast then you ride back the camels to Merzouga village, then we go to Rissani where we’ll visit the marketplace (market days: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday), we continue then to Erfoud where we can visit the manufactures of fossilized marble before starting our way to Touroug and Tinjdad palm groves.

One hour later we’ll reach one of the best places of the High Atlas, the Todra Gorges. The course of the river has carved out cliff-sided canyon and it’s because of its beauty and the high rock sides that’s very popular among climbers.

Free time to have lunch in this wonderful place. A short walk through the gorges is very advisable to better appreciate the beauty of the landscape. In the afternoon we continue to Boumalne Dades for the overnight hotel with dinner and breakfast.

Wake up early to climb a dune and watch the sunrise, then ride back by camel to shower and have breakfast. On the way west you pass Rissani, home of the Alaouite dynasty, and the long palm groves of Tinjdad. In the Todra Gorge, walk between the rock walls beside the clear stream. The evening road climbs into the Dades valley, famous for its strange rock formations called the Monkey Fingers.

Overnight: hotel in Boumalne Dades
Meals: dinner and breakfast.

After breakfast we can enjoy one of the better views of the Dades valley from one strategic look out in the mountains, from there we can appreciate the great number of kasbahs and the scenic characteristics of each one. After some stops to enjoy the “One thousand kasbahs road”.

The Roses Valley and the big Skoura palm grove we’ll get to Ouarzazate to visit the Kasbah of Taourirt, old residence of the Glaoui or Marrakech pasha, then cinema studio in Ouarzazate, we will stop at ksar (fortified village) of Ait Ben Haddou where we will visit the famous Kasbah (declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986). Famous films have been shot in this spectacular stage.

Including Gladiator, The Mummy, The Jewel of the Nile, Free time for lunch in town. In the afternoon we start our way to Marrakech going through the mountain port of Tizi Ntichka. We’ll get to Marrakech about 6pm, arrive to your traditional riad in Marrakech. with breakfast included.

A day of kasbahs and mountain views. Drive through the Skoura oasis to Ouarzazate, then visit the UNESCO ksar of Ait Ben Haddou with a local guide, climbing to the granary at the top for the view. After lunch the road crosses the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass (2,260 m), with Berber villages and wide viewpoints, before descending to Marrakech in the evening.

Overnight: traditional riad in Marrakech
Meals: breakfast.

After breakfast at 10:30 AM you will meet your local guide.

Explore the Real Marrakech with a Local Guide!

Marrakech is a city that’ll get under your skin, you will explore the Medina, the souks, and experience the local life!

1. Jemaa el-Fnaa Square: The heart of Marrakech, vibrant and alive with energy.
2. Bahia Palace: A stunning example of Moroccan architecture, a must-visit.
3. Koutoubia Mosque: The iconic mosque, a symbol of Marrakech.
4. Saadian Tombs: A hidden gem, rediscovered in 1917, and a glimpse into the city’s rich history.

• Get lost in the narrow alleys, explore the souks, and haggle for treasures.
• Visit the Spice Market, a sensory delight!
• Discover local artisans, watch them craft beautiful handmade goods.

• Enjoy a traditional Moroccan lunch, with delicious tagines and couscous. For lunch.
• Explore the Majorelle Garden, a peaceful oasis created by French artist Jacques Majorelle.

Overnight in a traditional riad, free time for dinner. With breakfast included.

Your guide explains the history of the Almoravid, Saadian and Alaouite dynasties as you visit the main monuments. Walk through the souks of spices, leather and lanterns, and finish in the Majorelle Garden with its famous blue villa and the Berber museum. At night Jemaa el-Fna fills with musicians, storytellers and food stalls: a must for dinner.

Overnight: traditional riad in Marrakech
Meals: breakfast (dinner free in the medina).

We will pick you up from your accommodation to your airport in Casablanca or Marrakech.

Note: We have a discount for groups and families.

After breakfast, enjoy a last stroll in the medina or a coffee on a rooftop terrace. The motorway to Casablanca takes about three hours across the plains. Depending on your flight time you can stop at the Hassan II Mosque by the ocean before your driver takes you to the airport or to your hotel.

End of the tour: pick-up from your riad and transfer to the airport in Casablanca or Marrakech.