12-Day Grand Morocco Adventure Tour

After breakfast, the drive to Rabat takes about an hour. In the capital, you'll see Hassan Tower and the unfinished 12th-century mosque around it, along with the Kasbah of the Udayas, a walled quarter overlooking the river mouth. From Rabat, the route continues north to Asilah, a small coastal town known for whitewashed walls covered in murals repainted every summer for its arts festival, worth an hour's walk before continuing on to Tangier for the night.

Leaving Tangier, the road climbs into hillier country. Ouezzane is the main stop along the way, a religious town built around an old zaouia and still an active pilgrimage site for Moroccans, known locally for its olive oil rather than for tourism. From there, the road continues into the Rif Mountains toward Chefchaouen, where you'll have the afternoon free to wander the blue-painted alleys and small squares before settling into a riad for the night.

After breakfast, the drive south takes you to Meknes first, one of Morocco's four imperial cities, known for its monumental gates and the scale of building Sultan Moulay Ismail carried out here in the late 17th century. From Meknes, it's a short drive to Volubilis, the largest Roman site in the country, with mosaic floors still in place after almost two thousand years. By evening, you'll arrive in Fes for a two-night stay.

A local guide takes you through Fes el Bali, one of the oldest medinas still functioning as a working city rather than a museum piece. The day usually includes the Dar Batha museum, known for its collection of Moroccan ceramics and woodwork, the Chouara Tannery, best viewed from one of the leather shop terraces above it, and a stop at Borj Nord for a wide view over the rooftops. There's also time in the souks, where different streets specialize in different trades. Overnight in Fes.

Leaving Fes after breakfast, the road climbs into the Middle Atlas. Ifrane comes first, a town built in a French Alpine style in the 1930s that still looks a bit out of place in Morocco. Azrou follows, with a cedar forest along the road where Barbary macaques are often visible right from the car. Midelt marks the shift from mountains to desert, and from there the road runs south past changing scenery until the dunes of Erg Chebbi start to appear on the horizon near Merzouga. Overnight in a riad in Merzouga.

This is the day most travelers remember years later. In the morning, there's time to visit Khamlia, a village known for its Gnawa musicians, before camels take you out into the dunes in the late afternoon, timed so you arrive at camp as the light turns from gold to a deep red over the sand. Dinner is typically a tagine cooked over coals, with drumming around the fire afterward if the camp staff are up for it. You sleep in a proper tent with a real bed, though it gets cold once the sun's down. Overnight at the desert camp.

Most people get up before sunrise to watch it from the dunes, then head back for breakfast before the drive resumes. The road passes through Rissani, still a working market town with strong links to old caravan routes, then Goulmima, a smaller town along the way known for its old fortified granaries. From there, Todra Gorge is the highlight of the day, a narrow canyon with rock walls rising 300 meters on either side, close enough that a normal conversation echoes off them. The route continues to Dades Valley afterward, known for unusual rock formations and old kasbahs. Overnight in Dades Valley.

After breakfast, the road passes through Kalaat M'Gouna, known locally for its rose products, then Skoura, a fertile oasis filled with palm trees and historic kasbahs. By afternoon, you'll reach Ouarzazate, sometimes called the gateway to the south. If there's time before dinner, the Taourirt Kasbah and the Atlas Film Studios, where several well-known films and series have shot desert scenes, are both worth an hour. Overnight in Ouarzazate.

A short drive takes you to Ait Ben Haddou, one of Morocco's best-known ksour, a fortified village built from earth and clay and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its buildings climb a hillside above a dry riverbed, and it's worth an hour or two walking the passages between them. From there, the route crosses the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka Pass, with switchbacks, roadside mineral stalls, and small Berber villages along the way, before dropping into Marrakech by evening. There's usually time for a first look at Jemaa el Fna after dinner. Overnight in Marrakech.

Your guide covers the main sights, including Bahia Palace, with its carved cedar ceilings and quiet courtyards, the Saadian Tombs, rediscovered only in 1917 after being sealed for centuries, and the Koutoubia Mosque, viewed from outside. Depending on your plan, there may also be time at the Majorelle Garden. In the afternoon, you're free to explore the souks at your own pace, leather, lamps, spices, and textiles each have their own streets, before Jemaa el Fna fills up again with food stalls and performers in the evening. Overnight in Marrakech.

Depending on your flight time, today can include a half-day round trip to Ouzoud, the tallest waterfall in North Africa, set among olive groves in the Middle Atlas foothills about two and a half hours from Marrakech. Barbary macaques are often seen in the trees near the falls, and a short walk down to the pool at the base gives a good view of the water dropping close to 100 meters over several tiers. After returning to Marrakech, you'll be transferred to the airport, or to Casablanca if that's your departure city, closing out this Casablanca to Marrakech journey.