8-Day Morocco Tour: Imperial Cities and Desert from Casablanca

The tour starts with your arrival in Casablanca. You see the Hassan II Mosque from outside, standing on the edge of the Atlantic, then drive north to Rabat. The drive is short, about an hour, and leaves time for a first look at the capital in the afternoon. You spend the night in Rabat, with dinner included.

The morning starts with a walk in Rabat, then the road runs north to Chefchaouen. The blue city sits in the Rif mountains, and its painted streets and small squares are easy to explore on foot. The drive takes most of the morning, and the afternoon is free in Chefchaouen. You spend the night in Chefchaouen, with dinner included.

From Chefchaouen the road runs south to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, with its old mosaics and columns standing in the open countryside. After Volubilis the drive continues through Meknes and on to Fes. You arrive in Fes in the afternoon and settle into your riad in the medina. Dinner is included.

This is a guided day on foot in the medina of Fes, one of the oldest medinas in Morocco. Your guide takes you to the tanneries, the Medersa and the craft quarters, where potters, weavers and metalworkers still work by hand. The medina is a maze of narrow lanes, so the guide keeps the day simple and clear. You spend the night in Fes, with dinner included.

This is a free day in Fes, with no fixed programme. You can walk to the Royal Palace and see it from outside, visit the potteries, or take a trip to Sefrou, a small town near Fes. The day is yours to use as you like, at your own pace. You spend the night in Fes, with dinner included.

The road leaves Fes and crosses the Middle Atlas, then drops down into the Ziz Valley with its long palm groves. The drive continues south to Merzouga, at the edge of the dunes of Erg Chebbi. In the late afternoon you ride camels into the dunes as the sun goes down. The night is spent in the desert camp, with dinner included.

You wake up in the desert camp for sunrise over the dunes of Erg Chebbi and have breakfast in camp. The road then leads west to Todra Gorge, where there is time for a walk between the high rock walls. From the gorge the drive continues into the Dades Valley. You spend the night in a hotel or riad in the Dades Valley, with dinner included.

The last day runs from the Dades Valley through Ouarzazate to Ait Ben Haddou, the clay village below the High Atlas. After a stop there, the road climbs over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, at 2,260 m, and drops down to Marrakech. You arrive in Marrakech in the late afternoon, where the tour ends.