8-Day Casablanca Imperial Cities & Desert Tour

Your eight-day journey through Morocco's imperial cities and Sahara desert begins the moment you land at Mohammed V International Airport, where your private driver will be waiting in the arrivals hall with a sign bearing your name — no shared shuttles, no confusion, just a warm welcome into a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle. Casablanca, Morocco's largest city and its commercial capital, offers a modern, easygoing introduction to the country before the older imperial cities that follow. Depending on your arrival time and energy, your driver will typically suggest a stop at the Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world and one of the very few in Morocco that non-Muslim visitors may enter. Perched dramatically over the Atlantic with a 210-metre minaret, the tallest in the world, it was completed in 1993 and showcases exceptional traditional craftsmanship — hand-cut zellige tilework, carved cedar, and intricate stucco — alongside modern engineering including a retractable roof. From here, you are transferred directly to your riad or hotel to check in and settle in after your flight. This evening, take a short walk to a nearby café for your first glass of Moroccan mint tea, poured from height in the traditional style, and use the relaxed evening to ask your driver any questions about the days ahead. There is no rigid schedule today — simply arrive, unwind, and get a gentle first feel for Morocco before the road trip begins in earnest tomorrow, taking you through royal cities, mountain passes, and the golden dunes of the Sahara over the coming week.

After breakfast, we set off north along the Atlantic coastal highway to Rabat, Morocco's political capital and one of its four Imperial Cities, a drive of about an hour. We spend a couple of hours here exploring the Kasbah des Oudayas, a 12th-century fortified citadel of blue-and-white lanes and Andalusian Gardens overlooking the Bou Regreg River, and the Hassan Tower alongside the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, a striking modern royal tomb guarded by the Royal Guard in ceremonial dress. After lunch on your own near the medina, we continue inland toward Meknes, one of Morocco's four Imperial Cities and, historically, one of its grandest — Sultan Moulay Ismail envisioned it in the late 17th century as Morocco's answer to Versailles, building vast royal granaries and stables designed to house 12,000 horses. We arrive in the late afternoon and take a short visit to Bab Mansour, widely considered the most beautiful gate in North Africa, an enormous horseshoe archway decorated with elaborate zellige tilework and marble columns taken from the nearby Roman ruins of Volubilis. Meknes's old medina, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is considerably quieter than Fes, offering a relaxed, authentic first taste of Moroccan imperial architecture. Dinner tonight is a good opportunity to try regional specialities, including olive oil and wine produced on the fertile plains surrounding the city, a local tradition dating back generations.

This morning we drive around thirty minutes to Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman ruins in Morocco and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, once the thriving administrative capital of Roman Mauretania Tingitana. With your guide, we explore the extensive site — the Basilica, the Capitol, a triumphal arch honouring Emperor Caracalla, and a remarkable collection of intact mosaic floors depicting mythological scenes, still in place after almost two thousand years thanks to Morocco's dry climate. From the elevated ruins, views stretch across fertile plains toward the Rif Mountains. A short drive brings us to Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, Morocco's holiest town, built across two hills and named for the great-grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who founded the country's first Islamic dynasty here in the 8th century. We take a short walk through its whitewashed streets, which retain a distinctly devotional, unhurried atmosphere. In the early afternoon, we continue to Fes, Morocco's spiritual and cultural capital, arriving with time to check in, rest, and take an easy orientation walk before tomorrow's deeper exploration of the medina. Fes is widely regarded as Morocco's culinary capital, and dinner tonight is an excellent chance to try a refined Fassi tagine, a dish that reflects the city's long history as a seat of royal courts and scholarship.

Today is dedicated entirely to Fes. We recommend an early start, around 9am, to explore before the midday heat and crowds build. Your driver hands you to a licensed local guide (compulsory in Fes, as the medina's over 9,000 alleyways are notoriously easy to get lost in), who leads you through Fes el-Bali, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. We begin at Bab Boujloud, the ornate blue-and-green tiled 'Blue Gate', winding through souks organised by traditional guild — metalworkers, weavers, leatherworkers, and spice merchants with pyramids of saffron and cumin. A highlight is the Chouara Tannery, one of the oldest in the world, where hides are still dyed by hand in stone vats using methods largely unchanged since the 11th century — you will be offered fresh mint to hold against the strong smell. We view the exterior of the Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and University, founded in 859 AD and recognised as the oldest continuously operating educational institution in the world, and visit the Bou Inania Madrasa, celebrated for its intricate cedar carving and tilework. Lunch is at a traditional Fassi restaurant, often serving pastilla or slow-cooked lamb tagine with prunes and almonds. The afternoon continues gently with time to browse the souks before returning to your riad — the evening is free, and many guests enjoy a hammam and massage, a good rest before tomorrow's long drive toward the Sahara.

Early departure this morning, ideally by 8am, for one of the longest and most spectacular driving days of the trip. The road climbs into the Middle Atlas, and within an hour the plains around Fes give way to pine and cedar forest. Our first stop is Ifrane, an alpine-style town built by the French in the 1930s, before continuing to the Azrou Cedar Forest, home to some of the largest and oldest Atlas cedars in the world and a resident troop of wild Barbary macaques — your driver stops for twenty to thirty minutes so you can walk among the ancient trees. Continuing south, we descend toward Midelt, a former mining town and gateway to the High Atlas, where we typically stop for lunch. From Midelt, the road follows the Ziz Gorges and then the Ziz Valley, a striking ribbon of palm groves and mudbrick ksour villages winding through an otherwise barren landscape, with several photo stops along the way. As the afternoon light softens, we arrive in Merzouga on the edge of the Erg Chebbi dune sea, where camel handlers meet us for the final leg into the desert. A 45-60 minute sunset camel trek across the dunes brings us to our exclusive desert camp, nestled among some of the highest dunes in Morocco. After a traditional dinner cooked over an open fire, gather around the campfire as Berber musicians play traditional drums under one of the most spectacular starscapes anywhere on Earth.

For those willing to wake before dawn, this morning offers one of the most memorable experiences of the trip: climbing a nearby dune in the dark to watch the sunrise transform the desert from soft pink to deep gold. Afterwards, enjoy a simple Berber breakfast at camp before returning by 4x4 to Merzouga village, where our vehicle awaits. We drive west toward Todra Gorge, one of Morocco's most dramatic natural landmarks, stopping for an hour to walk along the canyon floor beneath sheer pink and orange limestone cliffs rising up to 300 metres, a popular destination for rock climbers worldwide. Continuing along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, we pass through the Dades Valley's dramatic rock formations before reaching Ouarzazate in the late afternoon, nicknamed the 'Door of the Desert' and, more recently, the 'Hollywood of Africa' thanks to the Atlas Film Studios, where productions including Gladiator and Game of Thrones have been filmed. Time permitting, we visit the Taourirt Kasbah, a former residence of the powerful Glaoui family and one of the finest examples of traditional earthen architecture in Morocco. We then continue a short distance to Ait Ben Haddou, a fortified ksar above the Ounila River and UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, checking in nearby for the night ahead of tomorrow's full exploration.

This morning we explore Ait Ben Haddou properly, one of the best-preserved examples of pre-Saharan earthen architecture in the world, its dramatic silhouette having appeared in films including Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator. With your guide, we take a walk through the ksar's narrow lanes up to the old communal granary at the top, where a small entrance fee grants panoramic views over the surrounding valley — one of the most photographed sites in Morocco. After lunch nearby, our driver begins the spectacular ascent of the Tizi n'Tichka Pass, the highest major mountain pass in North Africa at 2,260 metres, winding through the High Atlas via a long series of switchbacks with sweeping views over terraced Berber villages and colourful mineral-rich rock formations — roadside stalls sell local geodes and amethyst, a specialty of the region. As the road descends the western side of the Atlas, the terrain flattens and the palm groves surrounding Marrakech come into view. We arrive in the late afternoon and check in to your riad in the heart of the medina, with time in the evening to take an early stroll toward Jemaa el-Fna square, Marrakech's legendary main plaza, which comes alive after sunset with food stalls, storytellers, and musicians — an excellent, lively spot for your final dinner in Morocco.

Our journey together comes to an end this morning. Depending on your flight time, you will have time to enjoy breakfast on your riad's rooftop terrace and, if the schedule allows, a short guided visit to a highlight or two of the medina — perhaps the Bahia Palace, with its elaborately carved cedar ceilings and tranquil courtyards, or the exterior of the Koutoubia Mosque, Marrakech's largest and most recognisable landmark. There is also time for last-minute souvenir shopping in the souks — argan oil, saffron, ras el hanout spice blends, or handmade leather goods make excellent, easily packable gifts. At the appropriate time, your private driver collects you and your luggage from the riad and transfers you directly to Marrakech Menara Airport, timed comfortably to your departure flight. Over these eight days, you will have travelled from the Atlantic coast at Casablanca through the royal cities of Rabat and Meknes, past the Roman ruins of Volubilis, into the spiritual heart of the country at Fes, across the Middle Atlas and into the golden dunes of the Sahara, through the dramatic Todra Gorge, over the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka Pass, and finally into the vibrant beauty of Marrakech — a genuinely comprehensive introduction to Morocco's imperial history and desert landscapes. On behalf of your driver, guides, and the entire Marokko Travel team, thank you for travelling with us. On behalf of your driver, guides, and the entire Marokko Travel team, thank you for travelling with us on this classic imperial cities and desert route.