Round trip from Casablanca · 8 days · 7 nights
A private 8-day tour that starts and ends in Casablanca: Rabat, Meknes, Fes, a night in the Sahara at Merzouga, the Dades Valley, Marrakech and Essaouira, with a driver and a local guide.
Duration
8 days, 7 nights
Route
Casablanca - Rabat - Meknes - Fes - Merzouga - Dades - Ait Ben Haddou - Marrakech - Essaouira - Casablanca
Guides speak
English and Spanish
Price
From €749 per person. Final price depends on your dates and group size. Free quote with no obligation.
Tour overview
The 8-day Morocco desert tour from Casablanca is a private round trip by Highlights Morocco Tours. It visits Rabat, Meknes and Fes, crosses the Middle Atlas to the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga for a night in a desert camp, follows the Dades Valley and Ait Ben Haddou to Marrakech, and returns to Casablanca through Essaouira. It includes a private driver and a local guide who speaks English or Spanish. The price is on request, with a free quote and no obligation.
Casablanca is where many travellers land, so starting here saves a transfer. The tour picks you up at the airport or your hotel, goes inland through the imperial cities, reaches the desert on day 3 and comes back by Marrakech and the Atlantic coast, ending where you started.
It is a typical route, not a fixed script. Tell us your flight times and we adapt the first and last day. If you want more time in the desert, we can add a second night in Merzouga.
Photos
Highlights
Itinerary
About 290 km with stops
Fes el-Bali
About 460 km
About 300 km
About 330 km
Marrakech
About 175 km
About 370 km
Route map
The route goes inland to the imperial cities, crosses the Middle Atlas to the Sahara, returns by the High Atlas to Marrakech and finishes along the coast.
Casablanca
Start and end of the tour, with the Hassan II Mosque.
Rabat
The capital, with the Hassan Tower and the Kasbah of the Udayas.
Meknes
Imperial city with the Bab Mansour gate.
Fes
Guided day in the medina of Fes el-Bali.
Merzouga
Camel ride at sunset and a night in a desert camp.
Dades Valley
Rock formations, the Todra Gorges and kasbahs on the way.
Ait Ben Haddou
UNESCO-listed ksar of red-earth towers.
Marrakech
Guided day in the medina and Jemaa el-Fnaa.
Essaouira
Coastal medina and fishing port, on the way back to Casablanca.
Why this route
This route is built for travellers who land in Casablanca and want the Sahara without losing days to transfers. The cities come first, the desert is in the middle and the sea comes at the end.
Rabat, Meknes and Fes show the history of the country. Merzouga gives you the dunes, and Marrakech and Essaouira give you two very different ways to finish.
Morocco tour package
8-day Morocco tours
All five routes are private, last 8 days and include a night in a Sahara desert camp.
| Tour | Route | Ending |
|---|---|---|
| 8 days from Marrakech | Marrakech, Sahara, Fes, Rabat, Casablanca, Essaouira | Marrakech (round trip) |
| 8 days from Casablanca | Casablanca, Rabat, Fes, Sahara, Marrakech, Essaouira | Casablanca (round trip) |
| 8 days from Fes | Fes, Sahara, Marrakech, Rabat, Chefchaouen | Fes (round trip) |
| 8 days from Tangier | Tangier, Chefchaouen, Fes, Sahara, Marrakech | Marrakech (one way) |
| 8 days from Rabat | Rabat, Fes, Sahara, Marrakech, Casablanca | Rabat (round trip) |
Your quote
Meals, extra stops and the type of camp are confirmed in your free quote. Tell us what you prefer.
Good to know
Tour guide
This guide explains the 8-day Morocco desert tour from Casablanca by Highlights Morocco Tours: a private round trip through the imperial cities, the Sahara, the Dades Valley, Marrakech and Essaouira, with practical advice on timing, packing and the starting price. It is written for first-time visitors to Morocco.
The 8-day Morocco desert tour from Casablanca is a private round trip by Highlights Morocco Tours, with your own driver and a local guide who speaks English or Spanish. It links Rabat, Meknes and Fes with the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga, where you ride a camel and sleep in a desert camp, then follows the Dades Valley and Ait Ben Haddou to Marrakech and returns to Casablanca via Essaouira.
Day 1: Start in Casablanca, with the Hassan II Mosque if time allows, visit the Hassan Tower and Kasbah of the Udayas in Rabat, stop in Meknes and arrive in Fes. Day 2: Explore the medina of Fes el-Bali with a local guide, including the Chouara tanneries, madrasas and souks. Day 3: Cross the Middle Atlas cedar forests, lunch near Midelt, follow the Ziz Valley and ride a camel at sunset before the camp night. Day 4: Visit the Todra Gorges and drive along the Dades Valley. Day 5: Stop in Ouarzazate, see Ait Ben Haddou and cross the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Marrakech. Day 6: Spend the day in the Marrakech medina and Jemaa el-Fnaa. Day 7: Drive west to Essaouira. Day 8: Follow the Atlantic coast to Casablanca, where the tour ends.
The 8-day Morocco desert tour from Casablanca is for travellers who land in Casablanca and want one complete loop: cities, desert, kasbahs and coast, ending where they started. It suits couples, friends, families and first-time visitors with a full week. Expect long driving days, notably Fes to Merzouga at about 460 km and Essaouira to Casablanca at about 370 km, balanced by full days in Fes and Marrakech. The mix of city days and desert days keeps the week varied.
Spring and autumn are generally the most comfortable seasons for the 8-day Morocco desert tour from Casablanca, because you cover cities, mountains, desert and coast. Summer is very hot inland, in Fes, Marrakech and the desert, while the Atlantic coast is cooler. In winter the desert nights are cold, Fes and the Middle Atlas can be wet, and snow is possible in the High Atlas. Ask us for advice on your dates.
For the 8-day Casablanca desert tour, pack layers, a warm jacket for the Sahara camp night and a light scarf for sun, dust and visits to religious sites. Bring sun protection and comfortable closed shoes for medinas and dunes. Since you stay in different places, a small bag for the camp helps. Lunches, drinks, entrance fees and tips are not included, so carry cash in dirhams, particularly for souks, seafood in Essaouira and guides' tips.
The 8-day Morocco desert tour from Casablanca starts from 749 euros per person. The final price depends on your dates and group size, and the quote is free with no obligation. You can request it through the contact form, WhatsApp or email to Highlights Morocco Tours, and we will confirm the private driver, local guide, sunset camel ride, desert camp night and the other nights on the road. Tell us your arrival date and we will plan around it.
Why book with us
Local agency
Highlights Morocco Tours is a private tour operator based in Marrakech.
100% private
Only your group, with your own driver.
English and Spanish
Local guides who speak English or Spanish.
Tailor-made
Ask us to add a night, change a stop or adjust the pace.
WhatsApp support
Support before and during your trip.
Free quote
Send your dates and group size. No obligation.
FAQ
About the trip, how to book it and who we are.
Yes, if you want to see the main regions of Morocco in one trip. In 8 days you can combine imperial cities, the Atlas, the Sahara and the coast, with a private driver and a local guide.
A popular 8-day itinerary from Casablanca goes Rabat, Meknes, Fes, Merzouga, the Dades Valley, Marrakech and Essaouira, and back to Casablanca. It avoids repeating the same road and includes a night in the Sahara.
Morocco is big, so there are some long driving days, mostly between Merzouga and the cities. We plan stops for lunch and rest, and we can add nights to slow down.
Yes. It includes a camel ride at sunset in the Erg Chebbi dunes and a night in a desert camp at Merzouga. The camel ride depends on the season and your arrival time.
Yes. We adapt the stops and the number of nights to your dates and interests, and we can add a second night in the desert, in Fes or in Marrakech.
Yes. We can arrange a private pick-up at Casablanca Mohammed V airport or at your hotel in Casablanca, and the tour starts from there.
It is a round trip that passes through Marrakech and ends in Casablanca. If you prefer to finish in Marrakech, we can adapt the route.
Send us your dates and number of travellers with the contact form, by WhatsApp or by email. We reply with a free, no-obligation quote and, once you are happy with it, we confirm the booking and the details of your trip.
The price depends on your dates, the number of travellers and the type of camp, so we quote on request. Quotes are free and come with no obligation.
The tour starts and ends in Casablanca. We can arrange the pick-up at Casablanca airport or at your hotel, and we agree the time with you when we confirm your booking.
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Based in
Marrakech, Morocco
Support
Available 24/7 while you travel
Why travellers trust us
8+ years
Organising private tours across Morocco for many years.
Local Berber team
Brothers and friends who grew up in the desert and know every road and camp.
100% private
Your own driver and guide. Never a big shared group.
Talk to us directly
No call centre and no middleman. Free quote, no obligation.