Private Grand Tour, Casablanca to Marrakech

9 Days Morocco Tour from Casablanca

The classic diagonal across Morocco with a night in the Sahara and a full guided day in Marrakech to finish, all with your own private driver.

Duration

9 days / 8 nights

Route

Casablanca to Marrakech

Tour type

Private, fully flexible

Desert

1 night in a Sahara camp

Best for

First trip with time for Marrakech

Overview

The Grand Tour, With Marrakech Done Right

The 9 days Morocco tour from Casablanca takes everything from our 8 day route and fixes its one weakness: Marrakech. Instead of squeezing the Red City into a departure morning, you get a full guided day among its palaces, souks and squares before flying home.

The route itself is the great Moroccan diagonal: Casablanca, Rabat, Chefchaouen, the Roman site of Volubilis, Fes, the Sahara at Merzouga, Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley and Ait Ben Haddou, ending in Marrakech, whose 700 hectare medina has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.

As with every tour we run, this is private: your own vehicle, your own English speaking driver, your own pace, starting with a meet and greet at Casablanca airport. If you can spare one more day, the 10 day tour adds a second night in the Sahara. Compare every option on the multi day tours page.

Tour Highlights

What You Will Experience

✓Private 9 day tour, Casablanca to Marrakech

✓Hassan II Mosque on the Atlantic

✓Rabat, capital of Morocco

✓Chefchaouen in the best morning light

✓Volubilis Roman ruins

✓Full guided day in the Fes medina

✓Camel trek into Erg Chebbi at sunset

✓Night in a Sahara desert camp

✓Todra Gorge canyon walk

✓Dades Valley kasbah country

✓Ait Ben Haddou, UNESCO listed

✓Tizi n’Tichka mountain pass

✓Full guided day in Marrakech

Day by Day

Full 9 Day Itinerary

Tap any day to expand it. Every day can be tuned to your interests.

Day 1: Arrival in Casablanca

Your driver is waiting at Mohammed V Airport with your name sign. Depending on your landing time you visit the Hassan II Mosque, the only major mosque in Morocco open to non Muslim visitors on guided tours, and unwind on the Corniche. Overnight in Casablanca.

Day 2: Casablanca, Rabat and the road to Chefchaouen

Rabat rewards a short visit: Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the quiet blue lanes of the Kasbah of the Udayas. From there the Rif Mountains close in gradually until Chefchaouen appears, painted a hundred shades of blue. Overnight in Chefchaouen.

Day 3: Chefchaouen morning, Volubilis, evening in Fes

Photographers get Chefchaouen at its best in the morning light. After lunch you walk through Volubilis, where storks nest on Roman columns above 2,000 year old mosaics, then continue to Fes. Overnight in Fes.

Day 4: Fes with a local guide

A full day inside the medieval medina: Chouara tanneries, the university district around Al Quaraouiyine, Bou Inania Madrasa, the Mellah and souks arranged by craft as they have been for centuries. Your guide handles the labyrinth, you just look. Overnight in Fes.

Day 5: Fes to the Sahara at Merzouga

Over the Middle Atlas via Ifrane and the Azrou cedar forest, where Barbary macaques amble by the road, then down the Ziz Valley to the desert. A camel carries you into the Erg Chebbi dunes for sunset, dinner and Berber drums at your camp. Overnight in a Merzouga desert camp.

Day 6: Merzouga to Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley

Watch the sunrise from a dune before breakfast at camp. The route then runs through Rissani and Tinghir to Todra Gorge, where you walk the canyon floor, and finishes among the rock formations of the Dades Valley. Overnight in Dades Valley.

Day 7: Dades, Ouarzazate, Ait Ben Haddou and the High Atlas

The Valley of Roses and Skoura oasis lead to Ouarzazate and its film studios. At Ait Ben Haddou you climb through the mud brick ksar that Hollywood keeps returning to, then cross the Tizi n’Tichka pass to Marrakech. Overnight in Marrakech.

Day 8: Guided tour of Marrakech

This is the day the 8 day version does not have. With a local guide you visit the Bahia Palace, the Koutoubia Mosque area, the dyers and metalworkers souks and Jemaa el-Fna as it fills with storytellers and food stalls at dusk. Overnight in Marrakech.

Day 9: Departure from Marrakech

A relaxed breakfast, perhaps one last walk in the medina, and your driver delivers you to Marrakech Menara Airport at the agreed time. End of your 9 day grand tour of Morocco.

Route at a Glance

Distances and Driving Times

The 9 day route in numbers, with stops counted honestly.

Leg	Distance	Driving time
Casablanca Airport to Rabat	100 km	1 h 15 min
Rabat to Chefchaouen	250 km	4 h
Chefchaouen to Fes (via Volubilis)	210 km	4 h 30 min with the ruins stop
Fes to Merzouga	460 km	7 h with mountain stops
Merzouga to Dades Valley	260 km	4 h 30 min
Dades Valley to Marrakech (via Ait Ben Haddou)	330 km	6 to 7 h with visits
Marrakech city days	0 km	no driving on days 8 and 9

Times include the usual visit and photo stops along each leg.

What Is Covered

Included and Not Included

Included

✓Private air conditioned vehicle
✓Professional English speaking driver
✓Fuel, highway tolls and parking fees
✓Pick up at Casablanca airport or hotel
✓Drop off at Marrakech airport
✓Driver accommodation and expenses
✓Flexible photo and rest stops

Not Included

✗International flights
✗Accommodation (we shortlist trusted riads and camps)
✗Meals and drinks
✗Monument entrance fees
✗Local guides in Fes and Marrakech (arranged on request)
✗Camel trek and desert camp (arranged on request)
✗Personal expenses and tips

Why This Tour

Why Book the 9 Day Grand Tour?

Nine days is the itinerary we suggest most often to first time visitors who write asking for eight. The single extra day transforms the ending: Marrakech stops being a transit stop and becomes a destination, with a guide who knows which palace, garden and souk fit your interests.

It is still a brisk trip, with hotels changing most nights. If your priority is slow mornings or a second night under the desert sky, step up to the 10 day itinerary or the full 12 day grand tour with the Essaouira coast included.

FAQ

9 Days in Morocco, Common Questions

What is the difference between the 8 and 9 day tours from Casablanca?

One day in Marrakech. The 8 day route ends with a departure morning, while the 9 day version adds a complete guided day covering the Bahia Palace, the souks and Jemaa el-Fna, plus a calmer final evening before your flight.

Do you provide the local guides in Fes and Marrakech?

Yes, on request. We work with licensed city guides in both medinas and add them to your programme at a transparent price. Many travellers take a guide in Fes, where the medina is genuinely a maze, and explore Marrakech independently on day 8 instead.

What kind of accommodation should we expect?

Accommodation stays in your control and outside our price. We send a shortlist per town, from good value riads to five star houses and luxury desert camps, based on what our guests rate highly year after year. You book directly, so there is no markup.

Is the Sahara night comfortable?

Modern camps at Erg Chebbi range from simple Berber tents with shared bathrooms to luxury tents with real beds, private showers and heating in winter. Tell us your comfort level and we match the camp to it.

Is this tour suitable for children?

Yes, and families choose it often. The private vehicle allows snack, bathroom and nap stops on demand, desert camps welcome children, and both guided city days can be shortened. Tell us the ages when you enquire and we fit child seats and adjust walking distances.

How much walking does the itinerary involve?

City days in Fes and Marrakech involve 2 to 3 hours of slow paced walking with breaks. Todra Gorge is a flat easy stroll, and Ait Ben Haddou is a short uphill climb that can be skipped or shortened. Nothing on this route requires hiking fitness.

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