Morocco Destination
17 Day Morocco Trip
Set off on a 17-day grand tour across Morocco, where every stop reveals a new layer of this fascinating country’s soul. This expertly curated journey takes you from the enchanting blue alleys of Chefchaouen to the vast dunes of the Sahara Desert, through ancient imperial cities, rugged mountain ranges, and to the breezy shores of the Atlantic coast.
Your adventure begins in the vibrant city of Casablanca, continuing to the peaceful beauty of Chefchaouen, then on to the Roman marvels of Volubilis and the cultural richness of Fes. Dive into centuries of tradition as you wander through medinas, visit traditional tanneries, and taste authentic Moroccan cuisine.
Venture through the scenic Middle and High Atlas Mountains, and experience the magic of the desert in Merzouga, where camel rides and starlit nights in a luxury camp await. Explore cinematic landscapes in Ouarzazate and ancient kasbahs that tell stories of a bygone era.
In Marrakech, uncover a blend of old and new from the hypnotic rhythms of Jemaa el-Fna square to the serenity of hidden riads. Your journey ends in the artistic coastal town of Essaouira, where history, ocean breezes, and a relaxed atmosphere provide the perfect finale.
Discover the Ultimate 17-Day Morocco Trip From Casablanca
Day 1: Casablanca Arrival
Arrive in Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city. After your airport transfer, settle into your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you might stroll along the Corniche or enjoy a first taste of Moroccan cuisine.
Day2 : Casablanca – Rabat – Tangier
Today, wake to a breakfast spread before exploring the city of Casablanca, known by locals as ‘Casa’ and renowned for its well-preserved Moorish and Art Deco architecture. You’ll visit the Hassan II Mosque – one of the largest in the world – partially suspended above the sea and fitted with a retractable roof that opens to sunlight on special days of worship. This architecture pays tribute to the former King of Morocco in intricate detail.
Enjoy a stroll along the Corniche Ain Diab, the city’s seaside promenade, before arriving at the Habous Quarter, known for its traditional architecture, colourful shops and artisans.
Travel approximately one hour north to seaside Rabat. Witness the Hassan Tower, a 12th-century minaret built to be the largest of its kind in the Islamic world. See El Mechouar Assaid, the official residence of King Mohammed VI, and wander through the Kasbah of Oudayas, built almost a thousand years ago to defend the city against attack.
In the late afternoon, continue along the coast for approximately three hours until Tangier, where you will enjoy an evening at ease in your hotel.
Day 3: Tangier Exploration
After breakfast, set out to discover Tangier on a half-day tour accompanied by your guide. Your first stop will be the Kasbah – a historic fortress of Berber origin, offering views over the city and the Mediterranean Sea.
Next, you will stroll the streets of the medina, the city’s old town. Take in the atmosphere of the souk, selling spices, fabrics, and handmade trinkets, and stop by the Great Mosque, one of the city’s most significant religious and historical landmarks.
After exploring the medina, visit Rmilat Park, away from the city’s hustle and bustle. Visit Cap Spartel, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea, and explore the Caves of Hercules, featuring chambers with stalactites and stalagmites shaped over thousands of years.
Day 4: Tangier – Tetouan –Chefchaouen
Start your day early and drive approximately 90 minutes east to Tetouan, known as the ‘white dove’ of the Mediterranean. Filled with picturesque white-washed buildings, the city features the UNESCO World Heritage-listed medina, known for its souks and Andalusian-inspired architecture. After exploring the medina, head to the Ethnographic Museum to learn more about the region’s culture, stop by the Kasbah for scenic views and historic landmarks, and visit Place Hassan II lined with shops and cafes.
After taking in Tetouan’s delights, travel approximately 90 minutes south to Morocco’s Blue City, atop the Rif Mountains. Famed for its blue buildings, Chefchaouen was painted in such hues to evoke the sky and the heavens. Wander the city’s narrow streets and take in the sights of the town’s waterfall, before strolling to the Uta el Hammam main square.
Day 5: Chefchaouen Exploration
Today, as part of your Chefchaouen experience, you’ll take part in a traditional goat cheese tasting in a local cheese shop or artisanal farm.
Learn about the different varieties of these cheeses and their production processes, pairing the cheeses with fresh bread, dried fruits and honey.
For panoramic views of Chefchaouen and its blue-tinted landscape, hike up to the Spanish Mosque with your guide.
Day 6: Chefchaouen – Fes – Meknes
Check out of your hotel after breakfast, then depart for the old imperial city of Meknes.
Start with a visit to the Les Celliers de Meknes, one of the city’s most well-known wineries, where you can indulge in a wine tasting. Accompanied by your guide, stops may include a visit to the Bab Mansour, the entrance to the imperial city, admired for its intricate decoration. Then, see the final resting place of Mouley Ismail, Morocco’s longest-reigning sultan. Since the mausoleum is one of the few spiritual sites in Morocco open to the public, take the chance to appreciate its Islamic design. At Meknes’ central square, Place el Hedim, experience the street markets and the sounds of trade.
Your guide may also accompany you approximately 90 minutes northwest to Volubilis, the well-preserved ruins of a Roman settlement. As you walk through the streets and look at traditional Roman mosaics, gain insight into the Roman citizens who lived there. The city fell to local tribesmen in approximately 285 AD and was never reclaimed.
Day 7: Fes
After breakfast, learn about Fes’s medieval history as you explore its alleyways with your guide. See mosaic fountains and pass aromatic food stands offering bowls of harira soups and lamb sausages stuffed with paprika.
Weave through the Fes medina, the city’s old town. Its cobbled streets are lined with mosques, minarets, and fondouk hotels. You’ll stop at Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and University, one of the world’s oldest universities, and Bou Inania Madrasa, a historic Islamic learning centre featuring intricate tilework and carvings.
Return to the hotel and enjoy the evening at leisure.
Day 8: Fes
Today, you will have the opportunity to join a walking tour to sample Fes’s street food. Sample different Moroccan pancakes, famous sweet pastries paired with mint tea, comforting Bissara bean soup, olives, goat cheese, and other traditional delights.
Continue to explore the artisanal heritage of the city. Visit the famous Chouara Tannery to learn about the ancient craft of leather-tanning, and wander through the Mellah, the city’s historic Jewish district, to see the city’s rich Judaica.
Enjoy the evening at leisure and unwind from a busy day of exploration.
Day 9: Fes – Merzouga
Depart Fes and travel to Merzouga for a change of pace today you head into the Sahara Desert. Pass through cedar forests and cross the Middle Atlas mountains to the town of Midelt. After a brief stop, descend into the desert to see the magic of Erg Chebbi, one of Morocco’s best ‘Sea of Dunes’.
Arrive at your traditional desert camp, then mount a camel or a four-wheel drive and set off for the fringes of the Sahara to experience the sunset and the changing colours of the sands.
Enjoy a traditional Berber meal by the campfire with your group, complete with the folk music of your hosts, and gaze up at the stars above.
Day 10: Merzouga – Ouarzazate
Begin by making the journey toward palm-lined Todra Gorge, considered one of Africa’s best canyons.
Drive through the Valley of Roses and pass Kelaat M’Gouna, where thousands of Berbers travel for the annual Rose Festival. This springtime celebration honours the harvest and production of rose water with parades and dancing. Continue to the city of Ouarzazate, nicknamed the ‘door to the desert’ and home to the world-famous Atlas Studios. Measured by acreage, Atlas is the largest film studio in the world. Movies and television filmed here include Prison Break, Gladiator, and The Mummy.
Check into your hotel in Ouarzazate and enjoy the evening at leisure.
Day 11: Ouarzazate – Ait Benhaddou – Marrakech
Continue to Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed fortified village (or kasr) renowned for its Moroccan mudbrick architecture. The location has popped up as an iconic backdrop for many films and television shows, including Lawrence of Arabia and Game of Thrones.
Later, venture through the High Atlas and on to Marrakech (approximately three hours). Take a walking tour of the Djemaa El Fna, a centuries-old home of snake charmers, conjurers, acrobats, and musicians. With many fresh produce stands, this central square is the beating heart of Marrakech.
For dinner, tuck into a Moroccan feast at a local restaurant in the heart of the old medina.
Day 12: Marrakech
After breakfast, join your guide through the UNESCO World Heritage-listed medina of Marrakech. Step inside a traditional bakery, where artisans have spent hundreds of years mastering the art of breadmaking, frying buttery msemmen flatbread and hearty pastilla.
Visit a traditional Moroccan bathhouse and learn about the wood-burning furnace that heats traditional hammams. You’ll also gain entry into the colonial-inspired Bahia Palace, which housed sultans and the French government until the late 20th century.
Day 13: Marrakech – Essaouira
After breakfast, check out from your hotel and depart Marrakech for the coastal town of Essaouira (approximately 2.5 hours). Along the way, visit an argan production facility.
Native to Morocco, the argan tree produces an oil with a nutty flavour, often used for dipping bread or seasoning couscous, while also valued for its healing properties. Your visit is followed by a guided tour of one of the only wineries in Morocco dedicated to producing grapes from the Rhone Valley, followed by lunch and a private wine tasting.
Renowned for its surf breaks, historic medina and palm-lined avenues surrounding the Old Town, Essaouria showcases a blend of Arabic and French influences. Upon arrival, check into your hotel and enjoy free time to explore the city before dinner in the Riad.
Day 14: Essaouira
This morning, enjoy a guided tour through Essaouira’s medina, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site.
Historically, the medina has been one of the country’s most important seaports, and in the Old Town, artisans hone their traditional trades. After exploration, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant by the sea.
Day 15: Essaouira
With a full day at leisure in Essaouira, the ‘City of the Wind’ is yours.
Hire a quad bike for an adrenaline-filled adventure or book a surfing lesson to study how locals thrive on the waves.
Day 16: Essaouira – Marrakech
Spend the morning at leisure before heading back to Marrakech where you can spend the day as you please.
Day 17: Marrakech Departure
After breakfast, it’s time to say goodbye to Morocco’s wonders as you check out and prepare for your journey onward.
Departure & Transfers:
Check out on your final day is at any time after breakfast. Please book your flights to depart from Marrakesh Menara Airport (RAK) at any time. Airport transfers are not included in your tour. The hotel is located approximately a 10-minute drive from Marrakesh Menara Airport (RAK).
Services included
- 16 nights in quality hotels, riads, and desert camps
- Daily breakfast
- 6–8 dinners (including in the desert camp, Dades Valley, and select rural areas)
- English-speaking guide or tour leader for the duration of the trip.
- Guided tours in Fes, Marrakech, and Volubilis
- Camel trek and overnight in a desert camp in Erg Chigaga.
- Entrance fees to major sites (e.g., Hassan II Mosque, Bahia Palace, Roman ruins of Volubilis, Atlas Studios)
- Desert experience with camel ride, sandboarding (optional), and overnight in a Berber tent
- Bottled water during long drives and desert excursions
- Certified English-speaking local guides for city tours
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver
Services not included
- Lunches and most dinners
- Drinks and personal expenses, such as souvenirs or laundry.
- Tips for guides, drivers, and hotel staff (at traveler’s discretion).
- Optional activities not specified in the itinerary.