8 Days: Casablanca to Marrakech Imperial Cities & Sahara Tour

Casablanca Arrival – Rabat

Upon arrival in Casablanca, your private driver greets you at the airport. Depending on your arrival time, visit the Hassan II Mosque — one of the world's largest mosques outside Mecca, set on a promontory over the Atlantic with a 209m minaret and capacity for 105,000 worshippers. Continue to Rabat, Morocco's modern capital, for the night. (Total: 1.5 hours driving)

Overnight at a boutique riad or hotel in Rabat

Rabat – Meknes – Volubilis – Fes

Explore Rabat's Oudaïa Kasbah, Hassan Tower and the Mohammed V Mausoleum. In the imperial city of Meknes, see the monumental Bab Mansour gate, the Agdal Reservoir, the old Medina and the Bab el-Khemis. Then visit Volubilis (Walili), Morocco's best-preserved Roman ruins — the Capitoline Temple, Basilica, Roman baths, Triumphal Arch and mosaic-floored villas, a filming location for Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ. Continue to Fes. (Total: 4 hours driving)

Overnight at a boutique riad or hotel in Fes

Fes Guided Tour

A full day with a local guide in the oldest working medina in the world — a car-free maze of over 9,000 streets, alive with craftsmen, souks and tanneries. Visit the Royal Palace exterior, the Blue Gate, Bou Inania Madrasa, the Nejjarine Fountain, Al Quaraouiyine (the world's oldest continuously operating university), the tanneries and Borj Sud, with stops to see Berber carpets and zellige tilework being made by hand.

Overnight at a boutique riad or hotel in Fes

Fes – Ifrane – Midelt – Ziz Valley – Merzouga

Climb into the Middle Atlas via Ifrane, the cedar-forested "Little Switzerland" of Morocco where Barbary apes roam near Azrou. Lunch in Midelt, known for its apple orchards, then descend through the Ziz Valley's vast palm groves — Morocco's largest date-producing region. Arrive in Merzouga before sunset and ride dromedary camels 45–60 minutes into the Erg Chebbi dunes to a luxury bivouac camp for the night. (Total: 7 hours driving)

Overnight in a luxury desert camp, Merzouga

Merzouga – Todra Gorge – Skoura

Meet Gnaoua musicians, descendants of enslaved people brought from Sudan, and hear their trance music before leaving the dunes for Skoura Oasis. Stop at Todra Gorge, Morocco's highest oasis, where 300-metre canyon walls rise above a shallow river, then continue along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs to Skoura. (Total: 4.5 hours driving)

Overnight at a boutique riad or hotel in Skoura

Skoura – Ouarzazate – Ait Benhaddou – Marrakech

Ouarzazate, the "Hollywood of Africa," has hosted productions from Lawrence of Arabia to Salmon Fishing in the Yemen — an optional stop at Atlas Studios is available. Continue to Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage fortified ksar on the old caravan route from the Sahara to Marrakech and Morocco's most photographed kasbah, before arriving in Marrakech. (Total: 4.5 hours driving)

Overnight at a boutique riad or hotel in Marrakech

Marrakech Guided Tour

Explore the Red City with a local guide: the 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque, the ornate El Bahia Palace and the Majorelle Gardens. Wander the narrow souks to Jemaa el-Fnaa, the legendary market square filled with storytellers, musicians, food stalls and snake charmers — finish the day with fresh-squeezed juice at one of the square's stalls.

Overnight at a boutique riad or hotel in Marrakech

Departure

Transfer to the airport for your departure flight after breakfast.