6 Days Tour from Casablanca to Marrakech via Fes & the Sahara
Chefchaouen, Fes and two nights in the Erg Chebbi dunes on the way to the Red City
Tour Overview
This 6 days tour from Casablanca to Marrakech is a private, one-way circuit of about 1,590 km. It goes north to Chefchaouen and Fes, crosses the Middle Atlas to spend two nights in the Erg Chebbi dunes, and returns over the High Atlas to Marrakech.
It is the shorter version of our 8-day route: no night in Rabat and no guided day in Marrakech, but an extra day in the Sahara. You land at Casablanca Mohammed V Airport (CMN) and finish in Marrakech without doubling back, in your own vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide.
The tour comes in two accommodation tiers on the same route. Luxury uses boutique riads, Relais & Châteaux properties and a private-bathroom desert camp. Standard uses comfortable, well-reviewed riads and hotels in the same towns. Everything else, the driver, the vehicle and the visits, is identical.
- Route: Casablanca → Chefchaouen → Fes → Merzouga (2 nights) → Dades Valley → Aït Benhaddou → Marrakech
- Length: 6 days, 5 nights
- Start and end: pickup in Casablanca, drop-off in Marrakech, at the airport or your hotel
- Group: private, 1 to 6 travellers in one vehicle
- Price: from $1,100 for your group in the Standard tier. Prices are per group, not per person, and indicative: the final price is set once the itinerary is personalised. The Luxury tier is quoted on request.
- Best months: March to May and September to November. Summer days in the desert pass 40°C and winter nights at the camp drop close to freezing, but the tour runs all year.
- Customisable: add nights, swap a stop or change the pace. The route is a starting point, not a fixed package.
Highlights
Hassan II Mosque: Begin at Casablanca's ocean-front mosque, whose 210-meter minaret is one of the tallest in the world.
Chefchaouen: Spend an evening in the Blue City of the Rif Mountains, ending at the Spanish Mosque viewpoint at sunset.
Fes el-Bali: Explore the UNESCO-listed medina with a local guide, including Al Quaraouiyine and the Chouara Tanneries.
Erg Chebbi: Two nights in the dunes, with a sunset camel ride and a full day to explore the desert.
Khamlia: Listen to Gnawa music in the village founded by descendants of West African musicians.
Todra Gorge: Walk the riverbed between limestone walls that rise more than 300 meters.
Aït Benhaddou: Climb through the UNESCO-listed earthen ksar used as a film set for Gladiator.
Why Choose a Private Tour?
Detailed Itinerary
The Journey
"Your driver meets you at Casablanca Mohammed V Airport (CMN). You visit the Hassan II Mosque, built partly over the Atlantic, then drive north past Rabat into the Rif Mountains. You reach Chefchaouen in the afternoon, with time for the blue medina and the walk up to the Spanish Mosque at sunset."
The Journey
"You arrive in Fes by late morning and meet a local guide for Fes el-Bali, the largest car-free medina in the world. The visit covers Al Quaraouiyine, founded in 859 AD, the Nejjarine Fountain, the Chouara Tanneries seen from a terrace above the dye vats, the Mellah and the gates of the Royal Palace."
The Journey
"This is the longest drive of the tour, broken into easy stages. You stop in Ifrane, then in the Azrou cedar forest to look for Barbary macaques, cross the Middle Atlas and have lunch in Midelt. In the afternoon the road follows the palm groves of the Ziz Valley south to Merzouga. Camels wait at the edge of Erg Chebbi for a sunset ride of 1 hour or 90 minutes, as you prefer, to your desert camp. Dinner is served under the stars."
The Journey
"A full day in and around Erg Chebbi with your driver. You visit Khamlia, where Gnawa musicians descended from West African families still play, meet a nomad family, cross the black stone desert and try sandboarding on the dunes. The afternoon is free at the camp before sunset from the top of a dune."
The Journey
"Wake early to watch the sunrise from the dunes, then ride back to Merzouga for breakfast. The road west passes through Tinghir to the Todra Gorge, where you walk along the river between cliffs more than 300 meters high. You continue to the Dades Valley, known as the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, and stay overnight among its red rock formations."
The Journey
"You drive through the Rose Valley around Kelaat M'Gouna and on to Ouarzazate. Next is Aït Benhaddou, a UNESCO-listed earthen ksar used as a film set for Gladiator and Game of Thrones. In the afternoon you cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass and descend to Marrakech, where your driver drops you at your hotel or at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK)."
Trip Logistics & Comfort: What to Expect
VIP Airport Welcome
Your private driver meets you in Casablanca with a sign bearing your name, at the airport, the port or your hotel.
Your Private Vehicle
Your Driver & Guide
"Your driver is more than a chauffeur; he is your local host."
Transparent Pricing & Inclusions
The price covers your private vehicle, fuel, driver-guide, 5 nights of accommodation in the tier you choose, the camel ride and the visits listed below. You pay separately for lunches, drinks, entrance fees and tips.
What is Included
- Private TransportationToyota Land Cruiser Prado with A/C, fuel and highway tolls included.
- Driver-GuideEnglish-speaking driver-guide dedicated to your group for all 6 days.
- Door-to-Door ServicePickup at Casablanca Mohammed V Airport (CMN) or your hotel in Casablanca, and drop-off at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) or your hotel in Marrakech.
- Accommodation (5 nights)Luxury tier properties are listed below. Standard tier uses comfortable riads and hotels in the same towns. Similar properties are booked if one is full.
- • Night 1 (Chefchaouen): Lina Ryad & Spa or Dar Echchaouen.
- • Night 2 (Fes): Riad Fes (Relais & Châteaux) or Palais Faraj Suites & Spa.
- • Nights 3 & 4 (Merzouga): Sahara Magic Camp, Luxury Desert Camp Merzouga or Desert Luxury Camp.
- • Night 5 (Dades Valley): Xaluca Dades Hotel, Kasbah Tizzarouine or Hotel Babylon Dades.
- Meals
- • Breakfast every day.
- • Dinner at the desert camp (Nights 3 and 4) and in the Dades Valley (Night 5).
- Experiences
- • Camel ride into Erg Chebbi at sunset (1 hour or 90 minutes, as you prefer) and back at sunrise.
- • Local guide for the Fes el-Bali medina.
- • A full day around Erg Chebbi by 4x4, including Khamlia and a nomad family.
What is Not Included
- LunchesAllow approximately €10–€12 (100–120 MAD) per person, per meal. (We stop at clean, local restaurants).
- DrinksWater, soda, and alcohol at hotels.
- Entrance FeesMonuments, museums and gardens, such as the Hassan II Mosque, the Bahia Palace and the Majorelle Garden.
- TipsDiscretionary tips for your driver, local guides and porters.
- Flights & InsuranceInternational or domestic flights and travel insurance.
Places on this route: Casablanca · Chefchaouen · Fes · Ifrane · Merzouga · Dades Valley · Aït Benhaddou · Marrakech
Tour Details
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