Are Kasbah Trails tours private, or do we join a group?

Every Kasbah Trails itinerary is 100% private — just you, your travel companions, and a dedicated driver-guide in your own vehicle. There are no strangers added to your group and no fixed departure dates to work around.

Can you customize an itinerary, or do we have to book one exactly as listed?

Every trip on this site is a starting point. Tell us your dates, pace and interests on WhatsApp or through the form below, and we'll adjust the route, swap in extra nights, or build something from scratch around what you actually want to see.

What's included in the price of a private Morocco tour?

Standard inclusions are a private air-conditioned vehicle with fuel and tolls, an English-speaking driver-guide for the whole trip, accommodation in riads, kasbahs and a desert camp, the Erg Chebbi camel trek, daily breakfast, local guides in the imperial cities, and all local taxes. International flights, most lunches and dinners, entrance fees, tips and travel insurance are not included.

How much does a private Sahara desert tour cost?

Pricing depends on group size, season, and the level of riad or kasbah you choose, since every trip is quoted individually rather than sold at a fixed group rate. Message us on WhatsApp with your dates and traveller count for an exact quote — there's no obligation to book.

Is Morocco safe to visit, and is a guide necessary for the Sahara?

Morocco is a well-established, welcoming destination for private travel, and the desert routes we run — through Ouarzazate, the gorges and Merzouga — are on paved and well-travelled roads. A local driver-guide isn't strictly required to enter the country, but it makes the long mountain and desert legs far easier, and it's how a camel trek and desert camp get arranged properly rather than booked blind.

When's the best time of year for a Sahara desert tour?

Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) give the most comfortable temperatures for both the High Atlas passes and the dunes. Summer is workable but hot in the desert by midday; winter nights in the Sahara and the mountains can be cold, so pack layers if travelling between November and February.

Which cities can a tour start and end in?

Most itineraries start or end in Marrakech, Fes, Casablanca or Tangier — wherever your flight lands. Filter the tours by city to see what's available, or ask us to build a route between two different cities if you don't see the combination you need.

Travel guide · 6 min read

7 Days in Morocco: The Perfect One-Week Itinerary

Written by the Kasbah Trails team

Published July 27, 2026

A guide leading a loaded camel caravan across the Sahara dunes at golden hour, Morocco

A week is the sweet spot for a first Morocco trip — enough time to properly reach the Sahara and come back without rushing either leg, but short enough to fit most standard holiday schedules without using up an entire year's leave.

Days 1 to 2: Marrakech to the Sahara's edge

Cross the Tizi n'Tichka pass, stop at Aït Ben Haddou, and spend the first two nights working steadily through the Dades and Todgha gorges before the landscape finally opens up into Merzouga's dunes.

Day 3: camel trek and desert camp

Sunset ride into Erg Chebbi, dinner and drumming around the fire at camp, then sunrise from the dune ridge above it the next morning — see our camel trekking guide for the full sequence of what actually happens that night.

Days 4 to 5: the return loop or onward to Fes

Depending on your exact route, day 4 either heads back toward Marrakech via a different stretch of the kasbah road than the one you arrived on, or continues north toward Fes through the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, where you've a real chance of spotting Barbary macaques by the roadside. Our 7-day Sahara desert tour from Marrakech does the former; several of our 6-day routes do the latter.

Days 6 to 7: winding down

The last two days are typically lighter on driving — a full day in whichever city you end in, Marrakech or Fes, giving you real, unhurried time in the medina rather than just passing through with a suitcase in tow. This is deliberate pacing, not padding: back-to-back long drives every single day is the single biggest complaint we hear about badly planned Morocco trips, and it's an easy mistake to avoid once you know to watch for it.

If a week doesn't feel like quite enough once you've seen the route laid out, our how many days in Morocco guide breaks down exactly what an extra 3 to 5 days adds to the itinerary, and where those days are best spent.