10 Days from Casablanca — Imperial Cities & Desert

A working draft: every day can be lengthened, shortened or swapped once we know what matters most to you.

1. Day1

   Arrival in Casablanca

   Land in Casablanca and settle in for the night — the rest of the day is free to rest before the road trip begins in earnest the next morning.

   

2. Day2

   Casablanca → Rabat → Chefchaouen

   See the vast Hassan II Mosque on the Atlantic before heading to the capital, Rabat, for the Hassan Tower and the Kasbah of the Udayas. Continue into the Rif Mountains, arriving in Chefchaouen as its blue-washed lanes catch the evening light.

   

3. Day3

   Chefchaouen → Volubilis → Meknes → Fes

   Descend from the Rif to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, then imperial Meknes and its monumental Bab Mansour gate, before continuing to Fes for the night.

   

4. Day4

   A full day in Fes

   A local guide leads you through the medieval medina — the Bou Inania madrasa, the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university, a working pottery village and the carved gateways of Nejjarine Square.

5. Day5

   Fes → Ifrane → Merzouga (Sahara camp)

   Cross the Middle Atlas via the alpine town of Ifrane, then drop toward the Sahara. As the sun sets, a camel trek carries you into the Erg Chebbi dunes for dinner and a night at a desert camp.

   

6. Day6

   Merzouga → Todgha Gorge → Dadès Valley

   Watch the sunrise over the dunes, then drive west to Todgha Gorge for a walk beneath its towering canyon walls before continuing into the Dadès Valley to overnight among its folded rock formations.

7. Day7

   Dadès Valley → Ouarzazate → Aït Ben Haddou → Marrakech

   Follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs to Ouarzazate, with a stop at the film studios, then the UNESCO ksar of Aït Ben Haddou and the hilltop Telouet Kasbah. Cross the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka pass into Marrakech.

   

8. Day8

   Marrakech city

   A guided day around the Red City: the Bahia Palace's carved courtyards, the Saadian Tombs, the Koutoubia minaret and the bustling theatre of Jemaa el-Fnaa.

9. Day9

   Marrakech → Essaouira

   A relaxed drive to the Atlantic coast, through argan forest to the fishing port of Essaouira. Spend the afternoon in its blue-and-white medina and along the ramparts before the night by the sea.

   

10. Day10

    Essaouira → Casablanca

    A final drive up the coast to Casablanca for your departure, closing the loop on a route that took in the imperial cities, the Sahara and the Atlantic.

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