8 Days Desert Tour from Casablanca

The best 8 days Desert tour from Casablanca through the country’s most captivating landscapes – from the Sahara’s golden dunes to the Atlas Mountains, ancient medinas, and the Atlantic coast. Experience a blend of culture, adventure, and relaxation with private transport, guided tours, and stays in handpicked riads, hotels, and a luxury desert camp.

✔ Casablanca’s Hassan II Mosque – Architectural marvel by the sea
✔ Chefchaouen’s blue-washed streets – Instagram-perfect mountain town
✔ Fes’ medieval medina – UNESCO-listed labyrinth of history
✔ Merzouga Desert – Camel trek & luxury camp under the stars
✔ Todgha Gorge & Dades Valley – Dramatic canyon scenery
✔ Ait Ben Haddou – Famous Hollywood filming location
✔ Marrakech’s bustling souks & palaces

Day 1: Casablanca to Fes via Rabat

Your desert adventure begins in Casablanca with a morning visit to the magnificent Hassan II Mosque, where the Atlantic waves crash against its sea wall. After exploring this architectural marvel, we drive north to Rabat, Morocco’s elegant capital. Here you’ll discover the unfinished Hassan Tower and the exquisite Mohammed V Mausoleum with its white marble and gold leaf interior.

The Kasbah of the Udayas offers your first taste of Morocco’s signature blue-and-white architecture. We then continue inland through rolling farmland to reach Fes by evening, where the scent of spices and the buzz of the ancient medina welcome you. Your night is spent in a traditional riad within the old city walls.

Day 2: Fes to Merzouga Desert

After breakfast, we leave the urban energy behind and journey into Morocco’s dramatic landscapes. The route takes us through Ifrane, a charming alpine-style town that feels transplanted from Switzerland, and into the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas where Barbary macaques roam freely. As we descend through the Ziz Valley, the scenery transforms into a lush palm oasis before giving way to the golden dunes of the Sahara.

Arriving in Merzouga by late afternoon, you’ll mount a camel for a sunset trek across the Erg Chebbi dunes. The rhythmic sway of your camel carries you to a luxury desert camp where Berber musicians play under a blanket of stars, and the silence of the desert envelops you at night.

Day 3: Merzouga Desert Immersion

Wake before dawn to witness the sunrise paint the dunes in fiery hues – an unforgettable spectacle. After breakfast at camp, today is dedicated to discovering desert life. Visit the village of Khamlia, where the Gnawa people perform their trance-like spiritual music using ancient instruments. You’ll have the opportunity to share mint tea with nomadic families and learn about their traditional way of life.

The afternoon is yours to relax at camp, try sandboarding down the steep dunes, or take an optional ATV excursion across the desert. As night falls, the campfire crackles while the Milky Way emerges in the unpolluted Saharan sky.

Day 4: Merzouga to Dades Valley via Todgha Gorge

Leaving the desert behind, we journey west through the Todgha Valley where sheer 300-meter-high canyon walls tower above a ribbon of palm trees. At Todgha Gorge, you can walk between the narrowest sections of the canyon, touching the smooth rock walls carved by millennia of water flow.

Continuing through the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, we stop at the peculiar “Monkey Fingers” rock formations in Dades Valley. Your accommodation tonight is a kasbah-style hotel perched dramatically above the valley, offering panoramic views of the rugged landscape bathed in sunset hues.

Day 5: Dades Valley to Ait Ben Haddou

Today’s route winds through the Dadès Valley’s lunar landscapes, stopping in the Rose Valley during spring when the fields bloom pink with damask roses (harvested for Morocco’s famous rosewater). In Ouarzazate, the “Hollywood of Morocco,” you’ll visit the imposing Taourirt Kasbah before continuing to the UNESCO-listed Ait Ben Haddou.

This ancient ksar (fortified village) has starred in films from Lawrence of Arabia to Game of Thrones. Crossing the river on foot, you’ll explore its earthen buildings and climb to the hilltop granary for sweeping views. Your night is spent in a guesthouse overlooking this cinematic landscape.

Day 6: Ait Ben Haddou to Marrakech

The journey to Marrakech takes us over the High Atlas Mountains via the winding Tizi n’Tichka Pass (2,260m altitude). Along the way, we stop at an argan oil cooperative where Berber women demonstrate traditional extraction methods.

As we descend into the Haouz Plain, the landscape softens into olive groves and farmland before reaching the red walls of Marrakech. Arriving by late afternoon, you’ll have time to unwind at your riad before venturing into the legendary Jemaa el-Fnaa square at night, where snake charmers, storytellers, and food stalls create an unforgettable spectacle.

Day 7: Marrakech Discovery

A guided morning tour reveals Marrakech’s imperial splendor: the intricate cedar ceilings and courtyards of Bahia Palace, the gilded tombs of Saadian rulers hidden for centuries, and the iconic Koutoubia Mosque minaret that dominates the skyline.

In the afternoon, the vibrant blue Majorelle Garden offers a peaceful retreat among exotic plants. You’ll have free time to explore the souks, bargain for leather goods and lanterns, or indulge in a traditional hammam spa experience. As evening falls, rooftop restaurants provide the perfect vantage point to watch the city transition from day to night.

Day 8: Marrakech Departure

On your final morning, savor last moments in Morocco – perhaps sipping mint tea in a courtyard garden or picking up final souvenirs in the souk. Depending on your flight time, you might visit the modern Guéliz district or the tranquil Menara Gardens before transferring to Marrakech Menara Airport for your onward journey, carrying memories of desert stars, mountain vistas, and the vibrant pulse of Moroccan cities.