Morocco Grand Tour Casablanca to Marrakech12 Days

OVERVIEW:

This complete 12-day tour covers Morocco’s best, from cultural stops in historic cities to desert exploration in the Sahara and surrounding desert. Explore medieval medinas, lively souks, ancient ruins, and old kasbahs. You’ll trek along long-forgotten caravan routes, ride a camel over colossal sand dunes, and cool off in an oasis at the bottom of a gorge.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Admire the intricate tilework of Meknes’ Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail
Enjoy a half-day cooking class in Marrakech
Explore souks, tanneries, and artisan workshops in medieval Fes
Discover desert landscapes featured in your favorite films and series
Sleep under the stars in a desert tent or an old fortified ksar

DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION	Casablanca to Marrakech
DEPARTURE TIME	09:00 AM
RETURN TIME:	Approximately 06:30 PM

INCLUDED:

Transportation in an air-conditioned comfortable 4×4 vehicle or luxury minivan
pick-up from and drop-off at your hotel and airport private transfers
Experienced English/French speaking driver/guide
Local guide, in Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Volobulis, Fes, Marrakech
Overnights in Erg Chebbi dunes luxury desert camp, with ensuite bathroom, dinner, and breakfast, are included
4×4 car tour, camel ride, and sand-boarding
Berber music and drumming around a fire camp in the desert
The opportunity to ask the driver to stop for breaks whenever you wish

NOT INCLUDED:

Lunch
Entrance fees
Drinks
tips
Extras

It is important to know

Tour price per person depends on how many participants there are in your party
This tour is for those with an interest in the Culture, History, Religion, and ethnic traditions of Morocco!

Day 1: Arrival at Casablanca airport

Welcome and transfer to the hotel. Check-in at your hotel, free time, and overnight.

Day 2: Casablanca – Sightseeing – Tour Rabat (B)

After breakfast. Meet your local guide and your driver at 09.00 at the hotel: Start with a tour of Casablanca including architectural treasures of the city such as Hassan II Mosque. Parc de La Ligue Arabe, Place Mohammed V. Place des Nations Unies, Habous Quarter and The Royal Palace exterior. Later, drive to Rabat where you will check in at your hotel.

Day 3: Rabat – Sightseeing – Tour (B)

After breakfast. Meet your guide at 09.00 at the hotel: Rabat city tour. The exploration of Rabat begins at the exterior of the Dar al-Makhzen Palace, the residence of Morocco’s King. Then on to the Mohammed V Mausoleum, built in traditional Moroccan style, dedicated to the founder of modern Morocco. Observe the minaret of the Great Mosque and the towering 12th-century red sandstone Hassan Tower. Afterward, visit Kasbah des Oudaias in the old part of the city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Time to stroll along the lanes of the Andalusian gardens, designed by the French during the colonial period. The rest of the day is at leisure. Hotel TERMINUS, Rabat

Day 4: Rabat – Meknes – Sightseeing – Tour – Fez (B)

Drive to Fez, passing through Meknes to view the many treasures within its walls. Meet your guide in front of the Mausoleum: See the Mausoleum. Bab Mansour, the Médina, and the National Museum of Music Continue to the Archaeological Site of Volubilis for the visit (pay the entrance and the guide) and then onto Fez for check-in and overnight.

Day 5: Fez – Sightseeing – Tour (B)

09.00 Meet at the Riad with the guide, Guided walking tour of Fes- we will explore the walled city, stopping at ancient mosques, beautiful madrasas, and colorful souks to shop for unique Moroccan souvenirs. On your own, it’s easy to get lost in the complex maze of streets that make up the Fes medina. But on this tour, we’ll navigate the narrow, winding alleyways with a knowledgeable local guide who will enlighten us on all the historic sites along the way. We’ll visit the top Islamic sites of Fes, including Bou Inania Madrasa, which dates back to the 13th century, as well as the beautiful Kairaouine Mosque and University. Other points of interest along your route include Boujloud Square, the Nejjarine Fountain with its elaborate mosaic tiles, and the impressive Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts. You’ll also have a chance to see the Chouara Tannery, packed with round stone vessels filled with colorful leather dyes. Another highlight of this walking tour is the Zaouia of Moulay Idriss II, the tomb of the founder of Fes, and the palace exterior. Take a tour of the most important souks in the medina and hand-made goods cooperatives – the weavers, the embroidery and brocade artisans, the carpenters, and the bronze artisans. End the day with a visit to the pottery and mosaic cooperative and then experience a wonderful panoramic view over the whole Medina of Fes. (Or suggest to do it the next day if time is too short)

Day 6: Fez – day at leisure (B)

You have the day at leisure to further explore Fes on your own, Car at your disposal within the city’s limit.

Day 7: Fes – Midelt – Erfoud – Merzouga (B, D)

Today is a long day of driving. We will travel towards Morocco’s Middle Atlas Mountains via Ifran, a Moroccan ski resort. Midmorning, we cross the 6,000-foot pass and continue west toward the great Sahara. Next, we travel through the village of Midelt(stop here for lunch suggested) As we approach Erfoud, panoramic views of the remarkable Ziz Gorges and vast valleys surround us. From Erfoud, we travel in 4×4 vehicles (Sahara Stars Camp) to the Merzouga Dunes and our Berber camp. We’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a short camel ride at sunset and then end the day with dinner around the fire camp and enjoy the night under the stars.

Day 8: Mergouza – Dades Valley- Ouarzazate (B, D)

After breakfast, leave the camp and make your way to the oasis of Tinghir and the Todra Gorge, a deep ravine carved by the Todra River over millennia. Continue to the Dades Valley where roses bloom in profusion in the springtime. The locals make good use of the prolific flowers by producing rose water here, Dinner, and Overnight in Ouarzazate.

Day 9: Ait Benhaddou – Marrakech (B)

After breakfast at the hotel, we take time to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Benhaddou, a ksar – or fortified city along a former caravan route, enjoying its desert-dusted Kasbahs and maze-like warrens. From here we make our way to the city of Marrakesh, Overnight in Marrakech.

Day 10: Marrakech -Sightseeing – Tour (B)

09.00 Meet at the Riad with your guide, Discover historic and exotic Marrakesh today. Begin at Majorelle Gardens and Museum, a botanical marvel set in the heart of Marrakesh with over 300 plant species from five continents. Next visit Koutoubia, a 12th-century Mosque and minaret, still topped with four copper globes. Then, explore Bahia Palace, where 360 rooms were once adorned with Italian marble and Sudanese gold. For a more recent archaeological find, you’ll see the richly decorated tombs of the Saadi Dynasty. In the afternoon you will visit the souks and the famous Djemaa El Fna square, known for its dazzling display of acrobats, storytellers, and snake charmers. (During the day guests will have the opportunity to enter a typical house of the Medina and meet a family. ??) Learn and understand how the locals live and enjoy a glass of mint tea with Moroccan bread at the end of the tour. A food-tasting experience will be also a nice moment to discover the secrets of Moroccan spices, olive oil, argan oil, and other local products… Overnight in Marrakech.

Day 11 – Marrakech – Half-day cooking class (B, L)

Morning at leisure, (car at our disposal within the city limit) then head to the Medina to attend a half-day cooking class in the Culinary Museum… 12:00 Meet your driver to go to the Culinary Museum- On arrival start the visit at 13:00 Start the cooking class and Learn how to successfully prepare traditional Moroccan tajine and – salads, as well as delicious Moroccan flatbread. After lunch, the rest of the day is at your leisure, Overnight in Marrakech.

Day 12: Marrakech – Casablanca – Departure (B)

07:45 Breakfast and check out 08.30 Departure from hotel to Casablanca Airport to be in time for your afternoon departure flight, End of services.

4 reviews for Morocco grand tour Casablanca to Marrakech 12 Days

Rated 5 out of 5

Alina Sorana Petica – June 14, 2022

An experience of a lifetime, a trip that opened landscapes, moments and people, unforgettable feelings, a journey into the “free men of the desert” through its architecture, its medinas, palm groves, and kasbahs, a trip infused with aromas, textures, and colors, that only through their traditions can persist radiating an inexhaustible source of wisdom and knowledge keys to rethink our western culture. This magnificent sequence of experiences could be possible thanks to the important works of our dear friend Abdou, opening his culture, the corner calculating the times, giving directions keys to having the best experience during our trip of 9 days, with hotels and riads very located, with services of very excellent level both in care and in comfort for the rest and the enjoyment of meals in each place. This trip we hope will be the beginning of a new reunion with an inexhaustible Morocco.
Rated 5 out of 5

Williemae Pichardo – November 20, 2023

Our family has just spent a wonderful 11 days in Morocco, with an itinerary suggested by us and put together by Explore Morocco Travel. Everything went exactly as planned, we had the flexibility to change if we needed some downtime and most importantly, we felt so incredibly safe and well cared for by our driver Abdou. He has truly been one of our family this whole trip. We were sad to say goodbye this morning.
Whatever you do, don’t miss out on time in the desert, organized by Explore Morocco, an absolute highlight.
Rated 5 out of 5

Bertha Lowry – November 20, 2023

We decided to go to Morocco for our Honeymoon and it most definitely did not disappoint! We started off with doing our own research and trip planning but all the major cities that we wanted to visit were very far apart and long driving distance.
We went back & forth for a while debating whether we wanted to join a tour or continue with our own planning as we enjoyed the freedom of our own traveling schedule.
Ended up going with the 12-Day Tour of Morocco but were able to work with Hassan to tailor the itinerary to fit what we were looking for. We ended up fitting everything we wanted into 10 days as that was our max travel date.
Abdou went ABOVE & BEYOND our expectations. He is super knowledgeable about all the destinations we attended and gave us historical details. He really did plan every bit of the day for us, including hotel stays, and restaurants that are less touristy and more local, he helped us with our bags to our room and organized local tour guides if we wanted in each city. On top of that, he is a very funny and outgoing individual, which made the long drives together that much more fun.
We couldn’t have had a better honeymoon trip! Everything about Morocco was absolutely beautiful and so cultural! Abdou added a huge value to the great time we had. We now gained a new good friend out of Hassan. We will be back in Morocco again & will definitely book another tour with Abdou!
PS. The Desert is a MUST-see!!
Rated 5 out of 5

Susan Karsh – November 20, 2023

We had an unforgettable trip to Morocco. Abdou designed a thorough itinerary for our 12 days, he was available and had helpful suggestions Besides, we were also lucky to have Jamal as our guide/driver. He is warm, a lovely person, refined, funny, and patient. Thanks to him, we learned a lot about Morocco. He was keen to explain what we saw on the road. During our trip, we gained a better insight into the country.
Morocco is such a captivating country that you must visit at least once in your lifetime. If you are looking for the best driver, Jamal is definitely the one you need. We felt very comfortable and safe. Our Moroccan experience was awesome, and a big part of it was due to their Go Marrakech Desert Trips company, which gave information not only about the places we were visiting but also about some food, language, social, religious, etc… We liked it very much and recommend these Team, for sure they will make your trip even more pleasant. The local guides were also great at answering questions, both on the history of the locations visited and present-day topics. I also loved the flexibility of the local tours, for example getting to enjoy tea/coffee in Fes’s Medina with our local guide Ahmed. His engaging, interactive qualities and his humor were perfect for us! He was such an interesting person and offered so much depth to our experience there, he gave us a lot of helpful information and gave us accessibility to what we were seeing and experiencing. Our guide showed us local artisans skilled at weaving, zellige tile work, pottery, silver, and leatherwork. and our Marrakesh guide was extremely knowledgeable and gave great tips on places to go when exploring on our own. We loved to locals and the amazing sights! We also opted for the hot air balloon ride, these were all incredible in their own ways and a nice escape from the fast-paced nature of the Medina. From start to end, our trip was quite smooth starting in Marrakesh, Dades, Merzouga, Fes, Chefchaouen, and Casablanca. A couple of long days of driving were necessary to fit everything, but totally worth it. Our top three memories are touring the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Chefchaouen, and the southern parts of Morocco, including riding a camel in the Desert. We definitely recommend our friends and family to visit Morocco. We had a wonderful vacation with the Go Marrakech Desert Trips company. Thank you!!!

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Morocco grand tour Casablanca to Marrakech 12 Days