This 6-day private tour takes you from Casablanca to the Sahara and back to the Red City, with more time on the road than our shorter routes. You will walk through the Roman ruins of Volubilis, visit the imperial cities of Rabat, Meknes and Fes, spend a full day in the Merzouga area meeting Gnawa musicians and nomad families, and ride a camel into the dunes of Erg Chebbi for a night in a desert camp. The journey ends in Marrakech after Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley and Ait Ben Haddou.
Short on time? See our [5-day Casablanca to Marrakech desert tour] for a faster version of this route.
Tour From Casablanca to Sahara Desert
Approx. driving time: 6–7 hours with stops
Your private driver collects you at your hotel in Casablanca. The first stop is Rabat, Morocco’s capital, where you visit the Kasbah of the Udayas, the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V.
Continue to Meknes, the former capital of Sultan Moulay Ismail. See the monumental Bab Mansour gate and the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, and walk through the old medina.
Then visit Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco. Walk among its mosaics, the triumphal arch and the remains of the forum and basilica, with views over the surrounding olive groves.
Arrive in Fes in the evening and check in to a traditional riad or hotel.
Overnight: Riad or hotel in Fes
Spend the day with a local guide in Fes el-Bali, the world’s largest car-free urban area. Pass the gates of the Royal Palace, walk through the Mellah (the old Jewish quarter) and visit the historic madrasas and artisan workshops.
See the Chouara Tannery, still working with traditional methods, and the exterior of the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university, one of the oldest in the world.
After lunch, enjoy a panoramic view of the city from the hills above, then take free time to shop for leather, ceramics and brass.
Overnight: Riad or hotel in Fes
Approx. driving time: 8–9 hours with stops
Head south into the Middle Atlas. Stop in Ifrane, the alpine-style mountain town often called the “Switzerland of Morocco”, and in Azrou, set among the largest cedar forest in the country.
Have lunch in Midelt, then cross the Tizi n’Talghemt Pass and follow the Ziz Gorges and the palm-filled Ziz Valley, with stops at viewpoints along the way. Continue through Berber villages to Erfoud and Rissani before arriving in Merzouga in the late afternoon.
Check in to your hotel next to the dunes and rest before tomorrow’s desert day.
Overnight: Hotel near the dunes in Merzouga [confirm if dinner is included]
Today is a slow day in the desert. Visit the village of Khamlia, home to descendants of Sub-Saharan Africans who settled here, and listen to traditional Gnawa music. Meet nomad families who still live in Berber tents, and visit Rissani. Walk through its lively souk.
In the afternoon, return to Merzouga and climb onto your camel for the trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes, which takes about 90 minutes. Watch the sunset from the sand, then enjoy dinner at the camp with Berber music around the campfire.
Overnight: Desert camp in Erg Chebbi (dinner and breakfast included)
Approx. driving time: 5–6 hours with stops
Your camel guide wakes you early for sunrise over the dunes, and you ride back to the village. After breakfast and a hot shower at the hotel, drive via Rissani and Tinghir to the Todra Gorge, where rock walls rise to around 300 metres on either side of a narrow canyon.
Have lunch in the gorge, then continue through palm groves to the Dades Valley and its red rock formations.
Overnight: Hotel in the Dades Valley (dinner and breakfast included)
Approx. driving time: 6–7 hours with stops
After breakfast, follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs towards Kelaat M’Gouna, the centre of Morocco’s rose-growing region, and on to Ouarzazate, often called the gateway to the desert.
Visit Ait Ben Haddou, a fortified village of earthen buildings on the old caravan route and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many well-known films and series have been shot here.
Cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka Pass (2,260 m) and arrive in Marrakech in the evening, where your tour ends.
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are the most comfortable for both the cities and the desert. Summer in Merzouga is very hot, and winter nights are cold, though the skies are often at their clearest then.
The 6-day tour adds Meknes and Volubilis on the first day and a full day around Merzouga (Khamlia, nomad families and Rissani) before the camel trek, so the pace is more relaxed.
Yes. Only your own group travels in the vehicle, so you can set the pace and ask for extra stops.
Day 3 is the longest, at about 8–9 hours including stops. Other days range from 5 to 7 hours, and Day 4 has very little driving.
You sleep in a Berber-style tent with beds and blankets, with a shared or private bathroom depending on the camp you choose.
No experience is needed. The trek to camp takes about 90 minutes, and guides lead the camels throughout.
March to May and September to November are the most comfortable. See the section above for details.
Yes. Ergaventure can adapt the itinerary, for example ending in Fes or adding a day, so tell us your plans when you book.
Send your dates and number of travellers through the booking form or on WhatsApp at +212 661 414 956, and we will confirm availability and the final price.
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Feel free to ask us any questions.
