16 days · Private journey
Two Week Morocco Tour: 16-Day Private Itinerary
A generous sixteen-day Morocco journey with imperial cities, mountain towns, Sahara, Marrakech and the Atlantic coast.
Although it has always been called our Two Week Morocco Tour, the complete version unfolds over sixteen days — and those two extra days are the reason it works. They allow a second night where most itineraries move on: a quiet day around Fes in Sefrou and Bhalil, a cooking experience in Marrakech, and a proper Atlantic finale through Essaouira, Oualidia and El Jadida rather than a rushed return to Casablanca.
The route runs the length of the country. It begins on the Atlantic at Casablanca, spends time in Rabat and the Rif mountain town of Chefchaouen, connects Volubilis and Meknes with Fes, crosses the Middle Atlas to the Sahara at Erg Chebbi, then follows the Todra and Dades gorges and the kasbahs of the south to Marrakech. Only then does it turn back to the ocean, closing the loop along the coast.
What distinguishes this journey from the shorter grand tours is the number of days spent on foot rather than in the vehicle. Chefchaouen, Fes, the Sahara, Marrakech and Essaouira all receive at least one full day where the car stays parked. That balance matters over sixteen days: it is the difference between finishing the trip rested and finishing it depleted.
The Atlantic section at the end is often the surprise. Essaouira's fortified medina, wind and fishing harbour feel entirely unlike inland Morocco; Oualidia's lagoon is a working oyster region; El Jadida's Portuguese cistern is one of the most atmospheric small monuments in the country. Ending here rather than doubling back inland gives the journey a natural, unhurried conclusion.
Everything is private and adjustable — your own driver and vehicle throughout, licensed local guides in the cities, and accommodation matched to your preferred comfort level. The itinerary below is a starting point, not a fixed package: it can be shortened, slowed or reshaped entirely around your interests.
The journey is adapted to your dates, pace, interests and preferred level of accommodation.
Plan your Two Week Morocco Tour: 16-Day Private ItineraryHighlights
- Sixteen days with five full days out of the vehicle
- Chefchaouen, Fes and a quieter day in Sefrou and Bhalil
- A Sahara chapter at Erg Chebbi with a full desert day
- Todra, Dades, Skoura and Aït Ben Haddou
- A cooking experience in Marrakech
- An Atlantic finale through Essaouira, Oualidia and El Jadida
Day by day
Day by day
Day 1
Arrive in Casablanca
Your driver meets you at Mohammed V airport and transfers you to your hotel. Casablanca is Morocco's economic capital and its most modern city; the Hassan II Mosque on the Atlantic and the art deco architecture of the centre are the two things worth seeing if your flight arrives early enough. Otherwise the day is simply for arriving. Overnight in Casablanca.
Day 2
Casablanca and Rabat
See the Hassan II Mosque and the corniche in the morning, then drive up the coast to Rabat. The capital is calmer and greener than Casablanca: the Kasbah of the Udayas above the Bou Regreg estuary, the medina, and the wide avenues of the administrative city. Late afternoon is free. Overnight in Rabat.
Day 3
Guided Rabat, then north to Chefchaouen
A guided morning covering the Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V, and the Chellah necropolis subject to current access. In the afternoon travel north-east into the Rif Mountains. The landscape turns green and steep before Chefchaouen appears against the hillside. Arrive in time to walk the blue lanes before dinner. Overnight in Chefchaouen.
Day 4
A full day in Chefchaouen
No driving. Walk the upper medina early while it is quiet, climb to the Spanish Mosque viewpoint for the wider setting, and spend time in Plaza Uta el-Hammam. The town's Andalusian roots are visible in its architecture and food, and the surrounding Rif villages supply its wool, weaving and cheese. Overnight in Chefchaouen.
Day 5
Volubilis and Meknes to Fes
Head south to Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco, where mosaics remain in situ among olive trees. Continue to imperial Meknes for its monumental gates, walls and royal granaries, then arrive in Fes in the late afternoon and settle into a riad inside the medina. Overnight in Fes.
Day 6
Fes with a specialist guide
A full guided day in Fes el-Bali: madrasas, the Qarawiyyin, fondouks, the tanneries and the craft quarters. Fes rewards a guide more than any other Moroccan city — the medina has thousands of lanes and very little signage, and the interest lies in understanding how the neighbourhoods, trades and water system fit together. Overnight in Fes.
Day 7
Sefrou and Bhalil
A gentler day in the foothills south of Fes. Sefrou has a compact medina, a small river gorge nearby and an important place in Morocco's Jewish and agricultural history. Bhalil is known for its cave-backed houses and button-making tradition. This is a day of quieter, less-visited Morocco, and it exists precisely because sixteen days allow it. Overnight in Fes.
Day 8
Fes to Merzouga
A long and beautiful crossing: Ifrane and the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, the plateau near Midelt, then the descent of the Ziz Valley through continuous palm groves. Arrive at Erg Chebbi in the late afternoon and enter the dunes by camel or by 4x4, whichever you prefer, reaching camp for sunset and dinner. Overnight in the Sahara.
Day 9
A full day at Erg Chebbi
The dunes at sunrise, then a day exploring the wider Merzouga region by 4x4 — desert surfaces well beyond the sand sea, the village of Khamlia and its Gnawa music, the dry lake and old mining areas. Where genuinely arranged, there may be an opportunity to take tea with a local family; this is never presented as a staged encounter. Afternoon free in the dunes. Overnight in the Sahara.
Day 10
Merzouga to Skoura
Travel west along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs. Walk into the Todra Gorge at Tinghir, continue through the Dades Valley and the Valley of Roses around Kelaat M'Gouna, and arrive at Skoura, where the palm grove conceals a scatter of historic kasbahs. Overnight in Skoura.
Day 11
Skoura to Marrakech
Explore the Skoura palmeraie in the morning, then Ouarzazate and Aït Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar above the river. Take the older road via Telouet and the Ounila Valley if you prefer scenery to speed, then cross the Tizi n'Tichka pass and descend into Marrakech. Overnight in Marrakech.
Day 12
Privately guided Marrakech
A full day with a licensed guide: Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, the Koutoubia area and the trade-based souks of the medina, with context on craft, history and how the city is organised. The day can end near Jemaa el-Fna in the evening. Overnight in Marrakech.
Day 13
Marrakech flavours and free time
A cooking experience — usually a market visit followed by preparing and eating a Moroccan meal — and then an open afternoon. Gardens, museums, a hammam, the Ville Nouvelle or simply the riad courtyard. Overnight in Marrakech.
Day 14
Marrakech to Essaouira
Drive west through argan country to the Atlantic. Essaouira's eighteenth-century fortified medina, ramparts and blue fishing fleet make it one of the most relaxed places in Morocco. Arrive by early afternoon with time to walk the skala and the port. Overnight in Essaouira.
Day 15
Essaouira to El Jadida via Oualidia
Follow the coast north. Oualidia's sheltered lagoon is Morocco's oyster capital and a good lunch stop. Continue to El Jadida, whose Portuguese-built Cité Portugaise and vaulted underground cistern are unlike anything else in the country. Overnight in El Jadida.
Day 16
Departure from Casablanca
A short transfer up the coast to Casablanca for your flight, with time for the Hassan II Mosque if you have not already seen it — or the start of a tailored extension.
At a glance
16 days / 15 nights, starting and finishing in Casablanca. Core route: Casablanca → Rabat → Chefchaouen (2 nights) → Volubilis and Meknes → Fes (3 nights) → Middle Atlas and Ziz Valley → Merzouga / Erg Chebbi (2 nights) → Todra and Dades → Skoura → Aït Ben Haddou → Marrakech (3 nights) → Essaouira → Oualidia → El Jadida → Casablanca. Five full days without long driving.
Who it suits
Travellers who would rather go deep than fast, and who have the time to do it. It works particularly well for couples, for retired travellers, for photographers, and for anyone returning to Morocco after a short first visit. Families with children generally prefer the shortened fourteen-day version with an extra beach day.
How it can be customised
Shorten to fourteen days by removing Sefrou and one Marrakech night; add a third Sahara night; swap Essaouira for more time in the High Atlas; add a walking day in the Rif or the Ourika Valley; slow any driving stage with an extra overnight. The camel ride is optional throughout, with a 4x4 alternative to camp. Displayed itineraries are starting points, not fixed packages.
Accommodation style
A mix that changes with the landscape: riads in the Fes and Marrakech medinas, a guesthouse in the blue lanes of Chefchaouen, kasbah lodges in the southern valleys, a private ensuite camp in the Sahara and a seafront or medina property in Essaouira. Named properties are proposed only with your quotation, once dates and preferred comfort level are known.
What can be included
According to your personalised proposal: private air-conditioned vehicle and English-speaking driver for the full sixteen days, accommodation with daily breakfast, selected dinners, licensed local guides in Rabat, Fes and Marrakech, the Sahara camp with dinner and breakfast, a 4x4 desert day, the optional camel trek with 4x4 alternative, the Marrakech cooking experience, airport transfers, bottled water, fuel, tolls and parking, and assistance throughout. Entrance fees and lunches are itemised rather than assumed.
Sixteen days, coast to Sahara and back to the ocean.
This is the route for travellers who want to finish Morocco feeling they actually met it. Share your dates, group size and preferred pace, and we will build your version of it.
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