5-Day Casablanca to Marrakech Tour via Chefchaouen, Fes & the Sahara

Blue lanes in the Rif Mountains, the medieval maze of Fes, the dunes of the Sahara and the kasbahs of the south: this private five-day tour strings together the places most people picture when they think of Morocco. It starts in Casablanca, heads north to Chefchaouen for the night, and continues to Fes for an afternoon with a licensed guide in the old medina. Then you cross the Middle Atlas to Erg Chebbi for a camel ride and a night at our luxury camp, before travelling west through the gorges and Ait Ben Haddou to Marrakech.

For first-time visitors with five days, it’s the most complete introduction to the country we can offer.

The route at a glance

• Day 1: Casablanca → Rif Mountains → Chefchaouen (about 340 km)
• Day 2: Chefchaouen → Fes, with a guided medina afternoon (about 200 km)
• Day 3: Fes → Ifrane → Middle Atlas → Ziz Valley → Merzouga, then by camel to camp (about 470 km)
• Day 4: Erg Chebbi → Rissani → Todra Gorge → Dades Valley (about 310 km)
• Day 5: Dades Valley → Ouarzazate → Ait Ben Haddou → Tizi n’Tichka → Marrakech (about 350 km)

Day 1: north to the blue city

We pick you up at Mohammed V Airport or your hotel in Casablanca and head north. After the plains of the Gharb, the road climbs into the green hills of the Rif, and in the afternoon you reach Chefchaouen, tucked into a fold of the mountains below two peaks.

Founded in 1471 as a mountain fortress, Chefchaouen became a refuge for Muslims and Jews expelled from Spain, and for centuries it was one of the most isolated towns in Morocco. Today it’s famous for its houses washed in every shade of blue. Wander the lanes of the medina, where cats sleep on painted steps and weavers work in small shops, then walk up the hillside path to the Spanish Mosque for the sunset over the town. Dinner is at your own choice in one of Chefchaouen’s small restaurants.

Day 2: Chefchaouen to Fes

The morning is free in Chefchaouen. Visit the Ras el-Maa spring, where the river emerges from the mountain and women still wash clothes in the stream, or climb to the kasbah in the main square, Outa el-Hammam, for the view over the rooftops.

After lunch, you drive south through the hills to Fes. In the afternoon, a licensed local guide takes you into Fes el-Bali, the old medina and one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world. You see the Chouara tanneries, where hides are dyed in stone vats as they have been for centuries, the Al-Attarine Madrasa with its intricate tilework and carved plaster, the Nejjarine fountain, and the lanes around the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university, founded in 859 and considered one of the oldest continuously operating universities in the world. The night is at a riad in the medina.

Day 3: across the Atlas to the dunes

This is the longest day, about seven and a half hours, but it’s full of changing scenery. You pass through Ifrane, with its Alpine-style houses, and the cedar forest near Azrou, where you can often see Barbary macaques. The road crosses the high plateau to Midelt and drops down the Ziz Valley, a long ribbon of date palms, to Merzouga.

At the edge of Erg Chebbi, you swap the car for a camel and ride into the dunes as the sun sets. At camp, dinner is followed by drumming under the stars.

Day 4: the Todra Gorge

After sunrise over the dunes and breakfast, you drive west through Rissani, where the souk is busiest on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The road leads across the pre-Sahara to Tinghir and into the Todra Gorge, where you walk along the stream between towering cliffs. You spend the night at a kasbah hotel in the Dades Valley.

Day 5: Ait Ben Haddou and Marrakech

The final day follows the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs through the Valley of Roses to Ouarzazate and on to Ait Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar of earthen houses and towers that has appeared in many films. After exploring it, you cross the High Atlas by the Tizi n’Tichka pass and arrive in Marrakech in the early evening.

Why Chefchaouen first?

Chefchaouen lies north of Fes, so visiting it first means you don’t have to backtrack. From Casablanca, it’s a comfortable drive of about five hours, and arriving in the afternoon gives you the evening light and the sunset from the Spanish Mosque. The next day’s drive to Fes is short, which leaves time for the guided medina tour in the afternoon. From Fes, the route heads steadily south to the desert and then west to Marrakech, so every day moves you forward.

Where you’ll sleep

• Chefchaouen (1 night): a riad in the medina, with breakfast.
• Fes (1 night): a riad in the medina, with breakfast.
• Erg Chebbi (1 night): our luxury desert camp, with a private tent for your booking, en-suite hot shower and flushing toilet, comfortable beds and electricity for charging. Heavy blankets are provided in winter, and family tents are available on request. Dinner and breakfast are included.
• Dades Valley (1 night): a kasbah hotel with dinner and breakfast.

Dinners in Chefchaouen and Fes aren’t included, so you can choose from the restaurants in each medina.

Best time to go

Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with mild weather in the mountains and pleasant temperatures in the desert. In winter, Chefchaouen can be cold and rainy, and the desert nights are cold. In summer, Fes and the desert are hot, so the medina tour and the camel ride are timed for the cooler hours.

Who this tour is for

First-time visitors with five days who want Morocco’s most photogenic places (the blue city, the medina of Fes and the Sahara) in a single journey from Casablanca to Marrakech. It suits couples, friends and families who want to see a lot in a short time.

Good to know

• Day three is the long one (about 7.5 hours from Fes to the dunes), and it ends with a camel ride at sunset.
• Chefchaouen and Fes medinas are car-free. Your driver will walk you to your riad and a porter will carry your luggage.
• Arriving early? For morning flights, we can stop at the Hassan II Mosque before leaving Casablanca.
• Want more time? The 6-day and 7-day itineraries add Rabat, Volubilis, Meknes and a full day in Fes.