This 10 day Morocco itinerary is the route we plan most often for first-time travelers: Casablanca, Chefchaouen, Fes with Meknes and Volubilis, two nights in the Sahara at Merzouga, the Todra Gorge and Dades Valley, Ait Ben Haddou and Marrakech. Nine nights is enough to see the north, the desert and the south with two full days that have no long drive. Every part of it can be customized to your dates, pace and interests.
We call it the Highlights of Morocco. Below you will find the route day by day, what it costs at each hotel level, the best months to go, and how to shorten or stretch it. Not sure 10 days is right for you? Read how many days you need in Morocco first.
The 10 Day Route at a Glance
Nine nights in six places, on a loop that starts and ends at Casablanca airport.
| Day | Route | Overnight | Dinner included |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival in Casablanca, Hassan II Mosque | Casablanca | No |
| 2 | Casablanca to Chefchaouen via Rabat | Chefchaouen | No |
| 3 | Chefchaouen to Fes via Volubilis and Meknes | Fes | No |
| 4 | Fes guided tour | Fes | No |
| 5 | Fes to Merzouga via Ifrane, Azrou and the Ziz Valley | Sahara camp | Yes |
| 6 | A full day in the Sahara | Sahara camp | Yes |
| 7 | Merzouga to Ouarzazate via the Todra Gorge and Dades Valley | Ouarzazate | Yes |
| 8 | Ouarzazate to Marrakech via Ait Ben Haddou | Marrakech | No |
| 9 | Marrakech guided tour | Marrakech | No |
| 10 | Marrakech to Casablanca airport for your flight | None | No |
You fly in and out of the same city. If you land in Marrakech instead, we run the same loop from there. Casablanca and Marrakech are about two and a half hours apart by highway, and we adjust the first and last days to your flight times.
Day by Day: 9 Nights From Casablanca to the Sahara and Marrakech
Day 1. Arrival in Casablanca
Your driver meets you at Casablanca airport and takes you to your hotel. If your flight lands early enough, you visit the Hassan II Mosque, built over the Atlantic and one of the few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslim visitors on guided tours. The rest of the day is for resting after the flight.
Day 2. Casablanca to Chefchaouen via Rabat
Rabat, the capital and one of the four Imperial Cities, is about an hour and a half up the coast. You walk the Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the white and blue lanes of the Kasbah of the Udayas. Then the road climbs into the Rif Mountains to Chefchaouen, the blue city, where you arrive in time for an evening walk. Our Chefchaouen guide covers what to see.
Day 3. Chefchaouen to Fes via Volubilis and Meknes
After a morning in the blue medina, you drive about two hours to Volubilis, the best preserved Roman ruins in Morocco, with mosaics still in place. Meknes is an hour further: the Bab Mansour gate and the old granaries of Moulay Ismail. Fes is one more hour, and you check into your riad for two nights.
Day 4. Fes Guided Tour
A local guide takes you through Fes el Bali, the largest car-free medina in the world, where a wrong turn is easy without someone who knows it. You see the Al Qarawiyyin, the Bou Inania madrasa, the Chouara tanneries from a terrace above, and artisans at work in brass, leather and ceramics.
Day 5. Fes to the Sahara
This is the longest drive of the trip, about seven hours with stops for tea, coffee and photos. You pass Ifrane, the alpine town of the Middle Atlas, the cedar forest of Azrou where Barbary macaques live, and the palm groves of the Ziz Valley. You reach Merzouga in the late afternoon, at the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes, and settle into your camp for dinner.
Read the full route in our Fes to Merzouga guide.
Day 6. A Full Day in the Sahara
The second desert night is what makes this day possible. You watch the sunrise over the dunes, take a 4×4 loop around the erg and visit the Gnawa musicians of Khamlia village. In the afternoon you ride a camel into the dunes for sunset, then return to camp for dinner under the stars. Quad biking is an optional extra, at about $60 per person per hour, paid on site to a local agency. If you are comparing desert options, read Agafay vs Merzouga.
Day 7. Sahara to Ouarzazate via the Todra Gorge and Dades Valley
You leave the dunes for the Todra Gorge, where the canyon walls rise straight up from a shallow river, then continue through the Dades Valley, about four and a half hours of driving from Merzouga. From Dades, it is about two hours and twenty minutes to Ouarzazate along the Valley of Roses and its kasbahs. Dinner is at your hotel.
Day 8. Ouarzazate to Marrakech via Ait Ben Haddou
The morning stop is Ait Ben Haddou, the fortified village seen in Gladiator and Game of Thrones. The climb to the top is optional: you can walk the foot of the village and take photos from there. Then the road crosses the High Atlas over the Tizi n’Tichka pass, at about 2,260 meters, and reaches Marrakech by late afternoon.
Day 9. Marrakech Guided Tour
A local guide takes you through the medina: the Koutoubia Mosque, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs and the souks. Majorelle Garden is not included, so book your ticket online ahead of time. The evening is free for a hammam, a rooftop dinner or Jemaa el Fna square as the food stalls light up. Our Marrakech travel guide has more ideas.
Day 10. Marrakech to Casablanca Airport
Your driver takes you back to Casablanca airport, about two and a half hours by highway. Most flights to the US leave Casablanca in the morning. Royal Air Maroc has an afternoon departure, around 3 p.m., that leaves time for the drive that day. If you book a morning flight, we add a last night in Casablanca so you are not on the road at dawn.
How Much Does a 10 Day Morocco Trip Cost?
A 10 day private tour costs about $1,900 to $2,300 per person at the Standard 3* level and about $2,400 to $2,900 per person at Affordable Lux 4*, based on two people sharing a room. Deluxe 5* is priced on request.
| Hotel level | Price per person (USD) |
|---|---|
| Standard 3* | about $1,900 to $2,300 |
| Affordable Lux 4* | about $2,400 to $2,900 |
| Deluxe 5* | on request |
Where you land in each range depends on your month. Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to December) are the busiest, and hotel rates rise with demand. January, February and June to August cost less. Solo travelers pay more per person because nothing is shared, including the room.
The price covers your private vehicle and driver, guides, hotels and the desert camp, daily breakfast, dinners in the Sahara and Ouarzazate, the camel trek and the guided tours of Fes and Marrakech. It does not include international flights, tips, travel insurance, lunches, Majorelle Garden or quad biking. For every trip length, see our Morocco trip cost guide, or get a price for your dates with our free tour quote.
Best Time to Do This Itinerary
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are the best months for this route: mild days in Fes and Marrakech, warm afternoons in the desert and cool nights at camp. They are also the busiest, so book early if you want a specific riad.
Winter costs less and the cities are pleasant, but desert nights get cold, the Middle Atlas around Ifrane can see snow, and the Tichka pass sometimes closes for a few hours. Summer is very hot in the Sahara and in Fes, and we plan walking tours for the morning and desert time for sunrise and sunset. Month by month details are in our guide to the best time to visit Morocco.
Shorter and Longer Versions
The same route shrinks to 9 days by dropping one Sahara night, or grows to 14 days with a slower pace and Essaouira on the Atlantic coast.
| Trip length | What changes | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| 8 days | Marrakech, the Atlas, the Dades Valley and two Sahara nights, without the north | 8 day Morocco itinerary |
| 9 days | The same route with one night in the Sahara instead of two | Ask for a 9 day quote |
| 10 days | This route | 10 days tour |
| 14 days | More nights in each place, plus Essaouira | Two weeks in Morocco |
We recommend two nights in the desert whenever the dates allow: one night means arriving at dusk and leaving after breakfast. To compare every route by length and starting city, see our Morocco itinerary guide.
What a Private 10 Day Tour Includes
On a private tour, the whole trip is arranged as one, from airport pickup to airport drop-off, and the vehicle, driver and guides are for your party only.
- Airport pickup and drop-off in Casablanca or Marrakech
- A recent private 4×4 or van with air conditioning and an English-speaking driver
- Hand-picked riads and hotels at the level you choose, plus the desert camp in Merzouga
- Daily breakfast, and dinners at the Sahara camp and in Ouarzazate
- Local guides in Fes and Marrakech, the camel trek and the excursions along the route
- Guidance and support from our team for the whole trip
We keep the trip overland. Internal flights in Morocco are often delayed or cancelled for weather, luggage goes missing, and the time at airports eats most of what you save. The drive is also where you see the Middle Atlas, the Ziz Valley and the kasbahs of the south. You can book this route as our 10 days Highlights of Morocco tour, or browse all our private tours.
Still deciding how to travel? Compare private vs group Morocco tours. First trip? Read our first time in Morocco guide, our honest take on whether Morocco is safe, and our solo female travel guide.
Customize Your 10 Days
This itinerary is a starting point, and every private tour is built around you. Common changes we make:
- Start and end in Marrakech instead of Casablanca, to match your flights
- Add a night at Aguelmame Sidi Ali, a lakeside hotel in the Middle Atlas, to break up the drive from Fes to the Sahara
- Add a night in Agafay, about 40 minutes from Marrakech, or extra Marrakech days for a cooking class, a hammam or a day trip to the Ourika Valley
- Remove Chefchaouen or skip the climb at Ait Ben Haddou if you prefer less walking and fewer stairs
- Upgrade your hotels or your desert camp
Tell us what matters to you in the form below, and we will adjust the route before we send your price.
Want the main sights in one trip? See our Morocco highlights tour.
10 Day Morocco Itinerary FAQ
Yes. Ten days covers the main highlights: Fes with Meknes and Volubilis, Chefchaouen, two nights in the Sahara, the Todra Gorge, Ait Ben Haddou and Marrakech. To add Essaouira or slow the pace, plan on 14 days.
Either works. Most US flights land in Casablanca, so we usually start there and loop back. If you find a better flight to Marrakech, we run the same loop from Marrakech. You fly in and out of the same city.
About seven hours, with stops in Ifrane, the Azrou cedar forest and the Ziz Valley. It is the longest drive of the trip, and we break it with tea and photo stops.
We recommend it. One night means you arrive at dusk and leave after breakfast. The second night gives you a full day in the dunes, with a sunrise, a sunset camel ride and time to rest.
We keep Essaouira for the 14 day itinerary. On 10 days it would mean cutting Fes or a desert night, and both matter more on a first trip.
Yes. It is the route we recommend most to first-time visitors because it covers the cities, the mountains and the desert in one loop with a private driver and local guides.
Yes. Every private tour is built around your dates, flights and pace. You can change the starting city, add or remove stops, add nights in places you want more time, and choose your hotel level.
Plan Your 10 Days in Morocco
Tell us your travel dates, how many of you are traveling and the hotel level you want, and we will send you a price for this route. Fill in the form below to start.
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