12-Day Self-Launched Morocco: Sahara to Essaouira from Marrakech

Land at Marrakech Menara (RAK) and take airport bus line 19 (about 30 MAD / £2.40) or a shared petit taxi (50-70 MAD) to your riad inside the medina. Skip the operator's private transfer. Settle in, then wander the souks and Djemaa el-Fna at dusk — free. Swap money at a bank ATM rather than the airport bureau, and pick up a local SIM (Maroc Telecom or Orange, ~100 MAD / £8 for data).

🚌Airport bus line 19 to Koutoubia, then walk (~£2.50)

🛏Medina riad hostel dorm or private twin, e.g. Riad Dar Sara / Rodamon Riad Marrakech (~£22-28/night)

• →Evening stroll through the souks and Djemaa el-Fna
• →Set up Moroccan SIM card and cash

Do a self-paced morning of Marrakech's headline sights before heading to the coast: a combined ticket covers Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs and Dar Si Said (~70 MAD / £5.60); Koutoubia is free from the outside. Book a GetYourGuide or Klook half-day medina walking tour if you want narration (~£20). Late afternoon take the CTM or Supratours coach to Essaouira (~3 hrs, 90-110 MAD / £8) — book the day before at the station or online. On the way, most coaches stop at an argan oil cooperative, or you can visit one on the short version of the day trip.

🚌CTM/Supratours coach Marrakech–Essaouira ~£8

🛏Essaouira medina guesthouse/hostel, e.g. Riad Kafila or Hostel Villa Sahara (~£20-25)

• →Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, Dar Si Said
• →Optional guided medina walk
• →Argan cooperative stop en route

Morning in Essaouira: walk the UNESCO-listed medina and the Skala ramparts, browse the port fish market (buy a fresh catch and have it grilled, ~£8), and relax at a seaside café. Early afternoon coach north to Casablanca (~4.5 hrs, 130-150 MAD / £11) — direct CTM/Supratours departures best booked a day ahead. Check into a budget hotel near the Old Medina, then take the free stroll along the Corniche and past Rick's Café for photos.

🚌Coach Essaouira–Casablanca ~£11

🛏Budget hotel or hostel near Old Medina / Mers Sultan (~£25)

• →Essaouira medina and ramparts
• →Port fish market lunch
• →Corniche and Rick's Café exterior

Visit the Hassan II Mosque — entry is by timed guided tour (about 140 MAD / £11, buy at the on-site ticket office; non-Muslims can only enter on a tour). Then take the ONCF train to Rabat (~1 hr, 50 MAD / £4) and do a self-guided walk: Kasbah of the Udayas, Hassan Tower, Mohammed V Mausoleum and Chellah ruins. Afterwards continue by train to Tangier or Souk El Arbaa and a shared grand taxi up to Chefchaouen (~£12 total) — or book a cheap shared minibus transfer via Klook. Arrive in the blue city for the evening.

🚌ONCF train Casablanca–Rabat ~£4, onward train/grand taxi to Chefchaouen ~£12

🛏Chefchaouen medina guesthouse, e.g. Casa Hassan or Dar Meziana budget rooms (~£22)

• →Hassan II Mosque guided tour
• →Self-guided Rabat heritage walk
• →Evening in the Chefchaouen medina

Spend the morning in blue-washed streets — Outa el-Hammam square, the kasbah and the riverside cafés are all free. Take a shared grand taxi or CTM to Moulay Idriss/Volubilis (~£6), where the Roman ruins have an on-site ticket (~70 MAD / £5.60) and signage is good enough to self-guide, or hire a licensed local guide at the gate for ~£15 shared. Then a shared taxi to Meknes and an ONCF train to Fes (~£5). Check into a medina riad and eat at a cheap local grill.

🚌Grand taxi Chefchaouen–Volubilis ~£6, shared taxi to Meknes + ONCF train to Fes ~£5

🛏Fes medina riad/hostel, e.g. Riad Al Makan in a budget room or Hostel Aline (~£20)

• →Chefchaouen medina walk
• →Volubilis Roman ruins self-guided
• →Outa el-Hammam square

Book a half-day licensed guide through your riad (~250-350 MAD / £20-28 for the day, shared between a few travellers) or a GetYourGuide small-group Fes medina walk (~£22). Cover Bab Boujloud, Bou Inania and Attarine madrasas, the Nejjarine fountain square, the spice market, the Mellah and a tannery terrace. Afternoon: pottery workshops, and mint tea on a rooftop. Budget extra for artisan souvenirs and remember to haggle.

🚌Walk — the medina is car-free

🛏Fes medina riad/hostel (~£20)

• →Half-day medina guided walk
• →Bou Inania and Attarine madrasas
• →Tannery and pottery workshop viewpoints

This leg is the tricky bit to do without a car: take the CTM or Supratours coach Fes–Midelt (~4.5 hrs, 90-110 MAD / £8), or an early train to Meknes plus coach. En route you pass Ifrane (Alpine-style town) and the Azrou cedar forest — if you want the forest stop properly, book a private day-driver from Fes via GetYourGuide for roughly £45-60 shared, which also covers the Barbary macaques. In Midelt, guesthouses arrange short walks into the apple orchards.

🚌Coach Fes–Midelt ~£8 (or shared private driver ~£25 pp)

🛏Midelt guesthouse, e.g. Riad Villa Pomme d'Or or a simple auberge (~£20)

• →Ifrane and Azrou cedar forest
• →Middle Atlas mountain scenery
• →Orchard walk near Midelt

Coach or shared grand taxi Midelt–Errachidia–Rissani–Merzouga (~4-5 hrs, ~£10-14); check Supratours schedules the day before. In Merzouga the standard independent move is a shared 2-day desert package booked direct with a camp or via GetYourGuide: camel trek into Erg Chebbi, dinner and Berber drumming under the stars, and a night in a tent (roughly £55-75 pp including meals, camel ride and sandboarding). Drop your main bag at a Merzouga hostel and carry only a daypack into the dunes.

🚌Coach/shared taxi to Merzouga ~£12

🛏Shared Sahara desert camp tent, e.g. Sahara Stars-style standard camp (~£40 of the package)

• →Camel trek into Erg Chebbi
• →Sandboarding on the dunes
• →Dinner and music at the desert camp

Sunrise on the dunes, camel back to Merzouga, breakfast, then a shared taxi or minibus to Tinejdad/Boumalne Dades (~4 hrs, ~£12-15, often arranged by the camp). Stop at Todra Gorges if you can split a grand taxi (~£8 shared). Late afternoon walk the Dades Valley gorge viewpoints — free and easily self-guided on the marked tracks. Overnight in a valley hotel.

🚌Shared taxi Merzouga–Boumalne Dades ~£14

🛏Boumalne Dades budget hotel/guesthouse, e.g. Panorama Dades in a standard room (~£22)

• →Sunrise on Erg Chebbi
• →Todra Gorges stop
• →Dades Valley gorge walk

Continue west via the Valley of Roses and Skoura palm oasis — shared grand taxis in stages (Boumalne–Kelaat M'Gouna–Ouarzazate, roughly £10-12 total) or a CTM coach if timings suit. In Ouarzazate, Atlas Film Studios and CLA Studios both sell walk-up tickets (~£5-8); the Taourirt Kasbah is a few dirhams. Optional half-day trip to the Fint Oasis by shared taxi (~£10).

🚌Staged shared grand taxis ~£11

🛏Ouarzazate guesthouse or hostel, e.g. Riad Tama in a budget room (~£22)

• →Atlas/CLA film studios
• →Taourirt Kasbah
• →Optional Fint Oasis trip

Morning shared taxi to Ait Ben Haddou (~£5), then walk the UNESCO ksbah for free (small fee to cross the river on foot during high water). Local guides at the gate charge ~£15 — worth splitting. Continue over the Tizi n'Tichka pass by CTM/Supratours coach or shared taxi to Marrakech (~£10-12, 4-5 hrs). Evening in Djemaa el-Fna for the food stalls — a full plate for £3-5.

🚌Shared taxi to Ait Ben Haddou ~£5 + coach to Marrakech ~£11

🛏Marrakech medina riad hostel, e.g. Rodamon Riad Marrakech (~£25)

• →Ait Ben Haddou ksbah
• →Tizi n'Tichka pass
• →Djemaa el-Fna food stalls

Breakfast at the riad, a final wander through the souks for last souvenirs, then the line 19 airport bus (~£2.50) or a shared petit taxi to Menara. If your flight is late, the Jardin Majorelle and Le Jardin Secret are easy pre-flight stops (book Majorelle online to skip the queue).

🚌Airport bus line 19 ~£2.50

🛏—

• →Souk souvenir shopping
• →Optional Jardin Majorelle