Explore Morocco: The North & The Sahara — Self-Launched

Fly or ferry into Tangier (ferries from Tarifa take 1hr, ~£30; the new Tanger Med fast ferry is similar). Check into a medina riad or hostel near the Petit Socco. In the late afternoon walk the Old Town yourself: the Kasbah, the Musée de la Kasbah, the Café Baba terrace and the Grand Socco. Sunset from the Hafa Café over the Strait of Gibraltar is free and the classic first-night move. Dinner of grilled sardines and harira in the medina, ~£6-8.

🚌Airport taxi to medina ~£10-15 (fixed rate, agree first) or shared petit taxi

🛏Medina guesthouse/riad dorm or private budget room, ~£15-22

• →Self-guided walk of Tangier medina and Kasbah
• →Sunset at Café Hafa
• →Optional: Tangier American Legation Museum (~£2)

Take a morning CTM or Supratours bus (or shared grand taxi, ~45 min) to Tetouan. Wander the UNESCO-listed medina — El Feddan Square, the Mellah, the Spanish-style Hassan II square and the archaeology museum — in about 2-3 hours; entry to most sites is £1-2. Then continue by bus to Chefchaouen (~1.5hrs). Arrive late afternoon, drop bags, and climb to the Spanish Mosque for sunset over the blue town.

🚌Tangier–Tetouan bus/grand taxi ~£3-5; Tetouan–Chefchaouen bus ~£3

🛏Chefchaouen medina hostel or guesthouse, ~£14-20

• →Tetouan medina walk (UNESCO)
• →Optional Tetouan archaeological museum
• →Sunset at the Spanish Mosque above Chefchaouen

Book a half-day Rif Mountains day hike directly through your guesthouse or a local guide in the medina (~£20-25 pp including lunch at a farmhouse). Most local operators can arrange a farm visit with bread and cheese making with a Berber family — ask for it explicitly, and expect £5-10 extra. Alternatively, the self-guided walk to Akchour waterfalls or the Talassemtane paths is free plus a shared taxi out. Back by early afternoon, then a bus to Ouazzane for a quick hour in its mint-green medina (most services stop here en route to Fès anyway), arriving Fès in the evening.

🚌Chefchaouen–Ouazzane–Fès CTM/Supratours bus ~£7-9 total

🛏Fès medina guesthouse, ~£16-22

• →Guided Rif Mountains half-day hike
• →Farmhouse bread and goat-cheese making with a local family
• →Ouazzane medina stop

The Fès medina has 9,000+ alleys and no real map — a licensed local guide for 3-4 hours is worth it (£25-35 per group; solo travellers can join a small group walk via GetYourGuide from ~£15). Cover the Bou Inania Madrasa, Al-Attarine, the Nejjarine fountain, the tannery terraces (small tip for mint sprigs) and the Kairaouine mosque courtyard. Lunch in the medina on bissara and msemen ~£3. In the evening eat pastilla at a mid-range local restaurant — Cafe Clock or a Chez Rachid-style spot — for around £10.

🚌Walk; petit taxi across town ~£1.50

🛏Fès medina guesthouse, ~£16-22

• →Small-group or private Fès medina guided walk (GetYourGuide/local licensed guide)
• →Tannery viewpoint
• →Optional pottery/zellige workshop

Do this leg by train and taxi rather than a private van. Take an early train Fès–Meknes (~40 min, £3-4), leave bags at the station, and take a shared grand taxi to Volubilis Roman ruins (~£4 each way, entry ~£6). Two hours among the mosaics and the Tingis gate is plenty. Grand taxi back, a couple of hours in Meknes — Bab Mansour, the Heri es-Souani granary and the souk — then an afternoon train Meknes–Casablanca (~4hrs, £12-16 second class).

🚌Train Fès–Meknes £3-4; grand taxi Volubilis return ~£8 pp; train Meknes–Casablanca £12-16

🛏Casablanca budget hotel near the old medina, ~£20-28

• →Volubilis Roman ruins (self-guided with audio/guidebook)
• →Meknes medina, Bab Mansour and Heri es-Souani
• →Souk browsing

Buy a Hassan II Mosque entry ticket on the day or online in advance (~£12, timed slots, closed to non-Muslims outside tour times). Then walk the Corniche, the Art Deco quarter around Boulevard Mohammed V, the old medina and the Marché Central — best cheap seafood lunch in the city for £5-7 (pick your fish, they grill it). Ride the brand-new Casablanca tram (£0.60 a ride) between stops. Evening at a café on the Corniche.

🚌Tram and petit taxis ~£4 total

🛏Casablanca budget hotel, ~£20-28

• →Hassan II Mosque guided interior visit
• →Art Deco architecture walk
• →Marché Central seafood lunch
• →Corniche stroll

Long transfer day — the tour's private van becomes a train plus a coach. Train Casablanca–Marrakech (~3.5hrs, £10-14), then the CTM or Supratours coach Marrakech–Ouarzazate over the Tizi n'Tichka pass (~4hrs, £9-13, book a day ahead). You arrive in the evening; grab a tagine and an early night. If you prefer to break the journey, the Aït Ben Haddou detour is worth a half-day — most coaches drop at the junction.

🚌Train Casablanca–Marrakech £10-14; coach Marrakech–Ouarzazate £9-13

🛏Ouarzazate budget hotel, ~£16-24

• →Tizi n'Tichka pass views
• →Optional Aït Ben Haddou detour

Visit the Atlas Film Studios in Ouarzazate in the morning (~£7 entry) and the Taourirt Kasbah (~£2). Then take a shared grand taxi or local bus to Zagora (via Agdz, ~3hrs, £6-8) and on to Mhamid (£4-5). In Mhamid, local desert agencies on the main street arrange 2-night camel/4x4 camping trips in the Erg Lihoudi dunes — a 2-night package with guide, camels, meals and camp is usually £80-120 pp; negotiate in person or book ahead through a Mhamid-based operator. Set off walking with the camels around 4pm and reach camp at sunset for tea on the dunes.

🚌Grand taxi/bus Ouarzazate–Zagora–Mhamid ~£10-13; 4x4 support included in desert package

🛏Sahara desert camp (tent, shared facilities), included in desert package

• →Atlas Film Studios tour
• →Taourirt Kasbah
• →Camel trek into Erg Lihoudi dunes
• →Sunset from the dunes

Sunrise, breakfast at camp, then walk or ride the camels to a lunch stop under a tamarisk tree — this is the day the tour switches to 4x4 to reach Bertam Oasis. Your Mhamid guide can do the same: a 4x4 transfer from camp to Bertam in the afternoon, arriving for sunset, then dinner over a fire with stories and drumming. Confirm the 4x4 leg is included when you book the package; otherwise it's around £40-60 to split.

🚌Camel/on foot plus 4x4 (within desert package)

🛏Desert camp at Bertam Oasis, included in desert package

• →Sunrise on the dunes
• →Camel ride or walk to lunch stop
• →4x4 transfer to Bertam Oasis
• →Bonfire dinner and music with Berber guides

4x4 back to Mhamid, then shared transport to Zagora where the tour stops for a hotel pool — a cheap guesthouse with a pool in Zagora or Agdz runs £15-25, or simply shower at a hammam (£4). Lunch, then the afternoon bus or grand taxi onward to Skoura via Ouarzazate (~2hrs, £6-9). Skoura's date palm oasis is best at golden hour: rent a bike or walk the Amridil kasbah lanes (kasbah entry ~£2). Dinner at a local family-run guesthouse, ~£8.

🚌4x4 to Mhamid (in package); Mhamid–Zagora shared transport ~£5; Zagora–Skoura bus/grand taxi ~£8

🛏Skoura kasbah guesthouse, ~£18-26

• →Hammam and pool stop in Zagora
• →Skoura palm oasis walk
• →Kasbah Amridil

Morning coach or shared grand taxi Skoura–Marrakech (~4hrs, £9-12). Arrive by early afternoon; if your flight is at 4pm or later you have time for a quick wander through Jemaa el-Fna, otherwise head straight to the airport (taxi ~£6-8). Many travellers add a night or two in Marrakech to do the medina, Bahia Palace and the Majorelle Garden properly — allow £20-30 for a riad.

🚌Coach/grand taxi Skoura–Marrakech £9-12; airport taxi £6-8

🛏None included (or add a Marrakech riad night, ~£25)

• →Jemaa el-Fna square
• →Optional: Bahia Palace and souks if extending