Morocco 12 Days: Imperial Cities & Sahara Desert — Self-Launched
12 days · Morocco
Morocco Destination Tours charges £1,400
No-markup version: ~£600 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 12-day loop of Morocco hitting Casablanca, Rabat, Asilah, Tangier, Chefchaouen, Volubilis, Meknes, Fes, the Sahara dunes at Merzouga, Todra Gorges, the Dades Valley, Ait Ben Haddou, Marrakech and Essaouira. Built around Morocco's excellent and cheap rail and CTM/Supratours coach network plus locally-arranged shared desert tours, so you keep the same sights and experiences for a fraction of the group-tour price. Costs are rough backpacker/mid-range estimates in GBP and assume shared or twin accommodation; expect to pay more in peak season and less if you cook your own food.
Day-by-day
Casablanca to Rabat
Casablanca / Rabat
Land at Casablanca Mohammed V airport and take the train into the city (ONCF, ~£2). See the Hassan II Mosque from the esplanade — a guided interior visit costs about £10 and runs in set time slots (book ahead, non-Muslims can't enter otherwise). Then jump on the ONCF train to Rabat (about 1 hour, ~£4). Check into a riad or hostel in Rabat's medina, then walk the medina, the Kasbah of the Udayas, Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V (free). Cross to Salé by the small ferry (~£0.50) and finish at the Chellah ruins (small entry fee, ~£2).
🚌Airport train to Casablanca Casa Voyageurs (~£2), ONCF train Casablanca-Rabat (~£4), local tram/petit taxi
🛏Riad or hostel in Rabat medina (~£12-20/night)
- →Hassan II Mosque exterior + optional guided interior visit
- →Rabat medina and Kasbah of the Udayas
- →Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohammed V
- →Salé medina ferry crossing
- →Chellah ruins
Rabat to Tangier via Asilah
Asilah / Tangier
Take the train from Rabat to Asilah (about 2.5-3 hours, ~£8), where you can stop for a couple of hours to wander the whitewashed medina with its painted walls and the Skalla fortress on the sea. Continue by train from Asilah to Tangier (about 45 min, ~£3-4). Settle in, then explore the Tangier Kasbah and medina and the Grand Socco souk. Optional: petit taxi to Cap Spartel and the Hercules Caves (roughly £10 return by shared taxi), or a 15-min walk to the Café Hafa terraces for the classic view over the Strait of Gibraltar.
🚌ONCF train Rabat-Asilah (~£8) and Asilah-Tangier (~£4); shared petit taxi for Cap Spartel
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Tangier medina (~£12-20/night)
- →Asilah painted medina and Skalla fortress
- →Tangier Kasbah, medina and souk
- →Cap Spartel and Hercules Caves (optional)
- →Coffee at Café Hafa
Tangier to Chefchaouen
Chefchaouen
Take a CTM or Supratours coach from Tangier to Chefchaouen (about 3 hours, roughly £8-10). Dump your bag at a cheap guesthouse in the medina and spend the afternoon getting lost in the blue lanes. Climb to the Spanish Mosque for sunset over the valley (free, 20-min walk). Optional side trip to the Cascades d'Akchour (roughly £15-20 shared taxi plus a guide) or a morning hike up to the old kasbah.
🚌CTM/Supratours coach Tangier-Chefchaouen (~£9)
🛏Guesthouse in Chefchaouen medina (~£10-18/night)
- →Chefchaouen blue medina
- →Spanish Mosque sunset viewpoint
- →Optional Cascades d'Akchour hike
Chefchaouen to Fes via Volubilis and Meknes
Meknes / Fes
Take the morning coach from Chefchaouen to Ouazzane/Meknes (or a shared grand taxi to the Meknes road, ~£8-12 total). From Meknes, a shared grand taxi or local bus reaches the Volubilis Roman ruins (about £5-8 return). Volubilis entry is ~£5 and you can download a free audio guide; local guides wait at the gate for ~£10 if you prefer. Back in Meknes, see Bab Mansour, the granary and Sahrij Souani, and the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum (free). Take the evening ONCF train Meknes to Fes (45 min, ~£3).
🚌Coach Chefchaouen-Meknes (~£10), shared grand taxi to Volubilis (~£6), train Meknes-Fes (~£3)
🛏Riad or hostel in Fes medina (~£10-18/night)
- →Volubilis Roman ruins and mosaics
- →Bab Mansour and Sahrij Souani, Meknes
- →Moulay Ismail Mausoleum
Fes medina day
Fes
Spend the full day on foot in Fes el-Bali, the world's biggest car-free urban area. A half-day local guide in the medina is worth it and can be arranged at your riad or via GetYourGuide for roughly £20-25 — a good way to see Al-Qarawiyyin, the Bou Inania madrasa (~£2), the Najjarine fountain, the tanneries (a leather shop will show you the terraces for a small tip) and the Mellah. On your own in the afternoon, hit the Royal Palace gate and a pottery cooperative on the south edge, then climb to the Borj Sud fortress for the panorama.
🚌On foot in the medina; petit taxi for the Royal Palace and Borj Sud (~£2-3)
🛏Riad or hostel in Fes medina (~£10-18/night)
- →Fes medina with local guide (GetYourGuide ~£22)
- →Al-Qarawiyyin and Bou Inania madrasa
- →Chouara tanneries
- →Royal Palace gate and Borj Sud viewpoint
Fes to Merzouga
Ifrane / Midelt / Merzouga
The long transfer day. The cheapest option is a shared tourist minibus/coach from Fes to Merzouga via Midelt and Erfoud (CTM runs a service, roughly £15-20, 8-9 hours), with a stop in Ifrane and a walk in the Middle Atlas cedar forest. Alternatively book a 2-night shared desert tour out of Fes via GetYourGuide or a Fes medina agency for roughly £70-90 including transport, one night en route and the desert camp — that folds this day, Day 7 and Day 8 into one leg. Arrive at Merzouga in the late afternoon and stay in a village guesthouse.
🚌CTM/shared minibus Fes-Merzouga via Midelt (~£18)
🛏Guesthouse in Merzouga (~£12-18/night), or desert camp if on a shared tour
- →Ifrane and Middle Atlas cedar forest
- →Ziz Valley viewpoints
- →Erfoud and Rissani stops
Merzouga — Sahara dunes and desert camp
Erg Chebbi
The big one. Book a camel trek plus overnight desert camp through your guesthouse or on GetYourGuide (roughly £45-70 per person including camel ride, dinner, breakfast and Berber music around the fire; luxury camps cost more). Before you go, visit the Gnawa music community at Khamlia and, if you ask your guesthouse to arrange it, share a Berber pizza meal with a local family (about £6-8). Ride into Erg Chebbi for sunset, sleep under the stars.
🚌Camel trek into the dunes; optional 4x4 transfer for bags (~£10)
🛏Berber desert camp in Erg Chebbi (included in tour price)
- →Khamlia Gnawa music
- →Camel trek into Erg Chebbi at sunset
- →Desert camp with dinner and live music
- →Optional Rissani souk
Merzouga to Dades Valley via Todra Gorges
Todra Gorges / Dades Valley
Wake for sunrise on the dunes, ride or walk back to the village, then take a shared grand taxi or the CTM coach to Tinejdad/Todra (roughly £8-10), where you can walk the gorge floor for an hour — it's free and spectacular. Continue by shared taxi to Boumalne Dades (another ~£6-8) and overnight in a valley guesthouse. Ask about the hour-long walk through the fields to the old mud village.
🚌Shared grand taxi/coach Merzouga-Todra-Tinejdad-Dades (~£15-20 total)
🛏Guesthouse in Dades Valley (~£12-18/night)
- →Sunrise camel trek
- →Todra Gorges walk
- →Dades Valley viewpoints
- →Optional hike to old mud village
Dades Valley to Marrakech via Ait Ben Haddou
Ouarzazate / Ait Ben Haddou / Marrakech
Take a shared taxi or coach down the Valley of the Roses to Kalaat M'Gouna and on to Ouarzazate (about £8-10). From Ouarzazate, a shared grand taxi to Ait Ben Haddou (~£4-6) — walk up to the ksar yourself (free, or ~£2 for the granary) or hire a local guide for ~£8. You can also stop at a women's argan oil cooperative en route. Then take the CTM coach Ouarzazate to Marrakech over the Tizi n'Tichka pass (about 4 hours, ~£8-10). Stay in a medina hostel or riad.
🚌Shared taxis Dades-Kalaat M'Gouna-Ouarzazate-Ait Ben Haddou (~£15), CTM coach Ouarzazate-Marrakech (~£9)
🛏Hostel or budget riad in Marrakech medina (~£15-25/night)
- →Kalaat M'Gouna and Valley of the Roses
- →Ait Ben Haddou kasbah with local guide
- →Tizi n'Tichka pass
- →Argan oil women's cooperative
Marrakech city day
Marrakech
A full walking day. Start at Jemaa el-Fna (quiet in the morning, wild at dusk), then Koutoubia Mosque, the Saadian Tombs (~£5), Bahia Palace (~£5) and the Ben Youssef madrasa/museum (~£7). Book the Majorelle Garden online ahead (about £13-15, timed entry, sells out) and optionally add the Yves Saint Laurent Museum next door (~£10). Lunch at a cheap Jemaa el-Fna-area restaurant and explore the Gueliz new town in the evening.
🚌On foot; petit taxi to Gueliz/Majorelle (~£2-3)
🛏Hostel or budget riad in Marrakech medina (~£15-25/night)
- →Jemaa el-Fna and Koutoubia
- →Saadian Tombs and Bahia Palace
- →Ben Youssef madrasa
- →Majorelle Garden and YSL Museum (pre-booked)
Day trip to Essaouira
Essaouira / Marrakech
Take the CTM or Supratours bus from Marrakech to Essaouira (about 2.5-3 hours, roughly £8 each way) — morning out, late afternoon back. Spend the day on the ramparts of the Skala, in the Portuguese-era medina (a UNESCO site), on the beach and eating grilled sardines in the fish market for lunch (~£5-7). If you have time to spare, consider staying the night in an Essaouira hostel instead — it's a nicer wind-down than a same-day return.
🚌CTM/Supratours bus Marrakech-Essaouira return (~£16)
🛏Return to Marrakech hostel/riad (~£15-25/night), or Essaouira hostel (~£12-18)
- →Essaouira medina and Skala ramparts
- →Essaouira beach
- →Seafood lunch at the fish market
- →Optional Chichaoua coffee stop
Marrakech to Casablanca airport
Marrakech / Casablanca
Depending on your flight, either fly out of Marrakech Menara (a 15-min bus or taxi from the medina, ~£2-4) or take the ONCF train Marrakech to Casablanca (about 3 hours, ~£10-12) and connect by train to Mohammed V airport. Build in time for the airport train and keep a spare hour for Marrakech's notorious traffic if you're heading to the airport by taxi.
🚌Airport bus/taxi in Marrakech (~£3) or ONCF train Marrakech-Casablanca (~£11) + airport train (~£2)
🛏None — departure day
- →Last morning in the souk or a hammam
- →Transfer to airport
Self-launched vs. Morocco Destination Tours
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Morocco Destination Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£600 | £1,400 |
| Duration | 12 days | 12 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £800 per person (57%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Morocco Destination Tours-style trips? Check them out here.~£600
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Morocco 12 Days: Imperial Cities & Sahara Desert — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £600 per person for 12 days in Morocco. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Morocco Destination Tours?+
Yes — Morocco Destination Tours charges around £1,400 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £600 — a saving of roughly £800 (57%) per person.
How long is the Morocco trip?+
This itinerary runs 12 days, covering 12 day-by-day stops through Morocco.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, culture, hiking trip through Morocco, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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