Morocco North to South: Self-Launched Tangier to Marrakech Adventure

Arrive into Tangier (Ibn Battouta Airport or the ferry port from Tarifa, Spain — the fast ferry takes about 1 hour and is around £30-40). Check into a budget guesthouse or hostel in the medina or near Place Mohammed V. In the late afternoon walk the Old Town yourself: the Petit Socco, the Kasbah and the Musée de la Kasbah terrace overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar, then the Grand Socco at sunset. Dinner of grilled fish or a tagine in the medina (£6-9).

🚌Ferry from Tarifa (~£30-40) or taxi from Tangier airport (~£15); everything on foot

🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel in Tangier medina (~£20-25/night)

• →Self-guided walk of Tangier medina and Kasbah
• →Sunset at Grand Socco
• →Optional: Café Hafa terrace tea

Take a CTM or Supratours bus or shared grand taxi to Tetouan (about 1 hour, £3-4). Spend 2-3 hours in the UNESCO-listed medina: El Feddan Square, the Mellah, the royal palace exterior and the archaeology museum. Continue by bus or shared taxi to Chefchaouen (about 1.5 hours, £4-5). Check into a small riad or guesthouse in the medina, then wander the blue-washed lanes and climb to the Spanish Mosque for sunset views over the city — the exact walk the tour does with a guide, easy to do solo.

🚌Grand taxi or bus Tangier–Tetouan (~£3-4), then Tetouan–Chefchaouen (~£4-5)

🛏Small medina riad or guesthouse in Chefchaouen (~£18-25/night)

• →Tetouan medina walk
• →Chefchaouen blue medina self-guided stroll
• →Sunset at the Spanish Mosque

Book a half-day Rif Mountains hike through a local guide (ask your guesthouse, or find listings on GetYourGuide from around £25-35), which typically includes a 2-3 hour walk through villages and a cheese-making stop with a rural family — the same experience G Adventures includes. Alternatively, walk the Talassemtane National Park trails independently and arrange a farm visit via your host. In the afternoon take the bus to Ouazzane (about 1 hour, £3) to see its mint-green medina, then continue to Fés (about 3 hours, £7-9). Evening free in the Fés medina.

🚌Local bus Chefchaouen–Ouazzane (~£3), Ouazzane–Fés (~£7-9)

🛏Riad or guesthouse in Fés medina (~£20-28/night)

• →Rif Mountains guided day hike
• →Goat cheese making with a local family
• →Ouazzane medina stop

Hire a licensed local guide for a half-day medina tour (roughly £30-40 for a group, or £25-35 per person through GetYourGuide) — Fés is the one place where a guide genuinely earns their fee given 9,000+ lanes. Cover the Bou Inania madrasa, Al-Attarine madrasa, the Nejjarine fountain, the Kairaouine mosque exterior and finish at the Chouara tannery (expect a small tip for the 'leather shop' viewing terrace). Lunch on your own — a pastilla or harira and bread for £4-6. Afternoon free to get lost deliberately or visit the Merenid tombs for sunset.

🚌Walking; short petit taxi hops £1-2

🛏Riad or guesthouse in Fés medina (~£20-28/night)

• →Guided Fés medina tour
• →Chouara tannery viewpoint
• →Merenid Tombs sunset

Take an early shared grand taxi or bus to Moulay Idriss/Volubilis (about 1 hour from Fés, £3-4). Volubilis entry is 70 MAD (~£6) — hire an audio interpretation or just read the site panels; the mosaics and the Tingis gate are the highlights. Continue to Meknes (20 min, £1-2) for Bab Mansour, the Heri es-Souani granaries and the bustling souk. Then take the train from Meknes to Casablanca (about 3.5 hours, £9-12, book on ONCF online). Evening free on the Corniche.

🚌Grand taxi/bus to Volubilis (~£3-4), local hop to Meknes (~£2), ONCF train Meknes–Casablanca (~£9-12)

🛏Budget hotel near Casablanca centre or Casa Voyageurs (~£22-30/night)

• →Volubilis Roman ruins
• →Meknes medina and Bab Mansour
• →Casablanca Corniche evening

Hassan II Mosque is the must-see — guided interior visits run about 140 MAD (~£12) at set times; book on arrival or online. Then walk the old medina, the Habous quarter, the Marché Central and the art-deco city centre around Boulevard Mohammed V. Grab msemen or pastries from a local bakery. Optional evening: a hammam (local neighbourhood hammams are £4-6; tourist hammams £15-25).

🚌Tram and petit taxis (~£4-6 for the day)

🛏Budget hotel in Casablanca (~£22-30/night)

• →Hassan II Mosque guided visit
• →Habous quarter and Marché Central walk
• →Optional hammam

Long travel day. Take the early ONCF train Casablanca to Marrakech (about 3 hours, £9-12), then a CTM or Supratours bus Marrakech to Ouarzazate over the Tizi n'Tichka pass (about 4 hours, £8-10). Alternatively, a shared grand taxi from Marrakech costs around £10-12 per seat. Arrive Ouarzazate in the evening, check into a budget hotel and eat near Avenue Mohammed V.

🚌ONCF train Casablanca–Marrakech (~£9-12), CTM/Supratours bus Marrakech–Ouarzazate (~£8-10)

🛏Budget hotel in Ouarzazate (~£18-25/night)

• →Tizi n'Tichka High Atlas drive
• →Evening in Ouarzazate

Morning at the Atlas Film Studios in Ouarzazate (entry about 50 MAD, ~£4) — a self-guided walk through the film sets. Then a bus or shared taxi to Zagora via Agdz and the Draa valley (about 3 hours, £6-8), then on to Mhamid (about 1.5 hours, £4-5). From Mhamid, arrange a desert camp and camel/walking transfer through a local operator — Erg Lihoudi camps typically cost £35-50 per person including dinner, breakfast, camel and tent. Walk or ride into the dunes in the late afternoon, arrive for sunset, tea and a fire.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Ouarzazate–Zagora (~£6-8), Zagora–Mhamid (~£4-5), 4x4 or camel transfer to camp

🛏Desert camp near Erg Lihoudi (tent, dinner and breakfast included, ~£40)

• →Atlas Film Studios visit
• →Camel or dune walk into Erg Lihoudi
• →Sunset and bonfire at desert camp

Sunrise over the dunes, then breakfast at camp. Walk or ride a camel to a lunch stop in the desert (most Mhamid operators offer this as part of a 2-night package, roughly £70-90 total for two nights all-in). In the afternoon a 4x4 takes you to the palm oasis of Bertam for a second night under the stars, with dinner and Berber music around the fire. Confirm your package includes the 4x4 leg and both camps when you book in Mhamid — it's a standard offering.

🚌4x4 transfer between camps (included in package)

🛏Desert camp at Bertam Oasis (included in 2-night package)

• →Camel ride across the dunes
• →Bertam Oasis sunset
• →Fireside dinner and music

Sunrise and breakfast at camp, then 4x4 back to Zagora (included or ~£5-8 shared). Freshen up, shower and have lunch in Zagora. Continue to Skoura via Ouarzazate (bus or shared taxi, about 2.5 hours, £6-9). Skoura is a quiet date-palm oasis — walk the palmeraie and visit Kasbah Amridil (entry ~40 MAD). Dinner at your guesthouse.

🚌4x4 out of desert (~£5-8 shared), bus/shared taxi Zagora–Skoura (~£6-9)

🛏Guesthouse or small kasbah hotel in Skoura (~£20-28/night)

• →Sunrise in the Sahara
• →Skoura palmeraie walk
• →Kasbah Amridil visit

Morning bus or shared grand taxi from Skoura to Marrakech (about 3.5-4 hours, £8-10). Check into a riad or hostel in the medina (dorms from £10-15, private rooms £25-40). Free afternoon: wander the souks, the spice square at Rahba Kedima, and cross to the Koutoubia. In the evening head to Jemaa el-Fnaa for the food stalls, storytellers and musicians, and take tea on a rooftop terrace overlooking the square (£2-3).

🚌Bus/shared grand taxi Skoura–Marrakech (~£8-10)

🛏Riad or hostel in Marrakech medina (~£25/night)

• →Marrakech souk wander
• →Koutoubia and Jemaa el-Fnaa
• →Rooftop tea over the square

Morning visiting Le Jardin Secret (entry ~80 MAD) and Bahia Palace (~70 MAD), plus a stop at a medina bakery to see Moroccan bread going into the communal oven — most bakeries will let you watch and buy a loaf for pennies. Book a half-day tanjia or tagine cooking class through GetYourGuide or your riad (roughly £30-45), which usually includes market shopping, the terracotta-pot tanjia prep and lunch. Afternoon free — Jardin Majorelle and the YSL Museum (combined about £15-20) or El Badi Palace (~£6).

🚌Walking; occasional petit taxi £2-3

🛏Riad or hostel in Marrakech medina (~£25/night)

• →Le Jardin Secret and Bahia Palace
• →Communal bakery bread visit
• →Moroccan cooking class (tanjia/tagine)

Take a shared grand taxi or local bus from Marrakech to Ouzoud (about 2.5 hours each way, £6-8 each way, or a GetYourGuide day trip from £20-30 including transport). Walk down to the falls, swim if it's warm, and have grilled tagine lunch by the water (£5-7). Watch for the resident Barbary macaques. Return to Marrakech in the evening for a farewell dinner at the Jemaa el-Fnaa food stalls — try a bowl of snail broth, grilled skewers and fresh orange juice for under £8.

🚌Shared grand taxi or bus Marrakech–Ouzoud return (~£12-16)

🛏Riad or hostel in Marrakech medina (~£25/night)

• →Ouzoud waterfalls and swim
• →Riverside tagine lunch
• →Farewell dinner at Jemaa el-Fnaa food stalls

Breakfast at the riad, a last wander through the medina for souvenirs — argan oil, leather babouches, spices from the souk — then a taxi to Menara Airport (about £6-8). Optional hot-air balloon flight over the Atlas foothills if you have a late flight (book ahead through GetYourGuide, ~£130-180; the operator's optional version runs much higher).

🚌Petit taxi to Marrakech Menara Airport (~£6-8)

🛏—

• →Final medina shopping
• →Optional hot-air balloon flight