Self-Launched Morocco Grand Loop: Chefchaouen, Fes, Sahara & Marrakech
6 days · Morocco
Moroccan Best Tours charges £850
No-markup version: ~£375 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A do-it-yourself version of Moroccan Best Tours' 6-day private luxury circuit, stitched together with Morocco's excellent CTM/Supratours coach network, shared grand taxis, a petit taxi loop in Casablanca, and a locally-booked desert camp in Merzouga. You'll hit the same Imperial Cities (Rabat, Fes, Marrakech), the blue lanes of Chefchaouen, the Todra Gorge, Ait Benhaddou and a night under the stars in Erg Chebbi — but on public transport, in hostel/riad guesthouse rooms, and with self-bookable medina guides from GetYourGuide instead of a private driver-guide. Budgets assume a shared dorm or twin room split two ways and eating mostly local. Costs are honest approximations, not quotes.
Day-by-day
Casablanca to Chefchaouen via Rabat
Casablanca / Rabat / Chefchaouen
Start early at Hassan II Mosque — the exterior and esplanade are free to walk, and the 45-minute guided interior tour runs roughly hourly for about £11 booked direct at the ticket office (skip the mosque tour if you're tight on time; the building is the star). Take a petit taxi (£2-3) to Casa Voyageurs station and buy a second-class ticket to Rabat Ville (trains run hourly, ~1 hour, £4-5). In Rabat, walk from the station to the Kasbah of the Udayas, then Mohammed V Mausoleum and Hassan Tower on the same site (free entry, closed to non-Muslims inside the mosque). Mid-afternoon head back to Rabat Ville and take the train to Tangier (2h45, ~£10) or, easier, ask at the station about the direct CTM coach connection north. From Tangier, CTM/Supratours runs coaches to Chefchaouen (about 2h, £6-8); the last departures are early evening, so plan to leave Rabat before 15:00. Overnight in the medina. Tip: buy all tickets at the counter to avoid touts; download the CTM app for timetables.
🚌Petit taxi + ONCF train Casablanca-Rabat-Tangier (~£14-15 total) + CTM coach Tangier-Chefchaouen (~£7)
🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in Chefchaouen medina (e.g. Dar-style guesthouse, twin ~£20-26/night for the room)
- →Hassan II Mosque exterior and optional interior tour (~£11)
- →Mohammed V Square and Art Deco downtown Casablanca
- →Hassan Tower and Mohammed V Mausoleum, Rabat
- →Kasbah of the Udayas and medina walk, Rabat
Chefchaouen blue streets, then coach to Fes
Chefchaouen / Fes
Get up before 8am to photograph the blue lanes of the medina while it's quiet and empty — the Spanish Mosque viewpoint above town is a 25-minute uphill walk with the best panorama and costs nothing. Wander the kasbah garden (small entry, ~£1) and the Ras El Maa spring at the top of the medina. Take the CTM or Supratours coach from Chefchaouen to Fes in the afternoon (roughly 4-5 hours with a change or direct depending on the day, £9-12); book online a day ahead as seats fill. Arrive in Fes, take a petit taxi (£2) to a riad inside the medina near Bab Boujloud, and eat dinner at a cheap local grill — a tagine and bread runs £5-7.
🚌CTM/Supratours coach Chefchaouen-Fes (~£10)
🛏Riad guesthouse inside Fes medina (twin ~£22-30/night)
- →Sunrise walk in Chefchaouen medina
- →Spanish Mosque viewpoint hike
- →Kasbah Museum and Ras El Maa spring
- →Evening orientation wander in Fes medina
Fes medina with a local guide, into the Middle Atlas
Fes / Ifrane / Midelt / Merzouga
Book a half-day licensed medina guide through GetYourGuide or the riad the night before (around £25-35 per person for a small group, or £60-80 for a private guide split two ways) — this is the one splurge worth making, since the Fes medina is genuinely hard to navigate solo. Cover Bou Inania Madrasa (£3), the Al Quaraouiyine area, the Chouara tanneries (expect a hard sell at the terrace; £1-2 tip), the Mellah and the Royal Palace gates, and Nejjarine Square. After lunch, take a shared grand taxi or CTM coach south to Midelt/Errachidia (long, so many backpackers instead take the overnight CTM coach to Merzouga, roughly 8-9 hours, £12-15, departing late afternoon). If you prefer daylight, skip Ifrane/Azrou and go straight for Merzouga. Arrive in Merzouga village and check into a budget desert guesthouse or pre-booked basic camp.
🚌CTM coach Fes-Merzouga (~£13)
🛏Budget guesthouse in Merzouga village (twin ~£20-28/night) or basic desert camp
- →Guided Fes medina walking tour
- →Bou Inania Madrasa
- →Chouara tanneries
- →Mellah and Royal Palace gates
- →Nejjarine Square
Erg Chebbi camel trek, desert camp and sunrise
Merzouga / Erg Chebbi / Todra Gorge / Ouarzazate
Book a camel trek and one-night desert camp directly with a Merzouga operator or via GetYourGuide — standard budget tents run £30-45 per person including camel ride in and out, dinner and breakfast, Berber drumming and a campfire; the 'luxury' camps with proper beds and showers are £55-70. In the afternoon before the trek, hire a sandboard (£3) or take a quad bike (£20-25) on the dunes. Ride out to the camp in the late afternoon, watch sunset on the dunes, and eat a communal tagine dinner under the Milky Way. Wake at 5:30am for sunrise from the top of the dunes and camel back to the village. Later that morning, take a shared grand taxi or CTM to Tinghir/Todra Gorge (2h, ~£6-8 shared), walk the gorge floor, and continue by shared taxi to Ouarzazate (long day, ~4h, £10-12) with a stop at Amridil Kasbah.
🚌Camel trek in/out + shared grand taxi Merzouga-Todra-Ouarzazate (~£18)
🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse in Ouarzazate (twin ~£22-28/night)
- →Camel trek into Erg Chebbi
- →Overnight desert camp with dinner and Berber music
- →Sunrise on the dunes
- →Sandboarding or optional quad bike
- →Todra Gorge walk
- →Amridil Kasbah stop
Ait Benhaddou and over the Tizi n'Tichka to Marrakech
Ouarzazate / Ait Benhaddou / Marrakech
Optional early visit to Atlas Studios film sets just outside Ouarzazate (£7, cheesy but fun). Take a shared grand taxi or local bus the 30km to Ait Benhaddou (£2-3) and spend two hours climbing the ksar — entry to the fortified granary at the top is about £3 and the views down the valley are superb. Continue by shared grand taxi to Marrakech over the Tizi n'Tichka pass (roughly 3.5-4 hours, £10-12 shared, more comfortable in a CTM coach if timings work). Arrive in Marrakech, check into a medina hostel or riad near Jemaa el-Fna, and spend the evening on the square watching the food stalls and performers.
🚌Shared grand taxi/bus Ouarzazate-Ait Benhaddou-Marrakech (~£14)
🛏Hostel or budget riad in Marrakech medina (dorm £10-14, twin ~£24-32)
- →Ait Benhaddou ksar climb
- →Optional Atlas Studios visit
- →Tizi n'Tichka mountain pass drive
- →Jemaa el-Fna square at night
Marrakech highlights and return to Casablanca
Marrakech / Casablanca
Do Marrakech on foot: Koutoubia Mosque gardens (free), Bahia Palace (£6, arrive at opening to beat the crowds), Saadian Tombs (£6), and a slow wander through the souks with a mint tea stop on a rooftop. A self-booked small-group medina tour via GetYourGuide is £18-25 if you want the history filled in. In the late afternoon, take the ONCF train from Marrakech station to Casablanca (about 3h, £8-10, hourly) or the CTM coach (similar price, slightly slower). Finish at your airport hotel or go straight to Mohammed V Airport by train from Casa Oasis/Voyageurs (£3).
🚌ONCF train Marrakech-Casablanca (~£9) + airport train (~£3)
🛏Budget hotel near Casablanca station or airport (twin ~£25-35), or depart same evening
- →Koutoubia Mosque and gardens
- →Bahia Palace
- →Saadian Tombs
- →Souk and medina walk
- →Optional small-group Marrakech medina tour (~£20)
Self-launched vs. Moroccan Best Tours
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Moroccan Best Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£375 | £850 |
| Duration | 6 days | 6 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £475 per person (56%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Moroccan Best Tours-style trips? Check them out here.~£375
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 Self-Launched Morocco Grand Loop: Chefchaouen, Fes, Sahara & Marrakech cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £375 per person for 6 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 Moroccan Best Tours?+
Yes — Moroccan Best Tours charges around £850 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £375 — a saving of roughly £475 (56%) per person.
How long is the Morocco trip?+
This itinerary runs 6 days, covering 6 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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