Self-Launched Morocco: Tangier to Marrakech via the Sahara & Essaouira

Land at Tangier Ibn Battouta (or arrive by ferry from Tarifa, ~£30). Either take the CTM bus from Tangier bus station to Chefchaouen (roughly 4 hrs, ~£7–9, 1–2 daily services) or break the journey with a shared grand taxi to Tetouan (~£5) then a local bus/van on to Chefchaouen (~£3). Check into a medina guesthouse and spend the afternoon wandering the blue-washed lanes, climbing to the kasbah (entry ~£1) and hiking 20 mins up to the Spanish Mosque for sunset over the Rif. Dinner of tagine in the square ~£5–7.

🚌CTM bus Tangier → Chefchaouen ~£8, or ferry from Spain ~£30

🛏Medina guesthouse / riad dorm or private room, Chefchaouen (~£12–18)

• →Wander Chefchaouen medina
• →Chefchaouen Kasbah (~£1)
• →Sunset at Spanish Mosque

Optional early hike to Akchour waterfalls (grand taxi ~£10 return; allow 4 hrs) if you want the Rif scenery — otherwise take the morning bus/van to Meknes (~£6, 3.5 hrs). Drop bags, then grab a shared taxi to the Roman ruins of Volubilis (~£5 each way, ~£6 entry) for 1.5 hrs among the mosaics and triumphal arch. Back in Meknes, walk Bab Mansour gate, the Heri es-Souani granaries and stables (~£5 combined ticket), then the train or CTM bus on to Fes (~£3–5, 1 hr). Dinner in the ville nouvelle.

🚌Local bus/van to Meknes ~£6, shared taxi to Volubilis ~£10 return, train Meknes–Fes ~£4

🛏Fes medina riad guesthouse (~£12–18)

• →Volubilis Roman ruins
• →Bab Mansour & Meknes medina
• →Heri es-Souani granaries and stables
• →Optional Akchour waterfalls hike

Book a half-day licensed medina guide through GetYourGuide or your riad (~£25–35, or DIY with a good map for free). Otherwise self-guide: Bab Bou Jeloud, the Bou Inania and al-Attarine madrasas (~£1–2 each), the al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university exterior, the Chouara tanneries (small tip ~£2 from a terrace), and the souks. Skip the hard-sell rug shops. Evening: cheap street food — bissara, msemen, grilled kefta — for under £6.

🚌Walkable; petit taxi ~£1–2

🛏Fes medina riad guesthouse (~£12–18)

• →Fes medina and souks
• →Madrasas Bou Inania & al-Attarine
• →Chouara tanneries
• →Al-Qarawiyyin / University of al-Qarawiyyin

Long travel day. Take the CTM/SUPRATOURS bus Fes → Rissani or Merzouga (~8–9 hrs, ~£15–18, book online a day ahead), crossing the Ziz Valley with its palm oases — sit on the right for the views. Arrive late afternoon and check into a Merzouga guesthouse or pre-book a 1-night desert camp package direct (~£40–55 including camel trek, dinner, Berber music and sunrise camel ride — often cheaper booked on arrival or via Booking.com than through an operator). Ride camels out to the dunes for sunset and sleep in a nomad tent under the stars.

🚌CTM/SUPRATOURS bus Fes → Merzouga ~£16

🛏Berber desert camp, Erg Chebbi (~£20–30 within camp package)

• →Ziz Valley viewpoints
• →Camel trek into Erg Chebbi
• →Sunset over the dunes
• →Desert camp dinner with Berber music

Wake for sunrise on the dunes, then camel or 4x4 back to town and shower. Optional sandboarding (~£5) or a morning visit to Khemliya's Gnawa music village. Visit Rissani's market if it's a market day (Sun/Tue/Thu), then take a shared grand taxi or local van via Tinejdad to Tinghir (~£8–10, 3–4 hrs) and a short taxi into Todra Gorge (~£3). Walk the gorge floor in the late light; guesthouses along the canyon rim are cheap and scenic.

🚌Shared grand taxi/van Merzouga → Tinghir ~£9, local taxi to gorge ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Todra Gorge (~£12–18)

• →Sunrise on Erg Chebbi dunes
• →Khemliya village music (small tip)
• →Rissani market
• →Todra Gorge walk

Head west through the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs and the Rose Valley (El Kelaa M'Gouna) — shared taxi to Boumalne Dades (~£3), then a van/taxi combination to Ouarzazate (~£8, 3 hrs). If you hire a shared grand taxi for the whole leg it's roughly £20–25 and far more flexible. Stop for the Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate (~£2) and the Atlas Film Studios if you like (~£5), then a taxi (~£8) to Aït Benhaddou village for a sunset climb into the UNESCO ksar (free to enter, small guide tip).

🚌Shared taxis/vans Todra → Ouarzazate ~£12, taxi to Aït Benhaddou ~£8

🛏Guesthouse opposite Aït Benhaddou (~£12–20)

• →Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs
• →Rose Valley
• →Ouarzazate & Taourirt Kasbah
• →Aït Benhaddou ksar at sunset

Shared taxi to Ouarzazate (~£8) then the CTM/SUPRATOURS bus over the Tizi n'Tichka pass to Marrakech (~£7–10, 4 hrs) — the high pass with its switchbacks is the highlight. Alternatively a direct shared grand taxi (~£20). Arrive, check into a medina riad or hostel and walk to Jemaa el-Fna at dusk for the food stalls, storytellers and drummers. Cheap dinner at the square ~£5.

🚌Shared taxi to Ouarzazate ~£8, bus over Tizi n'Tichka ~£8

🛏Marrakech medina riad or hostel (~£15–25)

• →Tizi n'Tichka pass viewpoints
• →Jemaa el-Fna square at night

Self-guided morning: Koutoubia Mosque exterior, the Saadian Tombs (~£3), Bahia Palace (~£4) and the souks around the Mellah. Afternoon options: le Jardin Majorelle (~£13, book a timed slot online), the Ben Youssef Madrasa (~£5) or a hammam (~£10–15 for a local bathhouse; £25+ for tourist spas). Consider a GetYourGuide street-food tour (~£30) or a cooking class (~£30) if you want structure. Dinner off the main square for ~£7–9.

🚌Walkable; petit taxi ~£1–2

🛏Marrakech medina riad or hostel (~£15–25)

• →Koutoubia Mosque
• →Saadian Tombs & Bahia Palace
• →Souks of the medina
• →Optional Majorelle Garden / hammam / food tour

Morning CTM/SUPRATOURS bus to Essaouira (~2.5–3 hrs, ~£7). En route the road passes through argan forest — many buses stop at a women's argan cooperative where you can see the oil being pressed (free, buying optional). In Essaouira, walk the UNESCO ramparts, the fishing port with its blue boats, and the beach. Fresh grilled sardines at the port ~£4. Sunset from the Skala du Port.

🚌CTM bus Marrakech → Essaouira ~£7

🛏Essaouira medina guesthouse (~£12–20)

• →Argan women's cooperative stop
• →Essaouira ramparts & Skala du Port
• →Fishing port and beach
• →Sunset over the Atlantic

Early swim or a walk along the 3 km beach, then the mid-morning bus back to Marrakech (~£7, 2.5–3 hrs). If time allows before your flight, taxi out to the Jardin Majorelle (~£13) or do a final souk shop. Buses run to Marrakech Airport from the city (bus 19, ~£3) or a taxi ~£10. If your flight leaves another day, add one more night in a Marrakech hostel (~£15–25).

🚌CTM bus Essaouira → Marrakech ~£7, airport bus/taxi ~£3–10

🛏—

• →Essaouira beach morning
• →Optional Jardin Majorelle
• →Final souk shopping