Southern Morocco: The Sahara, The Coast & Marrakech — Self-Launched

Land at Marrakech Menara (RAK) and get a petit taxi into the city (~£4-6). If you are coming straight from the airport, the easiest plan is to take the CTM or Supratours coach to Ouarzazate — book online in advance, roughly £8-10, about 4.5 hours over the Tizi n'Tichka pass with a café stop. Alternatively, spend a night in Marrakech and catch the 8am coach. Settle into a small guesthouse near Ouarzazate's Taourirt kasbah and eat a cheap tagine dinner in the main square.

🚌Petit taxi from RAK airport; CTM or Supratours coach Marrakech–Ouarzazate (~£8-10)

🛏Budget guesthouse/auberge in Ouarzazate (~£16-22 per night)

• →Tizi n'Tichka High Atlas drive
• →Taourirt Kasbah exterior and medina stroll

Pay a morning visit to the Atlas Film Studios (Cla Studios) just outside town — entry is around £5 and the outdoor set museum is genuinely fun to wander alone. Then take a shared grand taxi or a local bus down to Zagora and on to Mhamid (the buses run via Zagora; expect ~£8-12 total and 4-5 hours, so leave early). In Mhamid, arrange a desert-camp trip directly with a local operator or your guesthouse the night before: standard price for a camel ride out, tent, dinner and breakfast is around £35-45 per person. Walk roughly two hours into the dunes to reach camp at sunset, with tea waiting.

🚌Shared grand taxi/bus Ouarzazate–Zagora–Mhamid (~£8-12)

🛏Traditional Berber desert camp tent, shared (included in desert package ~£35-45)

• →Atlas Film Studios self-guided visit
• →Camel trek or walk into Erg Lihoudi dunes
• →Sunset over the sand dunes

Wake for sunrise over the dunes, then breakfast at camp. Today's Berber desert journey continues — take the option of walking or riding a camel to a lunch stop in the sand, then head toward the palm gardens of Bertam Oasis. Your camp can usually arrange the transfer and a picnic lunch; budget ~£10-15 extra for the camel hire plus lunch. Return to the camp for a second night under the stars, dune-sandboarding if your camp has boards, and a simple couscous dinner.

🚌Camel/4x4 transfers arranged locally (~£10-15)

🛏Traditional Berber desert camp tent, shared (second night, ~£35-45 package)

• →Sunrise from the dunes
• →Camel ride (optional) across the erg
• →Bertam Oasis palm gardens
• →Sandboarding on the dunes

Leave camp after breakfast and head back to Mhamid, then north via Zagora and Ouarzazate toward Agadir. There is no direct comfortable public bus, so the practical self-launched route is a grand taxi to Zagora (~£10 shared), then a Supratours/CTM coach from Ouarzazate or Taroudant to Agadir (~£10-14, 5-6 hours). This is a long travel day — bring snacks and water, and download offline maps. Agadir is a modern beach city: an easy, cheap evening by the promenade.

🚌Shared grand taxi Mhamid–Zagora (~£10) + coach to Agadir (~£10-14)

🛏Budget hotel/hostel near Agadir beach (~£18-25)

• →Anti-Atlas scenery drive
• →Agadir beachfront promenade at sunset

Start with the Souk El Had in Agadir — one of Morocco's biggest markets and completely free to roam; graze on olives, argan oil and grilled skewers for a very cheap lunch (~£4-6). Optionally walk up to the Agadir Oufella kasbah ruins for the bay view (free). In the afternoon take the CTM or Supratours coach to Marrakech (~£9-12, about 3.5 hours) and check into a riad in the medina for three nights. Book your riad room directly rather than through a big platform — medina riads often go for £20-30 a night for a single with breakfast.

🚌CTM/Supratours coach Agadir–Marrakech (~£9-12)

🛏Small medina riad in Marrakech with rooftop breakfast (~£22-30 per night)

• →Souk El Had market
• →Agadir Oufella kasbah viewpoint

A full day on foot in the medina: Jemaa el-Fnaa in the morning, the souks north-east of the square, Ben Youssef Madrasa (£5) and Le Jardin Secret (£7) if you want a quiet courtyard. In the afternoon take a small-group tanjia-making workshop — these run around £30-40 on GetYourGuide or Klook and typically include the market visit, the clay-pot preparation, and eating the slow-cooked result. Marrakech is a walking city; expect to pay £3-6 in tips or the odd taxi.

🚌Walking; occasional petit taxi (~£3-6)

🛏Medina riad (~£22-30)

• →Jemaa el-Fnaa square
• →Souks and artisan workshops
• →Ben Youssef Madrasa
• →Tanjia-making cooking workshop (book via GetYourGuide/Klook)

Keep it flexible. The optional paid add-on on the guided version is Jardin Majorelle plus the Yves Saint Laurent Museum — book the combined ticket yourself online in advance (about £22-28, timed entry, they sell out). Cheaper alternatives: the Bahia Palace (£6), the Saadian Tombs (£6), or simply a slow afternoon on a riad rooftop. In the evening try a hammam — a neighbourhood bain de quartier costs £3-5, a tourist hammam with scrub around £20.

🚌Walking and petit taxi (~£4)

🛏Medina riad (~£22-30)

• →Jardin Majorelle & YSL Museum (optional, self-booked)
• →Bahia Palace or Saadian Tombs
• →Local hammam

Take a shared minibus or grand taxi from Marrakech to Ouzoud (~110km, £6-9 each way, 2.5 hours) — operators leave from the Bab Doukkala area, or book a shared day-trip shuttle on GetYourGuide for around £18-25 return. At the falls, walk the circuit down to the pools, take a dip, and eat lunch at one of the simple riverside cafés (£5-8). Watch out for the macaques near the top car park and keep bags zipped. Return to Marrakech in the evening.

🚌Shared minibus/grand taxi Marrakech–Ouzoud return (~£12-18)

🛏Medina riad in Marrakech (~£22-30)

• →Ouzoud waterfall circuit
• →Swim in the pools below the falls
• →Riverside lunch

Morning coach or shared grand taxi west to Essaouira (~£7-9, about 2.5-3 hours; CTM and Supratours both run it). Essaouira is a relaxed, wind-battered walled port — check into a small guesthouse inside the ramparts (£18-25). Spend the afternoon walking the Skala de la Ville ramparts (free), watching the blue boats in the harbour, and eating grilled sardines straight off the quay for £4-6.

🚌Coach Marrakech–Essaouira (~£7-9)

🛏Guesthouse inside Essaouira medina (~£18-25)

• →Essaouira ramparts and harbour
• →Sardine grills at the port
• →Medina gallery browsing

Morning on Essaouira's long beach — kite-surfing lessons can be booked locally for £35-50 if you fancy it, otherwise swim and walk. Early afternoon take the local bus south to Safi (~£5-7, around 2.5 hours). Safi is a working ceramics town rather than a tourist stop: visit the Colline des Potiers (potters' hill) where kilns and workshops spill down the hillside, and the ceramics market where plates and tagine pots sell for a fraction of Marrakech prices.

🚌Local bus Essaouira–Safi (~£5-7)

🛏Simple budget hotel in Safi (~£18-25)

• →Essaouira beach and optional kite-surf lesson
• →Colline des Potiers in Safi
• →Safi ceramics market

Short local bus or shared taxi down the coast to Oualidia (~£4-6, 1.5 hours). Oualidia is a small Atlantic lagoon village famous for oysters: check into a simple guesthouse, then spend the day on the sheltered lagoon beach. Book an oyster-farm tasting directly at one of the farms along the shore (£8-12 with a glass of wine), or just eat grilled fish at a beach shack. This is the slow-travel payoff day — no schedule needed.

🚌Local bus/shared taxi Safi–Oualidia (~£4-6)

🛏Beach guesthouse in Oualidia (~£20-28)

• →Oualidia lagoon beach
• →Oyster farm tasting
• →Coastal sunset walk

Take the morning bus or shared grand taxi back to Marrakech (~£8-11, about 3.5 hours) — leave enough buffer as coastal road traffic can be slow. If your flight is later in the day, drop bags at a riad or café near Jemaa el-Fnaa, do a last souk run for spices and argan oil, then take a petit taxi to Menara airport (~£5-7). Aim to depart no earlier than late afternoon to keep the transfer comfortable.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Oualidia–Marrakech (~£8-11) + petit taxi to RAK airport (~£5-7)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Final souk shopping in Marrakech
• →Farewell mint tea on a rooftop