- Tour code
MARADV01
- Start
Casablanca
- End
Marrakech
- Min. age
16 years old
- Group size
Max 6-16 travellers
- Trip style
Explorer
- Trip pace
Active
- Language
English
Morocco changes quickly as you cross it, and this route is built to show you as much of that as possible without rushing. You begin in Casablanca, head north into the Rif Mountains for two nights in Chefchaouen, including dinner in a family home, then spend time in Fes, the country's spiritual and craft capital.
From Fes, the road climbs through Middle Atlas cedar forest and down to the edge of the Sahara, where camels carry you to a desert camp for a night under the stars. Then come the Todra Gorge, two slow days in the Dades Valley and the mud-brick ksar of Ait Benhaddou before Marrakech, where a food tour and a sidecar ride into the Agafay Desert close things out.
Riad stays along the way bring plenty of Moroccan character, and the pace leaves room to breathe: a free day in Chefchaouen and an easy day in the Dades Valley sit between the longer drives. Your Soca Islands Host travels with the group throughout, and groups are kept to 16 travelers at most.
Why This Journey
Most short Morocco trips stay on the Fes–Marrakech line. This one takes in the blue town of Chefchaouen in the north and the desert and kasbah country of the south, so you see the country's full range: mountain villages, medina workshops, Saharan dunes and the oasis valleys in between.
It's also a trip built around people. You'll eat in a family home in the Rif, lunch on Berber pizza in the desert, listen to local musicians and taste your way through the backstreets of Marrakech with a guide who knows them, which is often what travelers remember most.
Where You'll Stay
Casablanca (1 night): Hyatt Regency Casablanca. Chefchaouen (2 nights): Lina Ryad & Spa. Fes (2 nights): Riad Fès - Relais & Châteaux. Erfoud (1 night): Kasbah Hotel Xaluca. Sahara (1 night): desert camp. Dades Valley (2 nights): Hotel Xaluca Dades. Ait Benhaddou (1 night): Ksar Ighnda. Marrakech (2 nights): Les Jardins de la Médina. Proposed accommodation (or similar), subject to confirmation. Prices are based on two people sharing a double room with two beds.
Getting There
International Flights Not Included. International airfare to and from the destination is not included in the package price. Travelers are responsible for arranging their own flights and ensuring their arrival and departure align with the trip itinerary. Fly into Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) and out of Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK); arrival and departure airport transfers are included. Please share your confirmed flight details with Soca Islands so we can coordinate applicable arrival and departure arrangements.
What you will see and do
Ride a vintage sidecar across the stony Agafay Desert
Sleep in comfortable tents among the Sahara's rose-colored dunes
Sit down to a home-cooked Berber dinner as a family's guests in the Rif
What's included
All activities mentioned on the itinerary
Accommodations in double rooms
Experienced Soca Islands Host with you throughout the trip
One farewell group activity when possible
Max 16 travellers per group
Arrival and departure airport transfers
Group transportation
What's excluded
- International flights (travellers arrange their own)
- Travel insurance (required)
- Meals not listed in the itinerary
- Optional activities (Rose Valley or Monkey Fingers hike)
- Single room supplement (single rooms on request, subject to availability)
- Extra hotel nights before or after the trip
Group itinerary
Casablanca, Morocco's big port city, is where it all starts. Your Soca Islands airport transfer brings you to the hotel, and if you land early there's time to see the Hassan II Mosque, its minaret rising above the Atlantic.
Rest up, then meet the group for a welcome dinner of modern Moroccan fusion cooking.
Head north into the Rif Mountains to Chefchaouen, whose blue-washed walls and red-tiled roofs are famous across Morocco.
A guided walk leads you up and down its cobbled lanes, past the Spanish Quarter and on to the old kasbah on the main square.
The day is yours. Hike the hills above town to the Spanish Mosque for the view, browse the markets, or sit with a glass of mint tea and watch local life unfold.
In the evening you'll be welcomed into a local family's home for a meal of Berber dishes and conversation about traditional life in the mountains.
A drive of about four hours through rolling farmland brings you to Fes, long considered Morocco's cultural and spiritual center, with its palaces, mosques and grand old mansions.
As the sun sets, head to a rooftop to look over the medina while the call to prayer rings out from its minarets.
A full day in the old medina of Fes, one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world. You'll see the famous tanneries, watch artisans in workshops that have operated for generations, stand before the Royal Palace's brass gates and visit the Jewish cemetery.
The day finishes in the pottery quarter, home of the city's blue-and-white ceramics.
Heading for the Sahara, you'll cross the Middle Atlas and stop for a walk in cedar forests where Barbary macaques live. Lunch features Atlas trout, served at a local restaurant.
By afternoon you've reached the oasis town of Erfoud, with a visit to the Ziz Gorges, a green ribbon of palms between high cliffs.
Lunch today is medfouna, the stuffed flatbread often called Berber pizza, followed by time with local musicians and a stop at a marble workshop that cuts and polishes the region's fossil-rich stone.
Then you mount up for a camel trek over the dunes to a remote desert camp. Spend the afternoon sandboarding, or just relax by the fire as the stars come out.
Wake to the quiet of the desert, then trek back to the vehicle. The road west leads to Todra Gorge, with its sheer limestone walls, then continues into the Dades Valley, where you'll spend the next two nights among rose fields, Berber villages and mountain views.
Take it easy today. Lounge by the pool or explore the valley at your own pace. Walkers can choose an optional hike in the Rose Valley or out to the rock formations known as the Monkey Fingers.
Follow the old kasbah route, known as the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, as far as Ait Benhaddou, the UNESCO-listed mud-brick ksar that film fans will know from Gladiator and Game of Thrones.
Wander its narrow lanes and climb to the old granary at the top for sunset over the Atlas.
Crossing the High Atlas brings you to Marrakech. A local guide then leads a food tour through the backstreets, introducing you to dishes and stalls you'd never find on your own.
Climb into a vintage sidecar for a spin across the Agafay Desert, a stony, moon-like landscape outside Marrakech. Lunch is farm-to-table at a working farm among olive and pomegranate trees.
Back in the city, drinks on a rooftop lead into the group's farewell dinner.
After breakfast, say goodbye to the group and transfer to Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) for your flight home.
Accommodations
Here's a glimpse of the hotels we selected for this adventure.
Hyatt Regency Casablanca
A large international hotel on Place des Nations Unies in central Casablanca, right beside the walls of the old medina and a short drive from the Hassan II Mosque and the Corniche.
Its size makes it straightforward for a group arriving on different flights, with restaurants and a bar on site and breakfast served each morning. The tram stops close by.
Lina Ryad & Spa
A riad hotel inside the blue-walled medina of Chefchaouen, a few minutes' walk from Plaza Uta el-Hammam and the kasbah. The narrow lanes outside lead straight into the old town's markets and viewpoints.
Built around an inner courtyard in traditional style, it has a spa with an indoor pool and hammam, a restaurant and a roof terrace looking over the town and the Rif Mountains.
Riad Fès - Relais & Châteaux
A riad hotel in the Zerbtana quarter of the Fez medina, made up of restored traditional houses with tiled courtyards, carved plaster and cedar woodwork. The souks, tanneries and monuments of Fes el-Bali are reached on foot through the lanes.
There is a year-round pool, a spa, the Gayza restaurant and bar, and a rooftop terrace over the medina.
Hotel websiteKasbah Hotel Xaluca
A kasbah-style hotel set among palm groves about 6 km from Erfoud, on the road towards the dunes of Merzouga and the Ziz valley.
Built in traditional earth tones with Berber decoration, it is a comfortable base before the camel trek, with a restaurant, gardens and pools on site.
Hotel websiteHotel Xaluca Dades
A hotel on a hillside above Boumalne Dades, at the mouth of the Dades Valley, with wide views over the valley, the river and the High Atlas foothills.
It is well placed for the Rose Valley and the rock formations of the Dades gorge, and has a restaurant and terraces for a slow day in the valley.
Hotel websiteKsar Ighnda
A boutique hotel built in the style of a traditional ksar, in the palm groves of Asfalou a few kilometres from the mud-brick ksar of Ait Benhaddou.
Courtyards, a pool and gardens make it a calm place to stop after the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, and the restaurant serves Moroccan dishes.
Les Jardins de la Médina
A riad-style hotel on Derb Chtouka in the Kasbah quarter of the Marrakesh medina, set around a 3,000 m² garden with a large outdoor pool, heated in winter. The Saadian Tombs and the El Badi Palace are a short walk away, and Jemaa el-Fna is within easy reach.
There are 36 rooms in four categories, facing either the patio or the gardens, plus a restaurant, a spa and a fitness room, which gives a group space to spread out after the souks.
Hotel websiteRooms
- Included
Shared double
Shared with the person you book with, or a fellow traveller of the same sex.
- Extra cost
Single room
A room to yourself, subject to availability.
You choose your room when you book.
Tour FAQS
Fly into Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) and out of Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK).
Proposed accommodation (or similar), subject to confirmation: Hyatt Regency Casablanca in Casablanca, Lina Ryad & Spa in Chefchaouen, Riad Fès - Relais & Châteaux in Fes, Kasbah Hotel Xaluca near Erfoud, a desert camp in the Sahara, Hotel Xaluca Dades in the Dades Valley, Ksar Ighnda near Ait Benhaddou and Les Jardins de la Médina in Marrakech.
International Flights Not Included. International airfare to and from the destination is not included in the package price. Travelers are responsible for arranging their own flights and ensuring their arrival and departure align with the trip itinerary. Please share your confirmed flight details with Soca Islands so we can coordinate applicable arrival and departure arrangements.
Yes. Arrival and departure airport transfers are included. Please share your confirmed flight details with Soca Islands so we can coordinate applicable arrival and departure arrangements.
12 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 8 dinners. Lunches are the Atlas trout lunch on Day 6, the medfouna lunch on Day 7 and the farm lunch on Day 12; dinners include the welcome dinner, the family supper in Chefchaouen and the farewell dinner in Marrakech. Meals not listed are at your own cost.
Extra nights can be requested, subject to hotel availability; contact our Customer Experience team for a quote.
There are no scheduled activities on the final day, so feel free to book your departure at your own convenience.
We recommend arriving before 3 pm on Day 1 to make it in time for the welcome event. But don’t worry no matter when you land, we’ll have an airport transfer ready for you.
Please Refer to your government’s travel advice or consult your local consulate. Remember, passport and visa requirements can change, so make sure to stay updated.
Excluding alcohol, we suggest budgeting around USD $40.00 per day for extras.
While we’re not medical professionals, we want to help you prepare for a safe and healthy adventure. Here are some tips:
- Consult with a healthcare professional: Schedule an appointment with your travel nurse or doctor at least eight weeks before your adventure to get any necessary vaccines or medications.
- Up-to-date medical advice:
- US residents: Check the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
- UK residents: Visit the NHS Fit For Travel website.
- Australian residents: Refer to the Smart Traveler Health website.
3. Government travel advice:
- US residents: Consult the US Department of State Travel Advice.
- UK residents: Check the FCDO Travel Advice.
- Australian residents: Visit the Smart Traveler website.
4. Medication tips: If you take prescription medication, bring enough to last the entire trip, plus a few extra days in case of delays. Carry a copy of your prescription in case you need to visit a clinic abroad.
We hope this helps you prepare for a safe and enjoyable adventure.
Please keep in mind that our itinerary, activities, and hotels might change. These adjustments could happen with little notice due to factors like availability, weather conditions, seasonal shifts, or other circumstances beyond our control. Rest assured, we always aim to minimise any impact on your experience. Occasionally, we may tweak the itinerary to try out fresh ideas and keep the adventure exciting.
We believe solo travelers shouldn’t have to pay extra to explore the world. That’s why our group trips are designed around shared accommodation and do not include a single supplement. Solo travelers joining our group trips are paired in twin or multi-share rooms with another traveler of the same sex for the duration of the trip.
Some of our Independent trips are structured differently. For these itineraries, solo travelers will need to book at the single occupancy rate.
Tips are not included in the cost of this tour. Remember, tipping is entirely at your discretion and based on what you feel comfortable with.
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