10 Days Morocco Tour from Casablanca: Imperial Cities, Sahara & Atlantic Coast

Day 1 starts at Casablanca where our English-speaking Berber driver collects you from your hotel or airport in a private, air-conditioned 4x4 or comfortable minibus. From here, the road climbs through Casablanca, Morocco's economic heart, where the colossal Hassan II Mosque rises directly above the Atlantic waves and Art Deco facades line the boulevards. You then continue toward the Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world, its 210-metre minaret rising directly over the Atlantic. Lunch is served en route in Rabat, the discreet royal capital, whose Hassan Tower, Kasbah of the Oudayas and royal Chellah necropolis combine Andalusian elegance with Atlantic light. The afternoon takes you to the Hassan Tower, the unfinished 12th-century minaret of red sandstone facing the royal Mausoleum of Mohammed V. Overnight in a carefully selected riad or kasbah hotel with traditional dinner included.

Day 2 continues the journey deeper into Morocco. You travel through Meknes, the fourth imperial city, with the monumental Bab Mansour gate and the colossal stables built by sultan Moulay Ismail for his 12,000 horses. The afternoon takes you to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, a UNESCO archaeological site with capitols, mosaics and an arch of triumph standing in the open Atlas plain. As the light softens you reach Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, Morocco's holiest town built into the green hills around the tomb of the country's founder. The route winds on through Fes, the spiritual capital of Morocco and home to the world's oldest continuously operating university, with a medieval medina that has not changed its rhythm in nine centuries. You sleep tonight in a charming guesthouse hand-picked for character, location and breakfast quality.

Day 3 continues the journey deeper into Morocco. You travel through the Fes medina, the world's largest car-free urban area with 9,400 alleyways and the medieval tanneries of Chouara at its heart. The afternoon takes you to the Chouara tanneries of Fes, working since the 11th century with limestone vats, pigeon droppings and mineral dyes — a guild that has not changed its methods in 900 years. As the light softens you reach Royal Palace. The route winds on through Bou Inania medersa. Tonight's accommodation is a boutique riad with a courtyard pool, fresh towels and Berber breakfast at dawn.

Day 4 continues the journey deeper into Morocco. You travel through Fes, the spiritual capital of Morocco and home to the world's oldest continuously operating university, with a medieval medina that has not changed its rhythm in nine centuries. The afternoon takes you to Ifrane, the alpine-style town nicknamed the 'Switzerland of Morocco', with chalet roofs and a stone lion guarding the central square. As the light softens you reach Azrou and its sacred cedar grove, where Barbary macaques come close enough to eat acorns from a still hand. The route winds on through Midelt, the high-plateau town between the Middle and High Atlas, famous for apple orchards and Berber tribal carpets. Overnight in a carefully selected riad or kasbah hotel with traditional dinner included.

Day 5 continues the journey deeper into Morocco. You travel through Erfoud, the gateway to the Sahara and capital of black marble fossils where ancient ammonites and orthoceras are still mined from the surrounding hills. The afternoon takes you to Merzouga, the tiny Berber village on the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes where the Sahara properly begins and the silence is so deep you hear the sand shift. As the light softens you reach the towering Erg Chebbi dunes — Morocco's most cinematic Sahara landscape, rising up to 150 metres in apricot waves at sunset. The route winds on through the luxury desert camp where you sleep in a private en-suite Berber tent, enjoy a candle-lit Moroccan dinner and watch the Milky Way arc overhead in one of Morocco's darkest skies. Tonight you sleep in a private luxury Berber tent on the Erg Chebbi dunes — real beds, ensuite bathroom, candle-lit dinner and one of the darkest night skies in Morocco for stargazing.

Day 6 continues the journey deeper into Morocco. You travel through the legendary Merzouga sunrise, climbing a dune barefoot before dawn to watch the sun lift over the Algerian horizon. The afternoon takes you to an encounter with desert nomads who still herd dromedaries between summer and winter pastures, exactly as their ancestors did. As the light softens you reach Rissani, the ancient caravan town and former capital of the Filala dynasty, with one of Morocco's most authentic Berber markets. The route winds on through the Todra Gorge, where 300-metre red limestone walls narrow to just ten metres apart and the river runs ice-cold even in summer. Tonight's accommodation is a boutique riad with a courtyard pool, fresh towels and Berber breakfast at dawn.

Day 7 continues the journey deeper into Morocco. You travel through the rose-pink Dades Valley with its cliffs sculpted by erosion into the Monkey Fingers and a string of fortified kasbahs. The afternoon takes you to the fragrant Valley of the Roses, where the Damask roses bloom in May and the Kelaat M'Gouna distillery still uses copper alembics. As the light softens you reach Ouarzazate, gateway to the Sahara and home to the Atlas Film Studios where dozens of Hollywood productions are shot every year. The route winds on through Ait Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-listed earthen kasbah whose fortified walls have starred in Gladiator, Game of Thrones and Lawrence of Arabia. Overnight in a carefully selected riad or kasbah hotel with traditional dinner included.

Day 8 continues the journey deeper into Morocco. You travel through Ouarzazate, gateway to the Sahara and home to the Atlas Film Studios where dozens of Hollywood productions are shot every year. The afternoon takes you to the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 metres — the cinematic switchback road that connects Marrakech to the Saharan south, with hairpin views in every direction. As the light softens you reach the Marrakech medina — Jemaa el-Fnaa square, the maze of souks, Bahia Palace, Saadian tombs and the Koutoubia minaret rising above the date palms. You sleep tonight in a charming guesthouse hand-picked for character, location and breakfast quality.

Day 9 continues the journey deeper into Morocco. You travel through Marrakech's monuments — Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, Koutoubia gardens, El Badi Palace and Majorelle gardens. The afternoon takes you to the Bahia Palace, the 19th-century vizier's residence with painted cedar ceilings, zellige tile courtyards and orange-tree gardens. As the light softens you reach the rediscovered Saadian Tombs, hidden for two centuries and revealed in 1917 — sixty-six sultans of the Saadian dynasty under carved Carrara marble. The route winds on through Jemaa el-Fnaa, the UNESCO-listed nightly theatre of snake charmers, storytellers, drummers and grilled-meat smoke that has been Morocco's stage since the 11th century. Tonight's accommodation is a boutique riad with a courtyard pool, fresh towels and Berber breakfast at dawn.

Day 10 is your return day. You travel through Marrakech, the Red City, where palm-fringed gardens meet the dusty noise of the Jemaa el-Fnaa square and the labyrinth of the medina souks. The afternoon takes you to Essaouira, the breezy walled fishing port on the Atlantic, with its ramparts designed by a French military engineer and a thriving kitesurf scene. As the light softens you reach back via Chichaoua. The route winds on through Casablanca, Morocco's economic heart, where the colossal Hassan II Mosque rises directly above the Atlantic waves and Art Deco facades line the boulevards. You arrive at your Casablanca hotel or airport in the late afternoon, with photo memory cards full and a head full of Berber drumming.