10 Days: A Well-Rounded Loop Covering Cities, Desert, and Coast
Ten days is enough time to stop choosing between Morocco’s greatest hits and just do most of them - the imperial cities, the Rif mountains, a proper night in the Sahara, and the classic kasbah route back through the Atlas. The two tours below cover that core loop extremely well. One honest note before you book: neither of the best-reviewed 10-day packages we found actually swings out to the coast, despite what a “cities, desert, and coast” itinerary implies - so we’ve built in exactly how to add that piece yourself without throwing off the rest of the trip.
The Core 10-Day Loop
Days 1-2: Casablanca to Chefchaouen Start in Casablanca, take in the Hassan II Mosque, then head to Rabat for the Kasbah of the Oudayas and Hassan Tower before continuing north into the Rif Mountains and the Blue City itself. Our Chefchaouen guide covers what to prioritize here.
Days 3-4: Meknes, Volubilis, and Fes Visit the Roman ruins at Volubilis and the imperial city of Meknes on the way to Fes, then spend a full day properly exploring Fes el Bali - the tanneries, the madrasas, and the deliberate art of getting lost in it. Our Fes travel guide has the full rundown, sarcasm included.
Days 5-6: Into the Sahara Cross the Middle Atlas cedar forests to Merzouga for a sunset camel trek into the Erg Chebbi dunes and a night in a desert camp, followed by sunrise over the sand the next morning. Our Merzouga guide covers exactly what this leg of the trip is like.
Days 7-8: Gorges, Kasbahs, and Marrakech Wind back through the Todra and Dades Gorges, stop at Ait Ben Haddou’s UNESCO-listed kasbah, then cross the High Atlas into Marrakech.
Days 9-10: Marrakech and Departure Spend your final full day properly exploring Marrakech - our Marrakech travel guide covers everything worth doing - before departing.
Book the Core Loop
Adding the Coast Yourself
Since neither package above swings out to the coast, the cleanest way to genuinely cover “cities, desert, and coast” is to tack on a separate Essaouira stop, either right before flying home or as a standalone weekend if your schedule allows an extra 2-3 days. It sits about 2.5-3 hours from Marrakech, which makes it an easy add-on at the tail end of this exact loop rather than a detour that eats into the rest of the itinerary. Our Essaouira travel guide covers what to do once you’re there - the ramparts, the port, and the windsurfing scene if that’s your thing.
Who This Trip Is For
This is the itinerary for a first (or second) Morocco trip that wants real depth rather than a whirlwind - enough time in each city to not feel rushed, and a full, unhurried desert night rather than a token stop. It suits travelers comfortable with a lot of driving across the ten days, in exchange for seeing genuinely most of what the country has to offer in one trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 10 days too long to spend mostly on the road? It’s a fair amount of driving, but the drives themselves pass through some of Morocco’s best scenery (the Middle Atlas cedar forests, the gorges, the High Atlas pass), so it rarely feels like dead time.
Should I add Essaouira before or after the main loop? After tends to work better logistically, since it’s an easy final stop from Marrakech before flying out, rather than a detour in the middle of the loop.
Can this itinerary be shortened if I don’t have 10 days? Yes - dropping Chefchaouen or combining it with a shorter northern leg brings this down to a workable 7-8 day version while keeping the desert and imperial city highlights intact.
Ten days won’t show you everything Morocco has, but it gets you remarkably close - and with an Essaouira stop tacked on at the end, this loop genuinely earns the “cities, desert, and coast” description rather than just implying it.
