Multi-Day Tours in Morocco

Multi-day tours in Morocco are organised by departure city, since distances are long, and most leave from Marrakesh. From there the road crosses the High Atlas at Tizi n'Tichka, a pass just over 2,200 m, runs by the earth-walled ksar of Aït Benhaddou and through Ouarzazate, then reaches the Dadès and Todgha gorges and the dunes of Merzouga, or turns down the Draa valley to Zagora and Erg Chegaga. From Fes the same desert is about 460 km away across the Middle Atlas, which allows a one-way crossing to Marrakesh. Tangier and Casablanca send people north to Chefchaouen, Volubilis, Meknes and Fes in two or three days. Week-long circuits chain the imperial cities together, and a three-day coastal loop runs through Portuguese El Jadida, the oyster lagoon of Oualidia and the potters of Safi.

Morocco multi-day tours come in three formats. A private car with a driver-guide, for groups of up to fifteen, is the commonest. A shared group departure costs less and keeps a fixed route. Treks are the third: Toubkal in two to four days, three days between Berber villages with a mule for the bags, or a week in the bare Saghro range. Essaouira adds kitesurfing weeks with daily private lessons. The bed is the usual variable: a standard tent, a luxury camp with private tents and bathrooms, or kasbah and hotel nights with dinner and breakfast. Lunches, drinks and entrance fees are usually extra.

Practical. Spring and autumn suit the desert. At Ouarzazate July averages 39C by day and January nights fall to about 2C, so a winter camp wants a warm layer. Snow can close the Tichka pass for hours, now and then for a day, between November and March. Pick-ups are usually between 07:00 and 08:00 and the last day ends around seven in the evening, so keep flights for the next morning. A three-day loop from Marrakesh to Merzouga and back covers more than 1,100 km. Cancellation terms differ by tour, from a free window of 24 hours to 15 days. Cash in dirhams covers lunches, tips and entrance fees.