Morocco itinerary 16 days: the full loop day by day
This is the longest route we publish and the only one that truly circles Morocco: north up the Atlantic coast, inland through the imperial cities, over the Middle Atlas to the Sahara, south-west across the Anti-Atlas and back up the coast to Marrakech.
| Day | Route | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival in Casablanca | Hassan II Mosque | Casablanca |
| 2 | Casablanca – Rabat – Asilah – Tangier | Kasbah of the Udayas, Asilah medina | Tangier |
| 3 | Tangier – Rif Mountains – Chefchaouen | Cap Spartel, Caves of Hercules | Chefchaouen |
| 4 | Chefchaouen (free day) | Blue medina, Spanish Mosque | Chefchaouen |
| 5 | Chefchaouen – Volubilis – Meknes – Fes | Roman mosaics, Bab Mansour | Fes |
| 6 | Fes | Guided medina tour, Chouara Tannery | Fes |
| 7 | Fes – Ifrane – Midelt – Merzouga | Cedar forests, Ziz Valley | Hotel by the dunes |
| 8 | Merzouga and Erg Chebbi | Nomads, Khamlia, sunset camel trek | Desert camp |
| 9 | Merzouga – Rissani – Todra – Dadès | Sunrise, Todra Gorge | Dadès Valley |
| 10 | Dadès – Ouarzazate – Aït Benhaddou | Valley of the Roses, film studios | Near Aït Benhaddou |
| 11 | Aït Benhaddou – Taliouine – Taroudant | Saffron country, red ramparts | Taroudant |
| 12 | Taroudant – Agadir – Essaouira | Atlantic coast, argan trees | Essaouira |
| 13 | Essaouira (free day) | Skala ramparts, fishing port | Essaouira |
| 14 | Essaouira – Marrakech | Jemaa el-Fna at dusk | Marrakech |
| 15 | Marrakech | Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, Majorelle | Marrakech |
| 16 | Departure | Transfer to RAK or CMN | – |
Who is a 16 day grand tour of Morocco for?
Sixteen days suits travellers who would rather see Morocco once and thoroughly than come back several times. It works well for long holidays, sabbaticals and honeymoons, for older travellers who prefer short driving days, and for families who need rest days to keep everyone happy.
How it compares with shorter routes from Casablanca
- 14 day Morocco itinerary: similar northern half, but returns over the High Atlas and visits Essaouira only as a day trip.
- 10 day Morocco itinerary: the classic highlights without Tangier, the Anti-Atlas or the coast.
- 15 days tour from Tangier: almost the same southern loop, starting in the north instead.
As with all our private tours, the plan is a starting point. You can trim the coast to add a night in the High Atlas, or add an extra desert night. Larger parties can look at our private group tours in Morocco.
Driving distances and pacing over 16 days in Morocco
The loop covers more than 2,500 km, but the distance is spread so that most days involve around 3 to 6 hours on the road including stops, and five days have little or no driving. The longest day is day 7, Fes to Merzouga, at roughly 8 to 9 hours with stops in Ifrane, Azrou and Midelt. Day 2, Casablanca to Tangier via Rabat and Asilah, and day 12, Taroudant to Essaouira via Agadir, are each around 5 to 6 hours with visits.
Your private driver-guide stays with you for all 16 days and works in English, French, Spanish or Italian; Spanish and Italian depend on availability and are confirmed before booking. Licensed local guides lead the walking tours of the Fes and Marrakech medinas.
Where you stay
The route uses riads in Chefchaouen, Fes, Taroudant, Essaouira and Marrakech, city hotels in Casablanca and Tangier, a hotel at the edge of Erg Chebbi, a desert camp and kasbah-style hotels in the Dadès Valley and near Aït Benhaddou. Comfort and luxury categories are available; Merzouga has comfort-category hotels only, so the upgrade applies in the other stops and at the desert camp.
Sahara and southern Morocco: the heart of the grand tour
Day 8 is spent entirely around Erg Chebbi. A morning 4x4 trip visits a nomad family and the village of Khamlia for Gnawa music; in the late afternoon you ride camels for about an hour and a half into the dunes for sunset and a night at camp. The camel ride depends on camel availability that day. If no camels are free, you drive to camp by 4x4 with a sunset stop and take the camel ride the next morning. The comfort camp has private tents for two with their own bathroom and toilet; a partner camp with air-conditioned tents is also used. For more on the area, see our Merzouga and Sahara travel guide.
Afterwards the route enters country few tours reach. A night beside Aït Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lets you see the ksar at sunset. The Anti-Atlas road passes Taliouine, known for saffron, before Taroudant with its complete ring of earthen walls. Then comes the Atlantic at Agadir and the coast road to Essaouira, whose medina is also UNESCO-listed.
Season, packing and money for a 16 day Morocco circuit
- Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons across every region on this loop.
- Summer: Tangier, Chefchaouen and Essaouira stay pleasant, but the desert, Fes and Marrakech are very hot. The tour runs, with sightseeing planned for the cooler hours.
- Winter: sunny days, cold desert and mountain nights, and rain is possible in the north.
Pack layers for several climates, a warm jacket for evenings, a windproof top for the coast, a scarf, sun protection and comfortable shoes for cobbled medinas. Dress modestly in villages and religious sites. The dirham (MAD) is a closed currency, so obtain it in Morocco and carry cash for lunches, city dinners, entrance fees and tips, which are not included. International flights are not part of the package. Our best time to visit Morocco guide has month-by-month detail.