8-Day Tour from Casablanca to Merzouga Sahara Desert

Morning pickup from your Casablanca hotel or airport. You begin at the Hassan II Mosque, set right over the Atlantic and one of the largest mosques in the world.

From there you drive north along the coastal highway to Rabat, Morocco's royal capital. The afternoon is spent touring the Hassan Tower, the unfinished minaret of a 12th-century mosque, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V with its painted ceiling, and the blue-and-white Kasbah of the Udayas above the Bouregreg river.

An optional sunset walk through the Andalusian gardens rounds off the day before you settle in for the night in Rabat.

You drive north through the Rif Mountains to Chefchaouen, Morocco's blue-painted mountain city, arriving in the early afternoon to check into your riad.

Walk the blue lanes of the medina at your own pace, then climb to the Spanish Mosque viewpoint above the city for sunset over the white-and-blue rooftops. If you'd rather stay lower, the small kasbah and ethnographic museum on Plaza Outa el-Hammam are close by. Dinner is at a local restaurant overlooking the square.

You leave Chefchaouen and drive south to Meknes, the imperial city built by Sultan Moulay Ismail. Pause at the monumental Bab Mansour gate, one of the most beautiful in Morocco, and the royal granaries at Heri es-Souani.

Just outside the city, walk through the Roman ruins of Volubilis, a UNESCO site with well-preserved mosaics, a basilica, and a triumphal arch marking the southwesternmost edge of the Roman Empire. You reach Fez by late afternoon and check into your traditional riad inside the ancient medina.

You spend the full day in Fez el-Bali, the world's largest car-free urban area, with a licensed local guide. The walk takes in the Bou Inania Madrasa and its intricate stucco and zellige tilework, the Karaouine mosque founded in 859 AD, and the Blue Gate at Bab Boujloud.

The highlight is the Chouara tanneries, where leather is still dyed by hand using techniques that haven't changed in 1,000 years. You view the colourful pits from a leather shop balcony, then have free time in the afternoon for lunch and shopping in the artisan souks.

You drive south through the Middle Atlas Mountains, stopping in Ifrane, often called the "Switzerland of Morocco" for its alpine architecture, and the cedar forest of Azrou, where wild Barbary macaques sometimes appear among the trees. Lunch is in Midelt.

From there you descend the Ziz Valley palm gorge, then continue through Erfoud and Rissani to Merzouga. In the late afternoon your camels are waiting at the edge of the dunes for the trek into Erg Chebbi at sunset, followed by a Berber dinner around the fire and drumming under a sky full of stars.

You wake before dawn to walk up the highest dune crest and watch the sun rise over the Sahara. After a Berber breakfast at camp, you drive west via Erfoud and Tinghir to walk the Todra Gorges, where 300-metre cliffs frame a clear river below.

The drive continues along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, through the Dades Valley and the rose-scented Valley of Roses near Kalaat Mgouna, then the Skoura palm grove with its imposing Kasbah Amerhidil, before you reach Ouarzazate for the night.

The morning starts at Aït Ben Haddou, the earthen ksar that's appeared in Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and Lawrence of Arabia. You walk through the fortified village and cross the river for photos.

From there the road climbs over the High Atlas via the Tizi n'Tichka pass, 2,260 metres up and one of Morocco's most scenic drives, winding through Berber villages along the way. You arrive in Marrakech by mid-afternoon, check into your riad, and walk to Jemaa el-Fnaa in the evening.

A morning walking tour of Marrakech with a licensed local guide takes in the 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, and the souks, with an optional stop at the Majorelle Garden.

After lunch, you drive north to Casablanca, three hours on the highway, for drop-off at your hotel or the airport.