At ten days the question is how to fit Morocco in. At twelve it changes completely: you have the whole circuit, and two spare days to spend as you like. This itinerary spends them on the Atlantic coast at Essaouira — and we will say plainly why, because the other obvious option is a second desert and we think that is usually the weaker choice.
Why the coast rather than a second desert
Erg Chebbi and Erg Chegaga are both magnificent and, to most first-time visitors, quite similar. Two deserts in one trip tend to blur together in the memory. Essaouira does not blur into anything: it is a walled Atlantic port, UNESCO-listed since 2001, laid out on Vauban’s principles under Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah, with wind off the sea, gulls, a working fishing harbour and a completely different climate from everywhere else on this route. After eight days of mountains and dunes, two days at sea level change the shape of the trip.
That said, it is your holiday. If you want the second desert, we will build it — see the FAQ below.
The rest of the twelve days
The circuit itself is the full one. North up the coast through Casablanca and Rabat, inscribed by UNESCO in 2012. Two nights in the blue Rif town of Chefchaouen. The Roman city of Volubilis, UNESCO-listed since 1997, and imperial Meknes. A guided day in the Fes medina with two nights in the city. Down the Ziz Valley to Merzouga for two nights in a desert camp, with a whole free day in the dunes. Back west through the Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley and Ait Ben Haddou. A guided Marrakech medina morning. And then the coast.
Who this suits
Travellers with two weeks who do not want to spend all of it in a car. The driving on this route is spread across twelve days rather than packed into seven, and four of the days have almost none. Our twelve-day itinerary guide sets out three ways to use days eleven and twelve, and the Marrakech to Essaouira transport guide covers the coastal leg in detail.
Which length is right for you
Our guide to how many days you need in Morocco lays out every length from one day to fifteen. The shorter versions of this circuit are the 7-day loop and the 5-day one-way route; the longer ones are the 12-day tour, the 14-day grand tour and the 15-day slower circuit. Twelve days is the first length where the circuit stops dominating the trip — four of the days have almost no driving at all.
If you would rather do the parts separately: the 4-day Merzouga tour, the 3-day northern route, the Essaouira day trip and the Marrakech medina day tour.
Practical notes
Essaouira is windy almost year-round — it is nicknamed the Windy City of Africa — so bring a layer even in August; our Marrakech to Essaouira guide covers the coastal leg. The Hassan II Mosque interior is open to non-Muslim visitors on guided tours only and that ticket is not included. Worth reading before you travel: our month-by-month guide to the best time to visit the Moroccan Sahara, the tested Sahara packing list, what a night in a desert camp is actually like, the Fes medina guide and the Marrakech medina guide.
Overview
At ten days the question is how to fit Morocco in. At twelve it changes completely: you have the whole circuit, and two spare days to spend as you like. This itinerary spends them on the Atlantic coast at Essaouira — and we will say plainly why, because the other obvious option is a second desert and we think that is usually the weaker choice.
Why the coast rather than a second desert
Erg Chebbi and Erg Chegaga are both magnificent and, to most first-time visitors, quite similar. Two deserts in one trip tend to blur together in the memory. Essaouira does not blur into anything: it is a walled Atlantic port, UNESCO-listed since 2001, laid out on Vauban’s principles under Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah, with wind off the sea, gulls, a working fishing harbour and a completely different climate from everywhere else on this route. After eight days of mountains and dunes, two days at sea level change the shape of the trip.
That said, it is your holiday. If you want the second desert, we will build it — see the FAQ below.
The rest of the twelve days
The circuit itself is the full one. North up the coast through Casablanca and Rabat, inscribed by UNESCO in 2012. Two nights in the blue Rif town of Chefchaouen. The Roman city of Volubilis, UNESCO-listed since 1997, and imperial Meknes. A guided day in the Fes medina with two nights in the city. Down the Ziz Valley to Merzouga for two nights in a desert camp, with a whole free day in the dunes. Back west through the Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley and Ait Ben Haddou. A guided Marrakech medina morning. And then the coast.
Who this suits
Travellers with two weeks who do not want to spend all of it in a car. The driving on this route is spread across twelve days rather than packed into seven, and four of the days have almost none. Our twelve-day itinerary guide sets out three ways to use days eleven and twelve, and the Marrakech to Essaouira transport guide covers the coastal leg in detail.
Which length is right for you
Our guide to how many days you need in Morocco lays out every length from one day to fifteen. The shorter versions of this circuit are the 7-day loop and the 5-day one-way route; the longer ones are the 12-day tour, the 14-day grand tour and the 15-day slower circuit. Twelve days is the first length where the circuit stops dominating the trip — four of the days have almost no driving at all.
If you would rather do the parts separately: the 4-day Merzouga tour, the 3-day northern route, the Essaouira day trip and the Marrakech medina day tour.
Practical notes
Essaouira is windy almost year-round — it is nicknamed the Windy City of Africa — so bring a layer even in August; our Marrakech to Essaouira guide covers the coastal leg. The Hassan II Mosque interior is open to non-Muslim visitors on guided tours only and that ticket is not included. Worth reading before you travel: our month-by-month guide to the best time to visit the Moroccan Sahara, the tested Sahara packing list, what a night in a desert camp is actually like, the Fes medina guide and the Marrakech medina guide.
Highlights
- The full circuit plus two days on the Atlantic at Essaouira
- Essaouira medina, UNESCO-listed in 2001 and laid out on Vauban principles
- Two nights in Chefchaouen and two in the Erg Chebbi dunes
- Guided days in both the Fes and the Marrakech medinas
- Volubilis, Meknes and Rabat: Roman and imperial Morocco
- The Todra Gorge, the Dades Valley and Ait Ben Haddou
- Driving spread over twelve days, with four days of almost none
