The 9 Best Tours of Morocco of 2023 / 2024
Best Extended Tour: 9-Night Morocco Discovery Private Tour From Marrakech or Casablanca
Free yourself from the hassle of planning all of your tour logistics and let this tour company take care of your details entirely. This all-inclusive, luxury, family-friendly tour comes with a private guide, comfortable transportation, and nightly five-star lodgings and includes visits to many of Morocco’s most fascinating places.
Because it is a private tour, there is plenty of flexibility built in (speak to the tour company in advance if you want to make major changes).
The typical itinerary begins and ends in Marrakech and tours the country with stops in Rabat, Fez, Erfoud, and Ouarzazate, among many others.
The tour includes a night in a luxury desert camp, a camel ride, a visit to the UNESCO-listed hillside village of Ait Ben Haddou, a drive through the breathtaking Tizi N’Tichka Pass over the High Atlas Mountains, and a number of urban excursions. This even includes the magical Jemaa el Fna evening market in Marrakech itself. Your expert guide will be with you all the way to provide information, translation, and logistical support.
Best Desert Tour: Overnight Small-Group Desert Tour From Fez
It’s Morocco’s beautiful swath of the Sahara that calls to many travelers, and though few really want to spend a significant amount of time in the desert, most visitors want to see it at least once. This overnight tour is ideal as part of a longer visit to Morocco, and it works especially well as a complement to a city-based visit. This tour begins and ends in Fez and starts with an ascent into the Atlas mountains via Ifrane—a 1930s ski resort built by the French that looks completely out-of-place—and the monkey-filled cedar forest in Azrou.
After a lunch in Midelt, you’ll continue descending down the far side of the mountains, eventually coming to Merzouga, where you’ll meet your desert guide and your trusty camel. Climb on and begin your trek into the Erg Chebbi (an “erg” is a sea of sand dunes, and Erg Chebbi is one of Morocco’s most famous and beautiful). You’ll enjoy traditional dinner and mint tea under the desert stars—more visible here than you’re likely to ever have seen anywhere else—and then head to your tent for a solid night’s sleep.
The next morning, you can watch the desert sunrise before mounting your camel and heading back to Merzouga for a shower and breakfast, and from there, back over the mountains to Fez. It’s not a long trip, but it’s one you’ll remember forever.
Best Urban Tour: Seven-Night Imperial Cities Private Tour From Casablanca
The Imperial Cities of Morocco are the four historical capitals of the country: Fez, Marrakech, Meknes, and Rabat. Each has its own distinct culture and history, but all are entirely fascinating and worth a visit.
This luxury tour explores those histories and cultures while leaving ample time for leisurely meals and plenty of shopping trips. Nightly accommodations are at either three- or four-star hotels, or at charming riads, traditional palace-like homes of wealthy merchants and statesmen, famous for their lush interior gardens.
Among this tour’s highlights are visits to the 12th-century Hassan Mosque in Rabat, the Roman ruins of Volubilis near Meknes, the medieval medina of Fez, the souks of Marrakech, and even Casablanca’s famous recreation of Rick’s Cafe. This is an ideal tour for history buffs and those who prefer city-based vacations, though there’s plenty of Morocco’s gorgeous scenery interspersed, as well.
Best Backpacking Tour: Three-Day Private High Atlas Mountains Hiking Tour
If your idea of a great trip combines both a deep dive into a local culture and a bit of outdoor adventure, this three-day hiking trip might just be your dream vacation. You’ll set off from Marrakech in a comfortable vehicle for your two-hour drive south into the Atlas Mountains, where you’ll meet your guide and your mule team (the mules do much of the schlepping, allowing you to cover more ground in a day).
You’ll trek around four hours each on the first and third day and six to seven hours on the second.
On the way, you’ll see many of the High Atlas Mountains’ most beautiful vistas and also make stops in some fascinating rural and mountainside villages. You’ll spend time meeting Berber people in Ikkiss and Tinerhourhine and spend two nights in traditional Berber gites (clean but very simple traditional lodging houses).
This tour is all-inclusive, with ground transfers, lodging, meals, and a guide all covered in the (super-reasonable) cost.
Continue to 5 of 9 below.
Best Mountain-Climbing Tour: Mount Toubkal Ascent in 2 Days From Marrakech
Morocco isn’t only a land of steamy souks and sandy deserts—Mount Toubkal is a snow-covered mountain, the highest in North Africa! Mountain climbers from around the world come here to ascend the 4167-meter peak, and with this ultra-convenient tour, you can, too! (Presuming you’re conditioned for pretty intense hiking, that is). The tour brings you from Marrakech on a beautiful drive up into the High Atlas Mountains, via valleys, gorges, and groves of walnut and cherry trees.
You’ll meet your guide and your mule team at Imlil and begin your ascending trek to the Toubkal refuge base camp (about 5.5 hours of walking).
The next morning, you’ll ascend to the top of the peak. It’s not a brutal climbing situation, more of an intense hike (you won’t need grappling hooks or anything, but excellent boots and walking poles are important). The final ascent takes about three hours, and from the top, you can see what feels like all of North Africa.
The descent takes 30 minutes to the base camp (you’ll stop there for lunch) and then another hour and a half back to Imlil for your transport back to Marrakech. If you’ve always wanted to climb a major mountain, this isn’t a bad one to start with, and hey, you get to go to Marrakech to do it!
Best Tour From Tangier: Seven-Day Morocco Tour From Tangier
This week-long tour explores Morocco’s imperial cities as well as Casablanca and, obviously, Tangier, where the trip starts and ends. It’s an intense trip that covers a whole lot of ground. This makes it a fantastic introduction for first-time visitors.
All ground transportation and lodgings are included, as are entry fees to all monuments, a dedicated trip guide, and specialized local guides in each city. Breakfast and one other meal per day (typically at the hotels) are also part of the package deal.
Among the dozens of sights on the agenda are the UNESCO-listed Great Medina of Fez, the Bab Al Manssur Gate of Meknes, the Great Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V in Rabat.
The tour does not include any specific activities in Tangier, so you might consider extending it a day or two on either side and exploring that city on your own or with a separate tour guide.
Best Tour From Casablanca: Seven-Night Private Caravan Road Tour
This interesting tour follows one of many old caravan roads (trading trails) that crisscrosses North Africa, combining both urban experiences with visits to mountainside Berber kasbahs and even a night in the desert.
You’ll see highlights of Marrakech, including landmarks like the Koutoubia Mosque and the Bahia Palace, and other remarkable places far outside of town, including the stunning Kasbah Ait Benhaddou, famous for its inclusion in dozens of Hollywood movies.
You’ll also explore the Saharan dunes at Mhamid, where you’ll spend the night in a Berber tent.
Then spend a luxurious day in Casablanca itself, where you can explore the city or simply relax and rejuvenate in the comfort of your four-star hotel.
Nightly accommodations and daily breakfast are included in the cost, as is a driver and guide, all necessary entrance fees, and three dinners.
Best Tour From Agadir: Two Days Agadir to Marrakech and Essaouira
This tour is ideal for someone who is planning a trip to a resort in or near Agadir but who wants to see a bit of the country away from the resort scene, as well.
It’s a quick trip, but you see a lot. It begins with a pick-up from your hotel in coastal Agadir and then swoops you up the coast to the historic Portuguese-colonized city of Essaouira, with a stop at an argan oil co-op and a coffee break in a Berber village.
The tranquil seaside city of Essaouira is famous for its wonderful medina (old quarter), and you’ll have the afternoon to stroll and explore before heading on to Marrakech.
You’ll reach Marrakech in the evening, just in time to head out to the Jemaa el-Fnaa Square, with its live entertainers and tempting food vendors. The next day, you’ll enjoy a three-hour walking tour of historic Marrakech and a bit of free time to enjoy the souk and get lunch. After lunch, you’ll meet your driver again and head back to Agadir.
A whirlwind, yes, but you see some amazing things and it is a nice cultural diversion from a beach vacation.
