Itinerary & Costs
Unlike most of our other big trips we opted work with a travel company to assist with the planning. We had so much going on at the time in our personal lives that trying to research places to stay, figure out the best places to see and the best order to visit them was just too daunting. So we worked with Rediscover the World out the U.K a figure out the travel plan. We aren’t sponsored or receiving any money from them, but they did a great job listening to what we wanted, creating a plan but warning us there were a couple of flaws in our ideas, but then planning and scheduling exactly what we were asking for. In hindsight we should have listened to them, but more on that later!
Here is the route, sights and hotels (riads) they planned for us. We’ve noted what we skipped and what everything cost us. We’ll list the total trip costs at the bottom of the page. For more details about each section of the trip, click the links on the left.
The prices listed are for entry fees, tips and food- not hotels or riad costs as those were part of the trip package. For quick reference, 10 dirham is the equivalent to 1 USD, so if something is listed as 200DH you can think of it as about 20 dollars.
Day 1 -Jan 21, 2026
Arrival in Marrakech around 6am, driver picking us up at airport transfer to Riad Mur Akush (40DH)- the people at the Riad kindly let us into our room early for some sleep and a much needed shower!
Visit Saadian Tombs (200DH), Bahia Palace (200DH), El Badi Palace (200DH),
Meet tour guide at Riad at 02:30pm – includes Madrasa Ben Youssef, Koutoubia Minaret
Dar el Bacha, Souks of Marrakech (Dyers’ Souk) and Djemma el Fna Square (guide 70DH + driver 20DH)
Dinner at roof top restaurant over main square of Djemma el Fna ($38)
Overnight in Marrakech at Riad Mur Akush
Day 2 – Jan 22, 2026
Free Day in Marrakech
Hammam – (1800DH, tipped 200DH, driver 100DH)
Tour Suggestions: Le Jardin Secret (200DH) and Marrakech Museum (140DH), Jardin Majorelle – we did not do these, we chose the hammam and wandering around instead.
Dining – Cafe de Epices ($27)
Overnight in Marrakech at Riad Mur Akush (100DH as they let us in a room at 6:30am on day 1)
Day 3 – Jan 23, 2026. Drive time 4-5 hours, 173km
Meet driver at 08:45am, transfer to car rental (50DH), fuel up in Marrakesh 420DH
Drive Tichka Pass – 7400ft, coffee at the pass 30DH
Explore the UNESCO World Heritage site Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, parking 20DH
Overnight at Kasbah Ellouze (50DH + 20DH for porter). We loved this place!
Day 4 – Jan 24, 2026: Drive to Ouarzazate Total drive 3.75 hrs, 226km.
Got a tour of the old kasbah from Abdou after a wonderful breakfast (50DH)
500DH for souvenirs – 2 geodes, earrings, bracelet, scarf, ring
Kasbahs of Tifoultoute and Taourirt, Atlas Studio- we drove past these places but did not stop at them
Drive the Dades Valley thru Skoura (palm grove, fruit trees, kasbahs) to Boumalne. Turn north here to Dades Gorge to see Monkey Fingers. We had to turn around due to snow before the famous twisty road (45km total on the this out & back)
Continue east on N10 to Tinghir & turn north to Todra Gorge
Overnight at Auberge Le Festival (cave room) (50DH). Cool place, great food!
Day 5 – Jan 25, 2026 Drive time 2.75 hrs, 196km
Erg Chebbi Desert Adventure
Meet at Erfoud Palace, we were supposed to have an overnight bag packed- but we waited 1.5hrs for a driver and then drove ourselves to Auberge du Sud in Merzouga, did a sunset dromedary ride into desert & then to our “tent”.
Overnight at Deluxe Erg Chebbi Bedouin Camp- Buffet dinner was not great food, but they put on a drum show around a fire that night which was pretty cool.
Day 6 – Jan 26, 2026. Efroud – Ziz Valley- Midelt – Ifrane – Fes: drive time 7 hrs, 461km
Get up for a 4×4 ride in the desert at sunrise!, buffet breakfast, then short ride back to car
Tips: 50DH to camel drover, (50DH to 4×4 driver, 50DH to camp)
Stopped for more fossil souvenirs (170DH)
Scenic journey through the Middle Atlas Mountains – (400DH fuel, 30DH coffee)
Tour Suggestions: Optional stops in Ziz Valley, Midelt and Ifrane (the “Switzerland of Morocco” The road to Ifrane was blocked by rock slide; luckily other route to Fes was not far to back track to and was open. Saw lots of vehicles for Africa Eco Race. Fantastic & long driving by Erik over mountain pass – a very bad wreck shut down the road for miles just after we passed it.
Dinner at Riad Myra was really good tangines and our first alcohol – a bottle of Morracan red wine ($66)
Overnight in Fes at Riad Myra – park outside medina (90DH for 3 nights parking). It seemed a little sketchy parking here, but it was all fine.
Day 7 – Jan 27, 2026
Fes City Tour – meet 9am, driver Mussafa (20DH) and guide Omar (70DH), visit Royal Palace, Borj Sud, Bab Boujloud, water clock (NO!), Fes Medina, Al Quaraouiyine University and Mosque, tanneries, el-Atterine Medersa and el-Najjarine Square fountain and caravanserai – we decided this was site SHOPPING rather than site seeing! It is all the things you go to Morocco to see, but there is a lot of pressure and/or guilt to buy something.
150DH for pillow case, 150DH for postcards + stamps, 30DH coffee, $517 for leather jacket & poof, $140 bowls
Dining: cute small cafe just inside the medina walls called Encanto where we had our first *hot ginger lemon drink*- delicious!!! (220 DH)
Overnight in Fes at Riad Myra
Day 8 – Jan 28, 2026
Booked a small group driver ($80 + 100DH driver tip)
Drive to the Roman ruins of UNESCO site of Volubilis (200DH entry fee)
Drive to town of Mouly Idriss, founder of Fes is buried here (just saw it from an overlook in town, not open to non-Muslems)
Lunch (200DH) and visit imperial Meknes – walked medina, visited 18th century sultan mausoleum of Islamic architecture
Tour drove us back to Fes, went to Encanto for take away ginger drinks (50DH)
Overnight in Fes at Riad Myra (100DH)
Day 9 – Jan 29, 2026 Drive to Chefchaouen, 4 hrs, 194km
Rain, flooded valleys and washed out roads driving into the Rif Mountains
Coffee (20DH), explore the medina, Ras El Ma springs (waterfall that was overflowing its banks onto sidewalk)
it was too muddy & rainy (and possibly trail was closed) to the famous Bouzafer (Spanish) Mosque viewpoint
Dining: we had linner at Cafe Clock (300DH), good!
Overnight in Chefchaouen at La petite Chefchaouen (50DH), parking outside medina (40DH), porters to riad (40DH)
Day 10 – Jan 30, 2026 Drive to Rabat, 4.25 hrs, 270km
Passed thru some very poor country during this day’s drive
Walked to the plaza that had both the unfinished Hassan II (rough) and mausoleum of Mohannad V (elaborate)
Overnight in Rabat at Riad Kalaa – park outside medina (50DH parking + 50DH riad)
Day 11 – Jan 31, 2026
After breakfast, walked across street to kasbah on the Atlantic and river – fortress & gardens
Drive to Casablanca – 2 hrs along quieter beach road, 95km
Walking tour 2 hour – Wilaya du Grand plaza, Villa of Arts building, Hassan II mosque – we “mosque” have missed the last tour since it was at 3:00 and we got there at 3:30
Dining: we decided Rick’s Cafe opened too late, was too formal & was overpriced so we found a Moroccan restaurant near hotel and had wonderful sea bream tangine! (250DH), then our second bottle of wine at hotel (350DH)
Overnight in Casablanca at Hotel Odyssee Center (parking at hotel), 2 thumbs down! (20DH to cleaning person + 20DH to porter)
Day 12 – Feb 1, 2026 Drive to Essaouira, 4.75 hrs, 372km
Took the faster route which had tolls of 80DH, fuel 160DH, parking outside medina 150DH + 20DH tip
Moracaan spiced coffee (70DH) at LeEspirit Cafe & Bookstore, wonderful coffee and pastries, cool jazz music and vibe. Then we explored the medina.
Overnight and dinner ($39.50) in Essaouira at Riad Mimouna– beautiful place!
Day 13 – Feb 2, 2026 Relaxed free day
Hammam (1000DH + 120DH tip), Moracaan spiced coffee & cookie at LeEspirit Cafe & Bookstore, (100DH), explore ramparts & port area
Linner at Fishburger (160DH) – yum!!
Overnight in Essaouira at Riad Mimouna (60DH)
Day 14 – Feb 3, 2026 Another 20DH to get out of parking lot!?!
Drive to car rental office in Gueliz, 3 hrs, 176km
Rental car person drove us from office to our hotel (40DH), porter (20DH)
Afternoon coffee in hotel bar and dinner at hotel with our 3rd bottle of Moracaan wine ($96)
Overnight in Marrakech at Dellarosa Hotel (20DH cleaning person). Nice place, good restaurant there.
Day 15 – Feb 4, 2026 Meet driver in lobby at 05:55am
Airport transfer from Delarosa Hotel to Marrakech Airon!
Total Costs for the trip:
Rediscover rented the car and paid for the riads out of our payment
| Flights to Marrakesh | $1,168.62 |
| Rediscover the World – deposit | $535.27 |
| Rediscover the World – final | $3,410.24 |
| Tips/Fees/Fuel/Food | $1,243.35 |
| Misc Gift/Souvenirs | 507.44 |
| Phone charges | 12.22 |
| Total | $6,877.14 |