Useful Information for Backpacking Morocco: Grand Adventure

A mix of hotels, riads, a guesthouse and a desert camp, in twin or double rooms: one night at Kenzi Basma Hotel in Casablanca, two at Hotel Tarek in Chefchaouen, two at Riad Dilar in Fes, one at Ksar Timnay Hotel in Midelt, one in a tent at Tafouyte Camp in the Sahara, one at Dar Tafouyte Riad in Merzouga, which has a pool, one at Hotel les Jardins de Ouarzazate, one at Dar Aymane Guesthouse in Imlil and two at Riad Omar in Marrakech. In Midelt, at the desert camp and in Merzouga, rooms and tents can also be triples.

Solo travellers share with someone of the same gender. If you would rather have a room to yourself, ask us about a private room when you book. Accommodation can occasionally change due to availability.

15 meals: breakfast every day from day 2 to day 13, lunch with a local family on day 7, when they show you how traditional dishes are made, and two dinners, one at the Sahara desert camp on day 7 and the other on day 11 at your cooking class in Marrakech, where you eat what you have cooked.

The group get-together on day 1 and the final dinner on day 12 are not included, and neither are other lunches and dinners, which leaves you free to try the street food in Fes and Marrakech.

Yes, for most requirements. Vegetarian food is easy to find all over Morocco. Strict vegan and gluten-free options are harder to find outside the big cities.

Tell us about any dietary requirements or allergies when you book, so your group leader knows before you arrive.

Moroccan food is one of the highlights of the trip: slow-cooked tagines, couscous, harira soup, flatbreads, fresh salads, and sweet mint tea at every stop.

Vegetarians eat well, with vegetable tagines, couscous, lentil and bean dishes, salads, omelettes and bread widely available, though some dishes use meat stock, so it is worth asking. Vegan and gluten-free diets take a little more planning. Let us know your dietary needs when you book so we can pass them on.

Fly into Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) in Casablanca. Your arrival pick-up is included: add your flight details in Manage My Booking and a driver will take you to Kenzi Basma Hotel, where you spend the first night in a twin or double room.

There are no activities on day 1 and the group meets in the evening, so arriving earlier in the day gives you time to settle in. Coming a day or two early? Let us know and we can add extra nights at the hotel, with your pick-up still arranged.

Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK). The trip ends after breakfast on day 13, so book a flight home from Marrakech rather than a return to Casablanca. You can fly out at any time that day, but leave plenty of time to get to the airport, as the drop-off is not included. Let your group leader know your flight details on day 1 and they will help you plan the journey.

It depends on your passport, and the rules can change, so check before you book your flights.

For British citizens, the UK government's travel advice (checked September 2026) says you can visit Morocco without a visa for up to 90 days for tourism. Your passport's expiry date must be at least 3 months after the day you arrive, and it must not be damaged. Make sure the border officer stamps your passport when you enter, as travellers without an entry stamp have had trouble leaving. Other nationalities should check with the Moroccan embassy or consulate in their own country.

For British passport holders, the UK government's travel advice (checked September 2026) says your passport's expiry date must be at least 3 months after the day you arrive in Morocco. The authorities have refused entry to travellers with damaged passports, so replace a worn one before you go, and check that your passport is stamped when you enter. If you hold a different passport, check the rules with the Moroccan embassy or consulate in your country.

International flights are not included in the price of any tour and will need to be booked separately. You’re free to book your own flights or book here.

Once you've booked your flights, log in to My Account on our website and enter your flight arrival details. That is how your group leader knows when you are landing.

Arriving before the tour starts, or staying on at the end? Let us know as early as you can so we can check availability and pricing on extra nights.

Please let us know as soon as possible. If you are already en route and a connecting flight changes, contact your group leader or email us so we can still meet you at the airport.

For group tours, your place is confirmed once enough travellers have booked, and always at least four weeks (28 days) before your tour starts. Most group tours are confirmed around six months before departure.

For volunteer or private bookings, please allow 2-3 working days.

If a tour does not run, you get a full refund.

Yes, a suitcase or a backpack is fine. A backpack or holdall is a little easier to carry, because you look after your own bags each time you move on, but plenty of travellers bring a suitcase.

Keep it under 20kg and pack less than you think. Bring a smaller daypack for days out, and comfortable shoes: Chefchaouen's steps, the Fes medina, Todra Gorge and the Atlas hike are all done on foot.

Morocco uses the two round-pin European sockets, Types C and E, at 230V and 50Hz.

Travellers from the UK, Australia or New Zealand will need a travel adapter, but not a voltage converter, for phone, laptop and camera chargers. Sockets can be scarce in riads and at the desert camp, and charging may be limited in the Sahara, so a power bank is worth packing.

By private vehicle for the whole trip, so you are not relying on public transport or carrying bags between buses. On day 7, 4x4s take you across the dunes to the desert camp, and bring you back to Merzouga the next morning.

Morocco is a big country and the route runs from the north coast to the south, so some days have long drives, particularly days 6 and 7 on the way to the Sahara and day 9 from the desert to Ouarzazate. There are stops along the way, but bring snacks, a charged phone and something to read.

On day 7 you ride in 4x4s over the dunes to Tafouyte Camp, where you sleep in a twin, double or triple tent. Before sunset you can ride a camel or walk the dunes, and try sandboarding. The camels are cared for by local Berber families who have worked with them for generations. Dinner is at the camp.

The next morning you walk out onto the dunes for sunrise, then take the 4x4s back to Merzouga, where the riad has a pool and the rest of the day is free.

The trip ends in Marrakech after breakfast on day 13. You can head to the airport, stay on in Morocco or carry on travelling: your group leader will help you plan and book what comes next, whether that is transport, accommodation or advice, and support is there 24/7 after the trip finishes.

Want extra nights at the end? Let your group leader know on day 1 and they will arrange them.

Both trips include a night in the Sahara near Merzouga, Todra Gorge, Ait Benhaddou and the High Atlas around Imlil, finishing in Marrakech.

Backpacking Morocco: Grand Adventure takes 13 days and runs from north to south: it starts in Casablanca and adds the Hassan II Mosque, Rabat, the blue town of Chefchaouen and the Akchour Waterfalls, the Roman ruins of Volubilis, two nights in Fes with a zellige workshop, and a cooking class in Marrakech. Backpacking Morocco takes 11 days as a loop from Marrakech, with the Dades Valley, a waterfall hike and a tagine cooking class with a local family in the Atlas, and the coast at Essaouira with a surf lesson.

The trip starts in Casablanca and finishes in Marrakech.