The Ultimate 10-Day Morocco Road Trip

Day 1 – Arrival in Marrakech

After landing at Marrakech Menara Airport late in the evening, we picked up our rental car and headed straight to our first accommodation outside the city. We decided to save Marrakech for later in our journey and start driving towards the Atlas Mountains the following morning. If you're arriving on an evening flight, we'd recommend doing the same. Staying just outside Marrakech means you can avoid the busy city centre and get an early start on one of the longest driving days of the road trip.

Day 2 – Crossing the Atlas Mountains to Todra Gorge

Our first real driving day took us from Marrakech towards Todra Gorge, crossing the Atlas Mountains along the way. It's a long drive of around five and a half hours without stops, but the constantly changing landscapes make this one of the most scenic driving days of the trip. We'd recommend leaving early and allowing plenty of time for stops along the way. The road takes you through mountain landscapes, small villages and countless viewpoints before eventually reaching Tinghir and the dramatic Todra Gorge.

Day 3 – Todra Gorge & the Sahara Desert

Start your day early at Todra Gorge, where towering rock walls rise on either side of the narrow canyon. You can explore the gorge by car and stop along the way, but if you have more time, there are also several hiking trails in the area. One option is the Todra Gorge Loop Trail that takes around four hours. During the warmer months, we'd recommend starting as early as possible as parts of the trail have very little shade.

From Todra Gorge, continue towards Merzouga, around two and a half hours away. As you get closer, the rocky landscapes slowly make way for the enormous sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. We spent the rest of the day exploring the Sahara and headed out on a quad bike ride through the dunes.

Day 4 – Merzouga to Dades Gorge

After waking up in the Sahara, we left Merzouga behind and started the drive towards Dades Gorge. The journey takes around four and a half hours. Dades Gorge is known for its dramatic rock formations and beautiful viewpoints. One of the most famous places in the area is Monkey Fingers, a series of unusual rock formations that you can explore on a hike through the gorge. If you have enough time, we'd also recommend continuing further along the road towards M'Semrir. The drive itself is worth it for the mountain scenery and viewpoints along the way. For lunch or dinner, stop at Auberge de la Rivière du Dadès. The restaurant has a beautiful location overlooking the Dades Valley and is a great place to stop while exploring the gorge.

Day 5 – Dades Gorge, Ouarzazate & Aït Ben Haddou

From Dades Gorge, we continued towards Ouarzazate. You may see Skoura recommended as a stop along this route, but we'd personally skip it. We went there expecting a beautiful palm oasis, but found mostly dry palm trees and didn't think it was worth the detour. Instead, spend that extra time in Ouarzazate. The city is known as the Hollywood of Morocco and its film studios have been used for countless international productions. We'd recommend taking a guided studio tour, it gives you a lot of information about the sets, films and productions that were created here.

From Ouarzazate, continue towards Aït Ben Haddou, one of Morocco's most recognisable places. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is made up of traditional earthen buildings and has appeared in productions like Gladiator and Game of Thrones. Wander through the narrow streets, climb to the viewpoint above the village and, if you have time, go horse riding through the surrounding landscape.

Day 6 – Aït Ben Haddou to Marrakech

If you didn't have enough time to explore Aït Ben Haddou the previous afternoon, spend the morning here before continuing towards Marrakech. You could also plan your horse riding experience for this morning before leaving.

From Aït Ben Haddou, we made our way back across the Atlas Mountains towards Marrakech. The drive takes around three hours, but we'd recommend allowing extra time for viewpoints and stops along the way. After arriving in Marrakech, park the car at your accommodation and spent the rest of the day exploring the city on foot. Marrakech can feel overwhelming at first, but getting lost in the narrow streets of the medina is part of the experience. Some of the places worth visiting are Ben Youssef Madrasa, Bahia Palace and El Badi Palace. Towards the evening, make your way to Jemaa el-Fna, when the square really comes to life with food stalls, musicians and performers.

Day 7 – Exploring Marrakech & Driving to Essaouira

We spent another day exploring Marrakech, giving us more time to wander through the souks and visit anything we'd missed the previous afternoon. If you're planning to visit Jardin Majorelle, this is a good time to add it to your itinerary. There are also plenty of rooftop restaurants and cafés throughout the medina. Some of the places we had on our list were Nomad, Café des Épices, L'Mida, Kabana and Bacha Coffee. Later in the day, we left the busy streets of Marrakech behind and drove around two and a half hours west towards Essaouira on Morocco's Atlantic coast.

Day 8 – Exploring Essaouira

After several busy days on the road, Essaouira is the perfect place to slow down. The coastal city has a completely different atmosphere from Marrakech, with whitewashed buildings, a relaxed medina and the Atlantic Ocean right on its doorstep. Spend the day wandering through the medina, visit Skala du Port for views over the harbour or simply relax by the beach. Essaouira and its surrounding villages are also popular places for surfing and windsurfing, so taking a surf lesson is a fun option if you want to do something more active.

Day 9 – Essaouira to Marrakech

We spent our final morning enjoying Essaouira before starting the drive back towards Marrakech. If the weather is good, this is the perfect opportunity for a few final hours at the beach or by the pool before leaving the coast behind. The drive back to Marrakech takes around two and a half hours. Since we had an early flight the following morning, we stayed close to Marrakech Menara Airport and returned our rental cars in the evening.

Day 10 – Travel Day

After ten days on the road, it was time to say goodbye to Morocco. With an early morning flight from Marrakech, we made our way to the airport and started our journey home.