Many dream of a roadtrip through the USA. Endless roads, stunning nature and a freedom, that cannot be found in daily life. But what if I tell you, that you don’t have to travel all the way to the US for that. We visited Morocco as part of our Gap Year and were awarded with one of the best roadtrips, that we have taken in our whole life. And this comes from someone, who has done multiple trips across the western US, so I know what I am talking about.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Where is Morocco?
2. Is all of Morocco suitable for a roadtrip?
3. Where to start a roadtrip?
4. What do I have to know about the road networt in Morocco?
5. A 7-day itinerary through the moroccan desert (from Marrakech)
   • Day 1
   • Day 2
   • Day 3
   • Day 4
   • Day 5
   • Day 6
   • Day 7
6. How much did our low-budget roadtrip cost?
7. Other posts that might interest you

Where is Morocco?

Morocco is in northern Africa, bordering Algeria and the disputed Western Sahara territory. The climate is mediterranean near the coast, and continental, the further you get inland. Also, the further you get south, the more desert climate takes over. While the Rif mountains are quite green and full of agriculture, the more southern Atlas mountains are dry and the only place greenery can survive is deep in the valleys.

Is all of Morocco suitable for a roadtrip?

Certainly, it is possible to visit Casablanca, Chefchaouen, the desert and the southern coast all in one trip, but I would not recommend it, if you are not that used to the local style of driving that is way more aggressive and dangerous than in Europe. In my opinion, it is better to opt for the south and east of the country and avoid major population centers. Driving through the big streets in Marrakech was nightmare fuel and you cannot drive into the Medina anyway. Not that I wouldn’t have been able to drive through Casablanca and Fes, I just wanted to relax a bit aswell and if I have to watch out for everything and everybody all the time while driving, the holiday spirit is gone quite quickly.

Where to start a roadtrip?

I would recommend, you start your trip in Marrakech, Agadir or Essaouira. Those cities are easily reachable by plane from many european cities and offer a wide selection of cars. Make sure you have an actual credit card. Without it you cannot pay the deposit. We started our roadtrip in Marrakech, which in my opinion is the best option, when you are limited on time. If you only have 7 days, leave out the coast and only do the mountains and the desert. If you have any longer, maybe 14 days, I would recommend to extend the itinerary towards the coast and rent your car there. That way you can return your car when arriving back in Agadir / Essaouira and still enjoy some days along the Atlantic afterwards.

What do I have to know about the road networt in Morocco?

There are, as in any country, different types of roads. Morocco of course, also has big highways, though those are mostly centered around the main population centers in Casablanca and Rabat and do not connect that far into the hinterland. They are toll roads, so it would be better to avoid them if you can. What is important for the south and east, where the most interesting sights are to be found anyways, is, that road quality can vary drastically. The main road you will want to stick to are the N roads. N stands for National in this case. These are long distance roads, that connect most parts of the country. They are always of good quality and we actually pretty rarely saw construction sights, so everything must still be pretty new. Basically you cannot do anything wrong if you stick to these types of roads, which in the case of this itinerary is easily doable. The next lower tier of roads are the R roads. R stands for Regional and here it is always better to do a bit of research ahead of time. If any road is labeled this way, they can be anything from the same as a National road to a razor thin dirt road along mountain cliffs (we had the unfortunate luck to experience this on an unfortunate detour). I advise you check Google Maps for the time it takes to traverse a specific section and if it is suspiciously long, try to find out why, either with street siew or satellite imagery. For all roads that are neither a motorway, an R road or an N road, the quality is a wild mix. It can be asphalted, but definetily do not expect it. Generally speaking, if the road leads to a tourist place of interest, it will most likely have been improved from a dirt trek in some way or another.

Another thing to watch out for in Morocco are the police checks. As compared to Europe, they are much more common, though mostly centered around towns. They either will ask you to approach slowly or to stop at a designated stop sign. Follow these orders in you will not have to worry about them. The signs indicating them are placed on the ground and have the command written in french. When we first encountered such a check, we did not know about this and crossed the stop sign. We had to pay 15€, so no big deal, but from that moment on we were more cautious.

Drivers in Morocco drive pretty aggressively, compared to european standards, especially the drivers of the minibuses. We had a very close call at high speeds at one point, but it was not our fault. We were on an open stretch of road in the middle of the desert and the minibus in front of us suddendly stopped abruptly, shortly after having overtaken us. I had to sverve halfway into oncoming traffic. Everything was ok in the end, but keep a safe distance from those drivers. They are experienced in what they are doing, but if you are not accustomed to it, stay safe and keep some distance between you and them.

A 7-day itinerary through the moroccan desert (from Marrakech)

Day 1

After arriving in Marrakech, I would not suggest you stay too long in the city. When we arrived in Marrakech, we imagined a fairytale orient vibe, but in all honesty, it is full of pollution, dirty roads and full of scammers. All the attractions are not cheap to enter aswell and in the end do not offer something that is out of this world and would make it worth staying in Marrakech. We booked accomodation in the city for 4 nights before our roadtrip, which was way too long, we actually left a day early, because the pollution gave us headaches. So given, that you get your car at the airport in the morning, I would suggest to visit the main sights of Marrakech for 3-4 hours on foot, while parking your car near the Medina. That way you can enjoy the Souqs and the main attractions in the central part of town (thought avoid Jemma el Fna it is full of scammers). Depending on the schedule of your flights, you can also do this part after you returned to Marrakech.

Once you get started on the roadtrip the first goal of the day is Aït-Ben Haddou, which is a 181km distance that takes around 3 hours and 20 minutes to complete. The times that Google shows are accurate on the main roads. During this first leg you will follow the N9 Highway almost the entire distance and cross the Atlas mountains by doing so, which gives you amazing views of the valley below and the high snow-capped mountains above. A sight to behold. As we drove this stretch in the afternoon, the sun slowly started to set, once we saw our first glimpses of the desert behind the mountains. Amazing for some pictures from the viewing points along the way. The first day ends upon arrival into Ait-Ben Haddou. I can recommend you to stay in Guest House Defat Kasbah

Day 2

After you woke up and enjoyed your breakfast, you will start the day by visiting the main attraction in town, the „Ksar Aït-Ben-Haddou“. A ksar is a type of fortress, that can be found all over North Africa. The one here was definetily not the most isolate, and not at all a hidden gem, but I must admit, it was in the most perfect condition of any ksar we came across during our time in Morocco, situated across the river from the main town in a small oasis, with it’s top acting like a view point from which you can see far into the desert. After crossing off the first highlight of the day, I recommend you visit an american gas station in the desert, something that you would not expect in a muslim african country such as Morocco. It is the Gas Haven „The hills have eyes“ gas station. We found it on Google Maps and decided to check it out for ourselves. It is a couple kilometers detour from our route, but so worth it. This is actually not a gas station, just a film set for the film with the same name that was shot here. Comparing it with my experiences on roadtrips in the US, this is strikingly similar, you will feel as if you were in the desert of Utah along a typical US highway, just like in the movies. When we visited only 2 other tourists where there. You can freely wander around and enjoy the surreal scenery, though don’t run out of gas here, as the pump will not work 😉

Heading back to the main road, you will now want to cover some distance. Afterall, todays stretch is 234km and will take roughly 3 hours and 31 minutes to complete. If you have the time visit the Atlas Studios near Ouarzazate, where many films where produced over the years. It is quite interesting though the tour is not that extensive. What is, as of 2025, not worth visiting is the Kasbah Taourirt in the center of Ouarzazate. We did a stop there and went inside, but even the small entry fee is not worth it, as a lot of construction is going on right now and not much is shown. I imagine in a couple of years, when renovations are done in can be an interesting sight on the way to Tinghir. View it from the outside and keep going. If you are hungry stay in Oarzazate for a meal. It has a good selection of restaurants compared to other cities in the desert. If you take your time visiting all the sights along the way, you will reach Tinghir, a town in an Oasis at the entrance to the Toudra gorge, around sunset. Especially on the last part of this leg, the valley is wide, the road endless ahead of you and the evening sunset creates a deep orange hue all around you.

Day 3

On day 3, we will not drive to a new town and stay in Tinghir for a second night. You will be doing a loop today to visit the Dades Gorge, a stunning drive through a tight gorge with cliffs rising on both sides. Begin by driving back the way we came the day before, right back to Boumalne Dadès. There we branch of towards the Dades Gorge. The first stop will be the „Monkey fingers„, a rock formation and a canyon with the same name. You will want to do a hike through the canyon. It is a slot canyon with marvelous rock formations. Did you ever see photos of the famous Antelope Canyon in the US? This is Moroccos version of it. When we were there, we encountered some locals selling their services as tour guides. They were really pushy, which made us feel uncomfortable. Do not take their deal, it is easily possible to do the short hike on foot. I will link a map for the route below. All in all the hike will only take about 2 hours or shorter, depending on how far you want to go into the canyon. I would advise you to visit it during the early hours of the day, as hiking in the blazing heat can be pretty exhausting.

From hear on head further north through the Gorge. It is quite the adventurous road. It is asphalted all they way (the last part was still partly being constructed, when we drove through) but quite small. Drive carefully and enjoy the stunning scenery along the way. Do not take the P7104 half way through the gorge back towards Tinghir! Only the first part is asphalted. Instead continue to Agoudal and join the N12 back south towards Tinghir, where the second highlight, the Todra Gorge awaits. Though not as expansive, these walls rise much further into the sky than in the Dades Gorge. You can even do a via ferrata here, though I believe you gotta book a tour to do that. Finish the day off with a view onto the „Palmerie“ of Tinghir. The oasis is covered in palms, which, together with the mountain backdrop, look absolutely gorgeous in the evening sun. Return to your hotel, which optimally overlooks the Palmerie.

Day 4

Today, we will drive further towards the Algerian border, more precisely to Merzouga, the end goal and highlight of the trip. There is not much to visit on the way,but the landscape itself stands in the spotlight more and more. Far stretches of dark stone formations alternate with endless orange flatlands. A recommendation on my part is to take the R702 towards Merzouga and not the N13. Taking this road will allow you a look over to the mountains in the east. These represent the border with Algeria. The border has been closed for decades now, so crossing it is not an option, but it is cool to be able to see it with your own eyes. Also, taking this road allows for better views of the massive Erg Chebbi sanddunes, for which Merzouga is known for. We stopped shortly before the sand dunes at a small coffee truck (these are everywhere in Morocco) and sipped a freshly brewed cappucchino while sitting in the Sahara desert. Do not miss out on these small mobile coffee vendors, as they, at least in my opinion, serve on average the highest quality coffee in the country. For tonight, choose an accomodation that is right up to the dunes. There is plenty of choice, but we were surprised how close you can actually get to them without having to sleep in the desert. The hotel we chose was perfectly situated with breakfast served on the balcony overlooking the dunes each morning. As you will probably arrive in the afternoon, take the evening to relax and strole through the fields shaded by palm tree right at the edge of the sand. I could not find out if this is the real name or not, but on Google Maps it is marked as „Igrane“

Day 5

In Merzouga you will want to stay for 2 nights. We saw a lot of travellers only stay for one night, but in my opinion, this is one of the most unique places on our planet, that is reachable by car so it would be a waste to not enjoy it properly. The highlight in Merzouga is of course not the town, but the desert, the so called „Erg Chebbi„. These are sand dunes that give you the classic wave-like dune experience. There are plenty of activities you can do: Quad tours, camel rides, Sandboarding etc. I recommend you do the camel ride for sunset on day 2 in town. We paid 15€ for a private tour for 2 people for roughly 90 minutes including watching the sunset from a dune in the middle of the desert. Enjoy the scenery and relax a bit during the day. We walked up one of the higher dunes by ourselves and just sat there for an hour or so watching the horizon. You can see the seemingly endless swirls of sand, the light breeze of air, which blows the sand across the top of the dunes and the mesmerizing patterns it creates in the surface of the dunes. We visited it during our 10 month travelling through Africa, Asia and Europe and it is definetily one of the top 3 experiences we had.

Day 6

After leaving Merzouga, continue northwards along the N17 and N13 Highways. Your goal for today is Midelt. The drive itself takes around 4 hours to cover the 263km. On this stretch you can really enjoy the scenery. The first highlight will be driving through the river valley ahead of Errachidia. It is one big Palmerie and the road is more often than not slightly elevated over the palms so you can get amazing views of your surroundings. Stop for a quick stroll through the traditional village of Aoufous and the surrounding Palmerie. Continue northwards and pass Errachidia. The road winds itself through the Ziz Gorge, a natural wide gorge formed by the river you are following. Bizarre rock formations, endless bends and turns and the occasional oasis will pass while you drive through it. Again my tip would be to stop at one of the many small coffee trucks along the way and sit down for a quiet Cappucchino enjoying the scenery. Arrive in Midelt by early afternoon and continue a bit further towards the village of Ahouli. Midelt is known for its minerals and here is the place where they are/were mined. The area seems a bit delapidated and forgotten, but there are still some active miners you may encounter. It is really interesting to walk through the half collapsed, half standing warehouses and see what was here long ago. You can even walk into the mine shafts, though no one can guarantee your safety, so watch out. After the mines head back to Midelt and stay for the night.

Day 7

On the last day, head back to Marrakech. It can take quite as the drive is around 7 hours. My only advice for this day is to not do the detour to the Ouzoud Falls. We did and it was basically the worst place on this roadtrip. Apart from the one area where everybody takes their photos, it is absolutely dirty everywhere, together with hundreds of tourists brought in from Marrakech. Shop vendors and „tour guides“ hustling you everywhere. Just stay away. The falls are not worth it.

How much did our low-budget roadtrip cost?

We were 2 people travelling together, so we could share accomodation, rental and gas for the car. We actually paid more than the costs shown below, because we did not possess a credit card at the time (my fault) and had to pay a security extra of 140€. On paper we rented the car for 8 days and gave it back the day after we returned to Marrakech. Basically, if the pick up time is later in the day then the return time at the end of the road trip it does not cost more to return it the next day if you would give it back later in the day on the day of your arrival back to Marrakech.

• Car rental: 88€
• Gas: 40€
• Accomodation: 97,62€ (this does not include the last night we spent in Marrakech, because theoretically you can already return the car and leave)
• Daily costs: 83,35€ (this includes mostly food, the camel trip and the police fine we had to pay)

In total the trip cost 308,97€ per person. We always had private accomodation with breakfast, so it can be cheaper if you stay in hostels I guess. It equals to 44,13€ per day per person. If you have any questions or need help planning your trip I am happy to help you. Just contact me 🙂

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