Egypt and Morocco tours

Two ends of North Africa in one trip

Cairo and Marrakech are two of the great old cities of the Islamic world, and seeing them in one journey lets you compare their mosques, markets and medieval lanes side by side. Our Egypt and Morocco trips are built for that. Egypt comes first, with the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, and most trips add a day in historic Cairo along Al-Muizz Street and in Khan el-Khalili.

Then you cross North Africa by air. Every trip spends its first Moroccan night in Casablanca, travels to Marrakech, and comes back to Casablanca at the end, so the route makes a loop rather than a string of one-way transfers. In between, the six trips choose different things: cities and markets, the imperial medina of Fez, the mountains and the desert, or the Nile on the Egyptian side.

The six routes at a glance

The 10-day Cairo, Marrakech and Casablanca tour is the unhurried city trip: three nights in Cairo, three in Marrakech with a whole free day, and three in Casablanca.

The 11-day Cairo, Atlas Mountains and Sahara tour is a road journey across the High Atlas to Merzouga, then north to Fez. The 12-day Pyramids and the Imperial Cities tour pairs Marrakech with two nights and a full guided day in Fez.

The 13-day Cairo, Alexandria and Marrakech tour adds two nights on the Mediterranean before the Atlantic. The 14-day Nile Cruise, Marrakech and Fez tour sails four nights on the Nile. The 16-day Grand Egypt and Morocco tour joins a three-night cruise with the Atlas, the Sahara and Fez.

Egypt before the flight west

Your first day in Cairo starts with a meeting at the airport, and the next is spent at Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum with your guide. Five of the six trips then spend a day in historic Cairo.

The 13-day tour drives north for two nights in Alexandria, the harbor city of the Ptolemies, with the Citadel of Qaitbay, the Corniche, the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. A night back in Cairo keeps that drive apart from the flight west.

Two trips put you on the Nile. The 14-day tour flies to Luxor and sails four nights south to Aswan, with Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae. The 16-day tour flies to Aswan and sails three nights north past Philae, Kom Ombo and Edfu to Luxor. Both are matched to a sailing that fits your dates, both include the meal plan on board, and both add a night in Cairo after the cruise before the flight to Casablanca. Flights within Egypt are not included unless your quote lists them.

The Cairo to Casablanca flight

All six trips fly from Cairo to Casablanca, and every trip states the same thing about it: the flight is not included unless your quote lists it. International airfare to Egypt at the start and home from Morocco at the end is not included either.

The flight has a day to itself. You land in Casablanca, someone meets you on arrival, and you spend that night in the city before the transfer to Marrakech the next day. On the 10-day tour that first evening is left free so you can land gently. The transfers between Casablanca and Marrakech are part of every trip; on the 13-day tour they run by private vehicle or by a confirmed rail-and-transfer arrangement, and your quote says which.

Marrakech

Every trip spends time in Marrakech, with a guided day among its palaces, gardens and medina. You see Bahia Palace and the older lanes of the medina with a local guide, and meet Jemaa el-Fnaa as the square shifts from afternoon to evening.

Four trips give Marrakech three nights, which leaves a whole free day for a garden, a craft street or simply a slow morning. The two desert routes give it two nights before the road over the mountains. Timed entry to Majorelle Garden is not included unless your quote lists it, and neither are optional craft workshops.

Fez and the imperial cities

Four of the six trips reach Fez. The 12-day Imperial Cities tour and the 16-day grand tour each spend two nights there, with a full guided day in the medina among its gates, places of learning and historic craft districts. On the 12-day tour a whole day is set aside for the journey from Marrakech to Fez, by the road or rail service confirmed in your quote, so the medina visits stay relaxed.

On the other two trips Fez is a short stop. The 11-day tour reaches Fez after the long drive from the Sahara and treats it as an overnight stop, not a sightseeing day. The 14-day tour spends one night there after a full travel day from Marrakech. If a full medina day matters to you, ask your planner to add a night.

Over the Atlas to the Sahara

The 11-day and 16-day tours turn Morocco into a road journey. From Marrakech you cross the High Atlas toward Ouarzazate, pausing near the earthen village of Ait Benhaddou when the road allows, then continue through oasis valleys to the edge of the Sahara dunes at Merzouga. You spend one night there in a desert camp or lodge of the category named in your quote, then make the long drive north to Fez.

These routes are honest about distance. The pace is active and the drives are long, and the 16-day tour gives every long drive its own day. Optional desert activities at Merzouga are not included unless your quote lists them.

Casablanca and the Atlantic

Every trip ends where modern Morocco faces the Atlantic. On the 10-day, 12-day and 13-day tours you have a day for Casablanca's Atlantic architecture, with a visit to the Hassan II Mosque under its guided-entry arrangements and time on the waterfront before the flight home. The other trips spend their final night in Casablanca so the departure transfer is short and calm.

What is included, and how to request a quote

Each trip includes meet and assist on arrival in Cairo, on arrival in Casablanca and on departure, the airport and land transfers described in the itinerary, the hotel nights listed for that trip, and the guided visits named in the day-by-day program; three trips state a local guide in each country. Meals are as set out in your confirmed quote.

Not included on any of the six: international airfare, entry visas for Egypt and Morocco, gratuities for guides, drivers, hotel, cruise or camp staff, travel insurance and personal expenses. Request a quote for the trip you like and a planner replies within 24 hours with your dates, hotels, meals and the flights your quote includes.