Family-Friendly Morocco Tour in One Week

What to expect on this itinerary
Handcrafted with three distinctive Moroccan destinations, this one-week tour is perfect for families who want something a little more intrepid than a standard vacation. Ancient souks arouse the senses, historical villages immerse you in tradition, and there is so much to do and see. From Sufi drumming to horseback rides and movie scenes to Berber villages, you will fall in love with this incredible country.
Customizable Itinerary
Essaouira – Colorful First Impressions
Essaouira evokes many dreamy impressions of Morocco, but it is much smaller than famous cities like Marrakech and Fes. Ancient castle walls keep guard over the city center, and the streets are broad and pedestrianized. You will be met at the airport and transferred to a hotel in the medina. A local guide will take you on a walking tour orientation so that you can feast on some of the exotic flavors and scenes. You will already be able to notice the reverie that Moroccans have toward family. It will all be very exciting and much calmer than being in Marrakech. This evening, you can continue the exotic narrative with a Sufi drumming workshop.
What's Included:
Essaouira – Water Sports and Horse Rides
Marrakech – Horse-Drawn Carriage Ride
Marrakech – Family Cooking Class
Ouarzazate – Mountain Trekking in the High Atlas
Ouarzazate – Recreating Famous Movies
Ouarzazate – Departure
Trip Highlights
- Ride a horse-drawn carriage through Marrakech’s evocative medina and feast your senses on the traditional scenes
- Enjoy a family hike in the High Atlas that will have you traveling with mules between ancient Berber villages
- Lounge around a beautiful Atlantic Ocean beach and find some solitude for sharing family time
- Recreate a variety of Hollywood movies by visiting Ouarzazate’s studios and the setting for Gladiator
- Learn how to craft local food with an immersive Moroccan cooking class for kids
- Have your choice of water sports in Essaouira, which includes learning to surf, before relaxing on the town’s rooftops for a dose of traditional Morocco
- Drum the night away with a Sufi workshop that is tailored for children
Detailed Description
Morocco is enchantment at every turn with new experiences every day. The country welcomes you to indulge in a dreamy vacation through the country’s premier family highlights with three very distinctive destinations in one week of travel. Essaouira is a charming old city that is complemented by golden beaches and an easy-going atmosphere. Marrakech will provide your cultural immersion. Then, in the High Atlas, you will savor mountain experiences and local Berber connections with a chance to venture off the beaten path.
Morocco is perfect for families. This is a country that loves visitors. The people are famously friendly and place a large focus on the family unit. Every evening, you will see local families playing on city squares. In remote areas, you will find that local women pick up their children and wave to you from their doorways.
Such a warm welcome always helps a vacation run smoothly. Morocco is also an experiential place for families. You will learn Sufi drumming and journey briefly into its mystical realm. A local cooking class will bring fun in the kitchen and plenty of exotic flavors. There can be downtime and water sports on the coast, hiking in breathtaking mountains, and dozens of famous movie locations within easy reach of each other. The country is perfect for parents who want to continue the intrepid travels of their youth with their new travel companions.
After flying to Essaouira, you will spend two nights in the town, which will include a horseback ride on the beach and a Sufi drumming workshop. Marrakech is only a short distance away, and you can celebrate most of its treasures, from a horse-drawn carriage ride to a cooking class. It is only 90 minutes from the city to the High Atlas mountains, where you will spend a day hiking between Berber villages. Ouarzazate is an offbeat and unknown place to finish, but it is perfect for families because it contains the continent’s largest movie studios. All your tours will be private and customizable, plus you can sink into some of Morocco’s finest accommodation for families.
Starting Price
$2,100 per person (excluding international flights)
Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.
What's Included
The starting price is based on travel during the low season for a minimum of two travelers staying in shared 3-star accommodations. Please inquire for a custom trip quote based on your travel preferences and travel dates.
Verified Traveler Reviews
Based on 124 reviews
We recently returned from a 12-day trip to Morocco. It was an incredible trip! We started in a kasbah in the High Atlas Mountains and then traveled to Essaouira, Casablanca, Rabat, Fes, and ended in Marrakech. We had excellent accommodations, transportation, and local guides.
The trip was planned and booked through the tour operator. Zicasso’s travel specialist was easy to communicate with and addressed all of our concerns. It was a pleasure to meet him in Marrakech for tea and an escort around the square. The people of Morocco were warm and kind. We look forward to returning and spending time in the desert, and we would definitely book with the tour operator again.
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Our experience in Morocco was nothing short of amazing, thanks to the very talented team at Zicasso’s travel company. Our family was absolutely delighted with the level of care and attention to detail for each activity and lodging we enjoyed during our nine days in Marrakech, Essaouira, Agafay Desert, and, finally, our hotel in the Atlas Mountains.
Let's start with our driver, who impressed us daily with the way he navigated our very comfortable van through very challenging streets and roadways. We always felt extremely safe with him behind the wheel and he was so nice with our kids! When our youngest started to feel carsick going through the Atlas Mountains, our driver did everything he could to make the journey smooth—drove extra slow, pulled over whenever we asked for a little break, and made sure the car was always stocked with plastic bags and plenty of water. We highly recommend our driver, along with each tour guide arranged through the travel company.
Our travel specialist, and the owner, has assembled a fantastic group of people who clearly love their work. You will leave the country with an authentic cultural experience, not just a stamp in the passport. If you get an opportunity, do the backstreet food tour with our guide in Marrakech. She was so hospitable and introduced us to some truly tasty food. My children (ages seven and 12) even ate snails in the market with us! So yes, try the snails, along with whatever else she recommends.
Another tip: if you want a desert ATV experience, but do not want to trek to the Sahara, please consider visiting Essaouira and book an ATV tour there. There are some impressive sand dunes near the beach and we had an absolute blast trekking over those. The ATV route is gorgeous; you get the beach and the desert landscape in one go.
If you want an overnight desert experience, without going to the Sahara, then absolutely go to the Agafay Desert. A camel ride at sunset was a magical first for our children.
Finally, I want to say that the travel company goes above and beyond if there are travel hiccups. On our final night in Morocco, we received a text from our airline saying our flight had been cancelled (part of the massive Airbus recall). There were zero flights out of Marrakech and we needed to be back in the States in two days. My husband found a flight from Casablanca the next day and the travel specialist graciously provided transportation for us for the three-and-a-half-hour drive. We felt like booking with the our travel specialist was like having extra travel insurance! Sincere thanks to him and the entire team.
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This was our fourth trip with Zicasso and, like the others, it was amazing and memorable. Even being back home for a while now, I’m still constantly thinking about how fun and unique this experience was. Morocco isn’t easy to navigate, but Zicasso, our travel specialist, and our team expertly guided and educated us on the special history, culture, food, traditions, and sites of this beautiful country.
We started in Marrakech and had night and day food tours in the medina. It was immersive and interesting, and almost an assault on the senses–super-cool experiences. We learned about the cultural influences through the centuries and our guides were experts in their historical and local knowledge. The street food night tour was an evening to remember, sampling all sorts of local foods at places that would be impossible to find on the web.
After our days in Marrakech, we traveled in a loop around Morocco for several days, passing through the High Atlas Mountains to Ouarzazate, Skoura Oasis, Merzouga, and the Sahara, followed by two and a half days in Fes, another cultural gem. It was an unforgettable journey, filled with highlights:
The boutique hotel in a literal oasis was beautiful and so well appointed–such friendly staff and owners, and perfect food.
Ait Ben Haddou (a kasbah) was like nothing we’d ever seen–no wonder it has been used in so many films. Our private guide there had been in nine movies!
The Sahara trek was unbelievable and my personal highlight. I almost still can’t believe it. A one-hour guided walk on a camel (they were friendly!), stopping to watch a beautiful sunset. It reminded me of the "Dune" movies. The moon literally rose on the opposite horizon as the sun was setting. Then, another 30 minutes on the camels under moonlight to a luxury camp. I say “camp,” but the small restaurant was deluxe and our tent was warm, luxurious, and, of course, had a full, regular bathroom. So not exactly camping!
Fes was super-interesting and our driver and guide ensured we saw so much of what makes Fes the cultural capital.
This was, overall, such a fun experience that will stay with me forever. We’ve recommended Morocco to many since returning!
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This was a trip of a lifetime, thanks to Zicasso’s travel company!
Our family recently returned from an unforgettable journey through Morocco and we owe the magic of this experience to the incredible team at our travel company. From the moment we reached out, we were met with warmth, attentiveness, and an exceptional level of care.
The company crafted a beautifully balanced itinerary that allowed us to truly immerse ourselves in Moroccan culture. Every detail was thoughtfully arranged, from transportation and accommodations to amazing local guides and our incredibly hospitable and attentive driver, who made the experience feel personal and deeply welcoming. The team was flexible throughout, adjusting plans effortlessly to suit our pace and preferences.
Highlights included a hands-on pottery workshop, a delicious cooking class filled with traditional Moroccan flavors, and a dreamy night of glamping in the Agafay Desert.
We also loved the coastal charm of Essaouira and the vibrant energy of Marrakech, with its colorful souks, stunning architecture, and lively atmosphere.
What stood out most was the kindness, authenticity, and thoughtfulness of everyone we encountered through our travel company. The experience gave us a meaningful connection to the country – its culture, landscapes, and people – that we’ll remember for a long time.
Thank you for such a memorable and enriching trip!
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Flawless doesn't begin to describe how incredible and meticulous the planning and taste that went into designing our Spain and Morocco trip. I reached out to Zicasso’s travel specialist far in advance, describing a dream vacation for my husband and me that included a near-impossible amount of locations to cover through both countries in only two weeks. We had tried coming up with an itinerary with another planner prior to meeting the travel specialist, but it did not work out. When we shared our vision with the travel specialist, he materialized it on paper in a way that made sense and even made adjustments that fit within our budget. We got to see every location with enough time to savor each.
The order of travel from Barcelona to Andalucía to Morocco was an intricate weave that told a story of cross-cultural exchange. We started off with Gaudí architecture and the Sagrada Família, sunsets at the Puente Nuevo, Alhambra, and Córdoba, marveled at the grandeur of the mosque cathedral, savored seafood paella and Picasso art in Málaga. We finished off road-tripping in Morocco, starting from the blue city of Chefchaouhen, continuing our journey through Casablanca, Rabat, Fes, Marrakech, and the Atlas Mountains. It was nothing short of magical.
We will never forget the beauty of the sun rising above the Atlas Mountains, private candlelit dinners on our private terrace in the riads, the colors of the souks, and the hospitality of our Moroccan hosts. Each riad was carefully selected and far exceeded our expectations. And of course, our driver in Morocco was an absolute delight and went above and beyond. Besides providing transportation, he acted as a friend who showed us the ins and outs, helping us see Morocco in a way that we would not have if we went in a large group or had chosen to come alone. Overall, my husband and I cannot recommend our travel specialist enough.
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We enjoyed a spectacular journey encompassing Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains. Our guide and driver were very professional, knowledgeable, and entertaining. Each of the special events enabled us to interact extensively with everyday Moroccans. Our accommodations were superb and gave us a real feel for the country. We loved every moment of the adventure!
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