Three and a half hours,another world entirely.
Closer than Greece, nothing like it
Morocco is the shortest flight from Britain that lands you somewhere genuinely unfamiliar — and the reason so many of our guests come back for a second trip.
British travellers are our largest group after Americans, and the pattern repeats: a first journey of seven to ten days around Marrakech, the Atlas and the desert, then a return for the north — Chefchaouen, Fes, the coast — once Morocco has got under their skin.
Genuine Discoveries is run by Jaouad, born in a High Atlas village and licensed by Morocco’s Ministry of Tourism. He designs the journey, answers your emails and guides the trip himself. There is no call centre between you and the person on the ground, and no commission being taken by a middleman in London.
What follows is the practical version: flights from your airport, what you need on paper, which months suit which region, and what a private journey really costs.
Flights from Britain
More British airports fly to Morocco than to most Mediterranean islands, and the flight is short enough to leave after work.
London in about 3h30
Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and Luton all serve Marrakech; British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair and TUI compete on the route, which keeps fares honest. Agadir, Fes and Tangier are served too.
From the regions
Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and Leeds have seasonal direct flights, mostly to Marrakech and Agadir. Schedules shift each season — check before you fix dates.
Which airport to land at
Marrakech (RAK) for the Atlas and the Sahara. Fes (FEZ) or Tangier (TNG) to travel north to south and fly home from Marrakech. Casablanca (CMN) for the Grand Discovery.
The time difference
Morocco is on UTC+1 all year: the same as the UK in British summer, an hour ahead in winter. Clocks here move back during Ramadan, which we flag if it touches your dates.
Six journeys, all of them yours to change
These are the routes we run most often. Every one is private, and every one gets rebuilt around your dates, your pace and your interests.
The Grand Discovery
Casablanca to Marrakech the long way: Chefchaouen, Roman Volubilis, Fes, two nights in the Erg Chebbi dunes, the Dades valley and three unhurried days in Marrakech.
From $4,450 per person · quoted in USD, payable as agreed 8 daysColors of Morocco
The classic first trip — blue Chefchaouen, medieval Fes, the Sahara and the red city, at a pace that still leaves room to sit down.
From $1,890 per person · quoted in USD, payable as agreed 8 daysImperial Cities & Desert Magic
Rabat, Meknes, Fes and Marrakech — a thousand years of palaces, medinas and craft, with the dunes at the centre of the week.
From $1,890 per person · quoted in USD, payable as agreed 9 daysMgoun Trek & Atlas Mountains
Summit Jebel Mgoun, walk the Happy Valley, sleep in Amazigh villages and finish at the Ouzoud waterfalls.
From $1,000 per person · quoted in USD, payable as agreed 5 daysToubkal Trek & Atlas Mountains
North Africa’s highest peak in a long weekend, with mountain refuges, mule support and a guide who grew up on these trails.
From $1,000 per person · quoted in USD, payable as agreed 5 daysSahara Escape
Straight to the desert: Aït Benhaddou, the Dades gorges and two nights under the stars at Erg Chebbi.
From $990 per person · quoted in USD, payable as agreedPrices start here — the rest is your choice
Nobody can quote a Morocco trip honestly without knowing how you want to sleep. So we publish the floor, and explain exactly what lifts it.
What sets the starting price
Every journey shows a "from" price: the lowest it runs at, in a quiet month, with two or more of you sharing, staying in characterful riads and guesthouses. It is a real number, not bait — trips do leave at it.
What moves it up
Three things, in order: the standard of the houses you sleep in, the season you travel in, and how many of you there are. A five-star riad in Fes and a luxury desert camp can double the room cost of a week without changing a single stop on the map.
The Journey
Our standard level. Characterful riads and guesthouses chosen for their owners as much as their rooms, a comfortable private 4×4, and the same guiding as every other trip.
The Journey, Elevated
Five-star riads, palace hotels, luxury desert camps with proper beds and private bathrooms, a larger vehicle, and extras like a private cooking lesson or a hot-air balloon at dawn.
We quote in US dollars because that is the currency most of our suppliers use; we will always tell you the pound figure at the day’s rate. As a rough guide, our journeys run from about £1,500 to £3,500 per person depending on length and standard.
Flights and insurance are not included — book those yourself and keep the flexibility. Everything else in the quote is the total: the vehicle, the driver, the guiding, the houses, the meals listed and all gratuities.
Nothing is charged while the itinerary is still being shaped, and the written quote comes before any deposit is discussed.
Six places worth the flight
A private journey means you can take any of these slowly, or leave one out entirely.
Marrakech
The Jemaa el-Fnaa at dusk, the Saadian Tombs, Majorelle, and the quiet courtyards five metres off a street you would never have entered alone.
Fes
The oldest living medieval city on earth: 9,000 lanes, no cars, tanneries, and the world’s oldest continuously operating university.
The Sahara
Erg Chebbi’s dunes at Merzouga — camels at sunset, dinner under more stars than you have seen, and complete silence at 3 a.m.
The High Atlas
Amazigh villages, walnut terraces, mule tracks and 4,000-metre peaks an hour from Marrakech. Jaouad’s home ground.
Chefchaouen
The blue city in the Rif: a full day, not the two-hour photo stop most tours allow.
The Atlantic coast
Essaouira’s ramparts and grilled sardines, Oualidia’s oyster lagoon, Taghazout’s surf — where Moroccans go to breathe.
What makes this different
There are hundreds of Morocco operators. Here is the short, checkable version of what separates us.
You get the owner, not a subcontractor
Jaouad designs your itinerary, answers your emails and guides the journey himself. On a fourteen-day trip you have the same person from arrivals to departure.
Licensed, and from here
Born in a High Atlas village, Amazigh by heritage, certified by Morocco’s Ministry of Tourism. He speaks Tamazight, Arabic, French, English and Spanish, which is what opens doors in villages.
Private, always
Your own vehicle and driver, your own guide, your own pace. Nothing is shared with strangers and nothing runs to someone else’s clock.
No single supplement
Solo travellers pay the same per-person price as couples. Gratuities for drivers, local guides and camp staff are included too.
From first email to first morning
No forms to fight, no pressure, and nothing to pay while we are still designing.
Tell us the shape of it
Your dates, roughly how long you have, what you love and what you would rather skip. Two lines is enough to start.
A first outline, in 24 hours
You get a written day-by-day proposal with a total price — not a brochure, and nothing to pay.
We rebuild it with you
Swap a day, add the coast, slow the pace, upgrade one riad and not the others. Most journeys go through two or three versions.
Confirm, then relax
Deposit and payment terms in writing, then Jaouad handles the rest: houses, drivers, permits, the local guide in each city.
Passports, money and the small print
Short flight, easy entry — but a few Moroccan details are worth knowing before you land.
No visa for British passports
UK passport holders can enter for tourism for up to 90 days without a visa, with at least six months left on the passport. Check the FCDO’s Morocco travel advice before booking — requirements do change.
The dirham stays in Morocco
You cannot buy it at home and should not carry it out. Withdraw at the airport; keep small notes for tips and the souks. Cards work in riads and smart restaurants.
What we include
Your own vehicle and driver, the guiding, the accommodation and listed meals, and all gratuities for drivers, local guides and camp staff. Flights and insurance are yours.
Phones and power
Roaming is cheap or included on many UK plans; otherwise an eSIM costs a few pounds. Sockets are European two-pin at 220V — the same adapter you use for Spain.
Health
No vaccinations are required for entry. Check NHS Fit for Travel for current advice and speak to your GP if you have specific concerns. Tell us about allergies and diets — every kitchen will know in advance.
Safety, realistically
The genuine risks are pickpocketing in the busiest medinas and being overcharged shopping alone. The FCDO advice is the official line; travelling with a guide removes most of the friction people write about online.
The months that suit British calendars
The half-terms and bank holidays that suit you do not always suit the Sahara. Here is the honest version.
February half-term
Cold nights, bright days, snow on the Atlas and hardly a queue in Marrakech. The desert is chilly after dark but the light is extraordinary, and it is excellent value.
Easter and May half-term
The best all-round window: warm but not hot, wildflowers in the mountains, perfect desert nights. These weeks fill first — book four to six months ahead.
The summer holidays
July and August are hot inland; 40°C in Marrakech is normal. We move families to the Atlantic coast, the Atlas valleys and the north, and start the days earlier.
September to November
Our favourite season and the quietest: warm days, cool evenings, harvests in the valleys, and prices below the spring peak.
Morocco from the UK — your questions
What British travellers ask us most often.
Tell us your dates, we'll do the rest.
Jaouad reads every enquiry himself and replies within 24 hours — with a first outline, honest advice on timing, and no obligation.