Two countries

Egypt and Morocco Tours: What Combining Them Actually Involves

Egypt and Morocco tours put two of North Africa's best-known countries into a single trip. They are not neighbours: the land between them runs through Libya and Algeria, which is no route for a holiday, so you fly five to six hours instead. With enough time the pairing works well; squeezed into twelve days it does not.

Why do people book Egypt and Morocco tours together?

Both are entry points to North Africa for people who have not travelled the region before, and both are a long flight from Europe or North America, so pairing them spreads the cost of getting there. They are also different enough to be worth seeing back to back: Egypt is ancient monuments strung along one river, Morocco is working cities, mountains and coast.

There is no historical thread joining them, whatever the marketing suggests. Pharaonic Egypt and the Morocco of the Almoravids sit thousands of years and more than two thousand miles apart. If you want a trip where each half explains the other, this is not it. If you want two strong, unrelated countries in one holiday, it works.

How far apart are they, and how do you cross?

Roughly 3,700 km separates Cairo from Marrakesh, with Libya and Algeria in between. They sit on the same landmass, but the overland route is not a realistic option for a holiday, and border openings and conditions along it change. Read your own government's current travel advice for both countries, and for anywhere on your route, before you commit to anything.

In the air it is five to six hours. Direct services between Egypt and Morocco exist but are limited, and many itineraries connect through Europe or the Gulf, which turns a short hop into most of a travelling day. Treat that day as part of the holiday rather than a transfer, and put it somewhere you do not mind losing.

How long does the combination actually need?

Sixteen to eighteen days is the realistic window. Egypt takes eight or nine: Cairo and Giza, then Luxor and Aswan, usually with a few nights on the Nile. Morocco takes seven or eight: Marrakesh, the Atlas, the desert if you want it, and Fes. One full day goes to the flight in between.

Under fourteen days, one country becomes a stopover. That is a fair choice made deliberately. Three nights in Marrakesh after Egypt is a reasonable way to finish. It is a poor choice made by accident, which is what happens when a two-week holiday gets split down the middle and both halves end up rushed.

When is the best season for both countries?

Spring and autumn suit both. March to May, and late September to November, give you Upper Egypt at a temperature you can walk around in, and Morocco warm rather than punishing. These are also the months that fill up first, because everyone else has worked this out too.

Summer is the honest problem. Luxor and Aswan pass 40C and sightseeing ends by mid-morning. Marrakesh and the desert are hot as well, though the Atlantic coast stays mild. Winter reverses it: good weather in Upper Egypt at the busiest prices, while the Atlas gets snow, passes can close and desert nights drop close to freezing.

What is not worth adding?

A Red Sea beach stop tacked on at the end. By then you have flown a lot, and you would add another internal flight for a few days in a hotel. If you want sea, take two days on the Moroccan Atlantic instead, which costs you a drive rather than a flight.

The short desert run from Marrakesh to Zagora is two days of driving for modest dunes. Merzouga is better and further out, so either commit to it or drop the desert and give the time to Fes. Casablanca is a fair skip beyond the Hassan II mosque. In Egypt, the shortest Nile cruises are mostly hotel.

How is a trip like this put together?

These trips are usually put together by an operator in one country working with a partner in the other, and sold by enquiry rather than online checkout. The reason is the flight in the middle. Both halves have to be built around whichever connection works on your dates, and that cannot be picked from a dropdown.

Cost is driven by three things: the international flights, the flight between the two countries, and hotel standard. Guides, drivers and entrance fees are the smaller share. A combination is not two half-price trips. It is close to two full ones, minus one long-haul leg.

Common questions

Do we need a visa for each country?+

Yes, they are separate countries with separate entry systems. Egypt requires a visa for most Western passport holders, arranged online or on arrival. Morocco admits many nationalities without one for short stays. The rules depend on your passport and they change, so check the official government source for your own nationality rather than a travel blog.

Which country should we do first?+

Egypt first, if the flights allow it. It is the harder half: early starts, heat, long days on your feet and a lot of concentrated sightseeing. Morocco is gentler and works better as the second week, when you are tired. The other order is not wrong, just harder at the point you have least energy.

Is it sensible with young children?+

Sixteen days and four or more flights is a lot for a child under about eight. Older children tend to do well in Egypt, because the sites are large and easy to grasp. With a young family, one country done slowly is a better holiday than two done quickly.

Should we book the two halves separately?+

You can, and now and then it is cheaper. The risk sits on the connecting flight. When two operators each handle one country, nobody owns the day you move between them, so a delay or cancellation lands on you. Booked as one trip, that day is somebody's responsibility.

Official sources

Entry rules, opening hours, security advice and exchange rates all move. Check them at the source, not here.

UK FCDO travel advice for Egypt ↗It updates continuously, and most UK travel insurance follows it.
US State Department: Egypt ↗The same advice, written for US travellers.