Marrakech Day Trips During CAN 2025: Football & Adventure Combined
Marrakech was one of the host cities for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Here's how a day trip to the Atlas Mountains, the Agafay Desert, or Ait Benhaddou fills a rest day between matches — for that tournament or any other visit.
Marrakech Day Trips During CAN 2025: Football & Adventure Combined
Marrakech was one of the host cities for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN 2025), and travelers who came into town for matches quickly ran into the same thing regular visitors discover: Marrakech is a compact enough base that you can be at a match one evening and deep in the Atlas Mountains or the desert the next afternoon. The logic below isn't really specific to football — it applies to anyone visiting Marrakech around any multi-day event who wants to use the gaps between fixed commitments well, but it's especially useful if you're building a trip around a tournament schedule with rest days built in between matches.
The half-day escape: Ourika Valley
If you have an afternoon free rather than a full day, the Ourika Valley is the easiest win. It's only about 45 minutes from Marrakech, and the change of scenery is dramatic — you go from the heat and density of the city to a green mountain valley with terraced fields, a Berber village to walk through, and a guided hike to the Setti Fatma waterfalls. Most versions of this trip include a stop at a women's argan oil cooperative and a riverside lunch, and you're back in the city well before an evening kickoff if that's what you're working around. It's consistently the most popular single day trip out of Marrakech, priced from around €35 per person.
The evening option: Agafay Desert
For a shorter window — say, after a day match, or the evening before one — the Agafay Desert works differently from a typical Sahara trip in one useful way: it's only about 40 minutes from Marrakech, so there's no early departure or long drive involved. You get a sunset camel ride against the Atlas Mountains, a traditional dinner with live Berber music and a fire show, and you're dropped back at your hotel by 10 or 11 PM — early enough that missing sleep before match day isn't really a concern. It runs from around €55 per person.
The full rest-day trip: Ait Benhaddou and Ouarzazate
If you have a genuinely free day between fixtures, this is the one worth using it on. The drive out crosses the Tizi n'Tichka pass — one of the most scenic mountain roads in Morocco — before reaching the UNESCO-listed ksar of Ait Benhaddou, the fortified red-earth village that's shown up in more films than almost any other location in the country. From there it's a short continuation to Ouarzazate, home to the Atlas Film Studios and the Taourirt Kasbah. It's a long day — figure 3 to 3.5 hours of driving each way — so it genuinely needs a full rest day rather than a half-day gap, but it's the trip most travelers rate as the highlight of their non-match days. Pricing starts from around €45 per person.
Planning around match days
Traffic and transport in and around host cities tends to get noticeably busier on match days themselves, so it's worth allowing extra time getting to and from the stadium and booking private transport in advance rather than relying on finding a taxi at the last minute. Since day trips involve a private vehicle and driver, booking a few days ahead — especially during a period when the city is fuller than usual — helps guarantee the date and time you actually want, rather than scrambling to fit one in around a fixture you just found out about.
Watching matches without a ticket
Not every match day needs a stadium seat. Djemaa el-Fna typically has large public screens up during a major tournament, local cafés across the city show matches with the kind of atmosphere you won't get from a hotel TV, and it's increasingly common for riads to organize a screening for guests. If you're curious about the local football scene beyond the tournament itself, Marrakech has its own long-standing club, Kawkab Athletic Club (KAC Marrakech), and asking your guide about it is a good way into a conversation most visitors never have.
Contact Us
Whether you're planning around a football tournament or simply want to make the most of your days in and around Marrakech, we can put together a day trip that fits your schedule.
- Email: hello@merzougaway.com
- WhatsApp: +212675203319 / +212668534981
If the Ourika Valley sounds like the right fit for a free afternoon, see our Ourika Valley & Atlas Mountains day trip for the full itinerary.
MerzougaWay Team
We are a passionate team of local guides dedicated to sharing the beauty and culture of our home, Morocco. Our journey began with a simple desire to offer authentic, memorable experiences that go beyond the typical tourist trails.
