Good thing I’m Canadian then. I’m sure any ne’er-do-well will accept my explanation that that’s totally different. 
FWIW, I’m not thinking of anything the guides wouldn’t recommend (“sneaking off” was a bit facetious) but there are definitely “free time” periods built into the schedule to be filled at will.
Got 'cha! I guess I took the “sneaking off” too literally, and it set off a few bells. 
We have neighbors who go to Morocco, and one of their favorite things to do is to walk the back streets and outer neighborhoods of Marrakech.
They look American, though could pass for Scandinavian.
I’ve had very good sushi and French food in the “new city” quarter of Marrakech. The YSL Museum there has one of the most beautiful gardens I’ve ever been to. Succulents and palm species from all over the world.
Just to follow up mid-trip. Based on the limited experiences I’ve had at this point of being separated from the group, the ne’er-do-wells, are much more likely to be offering me drugs than anything else. And their persistence was not overstated - these are the pushy drug dealers from 1980s drug PSAs finally showing up IRL.
Much more “annoying” than “dangerous” though.
Bumping this as we’re planning a very similar tour for April 2025. We only have 10 days, so unfortunately we’re not going up to Chefchaouen. We’re spending a night in Rabat, 2 in Fes, 1 at a desert camp, 2 nights in Boumalne Dades, and 3 nights in Marrekech.
We plan on hiking after our desert night and as a day trip from Marrakech. How was the night at the desert camp? How was the drive from Fes to Merzouga? What did you see in Fes and Marrakech that stood out?
It’s been 14 years since I drove all over Morocco, so things may have changed. But if I had just one piece of advice for traveling by car in that country, it would be to make all your fuel, rest, and snack stops at Afriquia gas stations. They were the only ones with free, clean, and modern toilet facilities.
Honestly, that’s too bad. Chefchaouen was among my favourite parts of the tour.
It was kind of a “tourist experience” thing. Get on the camels, ride to the camp, get a tent as a room – very glamping – where a pickup truck has delivered your bags already. Not a bad experience per se, but clearly “there for the tourists, not for the locals”.
We are under no illusions about it, but we’re still willing to give it a go. In our past travels we’ve not done some fun but touristy things and came to regret it. So we’ll embrace our inner tourist and enjoy it.
Oh, I mean certainly go. It’s a tourist experience, but it’s definitely an experience. Some people (not our group) brought snowboards to slide down the dunes.
(Just looking over my photos to get some highlights).
The “iconic” bits of Fes and Marakesh, weren’t, in my mind at least, the stars of the show. Busy narrow streets with exotic goods for sale is certainly something to see, but it’s really more “atmosphere”. Definitely if you want spices, get some, though.
I liked Volubilis for Roman ruins. Stop at Ait Benhaddou if you can – I think it is likely on your Dades → Marrakech route.
We got a cooking lesson at a farm just outside of Marrakech which was very nice (although my tagine at home is still not great compared to even the worst tagine we had there).
Jardin Majorelle was a nice treat in Marrakech.
When we were in Morocco, we learned the secret to tagine cooking…use a pressure cooker. The tagine is just for serving.
We’re planning Volubilis and Ait Benhaddou. We’ll be spending a few nights in the Dades Valley hiking and seeing some local color, as well as hiking in the Ourika Valley as a day trip from Marrakech.