Day 1: Arrival in Marrakech.
Upon arrival at Marrakech airport you will be met and transferred to our hotel in the city center. Tonight there will be a welcome meeting and dinner at 6:00 pm, after which you can explore the delights of Djemaa el Fna, the lush market, which literally comes alive at night. Overnight in Marrakech. (BB)
Day 2: Marrakech – Casablanca – Rabat.
Today we travel to Rabat, stopping en route to visit Casablanca and see the exterior of the Hassan 2 Mosque, which has the tallest minaret and is the third largest mosque in the world – it can hold 25,000 worshippers at any one time. Continuing on, we will spend the afternoon and evening in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, and visit some of Rabat’s highlights, including the impressive Chellah, a necropolis and complex of ancient medieval ruins. Overnight in Rabat. (BB)
Day 3: Rabat – Meknes – Volubilis – Fez.
Traveling to Fez today, we stop in the Imperial City of Meknes, which became known as the Versailles of Morocco due to its impressive buildings and elaborate monuments. After free time to explore the city, we continue on to visit the incredible UNESCO-listed Roman ruins of Volubilis, which date back to 40 AD. Arriving in the Imperial City of Fez this afternoon, the evening is free to relax or explore. Overnight in Fez. (BB)
Day 4: City tour of Fes.
Fes is the oldest and largest medieval city in the world and its medina is a cacophony of scents, sights and sounds. Today we enjoy a guided tour of Fes el Bali – the ancient walled city and visit the dyers, tanneries before returning to our hotel to prepare for an optional evening of entertainment and Moroccan food at a restaurant in the city. Overnight in Fez. (BB)
Day 5: Fez – Midelt – Ziz Erfoud Gorges – Erg Chebbi – Sahara camel trekking.
After breakfast we will embark on a scenic ride to Ifrane, through hills covered with forests of cork oaks and giant cedars, home to some Barbary apes. Crossing beautiful and quiet passes over the Middle and High Atlas Mountains, we will have a first impression of the incredible architecture of the south. Lunch in Midelt, approached through a shady plain of scrubland and desert. The spectacular peaks of the High Atlas, rising behind the city, provide a spectacular backdrop. Crossing Tizi-n-Talremt (She-Camel Pass), we descend into a desert plain along the Ziz valley. We then head south towards Erfoud and Rissani, a huge oasis containing over six million palm trees, bordered by many ksours (fortified villages). Continuing along a striking route that marks the transition to the desert, when we arrive in Merzouga we will be greeted with a cup of tea. We have time to relax and then prepare to ride a camel across the pink sands of Morocco’s highest dunes. We will have time to stroll through the dunes before sunset. Dinner is served, followed by traditional music and overnight in a nomad tent. (HB)
Day 6: Merzouga – Ziz Oasis – Rissani Gorges – Todra – Dades Valley.
If we get up early enough, we can see the spectacle of sunrise, when the color of the dunes combines with the play of shadows to make a breathtaking view. After a cup of tea, we will ride camels for a couple of hours (or less; it depends on you), at the Kasbah, have breakfast and shower, before departing for the fortified village of Rissani in the Tafilalt region. Nestled on the edge of the Ziz valley, Rissani is a traditional desert village that houses the impressive mausoleum of Moulay Ali Sharif, the first ruler of the Alaouite dynasty, who flourished here in the 17th century. Drive through the impressive Todra Gorges and past the eastern slopes of the Atlas Mountains to the oasis of Tinerhir, with its verdant valley of palm trees and local villages, before continuing on a scenic drive through the Dades Valley, also known as the “Valley of 1000 Kasbahs”. Overnight in the Dades valley. (HB)
Day 7: Dades Valley – Skoura – Ouarzazate – Ait Benhaddou – Atlas Mountains – Marrakech.
After breakfast, we will pass through the villages of this charming area, passing through fields cultivated by Berber women, with the peaks of the High Atlas Mountains as a backdrop. Our journey will continue to Ouarzazate, along the Valley of the Roses, famous for its Rose Festival in May, and passing through the Kasbahs of the oasis of Skoura. A charming tourist oasis with an exotic Kasbah, Ouarzazate, has been featured in several movies, including “The Sheltering Sky”, we stop to visit the Kasbah of Taorirt, and the film museum, we head to explore Ait Benhaddou, an incredible ancient fortified Kasbah that has been featured in many blockbuster movies, including Gladiator and Laurence of Arabia. Later, continue through picturesque villages and rugged mountain scenery to the Tizi-n-Tichkas Pass, in the heart of the High Atlas Mountains, before arriving in the imperial city of Marrakech for two nights. An optional afternoon excursion will be a suitable option to end the day with an overnight stay in Marrakech. (BB)
Day 8: Visit of Marrakech.
We will take a guided tour and see the sights of Marrakech, Morocco’s fourth imperial city. Within the pink walls of the medina is a tangle of winding streets and alleyways that open up to green gardens and bustling souks. At the heart of the medina is Djemaa El Fna, the city’s lush marketplace, and above it stands the famous Koutoubia Mosque, the tallest building in the city. The rest of the day is free to explore the city. Overnight in Marrakech. (BB)
Day 9: Marrakech at leisure – Transfer to the airport
Our trip ends after breakfast and check-out from the hotel, transfer to the airport.