DAY 1: Tangier – Asilah
We will pick you up at the airport or at the port and head towards Asilah, located on the Atlantic coast of northern Morocco about 46 kilometers south of Tangier. Due to its long beaches of fine sand, international festivals, its university, and the Asilah Forum Foundation, the city is a renowed haven for numerous artists, journalists, thinkers and politicians from all over the world. The yearly Art Festival is held in August. The city is also famous for its fish restaurants (some run by Spaniards) and its medina. We will take a tour to the most beautiful places in the city with a local guide. Afterwards, we will have some free time to walk and go shopping. Accommodation in a riad.
DAY 2: Asilah – Rabat – Casablanca
After breakfast, we head towards Casablanca through Rabat. In Casablanca, we will visit the Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world. It is recommended to see it at sunset. The exterior of the mosque occupies about thirty thousand square meters and can accomodate up to 90,000 people. After the visit, we will go to your hotel.
DAY 3: Casablanca – El Jadida – Oualidia – Safi – Essaouira
We will leave Casablanca, the economic center of Morocco, and head to Essaouira driving along the coastal road, from which you can enjoy beautiful views. We will pass through El Jadida (formely known as Mazagan), an old medina that was established in 1513 by the Portuguese. We will continue our trip to Oualida, where we can enjoy some delicious seafood. After lunch, we will go through Safi and arrive in Essaouira in the afternoon to enjoy a wonderful dinner. Overnight stay in a riad.
DAY 4: Essaouira – Sidi Kauki – Marrakech
After breakfast, we will visit the oldest medina in Morocco. Then you can swim and relax a little on the beach, before we go to Marrakech. On the way to Marrakech, we will stop at Sidi Kauki for lunch. Overnight stay in a riad.
DAY 5: Visit the Red City: Marrakech (with a local guide)
You will have the day free day to learn how to bargain in the souks and to discover the most hidden gems in the medina. Accommodation in a riad.
DAY 6: Marrakech – High Atlas – Aït Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Skoura – Valley of the Roses – Dades Valley
After breakfast, we depart to Ouarzazate via the High Atlas through the dramatic Tizi n’Tichka mountain pass (2260 m) with stops to enjoy the panoramic views. We will visit the Argan oil cooperative to learn about the making process and the benefits for the human body. We will continue south and take a detour to the site of Aït Ben Haddou, which is the famous ksar (fortified village) declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. This is a striking example of southern Moroccan architecture. Renowned films such as Gladiator, The Jewel of the Nile, and Sahara (starring Penelope Cruz) have been shot in this spectacular setting. We will have lunch in the village and continue our trip to Ouarzazate, also known as the Desert Gate, the city from where great expeditions depart from and the place of the Taourirt Kasbah. The trip will continue to the Valley of the Roses through the great palm grove of Skoura and Boulemane Dades. Dinner and accommodation in the Dades Valley (kasbah).
DAY 7: Dades Valley – Todra Gorges – Erfoud – Merzouga Desert
After breakfast, we will start on a road dotted with all kinds of kasbahs. After several stops, we will reach one of the South’s strongest points: the Todra Gorges. The Todra riverbed has formed a beautiful gorge of vertical walls of enormous proportions. This unique place is a rock climber’s paradise. After lunch, we will head towards the desert and reach the imposing Merzouga Dunes. Overnight stay in a nearby hotel.
DAY 8: Merzouga – Khamlia village – Nomad families – Erg Chebbi – Dromedary ride – Overnight stay in jaimas (Berber tents)
This will be a day full of adventures in which we will discover another side of Morocco! We will start the trip in a 4×4 car and make our first stop in the Khamlia village to enjoy the Gnawa music. The inhabitants of this village are descendants of slaves who arrived from Sub-Saharan Africa. We will continue through mountains that at first glance seem rocky, but from close by, one realizes that they are made of fossilized sand deposited millions of years ago. We will walk to a place where dinosaurs remains are extracted. Experience the daily routine of an explorer at first hand by visiting the interior of one of the excavations and enjoy the calm of the arid landscape by the small village of Bega. We may also search for the Desert Rose and whoever finds it will have a surprise prize! Next, we will continue our trip along cobbled paths close to the border with Algeria until we reach an area where marine fossils are extracted. We will stop for a Berber-style picnic with a nomad family at a unique landscape, on one side the mountains and on the other the orange dunes of the Sahara. We will visit the French Cemetery at an abandoned town from the colonial era. We will then set off in a caravan of dromedaries that will take us to the Great Dune in about an hour and a half. There, we will watch a beautiful sunset. Dinner and overnight will be in a camp in the heart of the desert. At night, we will enjoy traditional Berber drums, singing, and dancing under a spectacular starry night sky.
DAY 9: Merzouga – Aoufous – Midelt – Azrou – Ifrane – Fez
Wake up before dawn to watch the sunrise from the dunes. After breakfast, we will ride back on the dromedaries and take our car. Our trip will now head north through the palm grove of Tafilalet until we reach the Ziz Valley, where we will stop to enjoy the panoramic views and the town of Aoufous. Our next stop is Midelt to rest and eat. In the afternoon, we will continue to Azrou, where we will hand feed the monkeys, and will then visit Ifrane, known as the Morocco’s “Little Switzerland”. Arrival in your hotel or riad in Fez.
DAY 10: Fez, World Heritage Site
We will have the whole day to discover Fez with a local guide. This is not only the oldest imperial city of Morocco, but it is also its most intellectual one. We will visit several monuments: Medersas (Koranic schools), Chahrij, Bouinania, Attarin, Souks, Fez El-Jedid and the Karaouine Mosque (the oldest known university in the world). Accommodation in a riad.
DAY 11: Fez – Meknes – Volubilis – Chefchaouen
After breakfast, head towards Chefchaouen through Meknes. We will visit the ancient Roman ruins of Volubilis, over 2000 years old, before reaching our final destination. Chefchaouen has a beautiful medina with buildings painted in white and blue, various samples of local crafts, kind people, and a relaxed atmosphere. Accommodation in a riad.
DAY 12: Chefchaouen – Tangier
We will drive you to the airport or port of Tangier, when it will be time to say goodbye to this wonderful trip.