Itinerary

1. Day 1: Tangier Arrival

   • Welcome to Morocco! ­Either you come by plane or by ferry, you will find our shuttle with a card by your name waiting for you to drive you to your hotel.

2. Day 2: Exploring Tangier

   • We start this tour from the gateway of Europe to Africa, Tangier, named for the goddess Tinge, and the lover of Hercules, who mythically pulled Europe apart from Africa to form the Strait of Gibraltar.
   • A dramatic drive takes you through La Montagne over a pine-covered headland to the Cap Spartel Lighthouse that lies just 14km west of Tangier.
   • 5km further, you’ll get to Grottes d’Hercule where you’ll have a much-photographed view from within the mythical dwelling cave of Hercules that resembles a map of Africa.
   • Back to the Medina where you’ll spend a few hours meandering down the alleyways, within its 15th-century Portuguese fortress walls to visit the Kasbah Museum of Mediterranean Culture.
   • Wander up St. Andrew’s Church for a spot of gravestone reading, then take in the latest art exhibition at the Center Culturel Ibn Khaldoun.

3. Day 3: Journey to Chefchaouen

   • Leaving the famously decadent Tangier, with its Europe-facing Medina, we skip inland into the Rif Mountains.
   • European influence continues in Chefchaouen with its bright blue, Andalusian-tiled medina, and its grand red-hued Kasbah lording it over the main square of Outa Hmam.
   • Chaouen, a city perched beneath the raw peaks of the Rif Mountains, is also known as the "Blue Town" due to its mystical blue-washed Medina, which is surely the prettiest and smallest compared to others in the country.
   • The town remained isolated with its Andalusian character architecture. Chaouen is undoubtedly a place to enjoy exploring at random.

4. Day 4: Coastal Scenic Drive to Al-Houceïma

   • Head east along the 210km coast, passing through the most beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean Ocean, Steha, Jabha, Cala Iris to the dry canyons and limestone cliffs of Al-Houciema National Park.
   • You’ll stopover for a small village famed for its history of piracy called Targha. High atop an outcrop of black rock, a stone fort where the 13th-century mosque is associated with a local saint, and then cut off in Steha and Cala Iris.
   • From here, the road follows the coast on a splendid roller-coaster ride to the blue-and-white town of El-Jebha.
   • Continue east to the city of Abdelkarim El Khattabi « Al-Houciema », the city that was built as a garrison after the Rif Wars in the early 20th century.

5. Day 5: Exploring Zegzel Gorges en route to Oujda

   • Take the route east from Al-Houceima to Oujda. Wander up a verdant area of scenic gorges that few imagine when they think of Morocco, and even fewer visit - the ruggedly beautiful Beni-Snassen Mountains.
   • While you’re here, it’s highly recommended to visit the site of an active excavation by Oxford University, the Grottes des Pigeons, which has revealed human remains from the Pleistocene era, including some 80,000 years old early human jewelry.
   • A few other kilometers bring you to Grottes de Chameau with its camel-like shape. In about 3km further, enjoy the pretty 10km long Zegzel Gorges. Do not miss the chance to sample the cumquats, a local industry. Even the Romans remarked upon them.
   • Not far from here is the home of Ria music. Despite Oujda’s heritage, it receives very few foreign travelers. The reason for this is because it was once the busiest border crossing with Algeria, making it popular with traders and tourists alike. When the border closed in 1994, Oujda’s economy took a major hit and lost most of the passing trade and a steady flow of tourists indeed.

6. Day 6: Oujda to Fes

   • At the morning and before you head to Fes you’ll soak into the three-side walled Medina and around. 
   • Further south, through the highway we get to the Imperial city of Fes, it is more quintessentially Moroccan in its ancient Medina.

7. Day 7: Guided Tour of Fes Medina

   • Do not panic; the guide will show you the must-see sites!
   • With your private Fes born and bred guide, you will have the opportunity to discover the ancient breeding ground for scholars and artisans and the largest medina in the world.
   • You will see the America Fondouk, Nejjarines, the Tanneries, the Medersa (Theological college), and Karaouine, the first established university in the world.
   • Your guide will shed light on many tales and 1200 years of history of this UNESCO-protected Medina.
   • After you visit the medina, we will drive you out of Fes to Lalla Fatiha’s place in Sefrou, where you can enjoy delicious house-made food.

8. Day 8: From Fes to Merzouga Desert

   • An early-morning start is recommended for this day. We leave the amazing Medina of Fes with its mysteries and secrets of the 9000 alleyways and head southeast towards Merzouga and the gateway into the golden dunes of the Sahara desert.
   • En route, we will pass by the cedar forests of Ifrane, Morocco's Switzerland, which might make you think you are in the Alps.
   • If we’re lucky, we’ll come across the Barbary Macaques on our way to Midelt, where we’ll stop over for lunch.
   • After eating, we drive through the Middle Atlas Mountains to reach the Ziz Valley, considered among Morocco's largest producer of oasis dates.
   • Then it’s off to Merzouga, which has the highest dunes in Morocco; you can store any baggage while packing an overnight bag to bring along.
   • You’ll have the chance to be accompanied by a camel and blue-turban-robed guide into the sandy seas.
   • After an hour-long camel ride, you will be among the luckiest to watch the sunset over the Sahara dunes and spend a night in a Bedouin-style tent.

9. Day 9: Desert Adventure to Todgha and Dades Gorges

   • This morning, you’ll wake up with the sun shining on your face to witness what we hope is a glorious sunrise among the dunes.
   • Meanwhile, watch the light creep slowly down the dunes and pull all the world around you outside their warm, heavy mound of blankets for an early breakfast.
   • After an hour-long camel ride back out of the desert, you will depart and head for Erfoud, where you can marvel at the million-year-old fossils that the area is famous for.
   • Then, heading north for a sublime experience in the Todgha Gorges, we’ll be stuck between the gigantic rock walls.
   • Arriving at Dades Gorges, rust-red and mauve mountains greet you. A series of crumbling Kasbahs and Ksours line the valley in the Berber villages to the Monkey Fingers Mountains.
   • If we get there earlier and you still have some energy to hike for a couple of hours, we will drop off our luggage at the hotel and get dressed for the hike.

10. Day 10: Valley of Roses to Marrakech

    • You leave Dades at 8:00 am, traversing the valley of roses and daggers straight to the 11th-century UNESCO-protected red mud-brick ksar, which has formed the backdrop for many Hollywood movie productions such as Lawrence of Arabia, Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus of Nazareth, Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and many others.
    • You might also like to explore Ouarzazate, home to Taourirt Kasbah and the «Hollywood» studio.
    • Wind up the memorable Tizi n’Tichka pass via North Africa’s highest peak, the High Atlas Mountains, with the Berber villages, lined beside the road to arrive in Marrakech, where you will have a day-long to explore the crazed cacophony of musicians, snake charmers, and vendors in the open-air famed Jamaa El Fnaa square, and the highly recommended sites with your guide.

11. Day 11: Marrakech Medina Exploration

    • Today, with your private Marrakech-born and bred guide, you explore the Red City from its old part with its Medina’s skinny lanes that lead to lavish sites, tombs, and religious monuments decked out in marble.
    • Bahia and El-Badii Palace and Saadien’s Tombs will be your targets.
    • Afterward, your driver/Tour Guide will pick you up for the outside medina visit to explore the Majorelle garden, Museum Saint Laurent, and Berber Museum.
    • While in Marrakech, you will undoubtedly encounter thousands of motorcyclists and horse-carts roaming in the city, and some of them pull over next to the vast square of Jemaa El-Fnaa where it’s carnival night every night and musicians, acrobats, storytellers, and slapstick acting troupes tap into the Medina frenetic pulse.

12. Day 12: Marrakech to Essaouira

    • After having your breakfast at the Riad, you’ll be picked up by your driver/tour guide around 08:00 am.
    • You will head to Essaouira. Along the road, we’ll see the tree goats phenomenon before having enough time to explore Jimi Hendrix’s town.
    • You’re free to roam in the city that was once and still a haven for hippie backpackers and Gnawa musicians.
    • You can book a local guide; if not, you can start your visit by the ramparts, a series of forts built in the 15th century around the Medina of Mogador.
    • Inside the Medina, you’ll have the chance to visit The Mellah (former Jewish quarter), Morocco’s third fishing port, where you can have a delicious fish meal.
    • For sports-oriented travellers, Essaouira is a place for some fine wind and kitesurfing schools.

13. Day 13: Coastal Drive to Casablanca via El-Jadida

    • Around 8 am, you’ll head north to the 15th-century Portuguese fortified city of Mazagan known now as El-Jadida, nicknamed "the Deauville of Morocco."
    • Its Portuguese structures, fortified ramparts, and a system of defense surrounding the Medina which advances out into the sea, all evoke the city’s past history (listed as World Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO), an ancient coastal town with impressive testimony of Portuguese architecture.
    • Driving north to Casablanca where you spend your last night in Morocco before leaving.

14. Day 14: Exploring Rabat en route to Tangier

    • If time didn’t allow you to visit Casablanca’s sights yesterday, you must do it this morning.
    • After we finish Casa, Morocco’s political and administrative capital will be waiting. Rabat may be short on top-drawer tourist attractions, but it compensates with plenty of charm.
    • In your short vacation, you'll have the chance to delve into the city's rich history. Start with the monumental Hassan tower, where the pillared stumps of its mosque stand as a testament to the devastating earthquake of 1755.
    • There is also the nearby Mausoleum of the royal family. And do not miss to have a cup of mint tea in red Oudayas, a walled village within a city.
    • Head north to the famously decadent Tangier, which has always carried a slightly seedy allure due to its time as a semi-independent international zone that attracted eccentric foreigners, artists, and spies. The corniche bustles.

15. Day 15: Tangier Departure

    • Airport Shuttle! ­We tell you «see you soon» instead of goodbye, and we hope that you’ve spent with us one of your memorable tours ever.