Itinerary

1. Day 1: Casablanca to Rabat to Meknes

   • Get picked up from the hotel to visit the Hassan II Mosque before departing to Rabat. In Rabat, visit the Mechouar of the Royal Palace, the ruins of Chellah, the Mohammed V Mausoleum and the Hassan Tower.

   • After lunch, depart to Meknes to arrive early evening. Have dinner in the restaurant overlooking the square opposite the Bab Mansour Gate.

   Accommodation: In a traditional riad in the Old Medina.

2. Day 2: Meknes to Volubilis to Fez

   • After breakfast, take a tour of Meknes including El Hdim square, Bab El Mansour, the massive gate which is the entrance to the old city and the Jewish quarter, the Royal Granaries & the city rampart.

   • Then depart via Volubilis, the Roman ruins and Moulay Idriss, the holy town and an important place of pilgrimage where the founder of Morocco’s first dynasty is buried.

   • Continue onto Fez.

   Dinner and accommodation in a traditional Riad.

3. Day 3: Fez City Tour

   • Have a guided tour to discover the Medina and the famous Souks of Fez - its narrow cobbled streets are filled with ancient mosques and towering green-glazed minarets.

   • Visit the most beautiful palaces and monuments of Fez. The tour will include a visit to the tannery and the ceramics co-operative to see the traditional Moroccan crafts.

4. Day 4: Fez to Ilfrane to Azrou to Midelt to Merzouga

   • Departure from Fes at 8 o'clock, travelling via Azrou, see Barbary apes in the forest of the Middle Atlas, Switzerland of Morocco and the cedar forests of Azrou where we can stop to hand feed the monkeys.

   • Lunch is in Midelt, “the apple capital”. Continue over the Tizi-n-Talgoumt pass and through the Ziz Valley, which is particularly well-known for its palm trees and the length of the oasis. All along the road, there are innumerable “ksars”, small villages of individual houses.

   • From here, reach Er Rachidia and then Erfoud, famous for its date festival and fossils, and to the famous Dunes of Erg Chebbi.

   • After a welcoming glass of tea in a Guest House near the dunes, go for a walk in the dunes.

   • Admire the spectacular sunset from the top of the dunes (250m), and afterwards, there is dinner and night in the Guest House.

5. Day 5: Merzouga to Khamlia to Rissani to Erg Chebbi

   • Explore the desert region. Make a circuit of the desert dunes where you will have the opportunity to see the nomad's way of life and the amazing changing contrasts of the desert. Visit the ‘black village’ of Khamlia to see the Gnawa musicians.

   • Have a traditional Berber pizza for lunch.

   • In the afternoon, prepare for departure on the camels. Once at the Bivouac, take a camel ride to watch the sunset from the top of the dunes.

   Back at the Bivouac, dinner and overnight in tents at the camp.

6. Day 6: Merzouga to Toudgha Gorges to Dades Canyon

   • Wake up early to see the spectacular sunrise over the dunes before making your way back to the hotel for breakfast and a shower. 

   • Cross the palm line valleys of Tourog and Tinjdad to arrive to Toudgha Gorge. 

   • Go for a walk in the Toudgha Gorges and have lunch in a local restaurant before continuing to your accommodation in the Dades Canyon.

7. Day 7: Dades Canyon to Boutaghrar Piste to Ouarzazate

   • After breakfast, a walk in the Dades Gorges is scheduled. Back to the car, the trip to Ouarzazate continues, going off-road along the Boutaghrar Piste and Iat Mraou Village to visit Berber nomads in their caves and partake of a glass of herbs tea with them.

   • From here, continue through the Valley of the Roses, famous for its Rose Festival in 20th to 25th of May, and past the kasbahs of Amridil in Skoura Palm.

   • Continue to Ouarzazate via the big lake of El Mansour Edahbi.

   Dinner and night in a traditional Riad.

8. Day 8: Ouarzazate (Free Day)

   • Have the day at leisure for shopping or sightseeing.

   • Visit the Taourirt Kasbah and the “Hollywood of Morocco”, the Atlas film studios.

9. Day 9: Ouarzazate to Ksar Ait ben Haddou to Telouet Kasbah to Marrakech

   • After breakfast, the route goes on to Ksar Ait Ben Haddou, a World Heritage site and the backdrop for many Hollywood blockbusters. It is the most famous Ksar in Morocco.

   • From there, the road continues to Telouet, along the new asphalted road. Telouet is set right in the midst of the mountains and was once the seat of the last Pasha of Marrakesh, El Glaoui, from where the highest pass in Africa, Tizi-n-Tichka, was controlled.

   • At the end of the afternoon, arrive in Marrakech.

   Dinner and night in your Riad.

10. Day 10: Marrakech City Tour

    • Have a guided tour of Marrakech including a visit to the Menara Gardens, the Koutoubia Mosque, the Saâdien tombs and the Bahia Palace.

    • Explore the amazing medina and the fascinating Jamaa El Fna Square with lively entertainment and lovely Souks.

11. Day 11: Marrakech (Free Day)

    • Have a free day to explore Marrakech or take an optional day tour to Cascade d’Ouzoud.

12. Day 12: Marrakech to Essaouira

    • Spend the morning at leisure for shopping or relaxing in Marrakech before departing at your convenience to Essaouira.

13. Day 13: Essaouira (Free Day)

    • Enjoy your day wandering the old fortified fishing port of Essaouira on the Atlantic coast.  See the amazing mixture of Portuguese and Berber architecture.

    • Explore the colourful souks, art galleries, the carpentry workshops devoted to cedar and Thuya wood carving and the fortified harbour with its stalls of freshly caught seafood.

14. Day 14: Essaouira to Marrakech

    • Spend the morning at leisure for shopping or relaxing in Essaouira before leaving early afternoon to arrive in Marrakech by 4 pm.

    • Get dropped off at your accommodation.