1st day: Casablanca – Rabat
Meet at airport and travel into the city with the first views of the Moroccan country-side. Visit to Hassan II mosque (not possible on Fridays or religious holidays), the largest mosque in Africa and decorated with beautiful tiling of the utmost craftsmanship. Continue to the capital city, Rabat, to spend the night in a riad.
2nd day: Rabat – Meknes
After breakfast in the riad, we go back again over the river to Rabat, where a visit to the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, built in homage to the king who passed away in 1961 is scheduled. His son and successor, Hassan II, who died in 1999, is also entombed here. Continue to the Kasbah Oudaya gardens, which are Andalusian in style, and from there into the Kasbah itself, painted the traditional blue and white on the outsides of the walls. This style of decorating houses can be found in many seaside towns up and down the Atlantic coast. The trip goes on to Meknes, where you visit Bab Mansour, one of the most famous sites of Morocco, the Moulay Ismail mausoleum and the granaries. The night is spent here in a riad.
3rd day: Meknes – Volubilis – Fes
After breakfast at the riad, departure to Volubilis to visit the Roman ruins, which are spread over a wide area and afford beautiful views over the valley and hills. From here you can see and then visit the holy city of Moulay Idriss. Non-Moslems are not allowed entry into the mausoleum but the main square has lovely views and lovely little shops. Continue to Fes for dinner and the night in a riad.
4th day: Fes
Enjoy a full day sightseeing tour in Fes which is the oldest of Morocco’s four “Imperial Cities”. The medieval city of Fes El Bali, or “Old Fes” remains complete and is unspoiled. During your tour of this part of the town, you can visit the exotic Bou Inania Medersa), the Medina and the Kairaouine Mosque, where you may take photos of the wonderful courtyard from the main gate as well as the famous souks. In the afternoon you can visit Fes El Jdid, or “New Fes” and the Museum of Moroccan Arts. The night is spent in the riad.
5th day Fes – Midelt – Er Rachidia – Erfoud
Departure from Fes at 8 o’clock, travelling via Azrou, where you can see Barbary apes in the forest of the Middle Atlas. Lunch is in Midelt, “the apple capital”, at the foot of the Ayachi Mountain. We continue over the Tizi-n-Talremt 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 we reach Er Rachidia and then Erfoud, famous for its date festival and fossils. The night is spent in a traditionally built hotel.
6th day: Erfoud – Merzouga Erg Chebbi dunes
In the morning after breakfast, you will continue to Rissani to visit the soukhs there. From here you will take the 4×4 to the lake and then visit Berber nomads for some music. Lunch is at the Erg Chebbi dunes in Merzouga at an auberge with a swimming pool near the dunes. Once at the bivouac, you take a camel ride to watch the sunset from the top of the dunes. Back at the bivouac, dinner is served, followed by an evening of music and the night in a nomad tent.
7th day: Merzouga -Tinghir/Toudgha – Dades Gorges
If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise, when the colour of the dunes and the play of shadows are an awesome sight. After breakfast you can walk in the dunes before leaving for Tinghir and the Toudgha gorges for lunch. The road passes through Tinjdad and the Toudgha Valley. Here there are plenty of opportunities to walk, such as along the river through the gardens or up the road on the other side of the gorges. Later the itinerary continues to the Dades Valley and the Dades Gorges for the night in a hotel.
8th day: Dades Gorges – Ouarzazate
After breakfast a walk in the Dades Gorges is scheduled. Back at the car, the trip to Ouarzazate continues, going off-road along the Boutarar piste to visit Berber nomads in their caves and partake of a glass of tea with them. From here we continue through the Valley of the Roses, famous for its Rose Festival in May, and past the kasbahs of Skoura. In Ouarzazate, you stay in a riad.
9th day: Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou – Telouet – Marrakesh
After breakfast, the route goes on to Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, a World Heritage site and the backdrop for many Hollywood blockbusters. It is the most famous Kasbah in Morocco. From there the road continues to Telouet, along the new asphalted road. This kasbah 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 we arrive in Marrakesh.
