From Casablanca to Imperials Cities, Desert, Gorges and Valleys

Transfer from Casablanca airport to a hotel.

In Casablanca you will see the Hassan II Mosque, the largest one outside of Mecca and experience the coastal Cornish seaside. Afterwards, we will leave to Rabat. Here you will see the Hassan Tower and the Oudaya Kasbah, before you check in to your riad in the Medina. Overnight at Riad.

After breakfast in your riad, you will start travelling to Fes via Meknes and Volubilis. In Meknes, another significant imperial city in Morocco, known as the Ismaili capital of Morocco, you will see the famous gate Bab Mansour, the Sahrij Souani Bassin, and the Mulay Ismail Mausoleum. After lunch, your journey continues to the Roman city of Volubilis, where you will get a chance to see the wonderfully preserved original mosaics, Roman road, and city layout. As you travel through the Moroccan countryside we will pass by the Holy City of Moulay Idriss for a photo opportunity. You’ll get to Fes at the end of the afternoon and check in to your riad within the Medina. Overnight at riad.

Breakfast in your riad, and then start an explorative journey of the Medina where you will visit the many hidden treasures that only the inhabitants of the place know about. Fes served as the capital of Morocco for more than 350 years and is home to the University of Al Karaouine, the oldest operating university in the world. Your guided tour will take you to Moulay Idriss mausoleum, the Nejjarine Fountains and the Tanneries. After lunch you will also view the exterior of the Royal Palace and walk through the famous Jewish quarter “the Mellah”, where you will have the option to visit one of the few living synagogues in Morocco. Your tour of Fes includes a short visit to the famous ceramic factory, and then you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view over the whole Medina of Fes.Overnight accommodation at your riad.

After breakfast in your riad, you will leave towards the southeast following the Caravan roads to Merzouga. During this journey you’ll experience glimpses of the Middle Atlas and Higher Atlas mountains. Stopping at the Cedar forest, the largest one in Morocco, over the Middle Atlas Mountains– where you may well sight Barbarian apes. After lunch in Midelt, you will continue through the large open high desert, and notice how the scenery changes to reveal hints of the desert as you approach the city Er Rachidia. Your journey continues along the luxuriant Ziz Valley and the Tafilalet date palm grove, famous for date cultivation. This area is the foundation of the Alaouite dynasty – the current ruling royal family in Morocco. You’ll arrive at Merzouga at the end of the afternoon – to be welcomed with a glass of mint tea before you check in to your riad.

After breakfast in the riad you will start an explorative journey of the area. You’ll visit the Gnawa people – originally slaves brought from Sudan -to experience their music and lifestyle. Not far away there’s the lake of Merzouga, with its bird populations. You may also visit the souk in Rissani , a traditional town which was the origin of the ruling family in Morocco and the meeting place of the Caravans trading as far as Timbuctou in Mali. Here you will see a lot of men hooded and women veiled. Back to the village of Merzouga for some rest, in the afternoon you will mount your camel, guided by an experienced camel man to explore within the sand-sea of Merzouga. Overnight will be at our desert camp, where you will have your dinner. For your convenience, the camp is equipped with western bathrooms.

Early in the morning, your camel guide will wake you up to watch what well may be the best sunrise of your life. After sunrise you will trek back to the village of Merzouga. Enroute you couldn’t fail to appreciate the unique beauty of the spectacular Erg Chebbi sand dunes – changing with the light as the day progresses. After breakfast in your riad, you’ll leave for Rissani , Tinghir, and Todra gorges – the highest, narrowest gorges in Morocco. After lunch in the heart of the gorge we’ll drive through the Dades Valley, where you’ll see the majestic sand castles and the amazing rock formations known as “monkey toes”. Overnight accommodation will be in a fancy hotel overlooking the Dades valley.

After breakfast in the hotel we’ll drive through the Dades Valley towards Kalaat Mgouna and Ouarzazat. The route through Dades Valley is the way of the thousand Kasbahs – providing numerous opportunities to take some of your best photographic shots of the trip. We’ll stop at Kalaat Mgouna, “the rose city”, to purchase rosewater, which will make your linen smell good a long time after your trip is over. Continue to Ouarzazate via the Amridil Kasbah, one of the last Berber chieftains during the 18th century, now the Kasbah is a house of many Glaoui people. At night you will stop in Ouarzazat .

After an early breakfast in the riad, we wtat our journey to reach the ksar (fortified village) of Ait Ben Haddou where we will visit the famous Kasbah (declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986). Famous films have been shot in this spectacular stage, including Gladiator , Obelix, The Mummy, The Jewel of the Nile, Sahara with Penélope Cruz…etc. After visiting the kasbah we´ll go to Marrakech, we´ll see Tizi Ntichka port,that. with 2.260m is the highest point in our country. We´ll enjoy beautiful landscapes from the viewpoints on the way and make some stops to take pictures of the berber villages, at the end of the afternoon and check in to your riad within the Medina. Overnight at riad.