Day 1
Meet at Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) and transport to our hotel in Casablanca. Welcome dinner together and rest for the evening.
Day 2
Tour the largest mosque in Africa -- the Hassan II Mosque. After lunch in the medina, travel one hour and a half hour north to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Afternoon tour at the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the Hassan Tower, and the Kasbah of the Oudayas. Overnight in Rabat.
Day 3
Bid Rabat farewell and travel north to Tangier, a port city only 20 miles south of Spain. Make a stop at the Cave of Hercules, where Hercules allegedly rested during his labors. Visit the nearby Cap Spartel. In the evening, we will watch the sunset at the Phoenician Tombs. Overnight in Tangier
Day 4
Drive south to Tetouan, a gorgeous white-walled city situated by the Mertil River. Spend a few hours walking through the medina. After lunch, we will continue our trip south to Chefchaouen, Morocco’s famed Blue Pearl. Stay in Chefchaouen for two nights.
Day 5
Spend the full day wandering among Chefchaouen’s blue walls. Optional: group hike to the Ras El Ma waterfall and then up to the Spanish Mosque for a panoramic view of the city at sunset.
Day 6
Travel 3 hours south to Volubilis, an excavated 3rd-century Roman archeological site for a walking tour. Visit Moulay Idriss, one of the holiest places in Morocco. Continue to our hotel in Fes. Stay in Fes for two nights.
Day 7
Full day exploring Fes el Bali, the oldest walled part of Fes and Morocco’s largest and most populated medina (home to over 150,000 people). Start the day with a visit to al-Qarawiyyin University, the first university in the world founded by a woman, and then make our way to the Chouara Tannery, Fes’ largest and oldest leather tannery. Optional late afternoon tour of the Jewish Mellah, Jewish Cemetery, and the Ibn Danan Synagogue.
Day 8
Begin the scenic drive from Fes to Merzouga, the gateway to the Sahara Desert, passing through the Middle Atlas Mountains. Stop in Ifrane (the “Little Switzerland” of Morocco) and the cedar forests near Azrou to see Barbary macaques. Continue via the Ziz Valley with its lush date palm groves before reaching Merzouga in the late afternoon. Hop on a camel for an hour’s ride into the dunes to reach your luxury desert camp. Watch the sunset, then enjoy a homemade dinner and live Berber music under the starry sky. Stay at a luxury desert camp for two nights.
Day 9
Wake up early to watch the sun rise above the sand dunes. After breakfast, hop into a 4X4 car and set out to see the different faces of desert dunes with its black volcanic rocks, passing through small villages where you will drink mint tea with a Berber family in their tent. Afterwards, visit a cave and learn about how the nomads survive in the desert. After lunch, transfer to Rissani to visit historical Kasbahs, open-air markets, and the Sijilmassa ruins before heading back to our luxury desert camp for a second Sahara sunset.
Day 10
After breakfast, bid farewell to the desert and drive towards the Todra Gorge, where you can take a short walk through the towering canyon walls. Continue through the Dades Valley, stopping for photos at the famous winding switchback road and the “Monkey Fingers” rock formations. Pass through the Valley of Roses and arrive in Ouarzazate by evening. Dinner and overnight stay in Ouarzazate.
Day 11
After breakfast, visit the Aït Benhaddou Kasbah, a UNESCO World Heritage site and famous filming location. Then cross the High Atlas Mountains via the scenic Tizi n’Tichka Pass with photo stops along the way. Arrive in Marrakech in the late afternoon or early evening. Stay in Marrakech for three nights.
Day 12
Day trip to Ouzoud Falls, the tallest waterfall in Northern Africa, and the second tallest in all of Africa. Hike about 20 minutes down the trail to get up and close to the waterfall. Optional boat ride to get even closer (you will get wet!), and then walk up the steps to have lunch and possible encounters with Barbary macaque monkeys. Return to Marrakech and have dinner.
Day 13
Morning guided walking tour of Marrakech’s medina, visiting Djemaa el-Fna Square, Koutoubia Mosque, Bahia Palace, and the Saadian Tombs. After lunch, enjoy free time for last-minute shopping or to relax with a hammam and/or massage at the hotel before gathering for a farewell dinner together.
Day 14
After breakfast, transfer to Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) for your departure flight.
