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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. You may need to queue a while for
tickets and the tour takes about an hour. Continue to the capital city, Rabat, to spend the night in a
riad.
After breakfast in the riad, we visit the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, built in
homage to the king, who passed away in 1961. His son and successor, Hassan II, who died in 1999, is
also entombed here. North of Meknes we stop to visit Volubilis to visit the Roman ruins, which are
spread over a wide area and afford beautiful views over the valley and hills. Continue to Fes for
dinner and the night in a riad.
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 soukhs. 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.
Departure from Fes at 8 o'clock, travelling via Azrou, where you can see Barbary apes in the cedar
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 . From here we reach Er Rachidia and then Erfoud, famous for its date festival
and fossils. Once you reach the bivouac in Erg Chebbi, you will be greeted with a glass of tea and have
time to wander the dunes before the sunset. Dinner is served and followed by an evening of music
and the night in a nomad tent.
After breakfast, you take the camels, either riding or walking behind, as they carry everything needed
to cook your lunch, which will be prepared out in the dunes by your camel man. You’ll walk about
three hours in the morning, followed by another three in the afternoon returning to the bivouac for
dinner and the night.
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 have a camel ride for a
couple of hours (or less; it depends on you) 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.
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 where highly valued oils, creams and soups are produced. You reach the kasbahs
of Skoura, the most well-known of which is Kasbah Amredil which you will stop to visit. Once in
Ouarzazate you will stay in a riad or guest house.
After breakfast, the route goes on to Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, a World Heritage site and the backdrop
for many Hollywood blockbusters such as the Kingdom of Heaven and the Gladiator. It is the most
famous Kasbah in Morocco and one of the most visited spots in the whole country. From there the
road continues to Telouet, along the recently asphalted road high above the beautiful green valley
below. 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 we arrive in Marrakesh, having crossed this highest pass in North Africa.
Marrakech is probably best known for central Djemma El Fna with its juice stalls, dried fruit and nut
stalls, women applying henna, snake charmers, story sellers and the myriad of nightly food stalls. You
will visit the following places according to time and inclination: the Majorelle Gardens which
belonged to Yves St Laurent and is famous for its special shade of blue, the Koutoubia Mosque, El
Bahia Palace which means “the palace of the beautiful”, the Qoranic School, the Ben Youssef Medersa
which used to house some 80 Qoranic students and the Saadian Tombs. You spend another night in
your riad.
Instead of the walking tour of Marrakesh, we could organise a cooking class for Moroccan cuisine.
This would add an extra fee.
Essaouira is many tourists’ darling! Previously known as Mogador to the Portuguese inhabitants, it is
a charming small town on the coast well- known for local handicrafts, especially thuja wood furniture,
carving and small artefacts, sold in innumerable shops along the windy streets.
Orson Wells filmed “Othello” here, making especially the Portuguese ramparts famous in its opening
scene. Visit the women’s cooperative where argane nuts are processed by hand into one of the most
versatile oils; delicious in salads and a treat for the skin.
At the sea front, the customer chooses a selection of freshly caught fish to have prepared on the spot.
The surfing opportunities and the beach make it an ideal spot for coastal lovers. Essaouira has a
favourable micro-climate; mild in winter and cool in summer.
This is a truly favourite place to chill after a trip to the desert – on the beach, in the little cafés by the
port or wandering in and out of all the little shops. The nights are spent in a riad in the town.
After breakfast the journey back to the airport in Casablanca starts (about a five hour drive). On the
way we can stop in El Jadida to visit the Portuguese cistern and the old Portuguese town surrounding
it. We continue north along the coast road north past Azemmour or Azamor (from the Berber:
Azmmur or Azemmur "the olive"; Portuguese: Azamor) a small ancient town on the left bank of the
Oum Er-Rbia River
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