The Grand Tour of Morocco

Casablanca » Rabat » Meknes » Fes » Merzouga » Medielt » Dades Gorges »

» Ouarzazate » Taroudant »   Tafraoute » Agadir » Essaouira » Marrakech   

The Imperial Cities, The Desert & The Sea

14 Days & 13 Nights

Itinerary

Day 1: Casablanca » Rabat

Our visit to the capital, Rabat, will begin by seeing the ancient walls of the old city which are more than 5 km long and were built on the order of Sultan Yacoub el-Mansour, giving the city a very special character that sets it apart. You will pass through the medina and its souks, more authentic than other stores because the products are targeted to local customers and therefore less touristy.  We continue on to the kasbah of Oudaia, where a terrible tribe of predators lived in the twelfth century. Wel then visit the Hassan 2nd Tower, the ruins of the old mosque and the mausoleum of Mohammed V are located next to the tower both are masterpieces of traditional Moroccan architecture. From here we will return to the new city to see the Royal Palace, the official residence of King Mohamed 6th and the adjacent necropolis Chellah, built in 1339 to house the tombs of the Merinid dynasty. We dine at a local restaurant and spend the night in a riad in Rabat.

Day 2: Rabat » Meknes » Fes

In the morning after breakfast we head Meknes; the smallest of the imperial cities. We start at the Bab Mansour, the most important and significant of the gates of Meknes. We then head to the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail which is a very important site where tourists are asked to dress appropriately out of respect. The granaries of Moulay Ismail, are one of the most important monuments of the imperial city, built with walls of beaten clay mixed with stones and straw.  We will then enter into the heart of the medina across the square El-Hedim and visit the market and souk.We arrive in Fes in the evening where we will spend the night

Day 3: A Visit to Fes

We begin the day by touring the old city of Fes (Fes el-Bali) and its medina; the largest and most famous of the Arab world, entering from Bab boujloud which is a huge door and entrance into the old medina you will head towards Dar Batha, a Hispanic-Moorish building that houses a fine museum of folk art. We will visit the Medersa mosque an old Quranic school in Fes medina where boys studied the Koran in classrooms where you will see its magnificent patio. The tour then continues through the tannery Chouara, you will discover the fascinating process of how the animals skins are treated and dyed; from the first clean-up to the hair colouring with the most beautiful natural colours. We will then go to the mosque of El Qaraouiyine, founded in the ninth century and thought to be one of the oldest universities in the world. The city tour ends passing through the square Seffarine, where coppersmiths and tinkers populate the square and adjacent streets. You will emerge from the medina through Bab Semmarine which is an exit from the medina that is located close to the site of the king’s palace. There will be time for some shopping along the way.

Day 4: Fes » Medielt » Merzouga

Departure from Fes at 8 o’clock, travelling via Azrou, where we can often 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 houses. From here we reach Er Rachidia and then Erfoud, famous for its date festival and fossils. Once we 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.

Day 5: Merzouga Tour

After breakfast, we take the camels, either riding or walking behind, as they carry everything needed to cook 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.

Day 6: Merzouga » Dades Gorges

Wake up early in the morning to see the sunrise and the different colours of the dunes in the morning sun. We will take the camel trek back to the hotel where, after a shower and breakfast, we will resume the tour in the south. We will take the road to the Tougdhra Gorge, where part of the film Lawrence of Arabia was filmed; one of the most beautiful areas of southern Morocco. Here we will also make a stop for lunch and from there will head onto Boumalne Dades where we begin the 25 km long journey into the valley leading down to the gorge. We can stop here and take a walk through the lush green vegetation in contrast to the surrounding red rock and where the local buildings have the same colour as the rocks. Along this valley is a whole succession of ksours in the heart of fields and orchards. From here we go again to the gorges of Dades. We will stop to have dinner and spend the night in a typical hotel.

Day 7: Dades Gorges » Ouarzazate

After breakfast we will travel to the valley of roses, by the route of 1000 Kasbah, where you will see many kasbahs, buildings that are typical for the south of Morocco. We will stop at the main town in the valley, El-Kalaa M’gouna famous for the blossoming of this flower from which the locals make many products for body care. From here we continue  to Skoura to visit the kasbah of this area and take a break for lunch.  After lunch we continue to Ouarzazate and visit the largest and most famous film studios in all Africa, the Atlas Studios, where films such as Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven were filmed. We will visit the kasbah of Ouarzazate Taourirt and then proceed to the Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou. We visit this famous Kasbah, a UNESCO world heritage site and the scene of the filming for films such as Gladiator, Babel, Lawrence of Arabia, The Legionary, The Tea in the Desert and many others. After dinner you will overnight stay at the riad.

Day 8: Ouarzazate » Taroudant

We depart from Ouarzazate and head to Taroudant. This Berber town grew up around a market that is located in the southern part of Morocco. Noted for local crafts (jewelry, carpets etc) it has the charm of a small market town situated on the route of the caravans and ‘particularly because it seems a little like Marrakech but far less chaotic. We spend the night here in a typical guest house

Day 9: Taroudant » Tafraoute » Agadir

From Taraoudant we will continue on to Tafraoute, a delightful city that is sheltered from the hot African weather by granitic rocks that surround it, a spectacle of nature that allows you to experience this unique part of Morocco and this is one of the most spectacular roads in Morocco. We continue along this route to Agadir where we spend the night

Day 10: Agadir » Essaouira

We leave Agadir in the early morning to travel to Essaouira. We will visit the ancient city of Mogador, this was the old name for Essaouira. We will start at the port, mostly devoted to fishing and one of the busiest parts of the city, you will see the large fish markets selling all kinds of seafood as well as the large square opposite where the fishing ships wait to head out onto the ocean, here you will find the local fishermen making ready their nets and preparing to set sail! From here you will also be able to access the upper parts of the old sea wall defences and visit La Scala. Heading down into the old medina, you will have a change to explore the maze of narrow streets filled with souks. The afternoon will be free to go to the beach or take a stroll along the beach to the crumbling castle made of sand.  The beach is beautiful and stretches as far as the eye can see. For those who wish, you can also take a boat trip which lasts about an hour and passes the nearby island of Porpora. You will eat dinner and spend the night at a traditional riad.

Day 11: Free day in Essaouira

Day 12: Essaouira »  Marrakech

We will depart in the morning after breakfast to Marrakech.

Day 13: Marrakech

We begin the day with a visit to the Bahia palace, or the” beautiful”, the nickname of the favored abode of the rich vizier Ba Ahmed, built around 1880. From there to the palace Dar Si- Said also a splendid residence of the brother of the Vizier. Near these two buildings you can see the outside of the Mosque El-Mansour also known as the Mosque of the kasbah, easily recognizable thanks to its minaret with turquoise arabesques. After this we visit the Saadian tombs, the garden which belonged to the mosque of El-Mansour, who guards the tombs of the kings of this dynasty and family.

If you are interested there is the possibility of going to a traditional Moroccan hammam in the afternoon and / or a massage with Argan oil. Dinner will be served this night in the riad. After dinner we can take a walk to the big square Jamaa el-Fna where you will find its characteristic street vendors which ensure a continuous show. You will meet fortune tellers, snake charmers, small groups of musicians, water carriers, and women making henna tattoos.

Day 14: Marrakech / Casablanca Airport

After Breakfast you will transfer to the airport according to your flight schedule.

Please Note: Prices for all of our tours include accommodation and access to historical sites.  Unless otherwise stated in the details of the specific tour, breakfast and dinner are included, however lunch and alcohol are not