Magical Morocco's Imperial Cities

On arrival at Casablanca Airport, we will be met and transferred to our hotel. 

After your long flight, the rest of the day is at leisure to relax and discover your surroundings before dinner will be together in the hotel this evening.

After breakfast we adventure out to experience the romance of Casablanca for ourselves. Today we enjoy a panoramic city tour in the company of an experienced guide. From the bustling Central Market to city squares and the modern city districts, we will gain a real feel for this city. We will also visit the famous Hassan II Mosque, located on the coast. This is the largest mosque in Morocco and its minaret is the tallest in the world!

We then depart Casablanca and make our way to Rabat, Morocco's current capital city and the official residence of King Mohamed VI. After lunch, on our city tour we pass the Royal Palace and the glittering Mausoleum of King Mohamed V, whose opulent tomb chamber is resplendently decorated and also contains the tombs of his two sons. Located next to this is the Hassan Tower with beautiful and intricate motifs and designs covering its façade. This would have been the minaret for the Hassan Mosque which was never completed by the ruler, Yacoub al-Mansour, who died and then construction was abandoned.

The last stop of the day is Meknes, a scenic hilltop city surrounded by the largest and longest walls in Morocco! Here we will visit the famous Bab El-Mansour, the grandest of all imperial Moroccan gateways with arches, marble columns and original green and white tiles. We will also pass the Royal Stables of Meknes, which are a feat of ingenuity as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the past they provided stabling for 12,000 royal horses!
We make our way to our hotel for the night in Fez, where we will enjoy dinner will be together.

This morning will be dedicated to exploring and getting to know more about the history and culture of Fez with our experienced guide. We visit the great Medieval Medina, Fes el Bali, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where traditional industries such as tanneries, soap making, textiles, flourmills and oil processing still flourish.

We will visit a couple of the ancient courtyard Madrassas, the al-Attarine Madrasa which stands at the entrance of a spice and perfume market and the Bou Inania Madrasa, the only one in Fez with a minaret. The tour will end back at the hotel where we will have some free time to get some lunch

From here we will continue to the Ruins of Volubilis for a short visit and tour. Excavated by the French in 1915, these Roman ruins date back to the 3rd century AD and are some of the most notable in North Africa.
We continue our journey to our hotel in Irfane, where we enjoy dinner tonight.

Our journey through the ever-changing Moroccan countryside to continues today. Starting in Irfane, in the Atlas Mountains, the city is known for its alpine style architecture and nearby cedar forests. The Atlas Mountains chain runs along northern Africa, forming a natural border between the Mediterranean and Atlantic coast and the Sahara Desert.
We will enjoy beautiful landscapes, from walnut, weeping willow and poplar trees, to its mountains and rocks varying in colour from red to green. The Berbers, the local people of the valley, continue to keep their customs and traditional way of life alive

From here we head to Midelt, which lies in the high plains between the Middle Atlas and High Atlas mountain ranges, where we stop for a visit and lunch.

We continue on via Errachidia, a town which was a historic crossroads between the imperial cities of Morocco and the far south of Africa, to our base for the night in Erfoud, an oasis town in the Sahara desert.

This morning, we head out early to explore some of the stunning red sands of the Sahara Desert at the Merzouga Dunes in specially adapted 4x4 cars.

From there we head into the famous Dadès Gorge, a series of rugged ‘wadi’ gorges carved out by the Dadès River before having lunch in Boulmane Dadès, with time to visit the village.

We continue our journey onwards to Ouarzazate, where we stop for the night.

Ouarzazate is a city south of Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains, known as a gateway to the Sahara Desert. The Taourirt Kasbah, home to a 19th-century palace, has views over the rugged local landscape, and has featured in several movies .Our local guide will show us around Ouarzazate before we make our way to Kasbah Aït Benhaddou.

Aït Benhaddou is a historic fortified village along the former nomadic caravan routes between the Sahara and southern Africa and Marrakesh. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, it is renowned as a fantastic example of Moroccan clay architecture. We stop here for lunch before we head to the final destination on our journey through Morocco, Marrakesh.

During our visit to Marrakesh, with our experienced guide, we will visit the Zocos (Souks) and the world famous Jemaa el-Fna Square and Market place in the old town for some last-minute souvenir shopping!

Our final excursion will be to the Ourika Valley, a spectacular valley among the Atlas Mountains. Despite it being so close to Marrakesh, this beautiful lush green valley is definitely one of the best preserved valleys in Morocco.

We will get the opportunity to visit a typical Berber house, the families often open their home to visitors who wish to enjoy their surroundings.
We will have lunch together in the Ourika Valley before heading back to Marrakesh as tonight we will enjoy traditional Moroccan hospitality at Chez Ali 'Fantasia', the place of 1001 Arabian nights! Enjoy a sumptuous dinner and a memorable show in Berber tents- belly dancers, acrobats, riders, fireworks and folk music are on the menu!

Sadly its time to leave Morocco. After breakfast, you will be transferred back to Marrakest Airport for your onward flight home