DAY 1: Depart from USA
- It is the time to forget about your ordinary everyday life and go on a journey to the other part of the world.
- Board your international flight from the USA to reach Morocco in the next day.
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DAY 2: Arrival to Casablanca (-+0h45min)
- Our local representative will be awaiting your arrival at Casablanca International Airport. Please look for him in the arrival hall. He will be holding a sign with your name on it. He will escort you to your private vehicle. Then start discovering Morocco largest city and economic capital, Casablanca, best representation of the modern side of Morocco. Begin the city tour of Casablanca with an outside visit of Hassan II Mosque. It is the largest mosque in the country and the 7th largest in the world. You then continue to the Ain Diab Corniche for a pleasant stroll along the coast. Your next stop is Mohammed V Square in the city center. The city tour includes also the Habous Quarter, one of the oldest areas in Casablanca. The district was built by the French in the 1930s as an attempted solution to the ongoing housing shortage. It marries the best of traditional Moroccan architecture with modern facilities and French ideals - even the mosque fronts onto a strip of grassy lawn just like a village church.
- Continue to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
- Casablanca visit can be run the following day for late arrivals.
- Meal: Dinner
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DAY 3: Casablanca, Rabat, Fes (-+3h10min)
- After breakfast, depart overland towards Rabat, driving along the main highway which links these two major cities. Embark on a city tour which highlights Rabats cultural influences and the superbly preserved relics of its Moorish past. Rabats most famous site is the 12th century Hassan Tower, an admirable example of the stunning Moroccan style, and the incomplete Minaret of the great mosque also built beginning of 12th century. Located alongside is the Mausoleum dedicated to Mohamed V, the grandfather of the current king.
- You also enjoy a visit of the Kasbah of the Udayas, which was built on a cliff overlooking the city and the Atlantic Ocean. Its gate is one of the most beautiful illustrations of the Moorish architecture. Within its walls, youll discover a wonderful Moroccan garden, with melodious fountains and sweet-smelling orange trees.
- At the conclusion of your sightseeing, you continue overland to Fez (~3-hour drive) for dinner and overnight to your hotel.
- Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
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DAY 4: Fes, City Tour
- Today you take a step back in time into the Middle Ages with the visit of one of the most imperial, timeless, and untouched cities in the world, the cultural heart of Morocco, Fez El Bali (Old Fez). Enjoy exploring some of the 9,000 narrow lanes and alleys in the souks (open air markets) that make-up the labyrinth of the citys old quarter, originally founded in the 8th century. The Imperial capital was a renowned medieval learning center, and at its heart still remains the Karaouine, one of the oldest, still functioning universities in the world. Nearby is the Attarine Medersa (Koranic college), a jewel of Hispano-Moorish architecture, built in the 14th century.
- Then you visit the Nejjarine Square, with its beautiful fountain, a mosaic of elaborate tile-work, and the Fondouq (Caravanserai) that has been converted to a Museum of Carpentry. In the 13th Century the Merinide Dynasty built Fez El Jdid (New Fez) with its Royal Palace, mosques, madrasas (Koranic schools), souks and the city walls. Most notably, Fez El Jedid is home to the Mellah (Jewish quarter), which provides an interesting insight into Jewish architecture. The wrought iron decorated windows and splendid carved wood balconies of the old mansions are particularly outstanding. The medieval Medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Return to tour hotel for dinner and overnight.
- Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
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DAY 5: Fes, Volubilis, Meknes, Fes
- Journey overland to explore the Roman ruins of Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to some of the best-preserved Roman ruins in North Africa. With its triumphal arches, basilicas and capitals, the Volubilis skyline brims with iconic examples of Roman architecture. Among its greatest treasures, however, are the amazing mosaic floors of former family dwellings, which include depictions of Orpheus charming animals with his lyre, nine dolphins signifying good luck and a portrait of Amphitrite in a seahorsedrawn chariot.
- Upon completing this glimpse into antiquity, visit Meknes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the imperial cities of Morocco. Its impressive monuments recall the splendor of a fortified city, first built in the 17th century by the powerful sultan Moulay Ismail, to rival the court of his contemporary, Louis XIV of France. See the monumental Bab Mansour gateway - considered one of the finest great gates of Morocco.
- Return to Fez for an evening at leisure. Dinner and overnight at the hoteL.
- Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
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DAY 6: Fes, Ifrane, Midelt, Erfoud (-+6h05min)
- This morning, depart Fes. Pass through many amazing cities and villages, the first of which are Ifrane, nicknamed "Moroccos Switzerland" is a charming ski town populated by European-style chalets.
- Continue on to Midelt, which serves as the commercial center of a large agricultural hinterland. It is also one of Moroccos principal cities for the mining of several minerals. You will have some free time in Midelt, before you continue your journey through the dramatic Ziz Gorge to arrive in Erfoud. Dinner and overnight at the hotel
- Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
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DAY 7: Erfoud - Khamlia - Merzouga (-+1h00min)
- After breakfast, a 4x4 vehicle will be waiting for you to continue your adventure by heading towards the dunes of Erg Chebbi, possibly the largest dunes in the Sahara-desert. En route, visit the villages in the surroundings area for a closer contact with the Berber culture, before arrival to Rissani, visit of camel milk cooperative, then continue to Rissani and visit one of the best traditional market in Sahara, a place where they sell just donkeys and other markets for ships, goats and cows. Stop at El Khamlia village for lunch included.
- Continue to the African village or Gnawa village. Overland to Merzouga, the heart of the desert, and serf the sandy sea on a powerful 4 WD Land Rover. Dinner and overnight at the desert Camp
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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DAY 8: Merzouga - Tinghir - Dades (-+3h30min)
- We drive to Tinghir and Todra gorges - the highest & the narrowest gorges in Morocco. Situated on the east side of the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco, the Todra Gorge is recognized around the world as one of the most spectacular canyons. Here, both the Todra and Dades Rivers have carved out cliff-sided canyons on their final 25-mile stretch through the mountains, leaving behind this series of reliefs and etches in the rock. The Todra is the name of the last 600 meters (just under 2,000 feet) of the canyons. In places, this gorge measures just 33 feet across, but the cliffs are more than 500 feet tall on either side. The river has since dried up, leaving only the imagination to picture the powerful natural forces that once carved this region. The gorge, though in a remote, is popular for its hiking paths and a well-maintained dirt road for visitors to share with mules and other pack animals. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
- Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
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DAY 9: Dades, Skoura, Ouarzazate (-+1h10min)
- After Breakfast, we drive through the Dades Valley with its majestic sand castles and incredible rock formations known as monkey toes. The route through Dades Valley is also known as the Road of One Thousand Kasbahs. You catch a spectacular view of a vast valley dotted with small oases and hundreds of ancient fortifications. The sand-colored walls of the Kasbah may all start to look the same but each holds a special historical treasure within and offer innumerable opportunities for remarkable photos.
- Continue to Skoura, a quiet little village speckled with palm tree groves, Skoura is surrounded by acres of palm groves (les palmaraie), which are a paradise of palm and olive trees dotted with Kasbahs and small villages. This is where we find Kasbah Amridil that stands out from the rest. Originally built in the 17thcentury, it is one of Morocco most iconic living museums that has withstood the test of time.
- Then we drive to Ouarzazate for dinner and overnight
- Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
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DAY 10: Ouarzazate, Ait Ben Haddou, Marrakech (-+3h50min)
- After breakfast, we visit Taourir Kasbahs, one of the most beautiful Kasbahs in Morocco. After the French left in the 1953, the movie business flourished in Ouarzazate.
- Optional visit of the film studios where some of the most famous desert landscapes are filmed. You might recognize the sand-colored houses of this impressive Ksar (Arabic for fortified city) when you see the spectacular fortress of Ait Ben Haddou, the iconic landscape immortalized in such films as, Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, and Alexander.
- Ait Ben Haddou is a massive fortification made up of six Kasbahs all protected by UNESCO. You can spend time in its maze of winding streets until reaching a fortified granary at the top which provides an amazing view of the valley.
- We leave Ait Ben Haddou, crossing the High Atlas Mountains via the magnificent Tiz In Tichka pass to Marrakech, our home for the next three nights. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
- Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
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DAY 11: Marrakech City Tour
- After breakfast, enjoy the city tour of Marrakesh, the Red City, a majestic place filled with palaces, gardens, markets, and mosques. Upon arrival, you will first stand by the Koutoubia Mosque with its 282 ft minaret, an architectural landmark dating back to the late 12th century.
- You will continue to the 19th century stunning Bahia palace and discover the intricate work done by the local artisans to decorate this splendid home built by a powerful Vizir for his Harem. The building includes one hundred and fifty rooms, countless courtyards and interior gardens, a veritable labyrinth of corridors, a Koranic school, hammams, a harem, stables. From there we will start exploring artisan quarters and the colorful Souks to interact with the real life of Marrakech people.
- Continue to Dar El Bacha Museum, built in 1910 and was the residence of Thami El Glaoui, named Pasha of Marrakech by Sultan Moulay Youssef in 1912. It is one of the medinas finest examples of Riad architecture, dripping with Moroccan Zellige (colorful geometric tilework), intricate white plasterwork and heavy carved cedar-wood lintels.
- Before sunset we will be strolling in the square of which the city is so famed, Jemaa El Fna, where hundreds of locals and tourists come to spend the end of the day watching jugglers, dancers, fortune tellers, story tellers and traditional musicians.
- After the tour, head to your hotel to freshen up. When you are ready, transfer to a local restaurant in the medina to enjoy a typical Moroccan dinner with entertainment.
- After the dinner, back to your hotel for overnight.
- Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
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DAY 12: Marrakech
- Day at leisure or wander on your own. Overnight at the hotel.
- Meal: Breakfast
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DAY 13: Marrakech, Casablanca Airport
- After breakfast, we will transfer you to the airport for your return flight.
- Meal: Breakfast
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