11-Day Tour from Casablanca: Chefchaouen, Fes and the Desert

We pick you up at the airport at your flight’s arrival time and transfer you to the riad. Accommodation with breakfast.

Visit of the famous, monumental Hassan II Mosque. Then on to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. We visit the Mausoleum, a prestigious building erected in memory of His Majesty Mohammed V, made of white marble and cedar wood and adorned with chiselled bronze, as well as the mosque and the Hassan Tower, with its 200 columns and its minaret of beautiful pink stone, and the avenues and grounds of the Royal Palace. We then continue to Chefchaouen. Riad accommodation with breakfast.

Visit of Chefchaouen and its narrow, intensely blue streets. We then continue to Volubilis, an ancient Roman city near Moulay Idriss, the holy town of Morocco. The archaeological site of Volubilis is probably the best preserved Roman site in this part of North Africa and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997. We continue to the city of Fes. Accommodation with breakfast.

A full day visiting Fes, the oldest of the imperial cities, founded in 808 as Morocco’s first political, religious and cultural capital. The visit starts at the Golden Gates of the Royal Palace. We then climb to a viewpoint from which the walls and the impressive medina inside them can be seen like a map, before entering it on foot to discover the thousand sensations it offers: mosques and madrasas, caravanserais and religious sites, all the way to the tanners’ quarter. Free time for lunch, then a visit of the craftsmen’s quarters, organised by trade. Their ancestors brought their skills from Spain and have kept the Andalusian art and style alive to this day, earning Fes its well-deserved name of city of craftsmen. Accommodation with breakfast.

After breakfast we cross the Middle Atlas towards Ifrane, also called the Switzerland of Morocco for its Northern European mountain-style buildings. We continue to Azrou and cross the ancient cedar forests where the Barbary macaques live. We pass towns such as Midelt, in the mountains, and Errachidia, then reach Erfoud, famous for its dates and fossils, where we visit a workshop that extracts and polishes fossils from the rock. In the afternoon we reach the Merzouga dunes, have a tea and rest before heading into the sand to sleep in haimas. Accommodation with dinner and breakfast.

After sunrise and breakfast we return to the hotel for a shower. Visit of the town of Rissani, famous for its souk and local products, and of Khamlia, home of the Gnawa (descendants of former slaves from Sudan and Mali), now known for their songs and dances — we can dance and share tea with them. We continue to Taouz, where the asphalt ends, and take the Dakar Rally track to the Ouzina desert. Accommodation with dinner and breakfast.

After breakfast we drive the Dakar Rally track to visit the nomads who live in the Sahara and share tea with them. We continue by track to the village of Jdaid and have lunch in Ouzina with a Berber family. In the afternoon we visit the village and its oasis and watch the sunset over the dunes. Accommodation with dinner and breakfast.

After breakfast we follow the Dakar Rally track to the village of Ramlia and, crossing a river of sand, reach the Mharech oasis. We continue on the track to Fezzou and take the asphalt again in Alnif. We reach Tinghir and its lush palm grove and visit the Todra Gorges, with vertical walls over 300 metres high, separated by a canyon only 20 metres wide through which a river flows. We arrive at the Dades Gorges in the afternoon. Accommodation with dinner and breakfast.

After breakfast we see the Dades Gorges with their spectacular rock formations and green vegetation. We follow the Valley of Roses to Ouarzazate, known as the city of cinema for its famous film studios. We visit the Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, the oldest and best preserved in Morocco, famous for the many films shot there. We then cross the High Atlas via the Tizi n’Tichka pass (2,260 m) to Marrakech. Riad accommodation in the medina with breakfast.

Free day to visit the red city, starting with the Menara gardens and their pool, the Saadian Tombs where the city’s founders rest, the Bahia Palace, residence of the former grand vizier, and the Koutoubia, a splendid minaret, ending in the legendary Jemaa el-Fna square: a great souk in the morning and a magical show at night. Riad accommodation with breakfast.

Transfer to the airport at your flight’s departure time and end of our services.