ROUTE MAP
SERVICES INCLUDED
- 4×4 tour
- Driver – guide
- Fuel
- Hotels/Riads (dinner and breakfast)
- Camel ride
- Night in the desert in a tented camp
SERVICES NOT INCLUDED
- Flight
- Lunches and Beverages
DAY 1
CASABLANCA – RABAT
Arrival at airport and transfer to city for a visit of the Hassan II Mosque. We shall then continue to Rabat, the country’s administrative and political capital. Visit to the Royal Palace (Mechouar), the Ouadaya kasbah and its gardens, the Mausoleum of Mohamed V, the tower of Hassan II. Dinner and overnight stay in hotel.
DAY 2
CASABLANCA – MEKNES – FES
After breakfast, departure for Fes via the holy city of Moulay Idriss, the Roman ruins of Volubilis, Meknes, known as the “Versailles of Morocco”. Arrival in Fes in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 3
FES
After breakfast we’ll have the whole day to visit Fes, the most ancient of the imperial cities, founded in 790 by Moulay Idriss II. Fes immediately became Morocco’s most important religious city. Visit to the Medina dating back to Medieval times, the Bounanaia and Attarine Medersa, ancient Islamic religious universities, the Karaouine Mosque from outside, the Mausoleum of Moulay Idriss and the famous fountain of Neijarine. We shall then visit the souks, Morocco’s most beautiful and vibrant markets. Lunch in a traditional restaurant located in the heart of the medina. In the afternoon, visit to the souk and the Fes Jdid area. In the evening, dinner at a traditional restaurant and overnight stay in a riad.
DAY 4
FES – MIDELT – ZIZ VALLEY– ERFOUD – MERZOUGA
Breakfast followed by departure for Midelt across the Middle Atlas. We’ll stop in the city for lunch. We’ll then continue to Erfoud along the Ziz Valley, with its fortified villages and their particular architecture, as a sign of the pre-Saharan oases not far ahead. Arrival in Merzouga in the late afternoon, where we’ll admire the majestic dunes of Erg Chebbi. Dinner and overnight stay in hotel/riad.
GIORNO 5
MERZOUGA – ERG CHEBBI – MERZOUGA
After breakfast we’ll head off on a tour over the dunes, both oases of Merzouga, a visit to the village of Khamlia and its black inhabitants, the mines of Misfiss and the desert plateau where we shall encounter Berber nomads, and the oasis of Tisserdmine. Return to the riad in the early afternoon and transfer on camel to the tented camp where we’ll admire the sunset, followed by dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 6
MERZOUGA – RISSANI – TODRA GORGE
An early start to admire the spectacular sunrise, then return to the hotel for breakfast and a shower. Departure for Tineghir via Rissani, Erfoud and Tinejdad. Arrival in the evening at the majestic Todra Gorges. Dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 7
TODRA GORGE – DADÈS VALLEY AND GORGE – VALLEY OF THE ROSES– SKOURA – OUARZAZATE
After breakfast, visit of the Todra Gorges followed by a journey down the valley to the marvellous Dadès Gorge. Arrival in Kelaa M’Gouna, a city which is the venue of the annual rose festival held in May, a tribute to the flower which is extensively cultivated in this valley, a truly splendid sight when they blossom. Our journey shall then take us to Skoura, where we can visit the Amridil kasbah. Arrival in the evening in Ouarzazate. Dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 8
OUARZAZATE – AIT BEN HADDOU – MARRAKESH
After breakfast, visit of the city of Ouarzazate, founded in 1928 and which has become famous for its numerous film studios. Departure for Marrakesh with a stop at the Aït Benhaddou kasbah. The road then climbs up to the uplands of the High Atlas, with sublime views every season of the year. Arrival in the country’s cultural capital in the evening, transfer to riad. Dinner and overnight stay.
GIORNO 9
MARRAKESH
After breakfast, we’ll spend the entire day visiting the city, known as “The Pearl of the South”. It was founded in the XII century by the Almoravid dynasty, who left behind truly remarkable palaces and gardens. Visit of the Saadian tombs, the gardens of Menara, Koutoubia and Bahia Palace. In the afternoon we’ll visit the souk, artisan area and the famous Jemaa el Fnaa square, perennially animated by snake charmers, fire eaters and artists of all kind. Free dinner and overnight stay in a riad.
GIORNO 10
MARRAKESH – ESSAOUIRA
After breakfast, departure for Essaouira, formerly named Mogador. A city of Portuguese origin, embraced by white walls which protect it from the wind and sea. It achieved international notoriety when Orson Welles’ Othello was shot here in 1952, although the city was already famous among travellers and artists from all around the world, including non other than Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley. It was soon discovered by the “hippy” world. Today it is still the venue of an array of music festivals, including the Gnaoua Festival and Music of the World, a sort of Moroccan Woodstock which attracts hordes of fans from abroad. The city is surrounded by stretches of yellow sand beaches, untameable winds and majestic waves, making it a famous destination for kitesurfers from all around the world. Dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 11
ESSAOUIRA – EL JADIDA – CASABLANCA
Breakfast and departure for Casablanca via El Jadida, with a stop for a fish based lunch in El Oualidia. We shall then proceed along the Atlantic coast to Casablanca. Dinner and overnight stay.
DAY 12
CASABLANCA
Transfer to airport after breakfast (depending on flight schedules).
