The whole history of Morocco is inscribed on the walls of the four cities of the circuit of the imperial cities: Marrakech and the Jemaa El Fna Square, Fez and the Nejjarine Fountain, Meknes and Bab El Mansour, Rabat and the Mohammed V Mausoleum, but also Volubilis and Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah are classified as World Heritage by Unesco. On this all-in-one authentic tour of Morocco, travel from north to imperial cities to Sahara deserts to Atlas mountains, Berber villages and coasts so that you explore the cultural richness and the heritage of this country including traditions, historical monuments, food, music, clothing, and other things. This 8 days Morocco tour starts and ends in Tangier.
Imperial cities, Ouarzazate, Kasbahs, coast, north, Sahara desert, and more
Your accommodation in Tangier
Your accommodation in Tangier
Please arrive by 07:45 AM for a prompt departure at 08:00 AM
Casual, comfortable athletic clothing & shoes, hat, and sun glaces
Depends on the number of people
8 Days – 7 Nights
We will meet you in Tangier, the northern port of Morocco facing Spain, and we drive through the Rif Mountains with its Berber towns and valleys. Hidden away in these mountains is the Blue Pearl of Chefchaouen, the houses are painted white and blue, narrow squares, winding streets and blue painted stairways make this a photographer’s dream and a fascinating place to explore. After lunch in the atmospheric square, we continue to Meknes where we visit the local sites: Bab Mansour, the Swani basin and Moulay Ismail Mausoleum. We will stay overnight in a charming hotel or riad.
After breakfast, we leave the Imperial city of Meknes and drive south to Volubilis, a strategic Roman ruined town, where we will enjoy a guided visit with an interesting explanation of some archaeological finds. Then we continue to Fes for another guided tour which includes the Royal Palace, the pottery centre, the Quaraouiyine University, the Tanneries, the Bouinania Medersa (school) and the bustling Medina. After a tasty lunch, we will drive to Midelt via Imouzzer and Ifrane. We will stay overnight and for dinner in Midelt in a local hotel.
After breakfast, we drive through Midelt which is famous for its apple tree farms. We will cross the eastern part of the High Atlas Mountains with a perfect view of Ayachi Mountain with its snowy peak in winter. We cross Errachidia and the palm tree filled oasis of the Ziz Valley. Continue to Erfoud and Rissani where we visit the local souk. You will arrive in Merzouga where we will start the camel trek out across the dunes to our desert camp. We stay overnight in tents, and we will enjoy dinner near the campfire with music and song under the blanket of stars overhead.
We recommend an early morning start to experience the wonder of the sunrise, and then we will return by camels to the hotel where you can have breakfast and refresh. Our trip continues as we depart the desert for Rissani and Erfoud, there we visit the workshops where marble and fossils are cleaned and crafted into wonderful projects. We continue to Touroug and Tinjdad to see the palm groves and arrive in the Todra Gorge, where we will have lunch and explore this canyon with its 300-metre-high vertical walls and crystalline clear water. Later in the afternoon we will drive to Dades Gorge via Boumalne Dades for our overnight stop where you can enjoy dinner, and we sleep in a traditional local hotel.
After breakfast, we will return down the windy road to Dades Valley, so you can visit Kasbah of Ait Youl, the track road crossing Rose Valley with its Kasbah and ksours and the strange rock formations known as “the fat monkey fingers”. This stretch of the road gives you wonderful landscapes to see as we travel to Kelaat M’gouna where we will have lunch. We discover the palm groves of Skoura and continue to discover some wonders of Ouarzazate: the Kasbah of Taourirt and also the cinema studio. Then we will drive to the Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou; an important UNESCO site, also well known as a film set, where we visit the old fortified village. In the afternoon, after lunch, we depart across the High Atlas Mountains for Marrakech via the Tizi n´Tichka pass. We arrive in Marrakech in the late afternoon.
After breakfast, there will be a guided tour to visit some important places in Marrakech: Jemma el Fna square, Bahia Palace and the local souks. Then we drive to Essaouira. Along the way, we have the chance to see the goats climbing the Argan trees which are grown in this region of Morocco. As Essaouira is on the Atlantic coast, there is abundant seafood and fish to enjoy for lunch. Later in the afternoon, you can enjoy some free time to explore this charming coastal Medina yourselves. The night will be spent in a nearby hotel or riad.
After breakfast, we will drive to Rabat; the political and administrative capital of Morocco. It is both very modern and also full of history with its old Medina. Here we visit the Kasbah of Oudayas and the mausoleum. We will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, and we stay here overnight in a local hotel.
After breakfast, we drive to Tangier and depending on your flight/ferry departure times, we transfer you to the airport/port.
