Highlights of Morocco

Our tour of Morocco starts in the Red City. With its dusty rooftops, maze-like streets and bustling souks, Marrakech encompasses the essence of Morocco. Head to the medina and people watch while you sip a mint tea in Jemaa el-Fna (the main square) or visit the Jardin Majorelle, just a short walk from our hotel. There are no activities planned for today, so you're free to arrive at any time. If you'd like an airport transfer, you'll need to arrive at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK), which is around a 20-minute drive from our hotel. Our Explore Leader will meet you in the hotel reception at 6pm for a welcome meeting and then an optional dinner. If you arrive later, they'll catch you up as soon as possible. Note: This is a fast-paced tour with limited time in Marrakech, if you'd like more time to explore the city, there's the option to add additional nights onto the start or end of your trip. ...more ...less

After breakfast, we leave the Red City and drive to the Ouzoud Falls, swapping the bustle and noise of city life for the tranquillity of nature. Mid-afternoon, we'll eventually reach our home for the night, Bin el Ouidane - a three-hour drive total. Here, our hotel rewards us with views of the Atlas Mountains and the Bin el Ouidane lake.

This morning, we'll start early for our full-day journey to Fes via Meknes. Our route follows the northern slopes of the Middle Atlas into the Oued Boufekrane River Valley. Depending on our timing, we'll either stop for a picnic en route or have a slightly later lunch upon arrival in Meknes. The journey will take approximately six hours, with a comfort stop in Khenifra. Upon arriving in Meknes, we'll embark on a guided tour of the city. Once the heart of the Moroccan Sultanate, Meknes was built by the formidable ruler Moulay Ismail. While it was once filled with opulent palaces and grand gateways, much of the city has since crumbled. However, its regal essence remains, and significant restoration work has taken place over the past two years, with some projects still ongoing. During our visit, we'll explore the historic granary of Heri es-Souni and the magnificent Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail. Our day concludes in Fes, an hour's drive from Meknes, where we'll stay for the next two nights. Our modern hotel is situated in the new town, just a five-minute drive from the historic central medina. The hotel offers comfortable ensuite rooms and a top-floor restaurant.

Today, we wake up in Fes, the oldest of Morocco's imperial cities. During its golden age, Fes was a thriving center of art, philosophy, and trade, and it remains Morocco's artisan capital. This morning, we'll explore Fes el-Bali, the city's oldest quarter, on a guided tour. As we weave through the medina and souks, you'll witness skilled weavers, coppersmiths, and tanners at work. We'll also visit the Royal Palace in Fes El Jedid before making our way to Borj Nord, where we'll take in panoramic views of the sprawling city below. After lunch, taken in the medina, we'll drive to Volubilis, Morocco's best-preserved Roman site. Once the capital of the province of Mauretania Tingitana and home to 20,000 people, this UNESCO World Heritage Site offers a fascinating glimpse into ancient history. During our guided tour, we'll explore the ruins, including thermal baths, the impressive triumphal arch, and houses with remarkably well-preserved mosaics. Please note that it can get very hot here in the summer, so be sure to bring plenty of water and a sunhat. For those not interested in visiting Volubilis, there are alternative options. You may prefer to visit the modern Ville Nouvelle district in your own time, where European-style cafés line the streets and there are lots of artisan shops, or immerse yourself once more in the vibrant, chaotic charm of the Fes medina.

Today's drive is long, but we'll be rewarded with unparalleled views of Morocco's ever-changing landscapes. We'll cross through land traditionally held by the Berber community (known as the Lords of the Atlas). The Berber way of life is unique and lost to most of North Africa, here, music, dance, language, and religion are far removed from the rest of the Arab world. The road will take us via Ifrane and Azrou, where we'll stretch our legs amongst the Atlas cedar forest, home to endangered Barabary macaques. We'll continue into the Gorge du Ziz towards the desert settlement of Erfoud before following the meandering course of the Ziz River into the dunes of the Sand Sea - the homeland of the Alaouite who ruled this region 300 years ago. In the afternoon, we'll continue to Merzouga, a small village on the outskirts of the desert where we'll swap our bus for 4WD vehicles and journey into the dunes of Erg Chebbi. Our home for tonight is right here in the desert, at a Berber camp, where we can relax by the campfire and fill up on traditional tagine. Our camp is basic but comfortable - the twin share tents are fully equipped with full size single beds with mattresses, blankets, and pillows and there are charging points for phones and cameras. The camp site is right on the edge of the magnificent sand dunes, after a refreshing glass of mint tea you may wish to take a stroll amongst the dunes to witness the sun setting over the Sahara desert, the light at this time in the late evening casts shadows over the dunes making them a photographers dream. Dinner is served under the stars after which we retire to a campfire. Note that the camp has shared bathroom facilities, showers are simple and hot water and good water pressure aren't guaranteed.

We'll wake before dawn and head up the sand dunes to watch the sun rise over the desert plains before breakfast. Fuelled up, we'll have the option of a camel ride along the dunes, back to Merzouga where our bus will be waiting to take us south. Today's long drive takes us along the southern slopes of the Atlas, towards Rissani and Tinjdad, where we'll stop for lunch. Our next stop is the town of Tinerhir, set amongst the dramatic cliffs of Todra Gorge. After a long day of driving, we'll have the opportunity to get lost in the gorge's narrow pathways. Alongside our tour leader, we'll take a slow two-hour walk to experience the towering 300-metre-high gorge walls up close.

Our drive this morning will take up through the sweeping scenery of the Dades Valley. We'll follow the famous 'Road of 1000 Kasbahs', home to authentic Berber settlements. While many of the original kasbahs lie in ruins, the remains give us a flavour of Morocco's ancient heritage. We'll continue through El Kelaa Mgouna via the Valley of the Roses, where we'll stop for a walk through the fields and learn about the local agriculture. We'll stop for a well deserve tagine lunch in a Berber village. We then head towards Skoura, where we'll pay a visit to Kasbah Amredhil, which you might have already spotted on the 50-dirham note. Dating back to the 17th century, this Moroccan icon is now an open-air museum. Next, we'll head to Ouarzazate, a desert outpost sandwiched between the high mountain and the expansive sands of the Sahara before ending our journey in the UNESCO's World Heritage site of Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou. Late in the day, when the site is less busy and lights are perfect for photo shoots, we'll visit the Kasbah on foot and climb up to the top of the hill for great panoramic views.

This morning, we'll journey over the Tizi n'Tichka Pass and watch the desert landscape change colour as we get closer towards Marrakech green plains. This afternoon, we dive straight into the heady delights of Marrakech with a guided tour of the city. We'll pass by the rose-coloured Koutoubia (booksellers) Mosque on the way to Bahia Palace, an open-air museum that fuses Moroccan and Islamic styles. We'll fuel up on fresh pastries from a traditional bakery before continuing to the medina on foot. There, we'll be guided through the labyrinth of spice-scented souks, passing by craftsmen selling rugs, leather goods and crockery before dropping by a spice shop to sample ripe dates and almonds. Finally, we'll navigate our way out into the energetic Jemaa el-Fna Square and get a final taste of Moroccan cuisine in one of the local restaurants

Our tour of Morocco ends at our hotel in Marrakech. There are no activities planned today, so you're free to depart at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you'd like an airport transfer, you need to depart from Marrakesh Menara Airport (RAK).