9 days/8 nights: The Imperial Cities, Chefchaouen the blue city, the desert and the gorges

In the morning, we leave your riad in Marrakech and head north to Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city and commercial and industrial centre. In Casablanca, we visit the impressive Hassan II Mosque, beautifully situated on the Atlantic coast. We continue our journey to Rabat. Rabat, Morocco’s current capital and largest city, is located in the north-west on the Atlantic coast. Also founded in the 12th century, it only gained importance in the 18th century thanks to the Alawite dynasty. Here we can visit monuments of all kinds and eras that bear witness to the long history of this city. We can find Phoenician, Roman, Almohad and Berber remains. Overnight stay in a hotel.

After breakfast, we continue our journey north to the blue city of Chefchaouen. The city in the Rif Mountains, with its blue and white painted houses and narrow streets, is very picturesque. Dinner and overnight stay in a hotel.

After breakfast, we will drive to the archaeological site of Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Volubilis is a Roman city that was once the capital of Mauretania and was founded in this area around the 3rd century BC. After the tour, we continue to the royal city of Meknes. The royal city of Meknes is located in the Saiss Plain and is also known as the Versailles of Morocco or the city of a hundred minarets. It was founded in 1061 as a military fortress and is named after the Berber tribe of the Meknassa, who ruled the eastern part of the country since the 8th century. The city complex is a wonderful example of a mixture of Spanish and Arabic architecture. After the tour, we continue to Fes. Overnight stay in a riad.

After breakfast, you will have the whole day to explore Fes. Fes is one of the four imperial cities and lies 350 metres above sea level in a fertile valley. The medina is home to textile, leather, ceramics and weapons workshops, as well as the oldest university in the world. The medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, with its buildings, markets and mosques, is one of the most fascinating centres of the Islamic world. You will feel transported back in time and breathe in a medieval atmosphere: your senses will be lost amid a wonderful landscape, strange sounds, rich scents and many colours. Overnight stay in a riad.

Early in the morning, you will leave your hotel/riad in Fes and drive to the desert and the dunes of Merzouga, Erg Chebbi, where you can enjoy a breathtaking sunset over the dunes. The rose-gold dunes (Erg) reach a height of 160 m and constantly change shape. Enjoy the sunset from the saddle of a dromedary. We spend the night in a desert camp with a typical dinner and Berber music. Don’t forget to gaze at the stars and the vast desert sky.

After breakfast at the desert camp, we continue our journey towards the spectacular Todra and Dades Gorges.  On the way, we will see the stone desert (Hammada) and, near Erfoud, some ancient qanàh, horizontal wells that were used in the past to irrigate the desert. We will reach Tinerhir and the beautiful Todra and Dades Gorges, surrounded by green palm trees and yellow Berber villages. Dinner and overnight stay in a typical riad.

After breakfast you will spend the day exploring the remote canyons of the Dades Gorge.  Our guide will take you on a 2 hours mountain trek to an isolated oasis where you will enjoy a picnic with a view.  After lunch we continue our hike back to the Riad where a relaxing evening of tea and dining awaits. 

After a hearty breakfast our journey takes into the Jebel Saghro mountain range.  By way of the Tizi n’Tazazert pass.  This ancient pass reaches an altitude of 2,283 meters and offers the finest views of Jebel Saghro.  Our guides know all the best look out spots to take in these spectacular rock formations.  On our descent brings us to the Tagourt Plateau and its one of a kind pyramid-like Tazlout rock formation.  Passing through the Acca n’Akhbache and Bab n’Ali gorges before we reach the lush Draa Valley.   This river basin spanning between Ouarzazate and M’Hamid is home to millions of date palms in season between September and December. Dinner and overnight in at typical Riad.

Our final day starts with breakfast and a walk in a local oasis.  Then we set off through the Atlas mountains to the city of Ouarzazate.  This fortified village or kasbah was first recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1987. Hollywood has also recognized Ait Benhaddou in it own way filming dozens of movies here including The Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Marco polo (1982) and The Mummy to name a few. Here we will stop for lunch and a tour.  Once the village tour is complete we will set off for Marrakech, arriving in the late afternoon.