Imperial cities and Desert Tours (8 Days)

After arriving at the airport of Casablanca you will receive a warm welcome to the country from our guide. To start the tour we will go to one of the major wonders in Morocco: the Hassan II Mosque, the second highest mosque in the world, and a rare example of mosques that can be visited by non-Muslims. In the mosque, your guide will teach you about the religious traditions and rituals of the Muslim religion. In the words of the author of the book Morocco Country Study Guide, the Hassan II Mosque “undeniably marks the continuity of a modernized ancestral art and bears the sign of innovations that are due not only to technical reasons but also to a fertile exploration of new aesthetic possibilities”. After that, you can have some coffee and try the delicious traditional pastry in the park “de la ligue Arab”, the biggest park in the city of Casablanca, or have some soda by the sea. We then go to the hotel, where we will taste the delicious Moroccan cuisine for the first time.

In the morning, we will depart for Rabat, where you can enjoy its beautiful domes, minarets, wide avenues and green spaces. Rabat is a city that grew up in the fourteenth and fifteenth century, with the expulsion of Andalusians from the Iberian Peninsula. It is surrounded by three walls corresponding to the most significant stages of its history: the Almohad wall, the Andalusian wall and the Alawite wall. Your guide will show you these walls and the main attractions of the city like the Hassan Tower, situated on top of an imposing mosque, and the opulent tomb of Mohammed V among many others. After Rabat, we will leave in direction to Fes. We can visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis, one of the best preserved Roman sites of the world with a local guide. For a long time, Volubilis was the main Roman administration center in Northern Africa outside of Egypt. We will arrive at Fes before dinner. We will take a panoramic view of the city, with the sunlight bathing this white city in tones of orange. After dinner, you can listen to an ancient Moroccan storyteller, who will unravel the mysteries of old. There are other alternatives, such as a workshop of Arabic calligraphy.

We will spend the morning and part of the afternoon visiting medina de Fes, described by Paul Bowles as “an enchanted labyrinth protected from time”. You will be assigned an extra guide who is thoroughly familiar with this city, so that you can discover it deeply: its corners, traditions, stories and history. The labyrinthical medina de Fes has more than 9000 streets that create a magical environment between light and shadow. It is considered as a World Heritage Site. Fes was once the capital of Morocco, and it has Fatimid, Andalusian, Arabic and Jewish influences. The city reached its peak in the 13th century, and it became a center of knowledge, with one of the world’s oldest universities. You will be able to visit the most important palaces, the Jewish quarters, the Madrassa (old school and university from the 13th century) and the Quranic school. Furthermore, you will visit the authentic handicraft of Fes and its work of leathers. It is possible to buy original leather products very cheaply near the place of production, where ancient methods are still used.

We will leave in the morning to visit the magical cedar forests of Azrou and Ifran, where you will be dazzled with its spectacular native nature. The atmosphere is calm, clear and rich in nature’s scents. On our journey, we will make a brief stop in Midelt, a small town between the High and the Middle Atlas, an exceptional location to watch the exuberant mountain landscape. During our journey, you may observe monkeys and other typical animals of these forests. After arriving in Merzouga, you can enjoy a traditional Moroccan tea as a welcome sign of affection. After that it’s time for ridding a camel through the desert for about an hour to visit some of the most beautiful oases of the desert. You will also visit the dunes of Merzouga, a UNESCO world heritage site. After that you can have an unforgettable dinner outdoors, in the desert, under a beautiful nomad tent where, in ancient times, the weddings were celebrated, and where the wedding dinner occurred. After dinner, there will be live music, and those who wish to can dance around the fire.

After an unforgettable night in the desert, and getting to know its culture, traditions and trade, you will leave for something completely different, the rocky landscape of the Gorges and the high Atlas and the green beauty of the Dadès Valley. We will start the day by visiting the ancient city of Rissani, and, nearby, you can visit a live excavation of fossils. Ancient memories of a distant past show that, long ago, the Sahara was bellow the ocean! You may see these fossils being unearthed in front of you. You can buy real fossils of trilobites cheaply, or marble sculptures (e.g. camel) with embedded have fossils. After that, there will be the opportunity to explore the Todra Gorge, which is one of the most spectacular canyons in the world, towering rock cliffs that reach 600 meters high, each separated only by 10 meters, and that extend through several kilometers. The day will end in peace, in the astonishing Dadès Valley, where you can hear the sound of the birds in the green valley.

We will follow the “Route of the One Thousand Kasbahs”, until Kalaat Mgouna – The City of the Roses. We will also have the opportunity to visit the traditional villages of Skoura and ‘El Kelaa des M’Gouna. A Kasbah is an ancient form of Castle, and even the word “Castle” has its origins in the word “Kasbah”. After that, we will go to Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou, which are two locations of great historical and cultural importance in the Atlas mountains. You will feel as if you have travelled in time to see the landscape and the lives of those who dedicated themselves to trade. Ait Benhaddou is considered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is the most important ksar in the “Route of the One Thousand Kasbahs”, a route of small fortifications that allowed the caravans of trade to travel between the Sahara Desert and the city of Marrakesh. It is still inhabited and used as setting, for movies, such as “Gladiator” and “Game of Thrones”, to add authenticity. In Ouarzazate you can discover the ancient wall, the fortification of Kasba Taouirt and the palace of the Pasha Glaoui. It is a remarkable movie-making location, with some of the World’s biggest studios. You can also visit the movie studios of Ouarzazate, one of the most prominent and important movie center in the world. Movies such as the famous “Lawrence of Arabia” or “Gladiator” were shot here. Then we will arrive in Marrakech in the afternoon and have dinner at a restaurant with a fantastic view .of the city.

Visit Marrakesh, the red city of Morocco and the cosmopolitan centre of the country. The intense scent of spices, the colorful and exotic atmosphere, the small corners and historical secrets, together with its surprising architecture, make this the most desired and visited city of Morocco. During the day, you will be accompanied by a tour guide / historian exclusively dedicated to the city of Marrakesh, so that you can enjoy the best the city has to offer. The attractions are multiple: the Bahia Palace (opulent building from the 19th century), the Ben Youssef Medersa (old Muslim university), Majorelle’s gardens, and many more. On this unforgettable day, you will be able to visit all of them. Enjoy also the Souk (traditional market), where the commerce, the city’s main activity, is chaotic. At night, there is a very special farewell dinner. This dinner is served in a magnificent Arabic palace, recently restored, where there are live shows, such as belly dance.

In the morning, you will have some time to make the last purchases. Then we will take you to the airport of Casablanca. We say goodbye with the certainty that you will leave this tour with unique and unforgettable memories.