Gran Morocco & Deserts Tour

Casablanca: Saturday. Upon arrival at Casablanca airport you’ll be met and transferred to our hotel. The rest of the day is for leisure. Overnight: Casablanca

Casablanca & Rabat: Casablanca – Rabat. This morning is for leisure. Meeting up with the rest of the group around 12:00 we head to the Hassan II Mosque, which has the tallest minaret and is the third largest mosque in the world – it can hold 25,000 worshippers at one time. There is an optional visit inside the mosque for those who would like to explore further. Later, we arrive into Rabat in the early evening, where we get into the old town for dinner. Overnight: Rabat | Breakfast, Dinner.

Meknes & Fes: Rabat – Meknes – Volubilis – Fes. This morning we take a guided tour around Rabat and visit some of the capital’s highlights, including the impressive Chellah – a necropolis and complex of ancient, medieval ruins, the Royal Palace and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. We will stop at the Imperial City of Meknes, which became known as the Versailles of Morocco due to its impressive buildings and elaborated monuments. After lunch and some free time to explore the city we continue the tour to the incredible UNESCO listed Roman ruins of Volubilis, which date back to AD40. Reaching the Imperial City of Fes late this evening. Overnight: Fes | Breakfast, Lunch.

Fes: Fes is the oldest and largest medieval city in the world and its medina is a cacophony of aromas, sights and sounds. This morning we enjoy a guided tour around Fes el Bali – the old walled city. This fascinating medina is a veritable rabbit warren of 9400 alleys that often finish with dead ends – so be sure to stay close to the group! We will also visit the dye-pits and tanneries before lunch in the medina. The rest of the day is for leisure – why not take part in an optional Tagine Making Class or a night of Moroccan entertainment and food at a restaurant in town (both payable locally). Overnight: Fes | Breakfast

Midelt: Fes – Midelt. This morning we travel over the Moyen Atlas. Along the way the scenery becomes very alpine, until we get to the attractive town of Ifrane – the so called coldest town in Africa! This beautiful location is often likened to a Swiss Alpine resort. Along the way we also start to see our first glimpse of Morocco’s nomadic Berbers – travelling across the mountains and often staying in tents as they head to their next destination. Look out for the inquisitive residents, the Barbary Macaque monkeys, as we pass through the cedar forests on our way to Midelt – the Apple capital of Morocco! Arriving late afternoon, the rest of the day is free for you to to relax by the pool or take part in an optional walk in the local orchards.
Overnight: Midelt | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Camel trek into the Sahara: Midelt – Erg Chebbi. Today we enjoy a scenic drive towards the Sahara. Stopping for a tasty Moroccan lunch before arriving into Merzouga. Depending on the time of the year, we will spend the afternoon relaxing and swimming before climbing aboard our camels for an incredible trek into the Sahara Desert to watch a beautiful sunset and spend the night at our remote Berber Camp, nestled amongst the towering dunes of Erg Chebbi. We enjoy local food, music and an amazing night camping in the Sahara.
If you would prefer the comfort of a hotel with en-suite facilities this evening, opt for our Sahara Hotel Upgrade. Overnight: Berber Camp | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Todra Gorge: Erg Chebbi – Todra Gorge – Dades Gorge. Departing early, we climb back on our camels disembarking for a truly stunning sunrise. After freshening up and breakfast in Merzouga we’re back on the road heading for Todra and Dades Gorges. Todra Gorge is surrounded by towering vertical limestone cliffs reaching heights of 1000ft and is known as Morocco’s Grand Canyon. The charm of Todra lies in its changing colours as the sun slowly moves from east to west. There’s time to explore the gorge before we continue on to scenic Dades Gorge, where we spend the night. Overnight: Dades Gorge | Breakfast, Dinner

Ait Benhaddou – ancient fortified Kasbah: Dades Gorge – Ait Benhaddou – Marrakech. En route back to Marrakech today we pass through Ouarzazate, North Africa’s Hollywood! We continue to Ait Benhaddou, an incredible ancient fortified kasbah built for defence purposes high on a hill with a bubbling steam within its shadows. The stunningly well preserved medieval city has famously featured in many movies, including Gladiator and Laurence of Arabia, as its beauty is unequal to any other fortified kasbah in south Morocco.
Overnight: Marrakech | Breakfast

Marrakech: Today we will see the sights of Marrakech, Morocco’s fourth Imperial City. Inside the rose coloured medina walls is a tangle of winding streets and alleys that open onto verdant gardens and bustling souks. At the heart of the medina is Djemaa El Fna, the city’s exuberant market place and towering over it, is the famous Koutoubia Mosque, the tallest building in the city. Afternoon and evening for leisure.
Overnight: Marrakech | Breakfast.

Monday. Today you will be taken to the train station for a train back to Casablanca. Trains depart every 2 hours at ’45 past the hour from Marrakech. The earliest being 06:45am and the journey takes 3 hours and 20 minutes. You’ll get the train to Casa Voyageurs (Casablanca’s main train station) and from here you will need to change on to the train to the airport (Airport Med V) which runs every hour at ‘8 past the hour and takes about 32 minutes.