Day 1: Arrival in Tangier

Upon arrival at Tangier Airport, Tangiers Port, or Tangiers Med, you will be greeted by our guide who will transfer you to your accommodation.

Day 2: Tangier Sightseeing Guided Tour with Local Guide

Explore Tangier, ‘the gateway to Africa’ with a full-day guided tour of the city. Tangier has attracted many great writers and painters since the 19th century. Located to the east of Cap Spartel, the point where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean, there are many sites to explore, including the old Medina and souks, the Tangier Kasbah and museum, the American Legation library and exhibition, contemporary art galleries, bookshops, and cafes around the main squares of the Grand Socco and the Petit Socco. Don’t forget to visit the fishing port from where you can walk along the beach on a boardwalk lined with cafes, clubs, and ice-cream parlors. If you arrive early, you can also drive to the beach at Cap Spartel and visit the Hercules Caves before returning to your hotel for dinner.

Day 3: Tangier – Tetouan – Chefchaouen

Depart from Tangier and head east towards the Hispano-Moorish Medina of Tetouan. Enjoy lunch and the chance to see the striking Andalucian architecture and white buildings, which have been restored to their former glory. At the edge of the Medina and the new town, explore the small Tetouan with ancient artifacts from the Phoenician and Roman settlements of Tamuda. After a brief stop in Tetouan, continue across the verdant landscape of the Rif Mountains, heading due south to reach the picturesque ‘blue’ Medina of Chefchaouen. In the evening, explore the small Medina and choose your own restaurant serving local Rif specialties, including locally produced goats’ cheese.

Day 4: Chefchaouen – Old Roman City Volubilis – Meknes – Fes

After breakfast in the riad, start your 14-day desert trip from Tangier to Marrakech by heading towards Volubilis, crossing via Ouazan and other Rif’s villages. Discover the Roman ruins and learn about Moroccan history, then drive to Meknes city, a 17th-century heritage site where you will stop for lunch and explore the historical walls of the Medina, Bab el Mansour, and visit Moulay Ismail shrine. Later in the afternoon, head to Fes City where you will spend the night.

Day 5: Fes Sightseeing Tour with a Local Guide

Explore Fes El Bali, the old Medina, with a full-day private guided walking tour led by an English-speaking city guide. The guide will take you through the maze of souks and sights visiting some of the highlights including the famous Fes pottery souks, the musical instrument makers, metalworkers, carpet souks, and the Chaouwara tanneries. There are over 9,000 cobbled medieval streets weaving their way through markets, mosques, Koranic schools, riads, and hidden fountains. Worth visiting are the Moulay Idriss Zaouia or shrine, Bab Bou Jeloud ornamental gate, Al-Kairaouine Mosque and University – the oldest university in the world, Al-Attarine Madrasa, Nejjarine fountain, King’s Palace, the Dar Batha Museum, Nejjarine Museum of Arts & Crafts, and the Jewish quarter or Mellah. Later, drive to an ancient fortress for panoramic views of the Medina before returning to your Riad for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 6: Fes – Ifrane – Cedar Forest – Midelt – Ziz Valley – Merzouga Sahara

We will depart from Fes at 8 o’clock and travel through Ifrane, a town famous for its low temperatures, snow, and alpine-style houses. It is often called the “Switzerland of Morocco.” Next, we will visit the cedar forest where Barbary Macaques live. While exploring the forest of the Middle Atlas forest of Azrou, feel free to feed them. Our lunch will be in Midelt, known as the “apple capital” and located at the foot of Ayachi Mountain. After lunch, we will continue through the Tizi-n-Talremt pass and the Ziz Valley, passing through Errachidia and Erfoud, famous for their date festival and fossils. Our trip will continue to the dunes of Merzouga, where we will spend the night in a hotel.

Day 7: Explore Merzouga Region – Nomads – Khamlia – Rissani – Palm Grove

After breakfast, we will start our journey in Merzouga. We will drive off-road to visit the nomads and learn how they live while drinking Berber tea. Our next destination is the Khamlia village, where we will enjoy the Gnaoua music and dancing performances. The inhabitants of Khamlia are originally from sub-Saharan countries such as Mali, Sudan, and Niger. Next, we will continue to Rissani to visit a traditional souk market. You will have free time for lunch in a restaurant. Then, we will return to Merzouga and switch to camels to cross the sandy desert. A stop will be made for you to enjoy the magical sunset on top of a high dune. We will continue to the desert luxury camp, where you can enjoy Berber drums music while dancing around the campfire under the vast open sky of stars. Dinner and overnight in the camp.

Day 8: Merzouga – Erfoud – Tinghir – Todra Gorges – Dades Valley – Dades Gorges

You wake up early enough; you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise when the color of the dunes and the play of shadows are an awesome sight. After breakfast at the camp, we will leave for Tinghir and the Toudgha Gorges. On the way, you will pass the water channels called “khettarat,” which you can descend into to appreciate the architecture and genius behind this form of irrigation that prevents evaporation in the summer heat. The channels start at a higher gradient at one end until they finally emerge at the surface of the soil, where they are fed into the fields. In the gorge and the valley, there are opportunities to walk beyond the gorge itself or by the village gardens and fields before you reach it. Later, the itinerary continues to the Dades Valley. The area, which now forms the Dades Gorges, lay at the bottom of the sea millions of years ago. Great quantities of sediment were deposited around giant coral reefs, and over time, this material became compacted into a variety of sedimentary rocks such as sandstone and limestone. Eventually, the movement of the earth’s crust caused the region to rise above the sea, forming the Atlas Mountains and the surrounding landscape. The night is spent in a hotel or kasbah.

Day 9: Dades Gorges – Rose Valley – Skoura – Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou – Telouet – High Atlas – Marrakech

After breakfast, continue the trip through the Valley of the Roses, which is famous for its Rose Festival in May. Pass by the Kasbahs of Skoura, where you can visit the small, interesting, and intact Kasbah Amredhil. This kasbah used to be featured on the 50 dirham banknote. From there, pass Ouarzazate and continue to Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, a World Heritage site and the backdrop for many Hollywood blockbusters. It is the most famous Kasbah in Morocco. The road continues to Telouet, along the newly asphalted road. Telouet is set right in the midst of the mountains and was once the seat of the last Pasha of Marrakech, El Glaoui. From there, the highest pass in Africa, Tizi-n-Tichka, was controlled. At the end of the afternoon, arrive in Marrakech, where dinner awaits at your hotel/Riad.

Day 10: Marrakech Sightseeing Guided Tour with Local Guide

Enjoy a full-day morning tour with a city guide of Marrakech, also known as the “red city” for its famous pink-hued ramparts. Your English-speaking city guide will meet you at your hotel in the morning and take you through the souks of the medieval medina, introducing you to artisans, bakers, carpenters, spice merchants, and apothecaries. You will also visit the landmark monuments of Ben Youssef Madrasa, the Bahia Palace, and the Koutoubia Mosque. Your tour ends at the famous Place Jemaa el Fna square, where you can enjoy lunch from a roof terrace overlooking the bizarre activities of acrobats, storytellers, musicians, and snake charmers. Afterward, visit the new town area of Gueliz to see the exquisite Majorelle Gardens, owned by Yves St. Laurent and originally the private home of the painter Jacques Majorelle. We suggest that you return to the square in the evening. The experience of Place Jemaa el Fna at night is an intoxicating one – with smoke swirling up from the grills, and the pounding rhythms of the street musicians. Dinner awaits at your hotel/Riad.

Day 11: Free Day in Marrakech for Hammam and Shopping

Spend your free time in the Medina of Marrakech exploring the Souks for shopping, and then enjoy a Hammam and a cup of tea on the roof of a restaurant.

Day 12: Marrakech – Essaouira

After breakfast, drive west to Essaouira City. Make stops to see the Argan trees and goats and for panoramic views along the way. Reach Essaouira city, formerly known as Mogador, one of the important coastal cities in Morocco. Visit the fishing port, the ancient ramparts with cannons, and the old medina. Overnight stay in Essaouira.

Day 13: Essaouira – Casablanca

After breakfast, depart from Essaouira and drive along the coastline, with stops for panoramic views. Reach Casablanca city, the economic center of Morocco. Visit the Hassan II mosque, the largest mosque in Morocco, and the Casablanca Cornish. Enjoy free time for lunch. Then, drive to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Overnight stay in Rabat.

Day 14 : Rabat – Tangier

On Day 14, after breakfast, you will explore Rabat city, which is one of the imperial cities in Morocco and the current capital. Rabat is located in the northwest of Morocco. During the visit, you will see the highlights of the city, including the Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, and the Kasbah of Oudaya. You will have some free time for lunch before we head north through Assilah to reach Tangier airport, marking the end of the 14-day Absolute Sahara desert tour from Tangier.