12 Days Tour To Desert, Coast & Imperial Cities From Marrakech
Availability
Every Day
Price
On Demand
Duration
12 days
Min Travelers
1+
Overview
Throughout this extended tour to Morocco, you’ll wander the red city of Marrakech and the Jemaa El Fna Square, the picturesque “Blue City” of Chefchaouen, tour Fes’ Medinas, ride a camel to a desert camp, and visit the 11th-century Aït Benhaddou, the Morocco’s Atlantic pearl of Essaouira Mogador, the Kasbahs of UNICCO in Ouarzazate, Meknes and Bab El Mansour, Rabat and the Mohammed V Mausoleum, but also Volubilis and Casablanca with the Hassan II Mosque, all classified as World Heritage by Unesco and more… A 12-day tour to the desert, coast, and imperial cities departure from Marrakech is a comprehensive journey through some of the country’s most iconic destinations. Balancing culture, history, and adventure, this highlights itinerary is perfect for travelers to Morocco looking to visit the country’s imperial cities, the Sahara desert, and the Atlas mountains.
Highlights
- Discover the 4 imperial cities of Morocco: Marrakech, Rabat, Meknes, and Fes.
- Admire the view of the biggest mosque Hassan second in Casablanca.
- Spend a day in Essaouira to marvel at the beautiful coasts and beaches of Morocco
- Discover Chefchaouen delights with its alleys tinged with green, blue, and mauve.
- Scout about the spiritual capital of Morocco, Fes: Najjarine fountains and Museum, Quaraouyine University, the tanneries, the Medrassa Bouanania.
- Walk around the colorful souks/Markets in the old Medinas of Fes and Marrakech and explore the artisan’s workshops.
- Meet the Barbary apes in the cedar forest in the middle of Atlas.
- Have Moroccan traditional cuisine and cultural heritage.
- Visit the splendid Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, listed by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage.
- Stroll the Erg Chebbi dunes by camels and spend a night under nomadic tents.
- Watch a beautiful sunset and sunrise over the golden dunes of the Merzouga Desert.
- Have a Berber dinner & music folklore at night under the stars in a Sahara desert camp.
- Admire the landscapes of Todra canyons’ high walls, Dadès gorges & Palm Oasis & Rose Valley.
- Cross the majestic Tizi N Tichka Pass the highest road in North Africa.
- You can stop everywhere to take memorable photos.
- This 12-day extended tour starts in Marrakech and ends in Casablanca.
Included/Excluded
- Pickup & drop-off service
- Transport by a modern vehicle
- English or French-speaking driver
- Local expert tour guide
- Camel ride for sunset & sunrise
- Half-board accommodation
- Overnight in a desert camp
- Official & professional historian guide
- Fuel & bottled water during the tour
- Entrance fees
- Tips & gratuities
- Lunch & soft drinks
- Any private expenses
Itinerary
Upon your arrival at Marrakech airport, you will be welcomed and taken care of by our team, then transferred by an air-conditioned and comfortable vehicle to your accommodation. Overnight with breakfast in a guest house, riad, or hotel.
After breakfast in your accommodation, you go for a guided city tour of Marrakech that includes: a stop in front of the Koutoubia, a representative building of the art of the Almohades, a visit to the Museum of Marrakech (ceramics, pottery, jewels), Palace of the Bahia, masterpiece of the Moroccan architecture with its gardens and its patios Saadian tombs where you will be impressed by the beauty of the decoration and crossing the Djemaa El Fna square, a tourist attraction. In the afternoon, visit the outskirts of the city: Garden of Menara planted with olive trees, tower walls, Medersa Ben Youssef, the jewel of Arab-Andalusian architecture, and Majorelle Garden (botanical garden of the French painter Jacques Majorelle). Overnight and accommodation with breakfast in a guest house, riad, or hotel.
After your breakfast in your accommodation, we drive you to the west of Marrakech on the road you will make stops to admire the landscapes, and take photos, including a stop to see the goats climbing the Argan trees if you want it is possible to stop in one of several cooperatives of Berber women who make Argan oil, this multi-propose oil is very famous for its uses in cooking and also in cosmetics, next Discover the basics of Essaouira’s history on a sightseeing walking tour of the old city, taking in the distinctive blue-and-white architecture, and unique rhythm of the seaside town. The UNESCO-listed Medina is full of artists and craftsmen’s shops, you will also explore other charming sites like the jeweler’s district and the old Jewish quarter. Following the tour, after having a fish lunch by the port or in a local restaurant, you’ll have the rest of the day to explore on your own: head down to the water to see the fishermen bring in the catch of the day, visit the old Portuguese fortress Sekkala. Overnight and accommodation with breakfast in a guest house, riad, or hotel.
After breakfast in your accommodation, you will be driven through the TiziN'Tichka (2260 m), on the way, we will make some short stops to visit places of interest. Make a stop for lunch in the Pass of Tichka and then, continue your journey to Kasbah of Telout, Just 40 km from Ait Benhaddou Kasbah, make a stop to see this Kasbah, a former route of the caravans from the Sahara over the Atlas Mountains to Marrakech, it was the seat of the El Glaoui family’s power, they were given political power in Morocco south of the High Atlas Mountains by King Moulay Hassan. The Glaouis were almost as strong in power as the sultan himself, the palace can still be visited but it is steadily becoming more damaged and is slowly collapsing. In 2010, work was underway to restore the property. We drive to the village of Ait Ben Haddou. Once ether explore the exotic Kasbah of Aït Ben Haddou which is classified by UNESCO as a world heritage. Overnight and accommodation with dinner and breakfast in a guest house, riad, or hotel.
After breakfast in your accommodation, we will head to Ouarzazate, where you will visit some tourist attractions in Ouarzazate like the Kasbah of Taourirt which was built by the Glaoui dynasty in the early 20th century, it's a residential castle made of rammed earth and is still very well-preserved and a third of it has been opened to the public for visits. Ouarzazate is also known for film studios in which world-famous films were made. Another fascinating sight is the Cinema Museum in the center of Ouarzazate. It is located right across from the beautiful Kasbah Taourirt, so a visit to these two attractions can be easily combined. Statues, decorations, costumes, film equipment, and other stuff from previous film productions are exhibited here. After having lunch we head to Toudgha via Boumalne du Dades, El-KelaaM'Gouna, and Skoura. Admire the views of the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, Rose Valley, and the oasis of Skoura while driving, on the way, we will make some short stops to visit places of interest, arriving at Toudgha Gorges. Overnight and accommodation with dinner and breakfast in a guest house, riad, or hotel.
After breakfast in your accommodation, we will head to the Merzouga desert via Toudra Valley, we will visit the Gorges of Dades for some amazing photos of the great canyon, and then also visit the village of Todra, after exploring the Todra Gorges, arrive in Erfoud (city of fossils and dates), stop for lunch before continuing our journey towards the desert of Merzouga. crossing the village of Rissani visit the mausoleum of the founder of the Alaouite Dynasty of Morocco, Moulay Ali Cherif, which is located on the southern edge of town. Reaching Merzouga and camel trek for about 1 hour and a half to reach Erg Chebbi dunes, admire the most wonderful sunset over the dunes, enjoy music folklore at night under the stars in a Saharan desert camp, and spend an overnight with dinner and breakfast in a Saharan desert Beber tent situated at the feet of the dunes.
NB: If you book a luxury tour, then, you will have breakfast and shower at the desert camp, otherwise, the breakfast and the shower will be at the hotel after your camel rides back in the morning.
As you wake up early in the morning, you can enjoy the sunrise over the dunes of Erg Chebbi desert, have a traditional breakfast in the desert camp, then ride your camels and head back to your hotel in Merzouga village, meet the driver to start a new explorative journey towards the eldest imperial city in Morocco, Fes, drive to Errachidia, passing through Erfoud, you make a stop at the Oasis de Aoufous (located in the palm grove of Ziz, a panoramic view of the oasis for lovers of photography), continue towards the city of Errachidia, stop at the Dam, which offers to travelers beautiful panoramic views because of its various contrasts of its blue/green water and its ocher-colored mountains. Continue through the Middle Altas crossing the Pass of Tizi N’talghom at 1,907 meters. We reach the city of Midelt, the capital of Apples in Morocco, after a typical lunch, take the road to the village of Azrou, where you have the opportunity to see the old tree (800 years and called Cedre Gouraud), watch the monkeys (Barbary apes) at cedar forest in the Middle Atlas, from here we will go to Ifran (also known as Switzerland of Morocco), located in a mountainous area at a height of 1713 meters, in its vicinity, is the Ifrane National Park, representative of its figure of stone the lion, one of the animals that formerly lived there, from Ifran we drive you straight to Fes, you arrive in the imperial city in the evening around 6 or 7 PM, this desert tour ends with drop-off at your accommodation in Fes. Overnight and accommodation with dinner and breakfast in a guest house, riad, or hotel.
After breakfast in your accommodation, you go for a guided city tour of Fes, A cultural and spiritual capital, a thousand-year-old city, one is easily carried away through its history, thanks to its numerous mosques, Medersas, walls and ramparts, fortified gates, mausoleums, palaces, and squares. Guided tour of The Marinids necropolis, the El Attarin Madrassah, the Moulay Idriss zaouïa, the Andalusian quarters, and the admirable Karaouyine will provide you with the points of reference necessary for a look at the historical and religious heritage of the Fassie city. Lunch in a Moroccan restaurant with your guide. Dinner and overnight in a guest house. Fez is also a haunting city that lives through the atmosphere of the souks! Lose yourself in the colorful maze, noisy, with tasty or delicate perfumes, and let yourself be carried by your senses … Do not miss the henna souk to discover all the traditional secrets of oriental beauty. For the feast of the senses, go through the souk el-Attarine, a magnificent concentrate of all the colors and scents of spices. And to escape the stubborn odors of the tanners’ district, go up the terraces of the leather goods stores, from where the view is panoramic of the multicolored dye pools so photogenic. Overnight and accommodation with breakfast in a guest house, riad, or hotel.
After breakfast in your accommodation, we will head to Meknes, the Ismaili capital and one of the imperial cities, we explore Bab Al-Mansour, Sahrij Souani basin, the Royal stables, the granary, and the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum. Free time for lunch. Next, we drive 30 km from Meknes to visit the ancient Roman ruins of Volubilis. It is well preserved, as it is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, it has many beautiful mosaics scattered here and there, along with ancient pillars and archways. After strolling in the ruins, we head north through Ouazzane, to reach Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains, also known as the Blue City because it is famous for its buildings and alleyways painted in blue. Overnight and accommodation with breakfast in a guest house, riad, or hotel.
After breakfast in your accommodation, you go for a guided city tour of Chefchaouen, you have the whole day to wander and explore the Medina. There is so much to see and discover, from the history of the town to its hidden gems, admire the incredible blue walls that make this city famous. take advantage of a walking tour in the picturesque little streets of the Medina led by your expert guide, you explore local shops and cafes and see the main square known as Plaza Uta el-Hammam, to learn about culture, you may want to visit the Kasbah Museum, the Great Mosque or the Ethnographic Museum, which contains musical instruments, antique weapons and photographs of the Old City. You can also stop at the Ras Elma River which runs through the old town. Overnight and accommodation with breakfast in a guest house, riad, or hotel.
After breakfast in your accommodation, we will head to Rabat, the administrative capital of the Kingdom, on the way, we will make some short stops to visit places of interest. Once in Rabat discover The Royal Palace, The Hassan Tower, the most famous monument of the city and symbol of the Almohad dynasty, and the prestigious Mohamed V Mausoleum decorated with marble, carved cedar, gilded bronze chandelier, and white onyx. in the evening we take the road to Casablanca, once there if we still have time we visit the economic metropolis of Morocco: The place of the United Nations, Anfa, and in the end, the road of the ledge reveals between the sky, earth, and sea Mosque Hassan II. After that, check in to the hotel, guest house, or riad. Overnight, and accommodation with breakfast.
According to flight schedules, transfer by an air-conditioned and comfortable vehicle from your accommodation to Casablanca airport. Assistance with check-in formalities for the return flight. End of the tour program.
Location
Know Before You Go
- Pick-up & drop-off at any accommodation or any Morocco airport.
- Transport by a modern, comfortable & an air-conditioned vehicle.
- This extended tour can be customized according to your needs, budget, timing, and preferences, just Write Us what you are looking for.
- The price of this tour depends on the number of travelers in the group, accommodation preference, and other personal factors.
- You’d better bring comfortable shoes, sunscreen, a sun hat, sunglasses and a camera.
- Half-board accommodation in hotels, riads, desert tents, or Kasbahs (breakfasts are included).
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the day trip starts.
- Live tour professional guide & driver: English & French.
- Confirmation will be received at the time of booking.
- Duration: 12 days & 11 nights (it includes transfers & tour program).
- A vegetarian option is available, please advise at the time of booking if required.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Infant seats are available on request if advised at the time of booking.
- A moderate amount of walking is involved.
- You can advise at the time of booking the type of accommodation: standard, budget or high-class.
- Comfortable & non-slip walking shoes are recommended.
- Visit the Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about our policies.
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Availability
Every Day
Duration
12 days
Price
On Demand
Max Travelers
50
Min Age
12+
