TOUR ITINERARY:

 

 

Day 1: Tangier port – Hotel D

Meet and greet at Tangier port, then transfer to your hotel to relax. Dinner and overnight in Tangier.

 

Day 2: Tangier – Rabat BLD

After breakfast, start the city tour of Tangier to discover Morocco’s pearl of the north and its main gate to Europe. Begin with the visit of the world-famous St. Andrews Church. The first strip of land to build this landmark in Tangier was provided in 1880 by Hassan I, a former Alaouite king of Morocco. The church was re-built in the year 1894 to accommodate larger numbers of worshippers and it was consecrated in 1905. Continue through the neighborhood of villas and mansions of many celebrities including the royal palace. Transfer to Cape Spartel, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean to visit the Cave of Hercules. Lunch at a local restaurant then transfer to Rabat, the capital of Morocco and one of its imperial cities. Dinner and overnight in Rabat. 

 

Day 3: Rabat – Casablanca – Marrakech BLD

Start the city tour of Rabat with the Kasbah of the Udayas. This kasbah is a fortification constructed on a hill, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The Kasbah of the Udayas was constructed during the realm of the Almohads. Continue to Mohammed V Mausoleum. This mausoleum is home to the tombs of the current king's grandfather, King Mohammed V, and his two sons King Hassan II and Prince Moulay Abdellah. Inside the mausoleum, mosaics rise from the marble floor to a ceiling of gold leaf and hand-carved cedar wood, while the three ground-floor tombs are carved from white onyx. Next to the Mausoleum, stop at Hassan Tower, which is the towering minaret of the Hassan Mosque. The construction of the site began in 1195. The reminiscent are part of one of the oldest mosques left in existence. Transfer to Casablanca, the economic capital of Morocco and its largest city. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, start an orientation tour, beginning with an outside visit of Hassan II mosque. The mosque is the largest in the country and the 7th largest in the world. Continue to Ain Diab Corniche for a pleasant stroll along the coast. Your next stop is Mohammed V Square in the city center. Transfer to Marrakech for dinner and overnight.

 

Day 4: Marrakech (city tour) BLD

Enjoy the guided city tour of Marrakech after breakfast. The morning begins with a visit to the Kotoubia Mosque. The mosque is the largest in Marrakech and one of the oldest in the world. The minaret, 77 metres (253 ft) in height, includes a spire and orbs. It was completed under the reign of the Almohad Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur (1184 to 1199), and has inspired other buildings such as the Giralda of Seville and the Hassan Tower of Rabat. Continue to the world-famous Jemaa el Fna Square, which houses an array of food, snake charmers, local musicians, and fortune-tellers. There’s nowhere on Earth like the Jemaa el Fna, the square at the heart of old Marrakesh. Your next stop is the Bahia Palace, and the Saadian Tombs. The Saadian tombs in Marrakech date back from the time of the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur (1578-1603). The tombs were discovered in 1917 and were restored by the Beaux-arts service. The mausoleum comprises the interments of about sixty members of the Saadi Dynasty that originated in the valley of the Draa River. Lunch at the hotel and dinner at a local Moroccan restaurant. Overnight in Marrakech.

 

Day 5: Marrakech – Essaouira – Marrakech BD

After breakfast, enjoy a full day trip to Essaouira. Spend most of the day at leisure there. This relatively small, easily navigable beach city is ideal for a free day. Essaouira has got a distinct multicultural feel, resulting from the large Portuguese, French, and Jewish populations that once called it home. Its mild climate and expansive stretches of ocean sand also place it among Morocco’s top beach towns. Essaouira’s walled medina was added to UNICCO’s World Heritage list in 2001. Its well-preserved, late-18th-century fortified layout is a prime example of European military architecture in North Africa. For the visitor, the mellow atmosphere, narrow winding streets lined with colourful shops, whitewashed houses and heavy old wooden doors make it a wonderful place to stroll. Lunch on your own. Later in the afternoon, transfer back to Marrakech for dinner and overnight.

 

Day 6: Marrakech – Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Dades BLD

After breakfast, transfer along the spectacular High Atlas Mountains and Tiz in Tichka pass heading to the south of Morocco. Stop first at the wonderful fortress of Ait Ben Haddou. The village is a great example of earthen clay architecture that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Ait Ben Haddou is an iconic landscape immortalized in such films as “The Man Who Would Be King (film) (1975)”, “Jesus of Nazareth (1977)”, “The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)”, “Gladiator (2000)”, “Son of God (film) (2014)”, etc. After the visit of Ait Ben Haddou, transfer to Ouarzazate, Morocco’s Hollywood and one of its main gates to the the sahara desert. Visit the film studios where some of the most famous desert landscapes were and are still being shot. Lunch at a local restaurant, then continue the city tour of Ouarzazate with Taourirt Kasbah. The Kasbah is considered one of the most beautiful kasbahs in Morocco. Leave Ouarzazate via Skoura to Kelaat M’Gouna. The drive is spectacular, with hundreds of Kasbahs lining the route, winding through stunning desert landscapes and villages. Kelaat M’Gouna is famous for cultivating roses. Expect to find many fine, rose-infused products there. Continue to Dades for dinner and overnight.

 

Day 7: Dades – Toudra – Merzouga BLD

After breakfast, enjoy the visit of Dades with its wonderful landscapes. Dades is famous for its valley of figs. Drive to Tinghir, which is a big town famour for its charming oases and Toudra Gorge. Tinghir is a gorgeous, 40km oasis, which boasts one of the largest palm groves in the country. Take a walk through this valley village, stopping in to visit the earthen houses. Explore the Todra Gorge, a 300m wall, carved deep into the High Atlas Mountains. Lunch in Tinghir. In the afternoon, transfer to Merzouga with a stop at Rissani. Visit this wonderful historical town. Enjoy 4x4 transfer from Rissani to the heart of the desert where you will enjoy dinner and overnight in a charming desert camp at the foothills of some of the highest golden sand dunes.

 

Day 8: Merzouga – Erfoud – Midelt – Ifrane – Fes BLD

Enjoy an early morning sunrise experience over the golden sand dunes. Breakfast at the desert camp then, transfer to Fes along the Ziz River. Pass through a series of fortified villages before getting to Midelt, where you will stop for lunch. Continue through the middle atlas mountains, a cider forest, and many Amazigh villages to get to Ifrane, nicknamed “Morocco’s Switzerland.” Ifrane is a charming town and ski resort in the Middle Atlas region of Morocco. Ifrane is famous for its Alpine climate, European-style houses and its 1665 metres (5,460 ft) in elevation. The town experiences snow during winter months and a cool climate during summer. Ifrane is also the place where the lowest temperature was ever recorded in Africa, -24 °C in 1935. While in Ifrane, expect to find animals like the threatened Barbary Macaque and local tree species such as the native Atlas cedar, Scrub oak and the introduced London plane. Continue to Fes for dinner and overnight.

 

Day 9: Fes (city tour) BLD

Enjoy the guided city tour of the spiritual capital of Morocco, Fes. The first stop of the morning is a visit to the entrance of the largest royal palace in Morocco. This palatial complex rests in the center of the Fes El-Jedid area and is surrounded by high walls with an intricate and elaborately decorated gateway that is permanently closed. The doors are bronze but they shine like gold. The next stop will be the old Medina (Fes el Bali). This medieval centre of Fez has not changed for centuries. Its narrow alleys house hundreds of merchants and craftsmen selling a range of products such as dates, fish, spices, copper urns, etc. Lunch at a local restaurant. One of the most interesting sites to stop at after lunch is the Leather Souq and the oldest leather tannery in the world. The tannery dates back at least nine centuries. In the medina you will also visit the Jamaa Al-Karaouine (the world’s first established university) and a Medersa (a Koranic school). Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

 

Day 10: Fes – Volubilis – Meknes – Chefchouen BLD

After breakfast, transfer to Volubilis, the UNESCO-sponsored Roman ruins where you will have a guided tour. Continue to Meknes. Stop to take pictures of the massive Bab El Mansour gate. The city tour of Meknes includes the Harri Souani stables, the medina ramparts and the entrance to the Royal Palace. Transfer along to Chaouen with a hone hour stop for lunch on the way. Dinner and overnight in Chaouen.

 

Day 11: Chefchouen – Tangier BLD

Enjoy the tour of Chaouen, a fascinating little town tucked away in the Rif mountainside. Founded in the 15th century, Chefchaouen was settled by the Moorish and then abandoned by them until the 20th century, when it was resettled by Europeans. As a result, the town retains a characteristically medieval feel, which makes it a wonderful place to visit. Chefchaouen or Chaouen, as it is often called by Moroccans is a popular tourist destination because of its proximity to Tangier and Ceuta. The name refers to the shape of the mountain tops above the town that look like the two horns (chaoua) of a goat. "Chef Chaouen" derives from the Berber word for horns, Ichawen. After lunch, transfer to Tangier. Enjoy a farewell dinner. Overnight in Tangier.

 

Day 12: Transfer to Tangier port

After breakfast, transfer to Tangier port for your ferry transfer to Spain.