Kingdom of the Atlas - 11 Days

Once you have arrived in Marrakech, you will be met and transferred to your accommodation. Our driver will collect us from Marrakech Airport and take us to our accommodation in the city.

The rest of the day is at your leisure to begin exploring, enjoy a meal, or relax before the start of the tour.

This morning, we have a private guided tour of Marrakech’s medina with an official local guide. We see the Koutoubia Mosque, explore the medina and its souks, and visit the Ali Ben Youssef Koranic School, the Saadian Tombs, the Bahia Palace and the Majorelle Gardens.

In the afternoon, you have free time to explore the medina on your own. The best option is to head towards the main square, which in the evening fills with narrators, jugglers, diviners, snake charmers and musicians.

Marrakech - Ait Ben Haddou - Quarzazate - Dades Valley. Today, we depart from Marrakech at 8 AM and travel towards the High Atlas, a subrange of the Moroccan Atlas Mountains. We pass through the Tizi n’Tichka Pass, stopping for panoramic views and to take pictures of small Berber villages that blend into the landscape.

We continue south to the ksar of Aït Ben Haddou, where we visit the famous kasbah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This spectacular setting has been used for films including Gladiator, Obelix, The Mummy, The Jewel of the Nile and Sahara with Penélope Cruz. You have free time for lunch in the town.

We then continue to Ouarzazate, also known as the “gate of the desert”, which in Berber means “noiseless” or “without confusion”. Here, we see the Taourirt Kasbah, one of the most spectacular ksars in Morocco.

Next, we visit the Rose Valley, passing through the big Skoura palm grove, where more than 700,000 palms and numerous surrounding kasbahs create a striking landscape. In this valley, damascene roses are grown for cosmetic use, including the production of valued rosewater. The Rose Festival is held here annually in May and is an important moussem in Moroccan culture. Finally, we reach the Dades Valley.

Dades Valley - Todra Gorge - Erfoud - Merzouga. fter breakfast, we depart at 8 AM from our accommodation in the Dades Gorges. We take the Road of 1,000 Kasbahs, driving through the colourful Berber villages of the Dades Valley.

After 45 km, we reach Tineghir, known for its beautiful palm groves and Jewish quarter. On arrival at the Todra Gorges, you have free time to go on a trek along the canyons, which are about 300 m high and are a preferred place for mountain climbers.

Afterwards, we continue to the Erg Chebbi dunes in the Merzouga Sahara Desert. You have free time for lunch on the way to Erfoud. Once we reach the dunes of Erg Chebbi, we take a camel ride for 1 hour and 30 minutes at sunset to reach the oasis where our camp is located.

We spend the evening in a bivouac in the Merzouga Sahara dunes, staying in nomadic tents or outside under the shooting stars. We play drums with the camel drivers and have dinner in the desert camp.

Merzouga - Azrou - Infrane - Fes. We have an early start to watch the sunrise over the desert. From the top of a dune close to our camp, we take in the changing colours across the landscape.

After breakfast, we return to Merzouga by camel and begin our journey north through the Tafilalet palm grove, the largest in the world. We pass thousands of palm trees along a 20 km stretch of road as we continue towards the Ziz Valley, where the river flows down from the High Atlas and feeds the palm groves. We stop at a high viewpoint to enjoy views over the valley and the town of Aoufous.

We make another stop in Midelt, in the heart of the Atlas, where you have free time for lunch and a short rest. In the afternoon, we continue through the cedar forest, where we may see monkeys if we are lucky.

We then visit Ifrane, located on the northwestern slope of the Middle Atlas at 1,630 metres above sea level. Its broad avenues, clean urban layout, gardens, green spaces and architecture give it the feel of a Swiss town. Known as the “Moroccan Switzerland”, it is also home to the Michlifen ski resort.

Around 6 PM, we arrive in Fes and check in to our accommodation.

Today, we meet a local guide to explore Fes, the most ancient and holy of the Imperial cities. Our tour takes us through the 2,000-year-old living medina, a labyrinth of narrow streets filled with markets and souks, craftsmen, and donkeys and mules transporting goods.

We visit the Attarine and Bou Anania Medersas, the Nejjarine Fountain, the Moulay Idriss Mausoleum and the Karaouine Mosque. We finish with a visit to Fes Jdid and the Merenid Tombs, where we take in panoramic views over the city.

Fes - Chefchaouen. This morning, we travel from Fes to the blue city of Chefchaouen, with a journey of around 3 hours. On arrival, we stop to take photos overlooking the blue city before continuing to our accommodation to check in.

The rest of the day is yours to explore Chefchaouen at your own pace. Located in the Rif Mountains in north-west Morocco, it is known for the striking blue tones of its old town. Leather and weaving workshops line the steep cobbled streets. In the central square of Outa el Hammam sits the red-walled kasbah, a fifteenth-century fortress with ethnographic and artistic exhibitions, while the octagonal minaret of the Great Mosque rises nearby.

Chefchaouen - Rabat - Casablanca. This morning, we depart from Chefchaouen and travel towards Rabat, arriving after a couple of hours’ drive. In Morocco’s capital, we visit the Hassan II Tower.

We then continue to Casablanca, where we visit the Hassan II Mosque, considered the finest mosque in Morocco.

Casablanca - El Jadida - Essaouira. We leave Casablanca and continue our journey up the Atlantic Coast, passing through El Jadida, a small port city formerly controlled by the Portuguese and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We then reach the seaside town of Essaouira, a UNESCO-listed city known for its windswept fishing port, broad beaches and ancient walled medina with ramparts built into the cliffs. With its relaxed atmosphere, you can explore the small but lively medina, stroll along the ramparts or beach, or visit the port to see the daily catch.

You will have a day at leisure to relax in Essaouira and explore at your own pace. There are many optional activities to enjoy, including a hammam, massage or spa experience.

You can also explore beyond the town, with nearby valleys, waterfalls and varied landscapes offering additional opportunities to discover the surrounding area.

Essaouira - Marrakech. After our final breakfast, depending on your departure flight time, you might have some time for last-minute shopping, exploring or relaxing before being transferred to Marrakech Airport for your onward flight. Safe travels!