8 Day Morocco Tour from Casablanca: Chefchaouen, Fes, Sahara and Marrakech

Overview

Highlights

• Starts and ends in Casablanca, ideal for nonstop flights from the US
• Hassan II Mosque on the Atlantic on arrival day
• A night in the blue medina of Chefchaouen
• Volubilis, Meknes and a guided day in Fes
• Camel trek and Berber camp in the dunes of Merzouga
• Todra and Dades gorges, Aït Benhaddou and Marrakech

Itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1 Arrival in Casablanca, Hassan II Mosque

   Welcome to Morocco. Most overnight flights from the US land in Casablanca in the morning; make your own way to your hotel, or ask us to arrange an airport transfer. After a rest, visit the Hassan II Mosque, built partly over the Atlantic, with one of the tallest minarets in the world and a prayer hall that holds thousands. Interior visits run at set times (ticket not included) and require covered shoulders and knees. End the day with a walk on the Corniche of Aïn Diab, then meet your group for dinner and an early night.

   Overnight: Hotel in Casablanca Meals: Dinner

2. 2

   Day 2 Casablanca – Rabat – Chefchaouen

   After breakfast, drive an hour up the coast to Rabat, the capital. Visit the unfinished Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, guarded by soldiers in ceremonial dress, then walk through the whitewashed lanes of the Kasbah of the Udayas, high above the Bou Regreg river mouth. After lunch (not included), drive inland through farmland and olive groves into the Rif mountains, about four hours with a stop. Arrive in Chefchaouen in the late afternoon and wander the blue alleys before dinner.

   Overnight: Hotel or riad in Chefchaouen Meals: Breakfast, dinner

3. 3

   Day 3 Chefchaouen – Volubilis – Meknes – Fes

   Get up early to photograph Chefchaouen's blue streets in the quiet morning light, then have breakfast and drive south through the hills to Volubilis. Explore Morocco's best-preserved Roman city, a UNESCO site of columns, arches and floor mosaics (entrance and site guide not included). Continue to Meknes, the imperial city of Sultan Moulay Ismail, for a stop at the great Bab Mansour gate and El Hedim square. In the late afternoon, drive the final hour to Fes and check in for two nights.

   Overnight: Hotel or riad in Fes Meals: Breakfast, dinner

4. 4

   Day 4 Fes guided visit

   A licensed local guide leads the group into Fes el-Bali, the oldest medina in Morocco and a labyrinth of thousands of lanes. Visit a richly decorated madrasa such as Bou Inania or Al-Attarine, the Nejjarine fountain, the exterior of the Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university and the Chouara tannery seen from a terrace above the dye pits. You also stop in workshops of weavers, coppersmiths and potters. The afternoon is free for shopping, a hammam or simply getting pleasantly lost in the medina.

   Overnight: Hotel or riad in Fes Meals: Breakfast, dinner

5. 5

   Day 5 Fes – Merzouga, desert camp

   An early start for the long drive south, about 8 hours with stops. Cross the Middle Atlas through Ifrane, the alpine-looking resort town, and the cedar forest near Azrou, where Barbary macaques live. Have lunch (not included) in Midelt, then descend through the palm canyon of the Ziz Valley and on to Erfoud and Merzouga. At the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes, mount your camel and ride about an hour into the sand to watch the sunset from a crest. Dinner, drums and stars at a Berber camp.

   Overnight: Desert camp in Merzouga (Erg Chebbi) Meals: Breakfast, dinner

6. 6

   Day 6 Merzouga – Todra – Dades

   Wake for sunrise over the dunes, then ride back to Merzouga for breakfast. Drive west through Erfoud and Tinejdad, past the khettara, the ancient underground canals of the oases. In Tinghir, follow the palm grove into the Todra Gorge and walk the narrowest stretch, where cliffs rise up to 300 m above a clear stream. After lunch (not included), continue to Boumalne and into the Dades Gorge, past the Monkey Fingers rock formations. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in the gorge.

   Overnight: Hotel in the Dades Gorge Meals: Breakfast, dinner

7. 7

   Day 7 Dades – Aït Benhaddou – Marrakech

   Follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs west through Kelaat M'Gouna, center of the rose harvest, and the oasis of Skoura to Ouarzazate. Visit Aït Benhaddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar of earthen houses that has starred in Gladiator and many other films, and climb to its hilltop granary. After lunch (not included), cross the High Atlas over the Tizi n'Tichka pass at 2,260 m and descend through Berber villages to Marrakech. Arrive in time for an evening at Jemaa el-Fna, when the square fills with food stalls and performers.

   Overnight: Hotel or riad in Marrakech Meals: Breakfast, dinner

8. 8

   Day 8 Marrakech morning visit – Casablanca, end of tour

   Spend the morning discovering Marrakech: the Koutoubia mosque and its gardens, the souks of spices, leather and lanterns, and a monument such as the Bahia Palace (entrance not included). Ask your driver for tips, or hire a local guide on the spot if you want more depth. After lunch (not included), drive back to Casablanca, about three hours on the highway. The tour ends in the late afternoon at Mohammed V airport or your Casablanca hotel. For evening flights, allow plenty of time; if you fly the next day, we can book an extra night.

   Overnight: — (tour ends in Casablanca) Meals: Breakfast

Prices

US$ 809 (€720) per person

Fixed price per person in a small group (max 17 people).

Prices in euros per person. The amount in your currency is an estimate; payment is processed in USD. Some peak-season dates carry a supplement; you will see it when you pick a date.

Included

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