15 DAYS TOUR FROM CASABLANCA

DAY 1 : CASABLANCA MED V AIRPORT:

When you arrive in Casablanca, you will be met by our staff and transferred to your hotel for the night. Morocco Grand tour of Casablanca..

DAY 2 : CASABLANCA / RABAT / FES :

Leaving Casablanca, the economic capital of Morocco, you will go to Rabat, where you can see the Kasbah Oudayas and its beautiful gardens. This Kasbah is located at the mouth of the river Abu Regreg. It was built during the reign of the Almohad dynasty in 1150 AD. We will visit the mausoleum of Mohamed V and Hassan II, as well as the Hassan tower, which is the minaret of an incomplete mosque in Rabat built in 1195 AD. After completing the visits to Rabat, take the road to Fez, where you will be fascinated by thousands of olive trees with olive oil and farms on both sides of the road. Check in and overnight in Fes.

DAY 3 : FES (SIGHTSEEING TOUR WITH YOUR TOUR GUIDE, FES MEDINA) :

You will make another adventure through the intellectual capital of Fez, considered as the Mecca of the West and Athena of Africa. It is the second largest city in Morocco with a population of about 1 million. This city was the old capital and one of the four imperial cities of the country. Fes is divided into three distinct parts: Fes El Bali, the UNESCO-protected old city with over 9,000 narrow and allied streets. Fez-Jadid or the new Fes houses the Mellah, the Jewish quarter and the New Town built during the French occupation. In Fes El Bali, among its narrow streets, is the oldest university in the world, Al-Karaouine, founded in 859 AD and still in operation.

DAY 4 : FES / MOULAY DRISS / VOLUBILIS / MEKNES :

On the way to Meknes, you will go back in the third century by visiting the most important archaeological site of Morocco: Volubilis, the best memorial of the Roman civilization of this part of North Africa which was classified in World heritage of 1997 A 45-minute guided tour is planned here. From Volubilis, head to Meknes, the capital of Morocco during the reign of Moulay Ismail (1672, 1727). Stop by for photos of Bab Al Mansour, one of Morocco’s most remarkable gates, built in the 11th century by King Al Mansour Adahbi.

DAY 5 : MEKNES / MIDDLE ATLAS /MIDELT / ZIZ VALLEY / ERFOUD / MERZOUGA :

You expect to spend a long day on the road observing the different colors of the kingdom. On the way, you will cross the most modern city of the country, Ifrane. The Berber name of Ifrane means “caves” and is nicknamed “the little Moroccan Switzerland” because it is a very green city and a ski resort of the Middle Atlas because of its high altitude of 1665 meters. Ifrane is known for its international university founded in 1997 by King Hassan II of Morocco and King of Saudi Arabia Fahd.

Lunch will be provided in a Berber village called Midelt, located in the foothills of the eastern part of the High Atlas Mountains. From this plateau, you will begin to cross the mountains that are still inhabited by a large Berber community. The landscapes here include the oasis of palm trees at Jbel Ayachi (3747 m).

Then continue your road towards the pre-Saharan zone, through Errachidia and Erfoud, famous for its interesting pottery and fossils that constitute a major industry in Erfoud. About 350 million years ago, the Erfoud region was part of the huge ocean. You will be impressed by the colorful sand dunes of Erg Chebbiat Merzouga appearing on the horizon. Spend the night at the hotel.

DAY 6 : MERZOUGA / ERG CHEBBI (DESERT EXPLORATION / CAMEL TREKKING FOR SUNSET) :

In the morning, drive through the sand dunes passing fabulous landscapes at the edge of Erg Chebbi, the largest sand dune in Morocco. You will see many nomadic black tents in the middle of nowhere. Stop by a nomadic family to have tea and see what nomadic life looks like. You will discover the nomadic life of the Tuaregs by visiting Khamlia, a village where nothing has changed for centuries. Lunch at the village of Khamlia or at your hotel. After a short break, we will take a camel ride to meet one of the most fascinating sites you will see, the beautiful sunset in the middle of the high sand dunes of Merzouga. Spend the night in a tent in a desert Berber camp to watch the beautiful starry sky.

DAY 7 : MERZOUGA / RISSANI / TODRA GORGES :

In the morning you will visit Rissani and the Mausoleum of the founder of the Alaouite Dynasty of Morocco. This town was the ancient capital of Tafilalet and its location is at a crossroads between the north and the south which brought the city to an important status of a major caravan route.

Nowadays Rissani remains a commercial town with its large souk, particularly lively on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. At a distance of approximately 127 km from Rissani there are the great canyons of Morocco Todra Gorges which are situated beyond the central High Atlas Mountains. Here, the contrasting landscape remind visitors of the Colorado, with its high plateau, gorges, great canyons, and its peaks sometimes splintered by erosion. Several peaks in this area exceed 4000 m, with Jbel Saghro 2500 m and Jbel Mgoun at 4068 m being the highest peak in this part of the High Atlas. This area is populated by Berbers. Here you can enjoy a hike among those fabulous canyons. Overnight stay at a Hotel in the same area.

DAY 8 : TODRA GORGES / DADES VALLEY / OUARZAZATE :

From the big canyons of Todra, you will take the road of the “thousand kasbahs”. There are huge kasbahs on both sides of the road. Some of these old fortified houses are restored; a visit to one of these kasbahs is planned after the visit of Kasbah Amarhidil. You will pass a town called Boumalne located at the edge of the Dades Valley which stands in the High Atlas Mountains, giving life to a huge Berber community with its rich agriculture. Along this valley, another valley, called Valley of the Roses, appears with the green colors of its alfalfa plants, its olive trees, its fig trees and its grapes. This valley gives birth to a rose from which the inhabitants produce different cosmetic products such as soap, perfumes and creams for the skin. Locals celebrate this rose with a national festival at the end of April.

Go to Ouarzazate (Hollywood of Africa) and door of the desert). It is a city located in the middle of a bare plateau, south of the High Atlas. It is mainly inhabited by Berbers, who built many of the kasbahs and prominent buildings for which the region is known. One of these constructions is the Kasbah of Taourirt, created in the 17th century.

This city is nicknamed Hollywood of Africa because it is famous for being a film location. The largest Moroccan studios invite many international film companies to shoot their films such as: Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Living Daylights (1987), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), The Mummy (1999), Gladiator ( 2000), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Kundun (1997) and Babel (2005) by Martin Scorsese. Spend the night at the hotel.

DAY 9 : OUARZAZATE / AIT BENAHDDOU / TAROUDANT :

At a distance of approximately 35 km from Ouarzazate the fortified village of Ait Benhaddou, like a sand castle, built in the eleventh century, lies on a hill along the Ounila River. Most of the town’s inhabitants now live in a modern village on the other side of the river; however, around five families are still living within this Kasbah. After the visit, we will drive you via Taroudant to reach the Hotel for the overnight stay.

DAY 10 : TAROUDANT / AGADIR / ESSAOUIRA :

At a distance of approximately 70 km from Taroudant, is the city of Agadir, the biggest Berber capital of the Kingdom. Agadir is also a very modern city that is located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. It has the most important fishing and commercial port of Morocco, it is the first sardine port in the world, (exporting cobalt, manganese, zinc and citrus). It is also a seaside resort with long sandy beaches. Because of its large buildings, wide roads, modern hotels, and European-style cafes, Agadir is not the most traditional city of Morocco, but it is a modern, busy and dynamic town and very famous for its sea food. Along the ocean we will drive almost 200 km towards Essaouira. On the Atlantic ocean this town has white painted houses with blue windows and doors, a well-designed picture. From the 16th century, Essaouira has been also known by its Portuguese name of Mogador. The Berber name means the wall, a reference to the fortress walls that originally enclosed the city. Overnight stay at the Hotel in Essaouira.

DAY 11 : ESSAOUIRA (EXPLORE ESSAOUIRA AT YOUR OWN PACE) :

Free day during which you can explore Essaouira at your own pace or go kitesurfing and windsurfing. You can also enjoy other sports or outdoor activities, such as horse riding, camel riding on the beach or quad. You want to make sure you taste the delicious seafood Essaouira. There will also be time available for shopping. In Essaouira, several small art galleries can be found throughout the city. Since 1998, Essaouira is known for its world music festival Gnaoua, normally during the last week of June. It brings together artists from around the world. Although focused on Gnaoua music, it includes rock, jazz and reggae. In early 1952, director and actor Orson Welles directed his film Othello. Now there is a place called Orson Welles. Or you could simply spend the rest of the day relaxing in your hotel.

DAY 12 : ESSAOUIRA / MARRAKECH :

About half way between Essaouira and Marrakesh you will see enormous Argan trees on both sides of the road. These Argan trees are frequently climbed by goats. Argan oil is produced by several women’s cooperatives and it is used to prepare couscous, salads, and is traditionally used as a treatment for skin diseases before being founded as good enough for cosmetics by European manufacturers. A stop at one of these cooperatives is worthy it to see how Berber women squeezed the Argan fruits between hands to extract this precious oil. Overnight stay at a hotel in Marrakech.

DAY 13: MARRAKECH:

In the morning, a full guided tour will be organized to discover Marrakech, nicknamed the “red city”. Marrakech is the most important ancient imperial city in the history of Morocco. It is located near the foothills of snow-capped Mount Atlas. Like all the old cities, Marrakech includes both an old fortified city, the Medina, and a very modern city called Gueliz, built during the French occupation.

Marrakech has the largest traditional market (souk) of Morocco and one of the busiest places in Africa and the world, Jamaa el Fna. The place is full of storytellers, water vendors, dancers, snake charmers and musicians. During the night, the square turns into a huge open-air restaurant.

During the visit of the city, you will see the Koutoubia mosque, built in the 12th century during the reign of the Almoravid dynasty. You will pass through narrow streets and allies in the ancient city and will pass by “seven saints” who, under the reign of Moulay Ismail, was founded at the request of the Sultan. The tombs of several well-known personalities have been moved to Marrakech to attract pilgrims. Night in the same hotel.

DAY 14 : EXPLORE MARRAKECH :

After the full guided tour, you will be able to discover more of this Red City of Marrakesh on your own and become familiarized with the alleyways of the medina. You may go on a shopping tour on your own in a local market and the scattered shops by the Square or spend your last night enjoying the traditional moroccan facilities of your hotel.

DAY 15 : MARRAKECH / CASABLANCA AIRPORT:

A private transfer from Marrakech to Casablanca Med V airport according to the details of your flight will be organized.

TOUR INFORMATION:

•  Duration: 15 days
•  Arrival: Casablanca
•  Departure: Casablanca
•  Available: Every day
•  Pick up time: 08h00 Local time
•  Type: Private trip / Group tour