Chefchaouen, Imperial Cities & Sahara Desert

Welcome to Morocco! Arrive at the Casablanca Airport. See the Hassan II Mosque and a panoramic tour of Casablanca and its diverse neighborhoods. After lunch we will continue to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Do a city tour that includes a drive around the walls of the Royal Palace and a visit to the Mausoleums of Mohammad V and Hassan II, two rulers who worked hand-in-hand with the Jewish community. Take a guided walk through the Old Walled City and the marvelous Kasbah des Oudayas.

Depart the capital and transfer north into the Rif Mountains and to Chefchaouen. Check into your accommodations before starting a guided tour of this charming town. Walk to the top wall of the Medina, where you can observe the city in its everyday goings. Wander through the beautiful blue streets of the hillside Medina until you reach the main square, Uta El Hammam. Free afternoon to spend at your leisure.

Leave Chefchaouen behind and drive south toward Fes, stopping along the way at the ruins of the Roman outpost of Volubilis. This UNESCO World Heritage Site dates back to the third century BCE and was eventually reclaimed by local Amazigh tribes. After a guided tour of Volubilis, stop for lunch at the nearby sacred city of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, home to Idriss I's Tomb. After exploring the roman ruins, make the short drive to Fes, where you will rest for the night.

Meet your guide in your Riad/Hotel at 09am and start the visit of “the oldest living Medina in the world”. Start at the gateway of the Royal Palace and the Blue Gate " Bab Boujloud ".  Explore the twisting streets of the old Medina, Madrasa Bounania, the elegant Nejjarine Fountain & Musuem and the pungent; Chouara Tannery.

At 8:00 am your driver will pick you up, leave the UNESCO-protected Fes and travel south toward Merzouga Sahara Desert. The first stop will be in Ifran, nicknamed the little Swizerland, a neat and charming city that has a mild climate, lakes, white winters and a distinctive architecture, i. e. houses have sloping remarkably unusual roofs in Morocco.  A 15 min stop to stretch your legs, drink a cup of coffee. We will continue south to cross the majestic Middle Atlas, a region of rare beauty, varied landscapes, and forest roads shaded by towering stands of cedar trees. Stop for a while to observe the Barbary apes in the Oak and Cedar forest.  Afterwards, we will continue to Midelt, a town Known for apple production, we will have lunch here, then relish the impressive nearby Moulouya River. Later on, we will continue to the Sahara Desert driving over the fascinating Tizi n'Talghamt Pass (at an altitude of 1,907 m), and into the scenic Valley of Ziz which graces the landscape with its hidden oases and emerald green palm trees. On the way to the Sahara, you will see numerous ancient Ksour—fortified houses built of earth bricks and had served as a strongholds that protect sedentary populations and their precious wares, including gold, salt and spices. Once you are in Erfoud, you can feel the beginning of the Saharan oasis of Tafilalet and its immense arid plateaus. You will stop in one of the cafes to stretch your legs, use the bathrooms before heading to the Sahara Desert.

Be sure to rise early to witness a Saharan sunrise, before exploring more of the Desert. Take a sand-board and test your skills on the dunes, join the Erg Chebbi tour (around the sand dunes) or a quad ATV tour. Make your way west, entering through an impressive gate into the market town of Rissani. Check out the livestock auction and the "donkey parking lot". After breakfast we drive to Tinerhir enjoying the views of neighboring towns running along the sides of the lush and extensive river oasis. Admire the 984 feet (300 m) deep Todra Gorge and the Todra River below that cut through the red limestone to make it. Take a leisurely walk to explore the gorge and relax in the cool water of the shallow river below. Head to Dades Valley for the night.

After breakfast, we will take a short walk in the gorges before we continue our 3 days morocco desert tour from Fes to Marrakech. We will follow the Dades Valley through El Kelaa Magona known as Valley of the Roses and the road of a thousand Kasbahs. We visit of Ouarzazate and stop for lunch in Ait Benhadou village. We will have time to explore the famous protected UNESCO site which is the nest of many films like the Gladiator, Lawrance of Arabia and much more. We will drive via Tichka pass to arrive to Marrakech.