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Morocco
Unfolded
DAY 1: Arrival in Morocco, Casablanca to Rabat transfer
Upon landing in Casablanca, Morocco, You will be welcomed in the airport arrivals hall by a tour director and head to Your hotel/accommodation in Rabat.
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Rabat & Chefchaouen
DAY 2: Discover Rabat & Chefchaouen
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After breakfast, you will enjoy the historical monument tour.
You will visit Kasbah Chellah, the medieval fortified Muslim necropolis, the Kasbah of the Udayas located at the mouth of the Bou Regreg River, which was built in the 12th century, during the reign of the Almohad Caliphate.
One of Rabat’s most visited sites is the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, guarded at all times by elaborately dressed royal guards.
You’ll visit Hassan Tower which was intended to be the largest minaret in the world but never completed, as well as Rabat Archaeological Museum, which opened in 1932 and contains the most expensive collection of archaeological artifacts found in Morocco.
Later relax & enjoy a 4-h long drive to Chefchaouen, where You'll spend 2 nights in selected Riad.
Chefchaouen is Morocco’s blue city. The streets, the houses, everything is painted blue and considering earthy sand-colored Morocco, it is a feast for the eyes.
The city was founded in 1471, but it didn’t get its distinctive color until 1492 when it received an influx of Jews escaping the Spanish inquisition and they brought a tradition of painting buildings blue.
Chefchaouen is a relaxed and tranquil town and the views of the surrounding countryside are breathtaking.
Experience the Blue city - Chefchaouen
DAY 3: Chefchaouen city tour
Today you will spend exploring the gems of this picturesque city.
Leather and weaving workshops line its steep cobblestone streets.
In the shady main square of Place Outa el Hammam is the red-walled Kasbah, a 15th-century fortress and dungeon, and Chefchouen Ethnographic Museum.
The octagonal minaret of the Great Mosque rises nearby.
Enjoy the afternoon on your own or partake in Moroccan tradition – Hammam, a traditional ritual Arabian body treatment involving steam and cleansing with black.
Part of it is exfoliation. I find it so relaxing and partake whenever I can.
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Discover Fez
DAY 4: Chefchaouen to Fez
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Enjoy breakfast before You head for a 4-h long drive to reach the next destination - Fez, where You'll spend the next 3 nights.
Fez is a northeastern Moroccan city often referred to as the country’s cultural capital.
It’s primarily known for its Fes El Bali walled medina which is a UNESCO world heritage site and home to religious schools such as the 14th-century Bou Inania and Al Attarine, both decorated with elaborate cedar carvings and ornate tile work.
Fez is a supremely self-confident city with a historical and cultural lineage that beguiles visitors. And there is something intangibly raw about a place where 70,000 people still choose to live in the maelstrom of a medina so dark, dense, and dilapidated that it remains the world's largest car-free urban area.
Donkeys cart goods down the warren of alleyways as they have done since medieval times, and ruinous pockets loom around every corner – though a government drive to restore Fès el-Bali to its former glory is spurring changes.
Get 'lost' in Fez
DAY 5: Fez city tour
After breakfast, meet your guide and enjoy having a chance to see the many faces of Fez.
Explore Fez el-Bali (Old Fez), the cultural heart of Morocco. Founded in the eighth century by Moulay Idriss I, this imperial capital was a renowned center of medieval learning.
Stroll the labyrinthine old quarter, with its 9,000 narrow lanes, alleys, and souks, on a Market Visit of exceeding authenticity.
Watch local craftsmen in action — working with bronze and pottery — makes for an engaging artisan visit as well.
Next, proceed to the intricately detailed 14th-century Karaouine — one of the oldest, still-functioning universities in the world, and Nejjarine Square the Royal Palace, madrasas, and mellah. (Jewish quarter)
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Volubilis & Meknes
DAY 6: Day-trip to Volubilis & Meknes
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Journey overland (about 1 hour) to explore the Roman ruins of Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to some of the best-preserved Roman ruins in North Africa.
With its triumphal arches, basilicas, and capitals, the Volubilis skyline brims with iconic examples of Roman architecture.
Among its greatest treasures, are the amazing mosaic floors of former family dwellings, which include depictions of Orpheus charming animals with his lyre, nine dolphins signifying good luck, and a portrait of Amphitrite in a seahorse-drawn chariot.
Upon completing this glimpse into antiquity, visit Meknes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the imperial cities of Morocco.
Its impressive monuments recall the splendor of a fortified city, first built in the 17th century by the powerful sultan Moulay Ismail, to rival the court of his contemporary, Louis XIV of France.
See the monumental Bab Mansour gateway — considered one of the finest great gates of Morocco — as well as the Granaries and the massive Royal Stables, which were built to accommodate 12,000 horses. Return to Fez for an evening at leisure.
Fez to Merzouga desert
DAY 7: Fez to Merzouga via Ifrane
Travel to the desert (about 8.5 hours) with a stop in Ifran, a town like no other in Morocco.
It is located at an altitude of 5460 feet in the Middle Atlas and is named “Switzerland of Morocco”.
This small town has a Swiss alpine feel with neat red-roofed houses, blooming flower beds, and lake-studded parks. Continue to Azrou which is an important Berber market center deep in the Middle Atlas and known for the fragrant cedar forest with a lunch stop in Midelt, then cross 3 ranges (spectacular views) and continue past Erfoude oasis past the little village of Merzouga and spend the night at the only hotel facing the Erg Chebbi, the Nomad Palace.
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Desert time - Merzouga
DAY 8: Desert experience
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This morning, discover the fortified desert town of Rissani, return to Nomad Palace then head into the desert by four-wheel-drive vehicle and meet a nomad family and enjoy a picnic lunch (brought from your hotel) and learn about the desert life.
Return to your hotel, collect your luggage, and head to a desert camp where Youll spend a night.
Soak in the scenery and experience the sunset in the dunes, Erg Chebbi is magical!
The legend has it that when a wealthy family refused hospitality to a poor woman and her son, God was offended, and buried them under the mounds of sand called Erg Chebbi, the dunes rising majestically above the twin villages of Merzouga and Hassi Labied, which You will have the opportunity to either take a straight drive by 4X4 or ride the camel. (just for the last 10-20 minutes - you will be able to decide on the spot).
Soak in the scenery of majestic orange sand dunes, nomadic tents, and vast open terrain and catch the sun setting over the high sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. The legend has it that when a wealthy family refused hospitality to a poor woman and her son, God was offended, and buried them under the mounds of sand called Erg Chebbi, the dunes rising majestically above the twin villages of Merzouga and Hassi Labied, which for many travelers fulfill Morocco's promise as a dream desert destination.
From Merzouga to Skoura Oasis
DAY 9: Merzouga to Skoura Berber villages in Todgha gorge
Wake up early to watch the sunrise over the sand dunes, enjoy your breakfast, then begin the 5-hour journey to Ouarzazate. On the way, visit Berber villages in the Todgha Gorge. Then pass through the Dades Valley, the Valley of the Roses for 2 nights.
Located in the heart of Skoura palm grove, and made with centenary old stones, Ksar El Kebbaba comes to life in the middle of lush greenness and precisely under the branches of an olive tree that witnessed the life of generations for more than three centuries.
The Ksar features a spacious and elegant garden in its texture, making a corridor extending between the various office buildings, interspersed with various trees such as olive trees, palm trees, pomegranate trees, and apple trees.
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Skoura
DAY 10: Experience Quarzazate
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Today, begin the day by exploring Ouarzazate a city originally built as a French garrison in the 1920s.
The city is a regional trade center, known for its pottery and carpets. See the beautifully decorated Taourirt Kasbah, home to a 19th-century palace, with views of the rugged local landscape, which was featured in several movies.
This is also home to ‘Ouallywood’ as movie studios have built quite a resume providing convincingly exotic backdrops for movies supposedly set in Tibet, ancient Rome, Somalia, and Egypt.
Just northwest is the fortified red-earth city of Aït Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Late afternoon relax at your Skoura retreat.
Skoura to Marrakesh via High Atlas mountains
DAY 11: Transfer to Marrakesh via High Atlas mountains
This morning, explore the Skoura oasis, then head towards Marrakesh over the High Atlas Mountains, crossing the 'Tichka pass, elevation 7400 feet, which links south east to Marakesh – about 5 hour drive.
Marrakesh is a former imperial city and a major economic center and home to mosques, palaces, and gardens.
The medina is a densely packed, walled medieval city dating to the Berber Empire, with mazelike alleys where thriving souks (marketplaces) sell traditional textiles, pottery, and jewelry.
A symbol of the city, and visible for miles, is the Moorish minaret of the 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque.
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Discover Marrakesh
DAY 12: Tour of Marrakesh
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Begin unearthing the secrets of Marrakech, starting in the medina, the old walled section of town, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Marvel at its architectural jewels, including the soaring Koutoubia minaret and Dar Si Said; housed in a palace, it is among the most beautiful of its kind in the world.
Continue to the Bahia Palace, an exemplary specimen of privileged life in the 19th century.
Visit Djemaa el-Fna, Marrakech’s main square, which is filled with orange juice stalls and vendors, along with fire-eaters, mime artists, snake charmers and street musicians performing at every turn.
You may also wish to explore the city’s fabled, labyrinthine souks.
Trip to the Atlantic and Essaouira
DAY 13: From Marrakesh to Essaouira
Today head to the Atlantic taking a 2-hour drive to Essaouira.
On the way, you stop and visit the Argan oil factory, and learn the secrets of this natural moisturizer.
Essaouira is by popular acclaim Morocco’s most likable resort: an eighteenth-century town, enclosed by medieval-looking battlements. Its whitewashed and blue-shuttered houses and colonnades, wood workshops and art galleries, boat-builders and sardine fishermen, and feathery Norfolk Island pines, which only thrive in a pollution-free atmosphere, all provide a colorful and very pleasant backdrop to the beach.
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Experience Essaouira
DAY 14: Tour of Essaouira
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The Windy City of Africa,” this charming port town is one of the more tranquil spots in Morocco.
Formerly a hippie hangout, Essaouira now caters to cosmopolitan bobos year-round, with an influx of serious windsurfers from late spring to fall. A day trip is possible for a wander through the fragrant spice market, a visit to the fortified medina and a quick stop for fresh fish. However, the true beauty of this picturesque town is revealed over several days, with a visit to the winery and feasting on the freshest seafood.
Leisure day in Marrakesh and local dinner experience
DAY 15: From Essaouira back to Marrakesh
Return to Marrakesh and rest of day at leisure.
Tonight you will enjoy your farewell dinner at Al Fasia with an introduction to traditional Moroccan cuisine.
Enjoy the extraordinary setting & immerse Your senses with local Moroccan food.
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Goodbye Morocco
DAY 16: Morning in Marrakesh and transfer to the airport in Casablanca
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Morning at leisure, check out and embark on the city tour followed by the visit to the peaceful Majorelle Gardens which is a welcome contrast.
In its Berber Museum, you can admire artifacts once belonging to Berber tribes, while the Yves Saint Laurent 'Galerie Love' displays vibrant paintings created by the French fashion designer.
Later according to Your flight schedule You will be transferred to the airport.