The Ultimate Cultural Morocco Tour

Overview

From the gateway to Africa to the distant reaches of the Sahara, the soaring Atlas mountains to the sleepy Atlantic coast, atmospheric abandoned fortresses to buzzing Medinas, this tour take you to everything you could wish to see in Morocco, and to places you didn't even know existed. You'll also get under the skin of rich, ancient cultures, discover incredible authentic cuisine, and discover the local Morocco.

Tour Summary

Day 1-2 Tangier

Day 3 Chefchouen

Day 4-5 Fes

Day 6 Merzouga Desesrt

Day 7 Dades

Day 8 Taliouine

Day 9 -10 Marrakech

Day 11 Essouira

Day 12 Casablanca

Day 13 Tangier

The tour begins in Tangier, Morocco’s capital and what has long been known as the ‘gateway to Africa’. You’ll explore the atmospheric streets, shady alleyways and heaving Medina, and get to know the local rhythms of life thanks to your guide.

Once you leave Tangier, your adventure really begins. Head to the Merzouga Desert, home to the highest sand dunes in the world and your location for an unforgettable desert camping stay and a true Berber experience, visiting the incredible cities of Fes and Chefchaouen on the way.

At these two cities, you’ll discover ancient tanneries, college, local eateries and quiet, blue-washed streets in the shadow of rugged mountains. Once you’ve watched the Saharan sunrise, explored the desert on camelback and slept under the stars, it’s on to the spectacular Dades Gorges.

Travelling through some of the most spectacular scenery in Morocco, you’ll pass through the Valley of Roses, past the ancient Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, and discover countless sites and experiences that introduce you to a region all from the perspective of a local.

On to the mountain village of Taliouine, a rocky, alien landscape before making the journey to the addictive Marrakech. Enjoy a full day here, wandering the Medina that buzzes with energy and exploring backstreets to find incredible places to try magical Moroccan food.

Travel from Marrakech over the High Atlas mountains, on stunning mountain passes that wind their way through remote valleys and plunging gorges, before arriving in the oasis of calm that is Essaouira.

This gorgeous, blue-washed coastal town is a great place to take a breath, and relax as you wander the quiet streets, the creeping stairways, the artisanal markets and the harbour that’s awash with the aroma of grilling seafood.

Then you will follow the coastal road northwards, visiting stunning fortified cities, magnificent mosques, the fascinating city of Casablanca and endless beautiful beaches, before your journey comes to an end back in Tangier.

If it’s worth seeing in Morocco, you’ll experience it on this tour, and by the time you leave Morocco, you’ll have lived like a local, meeting the local people, eatin authentic Moroccan cuisine, and staying in classic riads and desert camps. You’ll feel as though you know the country intimately, and won’t be able to wait to come back.

You can enjoy beautiful weather any time of year on this incredible tour, which makes this Moroccan adventure the ideal winter sun experience, for those looking to escape the cold UK winter.

Arrival Day

Welcome to Morocco!

Whether you arrive by plane or by ferry, you will find your host holding a card with your name, waiting to drive you to your hotel to settle in before you start your journey.

Acommodation

Stay in a boutique Riad in Tangier

Welcome to the Gateway of Africa

You will start your in Tangier, named after the goddess Tinge, the lover of Hercules, who mythically pulled Europe apart from Africa to form the Straits of Gibraltar.

A dramatic drive takes you through La Montagne over a pine-covered headland to Cap Spartel Lighthouse, you will continue to Grottes d’Hercule where you’ll see the much-photographed view from within the mythical dwelling cave of Hercules, which resembles a map of Africa.

Then it’s back to the Medina, where you’ll spend a few hours meandering down shady alleyways within the 15th-century fortress walls, and visit the Kasbah Museum of Mediterranean Culture.

Wander up St Andrew’s Church for a spot of gravestone reading, then take in the latest art exhibition at cultural centre Ibn Khaldoun.

Accommodation

A boutique Riad in Tangier

Sapphire Towns and Rugged Mountains

Leaving the famously decadent Tangier you will start your journey inland into the Rif Mountains.

That distinctly European influence continues in Chefchaouen with its bright blue, Andalusian-tiled Medina, and the grand red-hued Kasbah over looking the main square of Outa Hmam.

Chefchaouen is a city perched beneath the shimmering peaks of the Rif Mountains, and the “Blue Town” has a mystical blue-washed Medina, the prettiest and the smallest in the country.

The town has its own Andalusian character and architecture, and is a place to enjoy exploring at your own pace.

Accommodation

A boutique Riad in Chefchaouen

The Ancient Capital of Science

Today, you’ll travel from Chefchaouen to Ouazzane, and will pass through what remains of the Rif Mountains on stunning, sweeping mountain roads.

Heading further south you’ll pass through more oak, pine woods and olive groves to the Imperial city of Fes. This city is quintessentially Moroccan, and its ancient Medina is the largest in the world.

Accommodation

A boutique Riad in Fes

Explore the Oldest Medina in the World

Today, your guide will show you the very best sites and local gems in Fes.

Your private guide was born and bred in Fes, and will give you the opportunity to discover this ancient city of scholars and artisans, as well as the largest Medina in the world.

The ancient city of Fez houses within its walls a unique collection of monuments showcasing the rich history and traditions of the Moroccan people. One of these monuments is Fondouk el Nejjarine, an 18th century roadside inn now a museum sjowcasing traditional wooden arts and local crafts, you’ll also visit the Tanneries, the Theological college of Medersa, and Karaouine, the oldest university in the world.

Your guide will give you insight and anecdotes sharing the stories of 1200 years of history that have unfolded in this UNESCO-protected Medina.

When you finish your visit to the Medina you will drive out of Fes to have a delicious homemade meal at Lalla Fatiha’s place in Sefrou.

Accommodation

Your Riad in Fes

The Road to the Sahara

you will have an early-morning start today leaving the amazing Medina of Fes, with all its mysteries and secrets hidden in its 9000 alleyways, and head southeast towards Merzouga and the gateway to the Sahara desert.

En route, you will pass by the cedar forests of Ifran, the “Switzerland of Morocco”, where you could easily be mistaken for being in the Alps. If you’re lucky, you’ll come across the Barbary Macaques on your way to Midelt, where you’ll stop for lunch.

After eating you’ll continue the drive through the Middle Atlas Mountains to reach the Ziz Valley, which is the area producing the highest quantity of dates in Morocco.

Then, it’s off to Merzouga, home of the highest dunes in Morocco, where you can store your main luggage and take a small overnight bag with you for your desert adventure.

You will be accompanied by a camel and blue-turbaned guide into the desert and after about one hour you will reach the desert Berber camp, and watch the stunning sunset over the Sahara dunes and stay the night in a Bedouin-style tent.

Accommodation

Desert camp

Glorious Sunrises and Berber Lifestyles

This morning, you’ll wake up to witness one of the most memorable sunrises of your life, as the sun gently rises above the dunes.

Enjoy an early breakfast, then after an hour riding on camelback out of the desert, you will depart in your vehicle heading towards Erfoud to see the million-year-old fossils that the area is famous for.

Then it’s onward to Tinjdad where you’ll stop at a local Berber culture museum so that you can get to know more about this fascinating race of nomadic people.

Then, head north for a sublime experience in the Todgha gorges where you’ll descend between the gigantic rock walls, arriving at Dades gorges and a chain of rust-red and mauve mountains.

Pass the series of crumbling Kasbahs and Ksours that line the valley, explore in the Berber villages, and drink in the site of the ‘monkey toe’ Mountains.

Accommodation

A Riad in Dades

Hollywood of Africa and Saffron

You’ll start today by shadowing the high Atlas Mountains as you head west, bringing you to Ouarzazate via the ‘valley of roses and daggers’.

While you’re in Ouarzazate, you might like to explore the Taourirt Kasbah. From here, head past Ouarzazate to Ait Benhadou, the 11th-century UNESCO-protected site that has formed the backdrop for Hollywood movies such as Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth, Gladiator, Game of Thrones and many others.

The next stop is in Taliouine, the African centre of Saffron, the world’s most expensive spice.

Accommodation

A Riad in Taliouine

The Miniature Marrakech

From Taliouine, continue all the way to Marrakech via Taroudant, a smaller town that has echoes of Marrakech, but is a little sleepier, and calmer.

Pause here where you have some time out to stroll and explore on foot in the Medina, wandering its red-mud ramparts and its atmospheric old Kasbah.

Jump back in your vehicle and wind through North African’s highest mountain range and along the Tizi n’Test mountain pass, at an elevation of 2.101m above the sea level, it is one of the most spectacular drives in the country, and only for experienced drivers! You will pass through the Ouigane valley.

The next stop is Marrakech where you can spend the evening in the famous square known as Jamaa El Fanaa.

Accommodation

A Riad in Marrakech

Exploring the City of Marrakech

Today, spend time with your private, Marrakech local guide as you explore the stunning city, the bustling Medina and many little hidden gems you would never find yourself.

Start exploring the Red City from its oldest quarter as you dive into the Medina’s narrow lanes that lead to incredible mosaics, tombs and religious monuments decked out in marble.

Dsicover Bahia and El-Badii Palace and Saadien’s Tombs, then afterwards, your guide will pick you up to visit and explore the Majorelle garden, Museum Saint Laurent, and the Berber Museum.

Finish your day at the vast square of Jemaa El-Fnaa, where it’s carnival night every night and musicians, acrobats, storytellers and acting troupes tap into the frenetic life in the Medina.

Accommodation

A Riad in Marrakech

Goats in Trees and Hendrix's Hometown

After breakfast at the Riad, you’ll be picked up by your driver/guide to begin your three-hour drive to Essaouira. If you’re lucky you’ll have the chance to see the bizarre phenomenon of the tree-climbing goats en route.

You’ll have plenty of time to explore the town that was Jimi Hendrix’s home, today, and you’re free to roam in the city that is a haven for backpackers and Gnawa musicians.

Start your visit with a visit to the ramparts, a series of forts that were built in the 15th century around the Medina of Mogador. Inside the Medina, you can wander through the former Jewish quarter, before walking to the fishing port where you’ll find stunning seafood restaurants serving up some of the best fish in the world.

Essaouira has a perfect climate for surfing and the sandy coastline is full of enthusiastic surfers.

Accommodation

A Riad in Essaouira

From El-Jadida to Casablanca

In the morning you’ll head north to the 15-century fortified city of El-Jadida. Nicknamed “the Deauville of Morocco”, its Portuguese fortified ramparts, and system of defences surrounding the Medina and advancing out to sea evoke the city’s past history.

A UNESCO world heritage site, its an ancient coastal town with impressive Portuguese architecture.

From here you will drive to Casablanca and spend the evening discoverng some of the city’s sights such as the Hassan II Mosque with its splendid esplanade and the tallest minaret in the world, a spiral of marble and emerald zellige tiles rising 210 meters into the sky. Grand and timeless, the Great Mosque is a meeting point for the locals, and a great spot to simply grab a snack or a tea, and watch the world go by.

Accommodation

A Riad in Casablanca

The Return Leg

If time didn’t allow you to visit Casablanca’s sights yesterday, then this morning is the perfect chance to do so.

After you’ve finished exploring Casablanca you’ll set off for Rabat, Morocco’s political and administrative capital.

In this charming city you will have the opportunity to explore the monumental Hassan tower, where the pillared stumps of its mosque are all that remains from the earthquake of 1755 and the nearby Mausoleum of the royal family. You can relax and have a cup of mint tea in red Oudayas, a walled village within a city.

Then you will head further to north to Tangier, which due to its time in the past as a semi-independent international zone used to attract eccentric foreigners, artists and spies.

Accommodation

A Riad in Tangier

Departure Day

Today is not goodbye, it is merely “take care and see you soon” for another adventure.

Your guide will drop you off directly at the airport when you have checked out of your Riad, and your Moroccan adventure will come to an end.

Highlights

What you'll do

Overview

Arrival Day

Welcome to the Gateway of Africa

Sapphire Towns and Rugged Mountains

The Ancient Capital of Science

Explore the Oldest Medina in the World

The Road to the Sahara

Glorious Sunrises and Berber Lifestyles

Hollywood of Africa and Saffron

The Miniature Marrakech

Exploring the City of Marrakech

Goats in Trees and Hendrix's Hometown

From El-Jadida to Casablanca

The Return Leg

Departure Day

What's included

Included

Your local host

Aziz

What Sustainability Efforts are we Taking?

Aziz

Location

FAQs

Which airports in Morocco shall I fly into and out of ?

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