Exotic Morocco Tour - Morocco - ITINERARY & DATES

Day 1: Rabat

On arrival in Casablanca, meet your friendly driver-guide and depart for Rabat. En route (dependent upon your flight arrival time), visit Casablanca’s magnificent Hassan II Mosque, heralded as the second largest mosque in the world. Morocco’s modern capital of Rabat is the first ‘Imperial City’ on our Wildland Adventure. It’s the official residence of King Mohammed VI and home to the Mohammed V Mausoleum, as well as the remains of the Hassan Tower built in 1196 ACE, which provide an excellent introduction to Moroccan history. Enjoy your first glimpse of Moroccan culture during a short walk through the narrow passageways of the Oudayas Kasbah, admiring the decorative doors and immersed in the sights and sounds of daily Moroccan life. Overnight local Rabat guesthouse. (Drive 2 hrs)

Meals Included: Dinner

Day 2: Meknes-Volubilis-Fez

Head east to the next ‘Imperial City’ of Meknes. With its famous gate of Bab El Mansour, the impressive Dar Jamai Palace, the Royal Stables, and the tomb of Moulay Ismail; this lesser-visited city is worthy of a dedicated visit because the brutal and ambitious sultan turned Meknes into a royal city, aiming at challenging Versailles with enormous palace grounds. Due north lies Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Morocco's largest and best-preserved Roman ruins of colonnaded streets, buildings and elaborate mosaics. Off in a short distance stop to absorb the beauty and special ambiance of the cobbled streets of Moulay Idriss -- a sacred city named after fourth generation and sainted descendant of Mohamed, the founder of Islam in Morocco and founder of the city of Fez -- your final ‘Imperial City’ where a scrumptious Moroccan feast is served. Overnight local Fez riad. (Drive 3 hrs)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 3: Fez

The mesmerizing call to dawn prayer begins slowly and builds to a crescendo as each of a hundred minarets joins the chorus, a sound integral to Fez and one that has echoed each morning through this exquisite walled city for over 1400 years. The former capital of Morocco, Fez remains Morocco’s leading intellectual and religious center as well as a fascinating cultural hub. Meet your private specialist guide to discuss the options of what you'd like to see and do most: walk through the bustling medina with proposed visits to a tannery, wool souk (market), spice shops, and stalls loaded with dates and olives, giving you a thorough immersion into Moroccan mercantile life. As your guide introduces you to local people whose artistic talents have been passed from generation to generation, you begin to understand the web of traditions that make Moroccan culture so enduring and rich. Walking through the maze of narrow passageways, you have the chance to visit Qaraouine University, the Madrassa (Quranic school), and the Moulay Idriss II memorial, all windows into local life, education and religion. Lunch in a local restaurant in the medina is an immersion into the world of Moroccan spices, olives, and specialty dishes. For those who have an extra day to explore Fez, we can arrange a cooking session to learn about preparing delicious Moroccan cuisine: whether it be couscous, tagine (meat stew), and traditional Moroccan soup called harira. Overnight local Fez riad.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4: Middle Atlas Mountains To Erfoud

Watch the dramatic changes in landscape as our route ascends through the Middle Atlas Mountains over the pass into the vast Sahara Desert. The terrain on this full-day drive is varied and includes forests of giant cedar, high arid mountains, and flattening foothills of scrub as you drop into the vast Saharan desert that stretches endlessly before you. Following a centuries-old caravan route, you pass through the Beni Mguild Berber capital of Midelt, an important center for local carpet making. You begin to see ksars (fortified strongholds) along the way to Errachidia and Erfoud. From April through October we stop to walk in the Middle Atlas Mountains around the cedar forests of Azrou to visit a local women's association who create gastronomy and beauty products from handpicked local herbs. Travelers with an extra day seeking more active and in-depth experience can pass the night in a basic guesthouse in Midelt in order to reduce the day’s drive and have more time to hike and explore the forests, wildlife and local communities of the Middle Atlas. Overnight in Xaluca Dades or similar. (Drive 7 hrs)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 5: Sahara Desert Ecampment

Your immersion into life in Sahara begins with an excursion to the Tifilalt Oasis in the Ziz Valley. Our local host accompanies you on a walking tour of his village introducing you to family farmers of this fertile valley, before you enjoy lunch at his family's humble home. In the Holy City of Rissani you visit the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Sherife, Ksour Abdel Hamid and the Abdel Malik Kasbah before heading into the vast Sahara. As the day cools and the desert colors intensify, you mount camels at the edge of the dunes. Accompanied by indigenous Touareg nomads in their famous blue-dyed turbans, ride into the Erg Chebbi, a vast expanse of huge, drifting sand dunes. Touregs are truly masters of their domain: Centuries ago, Touregs turned the deadly Saharan sands into a trading route using their ‘ships of the desert’ (camels) to transport goods as varied as dates and gold bullion from the Atlantic coast across Africa to Lake Chad. The sunset changes and deepens the hues of this mystical landscape as your surefooted dromedaries transport you to our deluxe desert encampment for the night. After a cold drink and a delicious dinner, retire on carpets and pillows around the fire under a vast star-lit desert sky to ponder the imponderable, and to marvel at the comfort of your private well-appointed tent with mattress beds, linens, towels, pillows and Berber rugs with en-suite bath including wash basin, mirror, toilet and hot shower facilities. Or, if you prefer not to camp we can arrange for you to stay in a Kasbah hotel on the edge of the desert, in which case you can still enjoy a camel ride at sunset or sunrise. Overnight Deluxe Desert Encampment (or Kasbah hotel) (Drive 3 hrs)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Valley of The Kasbahs to Skoura

This is an exciting day from dunes to desert and hikes to villages and Ksar fortresses in the Valley of Kasbahs. Awaken before dawn to saddle your camel for a short ride through the dunes to watch the sun rise over the desert horizon. The true solitude and beauty of the Sahara reveals itself only in such moments. Depart camp in 4x4 for a beautiful day exploring the farms, villages and traditional homes through the Valley of Kasbahs. In the town of Tinjedad we walk through part of a Ksar, a surreal roofed village of eighty families living in a complex maze of adobe streets and housing, including the small Berber museum of El Khorbat recounting the story of the indigenous tribes of the region. You’ll have an opportunity to stretch your legs and get a feeling for daily life on a two to three-hour easy hike in the picturesque irrigated palmerie of the Dades Valley where families tend to their crops. After lunch at a favorite local restaurant our route approaches Klaat Mgouna, where in springtime the valley is filled with the dusky pink of the Damascus rose, their essence prized by the elite of French perfumers. Overnight Jardins de Skoura or in the Dades Valley. (Drive 6 hrs)

Accommodations: Jardins de Skoura

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 7: Ait Ben Haddou-Telouet-Marrakesh

Down the road stop at Ait Ben Haddou, once a fortified ksar and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the setting for many desert films including Lawrence of Arabia and more recently, Gladiator with Russell Crow. After a brief exploration of this popular site you walk through to the lesser known and more impressive area of Telouet, center of the former Glaoui family who ruled over the south of Morocco before they were overthrown by the current monarchy. The road to Marrakesh ascends over the High Atlas Mountains on a sinuous route with spectacular views over Tizi-n-Tickka (7,417 ft) -- the highest pass in Morocco. Descending on the other side into the foothills the landscape turns green with oaks, walnut groves and oleander bushes. Arriving in Marrakesh by afternoon, there’s time to explore the narrow streets, shops and markets before dusk. As the sun sets the Djemaa el-Fna square comes alive with an array of jugglers, storytellers, snake charmers, musicians and soothsayers. Mouth-watering aromas waft through the medina from the many rows of open-air food stalls. Eenjoy the opportunity to walk around, photograph and be amazed! Dinner and overnight local Marrakesh riad. (Drive 5 hrs)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 8: Marrakesh

Prepare for a full-day private guided adventure delving into this distinctly Magrebi city's history. Marrakesh has for centuries been Morocco's southern capital, competing with Fez not just metaphorically but militarily and religiously too. Posterity has lost many architectural masterpieces through such conflicts. Of those that remain, tour the Palais de la Bahaia which housed Bou Ahmed's four wives, 24 concubines and numerous children, and visit the Saadian Tombs, the royal burial ground of the Saadian dynasty. There is so much to experience in this vibrant city we keep it flexible: based on your time and interest your guide will accompany you walking among the narrow streets and shops of the old city, view the extensive Berber collection of clothing, jewelry, textiles, doors, baskets and carpets at the Maison Tiskiwin, and/or on a walk through Jardin Majorelle, the extensive gardens of French painter Jacques Majorelle with a collection of plants from five continents. You may want to end your Morocco adventure with an invigorating Moroccan spa (reservation required, not included) or retreat to a rooftop restaurant for a drink and aerial view of the busy market below. Dinner is open for you to select from any number of exquisite Moroccan restaurants your guide can recommend where you can celebrate and reminisce about your adventures. Overnight local Marrakesh riad.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch