Morocco Natural Landscapes Diversity Tour

Morocco Natural Landscapes Diversity Tour

This tour is a great introduction to the diverse landscapes that Morocco has to offer through walking, hiking, camping over the dunes in the Sahara Desert, as well as stays in deluxe green hotels and riads. You will start your tour in Casablanca traveling to Marrakech, across the great farming plains. From there, you will travel through the pastured hills to the best man-made oasis on earth, Marrakech the Red City.

Traveling these enticing vistas, you will reach higher snow-capped peaks in the high Atlas Mountains which eventually lead to the expanse of the Sahara Desert. Throughout your journey, you will explore the major historic Imperial Cities, Berber villages, and wards. From Merzouga Dunes, you will travel north to Fez. Start climbing towards the peaks of the evergreen middle Atlas Mountains covered with the unique red cedar forest home to lots of nomadic tribes.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival at Casablanca Airport and transfer by land with our driver to Marrakech

Stop At: Jemaa el-Fnaa, 38 Jemaa el-Fna, Rue El Ksour, Marrakech Morocco
Once you land at the Mohamed V Airport in Casablanca, your guide/driver will meet you at your arrival gate to take you to Marrakech. This is a wonderful short drive of about 125 miles. You will arrive in Marrakech, a city of pleasure for both visitors and locals, where southern tribesmen and Berber villagers bring their goods to market and find a variety of entertainment. To tourists, the city is a feast for the imagination, full of incomparable beauty, situated before the towering mountains that provide a thrilling backdrop. After a visit to the bustling Jemaa El Fna square, you will conclude your day with dinner and other accommodations at your hotel.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Hotel El Andalous

Day 2: Explore the marvels of Marrakech with our local guide

Stop At: Jemaa el-Fnaa, 38 Jemaa el-Fna, Rue El Ksour, Marrakech Morocco
You will devote your morning to the exploration of Marrakech’s many historical sites, starting at the Menara, a magnificent pool surrounded by flowerbeds, reflecting the image of an exquisite Moorish edifice. It was constructed in 1866 for dignitaries, who enjoyed glorious sunsets with the ethereal Atlas Mountains as a backdrop. The pool also functions as an innovative irrigation system that is serving dry life in the desert.

Your tour will cover many impressive sites, including the Koutoubia Minaret (which is identical to la Giralda, a tower found in Sevilla, Spain), and the Saadien tombs, which demonstrate Moorish architecture at its best. The tombs consist of sixteenth-century mausoleums, which had lain walled-in and undiscovered until 1917. Next, you will explore the gardens of the Agdal then the Marjorelle. Finally, you will return to your hotel for dinner and other accommodations.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Hotel El Andalous or similar 4 star

Day 3: Day Excursion to Ourika Valley Near Marrakech with our guide

Stop At: Ouarzazate Kasbah, Tifoultoute - BP 740 -، P1516, Ouarzazate 45000, Morocco
You will spend most of your day en route to Ouarzazate, exploring the legendary Kasbah of Aït-Benhaddou, a renowned architectural marvel classified as UNISCO world heritage. Your journey will lead you to the highest pass in Morocco, the Taddart, and Tizi Tishka pass, at an altitude of 11,000 feet. This pass divides the mountains into two distinct facets: the harsh, stark side acting as a shield that protects the hinterland from the harsh, dry expansion of the Sahara, and a lush side, soft and evergreen, which collects the moisture from the Gherbi winds of the Atlantic Ocean.
Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Hotel Tichka Salam or similar 4 star

Day 4: Travel from Ouarzazate to Dades Valley, hike in Todra Valley and proceed to the Sahara desert best dunes of Erg Chebbi

Stop At: Erg Chebbi Dunes, Morocco
You will travel to explore the Dadès Valley, traveling through El Kelaâ De Mgouna and Boumalne to view the inimitable natural vistas and unusual rock formations. You will then continue onward to Ouarzazate, which is one large oasis that intercepts the flow of water between the Dadès, the Drâa valleys, and the majestic High Atlas Mountains.

Next, you will travel through the Dadès valley, wherein the spring, thousands of Persian roses bloom in hedgerows, filling the air with their heavenly perfume. You will also see the thousands of Kasbahs scattered along the Dadès River, majestic sandcastles with a visually appealing, timeless beauty. You will leave Valley of Todra traveling west toward the Erfoud, which lies right on the edge of the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert. You will reach Tinghir, the town where we will be spending the night. Only 15 kilometers from Tinghir inside the Valley of Todra, you will find the Todra’s highest and narrowest gorges in the region.

After you arrive in Erfoud, you will leave your vehicle and hop into the 4-Wheel Drive cruiser which takes you to meet a caravan of camels that you will ride to camp. You will conclude your day in your camp over the dunes of Merzouga where tents are pitched for you to enjoy a night under the African Skies. After dinner, the Rokba drummers will illuminate your night with their lively dances and moving chants. Enjoy this encounter of Man and nature at its best.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Natural Camp over the Dunes of Erg Chebbi

Day 5: Travel from The Sahara desert to Fez crossing the High Atlas Mountains, then the cedar Forests of the Middle Atlas

Stop At: Atlas Mountains Guide, Morocco
You will spend your day discovering the rural environs of the Atlas Mountains’ Berbers. Covered with evergreen pines, tall cedar trees, and poplars, and laced with flowing streams, your first view of the Middle Atlas will appear oddly un-Moroccan. Passing by Imouzzer, with a quick stop at the Swiss-like town of Ifrane, you will soon come across the first real town of the Middle Atlas, Azrou.

At Midelt, the Middle Atlases give way to the High Atlas Mountains, whose peaks are visible through the haze, soaring to over 12,000 feet. You will stop in Midelt for lunch, enjoying the dramatic sight before you. You will then continue to Erfoud, one of the most delightful southern regions consisting of a dry, red belt of the desert with a sudden drop into the lush valley of Ziz, with copious date palm groves and flowing streams. Visit the gorges of Ziz and some of the oases and natural sites before you reach the magnificent oasis of Erfoud.

Azrou is an important market center for the region’s Berber tribes, located at a major junction of mountain routes. Your driver will take a little detour in a cedar forest to introduce you to one of the oldest inhabitants of this region, the Berber apes. This may also coincide with the encounter of a nomadic family in its temporary encampment. As nomads are very hospitable people, whenever we encounter them we are all invited at least for a mint tea under their tents. You will reach Fez in the afternoon.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Riad la Perle de la Medina or similar in the Medina of Fez

Day 6: Guided walking tour of Fez

Stop At: Fez Mellah, Fes Morocco
Are you ready for the most interesting walking tour? Well, here you are with a local guide stepping back in time to the 8th century when this city was founded. Its wall city has not changed since. Remnants of antiquity are in every step you take. Fez is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest exclusively pedestrian area in the world. Cars, bicycles motorcycles and the like are strictly prohibited within the walls of the Medina. Mules are the only permissible form of transportation and are known as the “taxis of the Medina.” Today, you will add to your most authentic encounters an immersion with most Moroccan city in the kingdom of Morocco. The entire day will be devoted to exploring the city. You will begin with the Mellah, followed by the King’s palace and the Bat’ha museum of Moroccan Arts. The remainder of your morning will be spent on a walking tour of the Medina, a walled city with a maze of medieval twisting alleys, blind turns, mosques, shrines, fountains, workshops, and numerous markets. Enjoy a typical Fes Tagine for lunch at a typical Moroccan restaurant. After lunch, you will continue to explore the Medina and shop for the remainder of the afternoon, ending with a farewell dinner at your hotel.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Your Riad in the Medina

Day 7: Travel from Fez up North to Chefchaouen the Blue City

Stop At: Chefchaouen Medina, Chefchaouen Morocco
Travel to chefchaouen visiting Souk Larbaa and Kasar el Kebir. Chefchaouen is considered to be one of the best and most authentic white towns in the Mediterranean, Nestled on the peaks of the Rif Mountains.
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Casa Hassan or similar

Day 8: Travel from Chefchaouen to Rabat the capital visiting on the way Volubilis and Moulay Idriss

Stop At: Rabat Old Town, Rabat Center, Rabat 10030 Morocco
Today is the day of time travel! This journey will take you from imperial Rome to the ninth century A.D. Unlike the movies, this temporal voyage will take almost the entire day. (Of course, there will be stops along the way.) The first stop will be the ancient Roman city of Volubilis. Volubilis was a critical city in the imperial Roman department of Mauritania (modern-day Morocco, and Western Sahara) during the reign of Caracalla. Volubilis is impressively well preserved and the genius of Roman urbanism is still intact. The two central integral streets in every Roman castrum, the Cardo, and Decumanus, are prominent. The cardo is the boulevard which runs north-south and the Decumanus, east-west. The intersection of the two is the heart of every Roman city. There you will find the ruins of the ancient forum.

Jumping forward in time and just a few minutes away is the venerated citadel of Moulay Idris, founded in the 8th century by Moulay Idris Al Akbar, grandson of the Prophet Mohamed (s.a.w.s). This citadel is considered to be both the cradle of Sufism to Moroccan society as well as the first Islamic capital for the premier Arab dynasty. The city was created primarily for the indigenous population that migrated with Moulay Idris from the Middle East. You will drive around 15 miles to the next stop, the imperial city of Meknes. Meknes is a 17th Century city built by Moulay Ismail to rival Fez. It is also considered to be the Versailles of Morocco.

You will reach Rabat, a city styled in a spaciously elegant European grid, yet slightly aware of its modernity. Rabat and its twin city Sala Colonia are separated by only a river but are historically worlds apart. They have an ancient legacy that spans hundreds of generations. Each civilization that has inhabited each of the cities has left its mark, resulting in a wide variety of architectural styles, including those from the Phoenician and Roman eras. You will spend your day discovering the delights that Rabat has to offer. Your guide will take on a historical and lively tour of the Jewish quarter, the Mellah in the Heart of the city starting at Place Sidi Makhlouf. The 12-century ramparts are best seen from this landmark. Walk up to Bab Chellah in the medina and cross Sidi Fateh St. This will lead you to the traditional Souk Laghzel (Yarn market). Your guide will introduce you to the importance of this guild on the textile role in the Moroccan society.

Later, you will cross to the citadel of the Oudaya Kasbah entering from its 12th-century main gate to explore an extraordinary Medieval Moorish marvel overlooking the delta of Bourgreg River. You will have the opportunity to visit the old-fashioned Moorish gardens, stop in a traditional coffee house for mint tea, and in between explore the Oudaya museum of tribal arts and crafts. A docent will introduce you to traditional Berber Textiles. You will continue your quest exiting the Oudaya Kasbah and up the hill to visit the Hassan Tower and Mohamed the V Mausoleum, an emblem of the real Moroccan architecture at its finest. You will reach the Royal Palace and the Necropolis of Chellah at the end of your tour. Finally, you will return to the hotel for dinner and other accommodations.
Duration: 7 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Hotel Chellah or similar 4 stars

Day 9: Transfer from Rabat to Casablanca Airport

Stop At: Casablanca Airport Transfer, Boulevard Abdelmoumen, Casablanca 20360, Morocco
In the morning, your driver will meet you at your hotel to assist you with your luggage and transport you to the Mohamed V Airport. Your guide will assist you with your check-in and bid you farewell.
Duration: 45 minutes

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.