Our first meeting will be in the airport then we will start our journey into the city to discover the first daily living of Moroccans. We will have a break to see the Hassan II Masjid (we cannot on Fridays), the biggest Masjid in Africa, decorated with amazing tiling of the extreme craftsmanship. The deadline of visits is at 14.00 and it is a must to queue for tickets thus sometimes you can only visit the outside of the building. After the visit we will carry on to Rabat to pass our first night in a Hotel.
After the breakfast we will have a look at the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, built an esteem to the king, who passed away in 1961 and for Hassan II his son, who died in 1999 and who is also entombed here. On our way Fes and in the north of Meknes we will stop to visit Volubilis the Roman ruins, which are expand over a large area and provide beautiful views over the valley and hills. Arrival to fes diner and the overnight in a Riad.
This day will be a full day sightseeing tour to discover Fes one of the Morocco’s four “Imperial Cities”. The medieval city of Fes or “Old Fes” is still complete and immaculate. During your tour of this part of the town, you can visit the exotic Bou Inania Medersa, the Medina and the Kairaouine Masjid, where you may take photos of the wonderful courtyard from the main gate as well as the famous soukhs. In the afternoon you can visit Fes El Jdid, or “New Fes” and the Museum of Moroccan Arts. You will pass the night in a riad.
Departure from Fes at 8 o’clock, travelling via Azrou, where you can see Barbary apes in the cedar forest of the Middle Atlas. Lunch is in Midelt, “the apple capital”, at the foot of the Ayachi Mountain. We continue over the Tizi-n-Talremt pass and through the Ziz Valley, which is particularly well-known for its palm trees and the length of the oasis. All along the road there are innumerable “ksars”, small villages of individual houses. From here we reach Er Rachidia and then Erfoud, famous for its date festival and fossils. Once you reach the bivouac in Erg Chebbi, you will be greeted with a glass of tea and have time to wander the dunes before the sunset. Dinner is served and followed by an evening of music and the night in a nomad tent.
After breakfast, you take the camels, either riding or walking behind, as they carry everything needed to cook your lunch, which will be prepared out in the dunes by your camel man. You’ll walk about three hours in the morning, followed by another three in the afternoon returning to the bivouac for dinner and the night.
If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise, when the colour of the dunes and the play of shadows are an awesome sight. After breakfast you can have a camel ride for a couple of hours (or less; it depends on you) before leaving for Tinghir and the Toudgha gorges for lunch. The road passes through Tinjdad and the Toudgha Valley. Here there are plenty of opportunities to walk, such as along the river through the gardens or up the road on the other side of the gorges. Later the itinerary continues to the Dades Valley and the Dades Gorges for the night in a hotel.
After breakfast a walk in the Dades Gorges is scheduled. Back at the car, the trip to Ouarzazate continues, going off-road along the Boutarar piste to visit Berber nomads in their caves and partake of a glass of tea with them. From here we continue through the Valley of the Roses, famous for its Rose Festival in May, and where highly valued oils, creams and soups are produced. You reach the kasbahs of Skoura, the most well-known of which is Kasbah Amredil which you will stop to visit. Once in Ouarzazate you will stay in a riad or guest house.
After breakfast, the route goes on to Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, a World Heritage site and the backdrop for many Hollywood blockbusters such as the Kingdom of Heaven and the Gladiator. It is the most famous Kasbah in Morocco and one of the most visited spots in the whole country. From there the road continues to Telouet, along the recently asphalted road high above the beautiful green valley below. Telouet is set right in the midst of the mountains and was once the seat of the last Pasha of Marrakesh, El Glaoui, from where the highest pass in Africa, Tizi-n-Tichka was controlled. At the end of the afternoon we arrive in Marrakesh, having crossed this highest pass in North Africa.
Marrakech is probably best known for central Djemma El Fna with its juice stalls, dried fruit and nut stalls, women applying henna, snake charmers, story sellers and the myriad of nightly food stalls. You will visit the following places according to time and inclination: the Majorelle Gardens which belonged to Yves St Laurent and is famous for its special shade of blue, the Koutoubia Mosque, El Bahia Palace which means “the palace of the beautiful”, the Qoranic School, the Ben Youssef Medersa which used to house some 80 Qoranic students and the Saadian Tombs. You spend another night in your riad
Instead of the walking tour of Marrakesh, we could organize a cooking class for Moroccan cuisine. This would add an extra fee.
