11-Day Morocco Journey from Casablanca to Essaouira via Sahara

11 Days Duration

Experiences

About This Tour

Embark on an immersive 11-day journey through Morocco, from Casablanca and Rabat to the imperial cities of Meknes, Fes, and Marrakech. Along the way, discover U...

Duration: 11 Days · Tour type: Private · Activity level: Easy · Accommodation: Included · Standard · Transport: Included · Wheelchair access: Yes · Cities: Casablanca, El Jadida, Fez, Marrakech, Essaouira, Meknes, Midelt, Rabat, Ouarzazate, Chefchaouen, Merzouga, Todgha Gorge, Erfoud, Tizi n'Tichka, Ziz Valley, Sefrou, Ifrane, Dadès Gorges, Volubilis · Languages: Arabic, English, French, Spanish

About Sefrou

Morocco

Sefrou

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What's Included

English-, French-, and Spanish-speaking professional driver/tour guide
Shuttle from and to the airport
Accommodation is organized at all stages of the tour

Not Included

Flights
Travel insurance
Gratuities
Entrance fees to historical monuments
Additional services
Drinks
Anything not mentioned in 'included'

Itinerary

1

Day 01

Arrival in Casablanca and Hassan II Mosque

Your meeting point depends on your landing time. After your tour guide or driver picks you up and drops you off at your hotel, you may like to discover some of Casablanca's sights. Notably, visit the Hassan II Mosque, considered the largest in North Africa and the third largest in the Islamic world, with its splendid esplanade and the tallest minaret in the world. It is a long reach of marble and emerald zellige rising 210 meters into the sky. Grand and timeless, the Great Mosque is constantly busy and serves as a meeting point for Sunday strolls.
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Day 02

Casablanca, Rabat, and Chefchaouen

If time did not allow you to visit Casablanca's sights yesterday, you must do so this morning. After we are done with Casa, Morocco's political and administrative capital will be waiting. Rabat may be short on top-drawer tourist attractions, but it compensates with plenty of charm. You will have the opportunity to explore the city on a short sojourn, first through the monumental Hassan Tower, with the pillared stumps of its mosque being all that remains from the earthquake of 1755. There is also the nearby Mausoleum of the royal family. Head further north to Chefchaouen, with its bright blue, Andalusian-tiled medina and its grand red-hued Kasbah lording over the main square of Outa Hmam.
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Day 03

Chefchaouen to Volubilis, Meknes, and Fes

Rise early to snap photos of the people-less streets before leaving for Fes. Stop along the way at the UNESCO-protected Volubilis ruins, the Romans' farthest reach in Africa. Wander the complex, exploring merchant homes with still-intact heating systems, temples, and many mosaics in situ. Continue on to Meknes, the smaller and less busy version of Fes, for an introduction to your second historic imperial city. The two main points of interest are the Ville Impériale (Imperial City) and the medina. Be sure to visit the Bab al-Mansour gate, the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, and the Royal Stables. Continue east to your third imperial city, Fes. With its impressively large and somewhat confusing old medina, Fes is a city worth getting lost in. Before venturing into the medina, drive up the hill to visit the Merenid Tombs, located just north of the city, and enjoy the all-encompassing view of historic Fes and the surrounding area. Descend the hill and find your way to your riad, a traditional Moroccan house with an interior garden, where you can enjoy a delicious meal and relax for the evening.
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Day 04

Guided Discovery of Fes Medina and Sefrou

Do not panic; the guide will show you the must-see sites. With your private Fes-born-and-bred guide, you will have the opportunity to discover the ancient breeding ground for scholars and artisans and the largest medina in the world. You will see the America Fondouk, Nejjarines, the Tanneries, the Medersa (theological college), and Karaouine, the first established university in the world. Your guide will shed light on many tales and 1200 years of history in this UNESCO-protected medina. When you finish your visit to the medina, we will drive you out of Fes to enjoy delicious house-made food at Lalla Fatiha's place in Sefrou.
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Day 05

Fes to Merzouga via Ifrane, Midelt, and Ziz Valley

An early-morning start is recommended for this day. We leave the amazing medina of Fes, with its mysteries and secrets of the 9000 alleyways, heading southeast towards Merzouga and the gateway into the golden dunes of the Sahara Desert. En route, we will pass by the cedar forests of Ifrane, the Switzerland of Morocco, where you might think that you are in the Alps. If we are lucky, we will come across the Barbary macaques on our way to Midelt, where we will stop for lunch. After eating, we drive through the Middle Atlas Mountains to reach the Ziz Valley, considered one of the largest producers of oasis dates in Morocco. Then it is off to Merzouga, home to the highest dunes in Morocco. You can store any baggage while packing an overnight bag to bring along. You will have the chance to be accompanied by a camel and a blue-turban-robed guide into the sandy seas. After an hour-long camel ride, you will be among the lucky ones to watch the sun set over the Sahara dunes and spend a night in a Bedouin-style tent.
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Day 06

Merzouga Sunrise, Erfoud, Todgha Gorge, and Dades

This morning, you will wake up with the sun shining on your face to witness what we hope will be a glorious sunrise among the dunes, watching the light creep slowly down the dunes and pull the world around you out from its warmth-heavy mound of blankets for an early breakfast. After an hour-long camel ride back out of the desert, you will depart and head for Erfoud, where you can marvel at the million-year-old fossils for which the area is famous. Then head north for a sublime experience in the Todgha Gorges, where we will be surrounded by gigantic rock walls. Arrive at Dades Gorges, a landscape of rust-red and mauve mountains. A series of crumbling kasbahs and ksours line the valley in the Berber villages all the way to the Monkey Fingers Mountains. If we get there early and you still have enough energy to hike for a couple of hours, we will drop off our luggage at the hotel.
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Day 07

Dades Valley, Ouarzazate, Tizi n'Tichka, and Marrakech

You leave Dades at 8:00 am, traversing the Valley of Roses and Dades straight to the 11th-century UNESCO-protected red mud-brick ksar, which has formed the backdrop for many Hollywood movie productions such as Lawrence of Arabia, Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus of Nazareth, Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and many others. You might also like to explore Ouarzazate, home to Taourirt Kasbah and the "Ouallywood" studio. Wind up the memorable Tizi n'Tichka pass through the High Atlas Mountains, with Berber villages lined beside the road, to arrive in Marrakech. In Marrakech, you will have a day-long opportunity to explore the crazed cacophony of musicians, snake charmers, and vendors in the famed open-air Jemaa el-Fnaa square, along with other highly recommended sites with your guide.
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Day 08

Marrakech Medina and Jemaa el-Fnaa

You leave Dades at 8:00 am, traversing the Valley of Roses and Dades straight to the 11th-century UNESCO-protected red mud-brick ksar, which has formed the backdrop for many Hollywood movie productions such as Lawrence of Arabia, Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus of Nazareth, Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and many others. You might also like to explore Ouarzazate, home to Taourirt Kasbah and the "Ouallywood" studio. Wind up the memorable Tizi n'Tichka pass through the High Atlas Mountains, with Berber villages lined beside the road, to arrive in Marrakech. In Marrakech, you will have a day-long opportunity to explore the crazed cacophony of musicians, snake charmers, and vendors in the famed open-air Jemaa el-Fnaa square, along with other highly recommended sites with your guide.
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Day 09

Day Trip to Essaouira

After having breakfast at the riad, you will be picked up by your driver-tour guide around 08:00 am and head to Essaouira. Along the road, we will have the chance to see the tree goats phenomenon before having enough time to explore Jimi Hendrix's town. You are free to roam in the city that once was, and still is, a haven for hippie backpackers and Gnawa musicians. You can book a local guide. If not, you can start your visit at the ramparts, a series of forts built in the 15th century around the Medina of Mogador. Inside the medina, you will have the chance to visit the Mellah, the former Jewish quarter, and Morocco's third fishing port, where you can enjoy a delicious fish meal. For sports-oriented travelers, Essaouira is also a place for fine windsurfing and kitesurfing schools.
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Day 10

Essaouira to El-Jadida and Casablanca

Around 8:00 am, you will head north to the 15th-century Portuguese fortified city of Mazagan, now known as El-Jadida and nicknamed "the Deauville of Morocco." Its Portuguese structures, fortified ramparts, and system of defenses surrounding the medina, which advances out into the sea, all evoke the city's past history. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is an impressive testimony to Portuguese architecture in an ancient coastal town. Continue driving north to Casablanca, where you will spend your last night in Morocco before leaving.
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Day 11

Departure from Casablanca

Our trip comes to an end, and we say "see you again" instead of "goodbye." We hope that you spent one of your best and most unforgettable tours with us.