Highlights of Morocco

Our tour of Morocco starts in the Red City. With its dusty rooftops, maze-like streets and bustling souks, Marrakech encompasses the essence of Morocco. Head to the medina and people watch while you sip a mint tea in Jemaa el-Fna (the main square) or visit the Jardin Majorelle, just a short walk from our hotel. There are no activities planned for today, so you're free to arrive at any time. If you'd like an airport transfer, you'll need to arrive at Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK), which is around a 20-minute drive from our hotel. Our Explore Leader will meet you in the hotel reception at 6pm for a welcome meeting and then an optional dinner. If you arrive later, they'll catch you up as soon as possible. Note: This is a fast-paced tour with limited time in Marrakech, if you'd like more time to explore the city, there's the option to add additional nights onto the start or end of your trip.

After breakfast, we leave the Red City and drive to the Ouzoud Falls, swapping the bustle and noise of city life for the tranquillity of nature. Mid-afternoon, we'll eventually reach our home for the night, Bin el Ouidane - a three-hour drive total. Here, our hotel rewards us with views of the Atlas Mountains and the Bin el Ouidane lake.

This morning, we'll start very early to begin our full-day journey to Fes, via Meknes and Volubilis. We'll follow the northern slopes of the Middle Atlas into the Oued Boufekrane River Valley with a picnic stop en-route. Arriving in Meknes, we'll have a guided tour of the city. Once the heart of the Moroccan Sultanate, Meknes was built by the tyrant, Moulay Ismail. While it was once teeming with opulent palaces and grand gateways, much of Meknes has crumbled, though its regal essence remains. We'll visit the old granary of Heri es-Souni and the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, before departing for Volubilis, a 45-minute drive away. Morocco's best-preserved Roman site, Volubilis was once the capital of the province of Mauritania Tingitana and home to 20,000 people. We'll get the chance to explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site with a tour amongst the ruins. Today ends in Fes, a two-hour drive away, our home for the next two nights. Note: During 2024, there are extensive renovation works taking place in Meknes and some sites may be closed during our visit. Our tour leader will adapt our itinerary to make the most of our time here.

Today, we'll wake up in the oldest of Morocco's imperial cities, Fes. In its golden age, Fes was a hub of art, philosophy and trade and is still referred to as Morocco's artisan capital. This morning, we'll delve into Fes el-Bali, the oldest quarter of the city, with a guided tour. We'll meander through the medina and souks - where you'll see weavers, coppersmiths and tanners at work - before visiting the Royal Palace (Fes El Jedid). Once we've gotten lost in the winding streets, we'll head out and up to the viewpoint at Borj Nord for a look at the sprawling city from above. This afternoon is free to enjoy at your own pace. You might like to head into the new town and take a seat at one of the European-influenced cafes that line the pavements in the French Ville Nouvelle district. Alternatively, return to the medina and get lost in Fes' addictive pandemonium.

Today's drive is long, but we'll be rewarded with unparalleled views of Morocco's ever-changing landscapes. We'll cross through land traditionally held by the Berber community (known as the Lords of the Atlas). The Berber way of life is unique and lost to most of North Africa, here, music, dance, language, and religion are far removed from the rest of the Arab world. The road will take us via Ifrane and Azrou, where we'll stretch our legs amongst the Atlas cedar forest, home to endangered Barabary macaques. We'll continue into the Gorge du Ziz towards the desert settlement of Erfoud before following the meandering course of the Ziz River into the dunes of the Sand Sea - the homeland of the Alaouite who ruled this region 300 years ago. In the afternoon, we'll continue to Merzouga, a small village on the outskirts of the desert where we'll swap our bus for 4WD vehicles and journey into the dunes of Erg Chebbi. Our home for tonight is right here in the desert, at a Berber camp, where we can relax by the campfire and fill up on traditional tagine. Our camp is basic but comfortable - the twin share tents are fully equipped with full size single beds with mattresses, blankets, and pillows and there are charging points for phones and cameras. The camp site is right on the edge of the magnificent sand dunes, after a refreshing glass of mint tea you may wish to take a stroll amongst the dunes to witness the sun setting over the Sahara desert, the light at this time in the late evening casts shadows over the dunes making them a photographers dream. Dinner is served under the stars after which we retire to a campfire. Note that the camp has shared bathroom facilities, showers are simple and hot water and good water pressure aren't guaranteed.

We'll wake before dawn and head up the sand dunes to watch the sun rise over the desert plains before breakfast. Fuelled up, we'll have the option of a camel ride along the dunes, back to Merzouga where our bus will be waiting to take us south. Today's long drive takes us along the southern slopes of the Atlas, towards Rissani and Tinjdad, where we'll stop for lunch. Our next stop is the town of Tinerhir, set amongst the dramatic cliffs of Todra Gorge. After a long day of driving, we'll have the opportunity to get lost in the gorge's narrow pathways. Alongside our tour leader, we'll take a slow two-hour walk to experience the towering 300-metre-high gorge walls up close.

Our drive this morning will take up through the sweeping scenery of the Dades Valley. We'll follow the famous 'Road of 1000 Kasbahs', home to authentic Berber settlements. While many of the original kasbahs lie in ruins, the remains give us a flavour of Morocco's ancient heritage. We'll continue through El Kelaa Mgouna via the Valley of the Roses, where we'll stop for a walk through the fields and learn about the local agriculture. We'll stop for a well deserve tagine lunch in a Berber village. We then head towards Skoura, where we'll pay a visit to Kasbah Amredhil, which you might have already spotted on the 50-dirham note. Dating back to the 17th century, this Moroccan icon is now an open-air museum. Next, we'll head to Ouarzazate, a desert outpost sandwiched between the high mountain and the expansive sands of the Sahara before ending our journey in the UNESCO's World Heritage site of Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou. Late in the day, when the site is less busy and lights are perfect for photo shoots, we'll visit the Kasbah on foot and climb up to the top of the hill for great panoramic views.

This morning, we'll journey over the Tizi n'Tichka Pass and watch the desert landscape change colour as we get closer towards Marrakech green plains. This afternoon, we dive straight into the heady delights of Marrakech with a guided tour of the city. We'll pass by the rose-coloured Koutoubia (booksellers) Mosque on the way to Bahia Palace, an open-air museum that fuses Moroccan and Islamic styles. We'll fuel up on fresh pastries from a traditional bakery before continuing to the medina on foot. There, we'll be guided through the labyrinth of spice-scented souks, passing by craftsmen selling rugs, leather goods and crockery before dropping by a spice shop to sample ripe dates and almonds. Finally, we'll navigate our way out into the energetic Jemaa el-Fna Square and get a final taste of Moroccan cuisine in one of the local restaurants

Our tour of Morocco ends at our hotel in Marrakech. There are no activities planned today, so you're free to depart at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you'd like an airport transfer, you need to depart from Marrakesh Menara Airport (RAK).