Welcome to Morocco! Arrive in Casablanca and transfer to Rabat where your tour will begin! You are welcome to arrive any time since today is a leisure day to recuperate from your travels and prepare for the next adventure. For those who arrive before 2 PM, there will be an excursion to visit the most important monuments. In the evening, meet in the lobby at 6:45 PM, from which you will head to a welcome dinner to get to know your fellow travelers and answer all questions about the journey to come.

Airport transfers from Casablanca to Rabat can be arranged by request and are complementary. Transfers from the airport in Marrakech to the hotel in Rabat can be arranged for an extra surcharge.

Transfer to Chefchaouen this morning after breakfast. After arriving around lunchtime, you can spend the rest of the day exploring this enchanted city and learning why it is known as Morocco's Blue Pearl. You can hike to the Cascade d'Akchour waterfall in the nearby town of Akchour if you would like. The hike to the big waterfall is a somewhat challenging 10-mile round trip, but there are several smaller waterfalls along the way, so you can do as much or as little of the trail as you wish. If you decide to hike today, return to Chefchaouen by late afternoon and spend the evening exploring independently.

After breakfast in Chefchaouen, head south toward Fes. Stop at the ancient ruins of Volubilis, once an Amazigh city before the Romans made it theirs. Walk through this UNESCO World Heritage site, where the Amazigh reclaimed the city in AD 235. Admire the well-preserved Roman structures and learn how Idriss I founded Morocco’s first dynasty here in the 8th century. Continue your journey to the historic city of Fes, carrying the stories of Volubilis with you.

After touring Volubilis, head to Meknes, a lesser-known imperial city. Enter the old medina through Bab Mansour, a gate built with marble pillars taken from Volubilis. Inside, visit the tomb of Sultan Moulay Ismail, the ruler who made Meknes Morocco’s capital from 1672 to 1727. Explore the vast Agdal reservoir and Heri es-Souani, once a granary and stable that housed 12,000 horses. Then, continue your journey through the historic streets of Meknes.

After exploring Meknes, take a brief car ride to Fes, where you will spend the night. After a full day of adventure, you may not feel like going out for dinner, so dinner will be available and included tonight at your riad.

Important Note: The majority of the monuments in Meknes are currently under extensive restoration for the foreseeable future, so the tour here may be skipped or very limited.

After breakfast, meet your guide at the riad for a tour of Fes. Start with a visit to the Royal Palace, then explore the old Mellah (Jewish Quarter) of the city. Admire the expansive view of the medina from one of the Borj (towers). Next, head to a mosaic house for a traditional pottery demonstration, where Fassi artisans show you every step of the process. Then, dive into the medina of Fes, exploring its narrow ancient streets, tanneries, and historic sites like the tomb of Idriss II and Al-Qarawiyyin University, the world’s oldest operating university. After lunch, you have time to rest and explore the medina on your own, getting lost in the history and culture of Morocco. 

After breakfast, depart from Fes and head to the desert. Travel through Africa's largest cedar forest, home to playful Barbary apes (aka Atlas Monkeys), then cross the Middle Atlas Mountains to Midelt for lunch. Continue over the High Atlas Mountains, passing through the Ziz River Gorge, until you reach the vast dunes of Erg Chebbi. Arriving before sunset, meet your camels and trek into the dunes to your luxury camp. Watch the sunset from a nearby dune, enjoy dinner at camp with traditional music, and spend the evening stargazing under the desert sky.

This morning, rise early to watch the sunrise over the dunes. After watching the sunrise, breakfast will be served at camp, and you'll have time to prepare before your camel trek back to the edge of the dunes and transfer back to your more conventional transportation. From here, head to the breathtaking Dades Gorge. Along the way, stop to search for fossils and visit the ancient irrigation system that once brought water to the desert from the distant Saghro Mountains. Next, head to the oasis town of Tinghir, where you will have a guided walk of the Palmeraie and Mellah (old Jewish area). Next, visit the nearby Todgha Gorge and walk through the most impressive part of the canyon. After this, head to the beautiful Dades Valley for dinner and a good night's rest. 

After breakfast, you'll make a short drive to the heart of the Valley of Roses. On the way, visit a local market and then go to the home of a local family where you can help to prepare lunch (or just relax) and then join the family for a traditional couscous lunch. Afterward, you can take a leisurely drive or go on foot to discover a bit more of the valley before returning to your hotel in time for dinner.

Return to Marrakech via the Road of 1000 Kasbahs after breakfast. Take a slightly different route and stop along the way to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Ben Haddou, located just outside of Ouarzazate. If this impressive Ksar looks familiar, that's because it has starred (or at least made an appearance) in many movies and TV shows, including Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, The Jewel of the Nile, and Game of Thrones. After exploring and having lunch, travel along the route of the Old Salt Caravan in the Ounilla Valley past the Glaoui Kasbah of Telouet. If time permits, you may stop for a quick tour before traveling again over the breathtaking High Atlas Mountains and back to your riad in Marrakech, where you can enjoy dinner together as a group.

After breakfast, meet your guide at the riad for a tour of Marrakech. Visit Bahia Palace, the Saadian tombs, and the Koutoubia mosque. Then, dive into the bustling souks, where artisans showcase their crafts. The tour ends by midafternoon, leaving you time to explore on your own. Later, regroup for a final farewell dinner to cap off your day.

After breakfast, depending on your departure time, you may have some free time to explore Marrakech on your own before transferring to the Marrakech Airport in plenty of time for your departing flight.

Note: Transfers from the hotel to the Casablanca airport can be arranged for an additional cost.