DAY 1: FROM CASABLANCA – RABAT

Morocco Premium Tours organizes tour from Casablanca with experienced drivers and guides to explore the Imperial Cities, Atlas Mountains & the Sahara desert. Our tour will begin at Mohamed V airport in Casablanca. We will visit the famous and the biggest Mosque in Africa, Hassan II, which was built between 1987 and 1993. This will be a golden opportunity to see the skilful work of Moroccan artisans, revealing the richness and beauty of their handicraft. After the visit, we will make our way to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. We will visit the Royal Gates built in 1864, and enjoy the charming garden of Challa, surrounded by walls and beautiful defensive gates, built between 1310 and 1330. Later we will stop at Mohamed V Museum built in 1972, and we will visit the tombs of Moroccan kings Mohammed V, who died in 1962, Hassan II who died in 1999, the tomb of Moulay Abdullah the uncle of Mohammed VI and Hassan Tower which was built in 12th century. Car : 2 hours – Walk : 1 hours /

Accommodation : Riad

Included Activities :

Inside visit to Hassan 2 Mosque

Included Meals : Welcome Dinner !

DAY 2: RABAT – CHEFCHAOUEN

Before heading to Chefchaouen we will explore Oudaya Kasbah which was built in 12th century and served as a military base for the Almorabits army in their defense against the Spanish army. The roof of the Kasbah allows a stunning view of the surrounding area. You will also get to see the 240 km long Abi-Regrag river , located in western Morocco between Rabat and Sala. We will then drive to Chafchaouen through the cities of Khnetra and Sidi Kasim, stopping in Ouazzane, passing by spectacular scenery with cedar, oak and almond trees.

Set against a wide valley and nestled between two peaks in the stunning Rif Mountains, the isolated town of Chefchaouen is a surprising delight. Much of Chefchaouen was recreated by Andalusian refugees escaping the Reconquistia, so its striking blue and whitewashed houses, red-tiled roofs and artistic doorways give it the feel of the Spanish hills. Begin the day with a breakfast of Chaoueni specialties – the ftour beldi (country breakfast) consists of eggs, olive oil, goat’s cheese and orange juice, and is sure to ready anyone for the day ahead. Set on the famous Outa el Hammam square, the restaurant where we enjoy this breakfast is a great place to watch the town come to life. Spend the rest of the morning exploring the sights, sounds, and smells of the medina, the shops in the square selling woven goods and small sweets, and, most importantly, tasting the town’s famous goat’s cheese. Herds of goats wander the sparse hillsides that surround Chefchaouen, and their cheese is sold in great fresh rounds in the street markets. Enjoy a free afternoon to relax or explore more of the town. Within the plaza is the walled fortress of the Kasbah – you can wander through the tranquil gardens inside, visit the ethnographic museum, and soak in wonderful views from the rooftop. Alternatively, you might prefer to get out of town and enjoy a short hike in the surrounding hills. This evening you’ll get a real insight into Moroccan food with a home cooked dinner – bursting with flavour and made with love. Car : 4 hours – Walk : 1:30 hours

Accommodation : Hotel

Included Activities :

Rabat – Guided Walking Tour / Chella, Oudaya, Hassan Tower

Chefchaouen – Guided Walking Tour

Meals included : Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 3: CHEFCHAOUEN – VOLUBILIS – FES

Descend from the hills and travel south through the centre of the peninsula towards the sacred pilgrimage town of Moulay Idriss (approximately 3 hours). From here it’s a short journey out to the World Heritage site of Volubilis. The remains of this Roman city make an undeniably impressive sight as they come into view on the edge of a long, high plateau. Take a tour around the arches, basilicas, and superb mosaics along the Decumanus Maximus, many of which remain intact. The reward for walking in the sun lies in an incredibly memorable lunch of traditional Roman recipes in the shadow of the ancient ruins. Recline on Moroccan Kilims and dine on local ingredients, much like the Romans did a thousand years ago. Once forbidden to non-Muslims, (IF TIME PERMITS) your next stop at ancient Moulay Idriss offers a great insight into traditional Moroccan life. Here the faithful gather to pay homage at the tomb of Moulay Idriss I – the great-grandson of Mohammed and the man who brought Islam to Morocco. Explore the delightful streets, perhaps sampling the famous nougat candy sold at street-side stalls. Continue on to Fes, arriving by evening (approximately 1.5 hours), the spiritual heart of Morocco. Car : 4 hours

Accommodation : Riad

Included Activities

Free time in Chefchaouen

Guided walking Tour Volubilis

Meals included: Breakfast

DAY 4: EXPLORE FES

The old city of Fes el Bali is home to perhaps the greatest of all medinas. Descending into its labyrinthine alleyways is like stepping back to the Middle Ages. Donkeys wander the streets and the smell of spices fills the air. With a local guide, navigate narrow streets alive with craftsmen, markets, tanneries, mosques and colourful local characters. Explore the different speciality sections of the Medina that are known for specific types of food – from natural butters and fats, to pastries, to crepes and soups to dried and fresh produce.

Fes is the spiritual and cultural heart of Morocco; vibrant, noisy, fascinating and overwhelming – a visual and pungent feast for the senses. It is made up of three distinct ‘cities’, or quarters, and you will stay in elegant, riad-style accommodation on the edge of the huge, well-preserved medieval old city – the mother of all medinas. Today head into the old city, known locally as Fes el Bali, arguably the world’s most fascinating and confounding old city. Medieval Fes was one of the world’s great centres of education and culture, both Islamic and Jewish. Its religious institutions and libraries are legendary, its mosques of great renown. Walk through the twisting streets and alleyways, passing donkeys piled high with goods, and explore the specialty sections that divide the souk. Filled with historic khans, medresses and dye-pits, stalls loaded with fruits, herbs and soups, and where the squawk of chickens, smell of spice and sound of hammering of copper fills the air, it’s not hard to imagine yourself back in the Middle Ages. Spend the day exploring the old city, visiting, Mederassa Bou Inania, the tanneries and the splendid Funduk Nejjarine, a beautifully restored 18th century inn. Return to your hotel in the late afternoon and enjoy a memorable dinner of one of the city’s signature dishes, the salty and sweet pastille. Car : 1 hours – Walk : 3 hours /

Included Activities

Guided walking Tour Fes

Fondouk Nejjarine

Mederassa Bou Inania

Al karawyin university

Potter & Ceramic Workshop

Meals included : Breakfast

DAY 5: FES – MIDELT – ZIZ VALLEY – ERFOUD – MERZOUGA SAHARA

This is a long driving day, where we will meet different colors of the kingdom by leaving the old Moroccan city of

Fes. In the way we will pass through the most modern and clean city in the country Ifran. This Berber name of Ifran means caves and it is nicknamed in Morocco as a little Switzerland since it is a very green town and is a ski resort in the Middle Atlas region of Morocco because of its high altitude at 1665 meters. Ifran is very known as well by The Brotherhood private university, established in 1997 by The king of Morocco Hassan II and the king of Saudi Arabia Fahd. Where all classes are taught in English, it is an international university. Lunch will be scheduled in a Berber village called Midelt which is situated on the foothills of the eastern part of the High Atlas Mountains. From vast plateau we start crossing up those tough mountains which are still settled by a big Berber community. The landscapes here includes palm tree oases at Jbel Ayachi (at 3747 m) before driving down the curves and join the pre-Saharan zone passing first by Errachidia and Erfoud, which is famous for its pottery and the interesting fossil quarries. Fossils are a major industry in Erfoud, some 350 million years ago the region around Erfoud was a part of the huge ocean. Heading up to the red colored sand sea dunes of Erg Chebbi at Merzouga via Rissani, the hometown of the Alaouist dynasty, where Moulay Ali sheriff started to unify Morocco under his red flag in the beginning of the 17th century. From a vast plateau you will get impressed by the huge sand dune of Merzouga appearing from the horizon. We meet our camel men, embark on a 1 :30 min camel ride into the desert to spend a wonderful night enjoying these dramatic dunes, wonderful skies and stars at night, you may get involved in some drumming round the fire with the berbers tonight, dinner in the campsite. Car : 7 hours

Included Activities

Macaque monkeys – Wildlife in Azrou forests

Photography

Camel Trekking

Meals included : Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 6: MERZOUGA – RISSANI – TODGHA GORGES – DADES GORGE

Visiting Errisani and the Mausoleum of the founder of the Alaouite Dynasty of Morocco, Moulay Ali Chrif in the 17th century. This silent town was the ancient capital of Tafilalet and its location as a crossroads between north and south brought the city to an important status of a former major caravan center. Up to now Rissani remains a major commercial center in the region, with a large souk, particularly lively today on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sunday. It was noted for its leather and goat skin trading in ancient ages.

127 km from Errisani the great canyons of Morocco Todgha Gorges are situated beyond the central high Atlas Mountains. Here, the contrasting landscapes remind visitors of the Colorado, with its high plateau, its gorges and great canyons, and its peaks sometimes splintered by erosion. Several peaks in this area exceed 4000 m, with Jbel Saghro 2500 m and Jbel Mgoun at 4068 m being the highest peak in this part of the High Atlas. The area is populated by Berbers. Here you can enjoy a hike among those fabulous canyons.

From the great canyons of Todgha we go along the road of 1000 kasbahs, since there are enormous Kasbahs on both sides of the road. Some of those old fortified houses are restored but unfortunately a lot of them are ruins. We drive up to visit the Dades gorge & valley, and we head to the Berber family for Lunch, cooking course, a walk o discover the valley and spend some time wit the Berbers before we head to our hotel near the valley. Overnight in Roses valley. Car : 4 hours – Walk : 2:30 hours /

Accommodation : Kasbah

Included Activities

Guided walking tour Dades

OPTIONAL Cooking course / Lunch BERBER women / Henna

Included Activities

Guided walking tour of the valley and Gorge

Carpets co-operative

Visit underground irrigation channels

Errissani Markets

Meals included : Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 7: DADES GORGE – AIT BENAHDDOU – MARRAKECH

We travel through a town called Boumalen situated on the edge of Dades valley which rises in the High Atlas Mountains, giving life to a huge Berber community by its rich agriculture. Along this valley another valley called valley of roses appearing with the green colors of its Alfalfa plants, olive trees, fig trees and grapes. This valley gives birth to a rose from which locals produces different cosmetic products like soap, perfumes and skin creams. Locals here celebrate this rose by organizing a national festival eachend of April. Getting to Ouarzazate (Hollywood of Africa, Noiselessly town, The door of the desert), is a city situated in the middle of a bare plateau, south of the High Atlas Mountains. It is mainly inhabited by Berbers, who constructed many of the prominent kasbahs and building for which the area is known. One of those building is Taourirt Kasbah diverted in 17th century.

Why this town is nicknamed as Hollywood of Africa? Simply because it has been noted as a film-making location, with Morocco’s biggest studios inviting many international film companies to shoot their movies like: Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Living Daylights (1987), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), The Mummy (1999), Gladiator (2000), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Martin Scorsese’s Kundun (1997) and Babel (2005).

We start our day visiting the fortified city of Aït Benhaddou, built in the 11th century. Once up on a time this Kasbah was the former caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakesh. It is situated on a hill along the Ounila River and has some beautiful examples of kasbahs, which unfortunately sustain damage during each rainstorm and windstorms. Most of the town’s inhabitants now live in a more modern village at the other side of the river; however, around five families are still living within this Kasbah.

Aït Benhaddou Kasbah has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 and several films have been shot there, including Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Time Bandits (1981), The Jewel of the Nile (1985), Kundun (1997), Gladiator (2000) and Alexander (2004). From this beautiful fortified house we head west to the city of Marrakech. It is called the “Homeland of God in Berber”. The ramparts of the town are nearly 30 kilometers long. Car : 5 hours – Walk : 2:30 hours /

Accommodation : Riad

Included Activities

Visit Skoura

Visit Cinema Museum

Visit Studios

Optional Traditional Hammam & Massage

Free time to explore

Meals included : Breakfast

DAY 8: MARRAKESH, FULL GUIDED CITY TOUR

A Full guided tour will be scheduled to discover Marrakesh which is known as the “Red City”. Marrakesh is the most important former imperial city in Morocco’s history, it is situated near the foothills of the snow-capped Atlas Mountain. Like all the old cities, Marrakech comprises both an old fortified city The Medina and an very modern city called Gueliz built during the French occupation. Marrakesh has the largest traditional market (souk) in Morocco and also has one of the busiest squares in Africa and the world, Djemaa el Fna. The square is full of story-tellers, water sellers, dancers, snakes charmers and musicians. During the night the square turns into a huge open-air restaurant.

During our visit we will see The Koutoubia Mosque, built in the 12th century in the reign of Almoravid Dynasty. We will go among narrow streets and allies in ancient city. We pass by “seven saints” during the reign of Moulay Ismail, the festival of the seven saints was founded to the request of the Sultan. The tombs of several renowned figures were moved to Marrakesh to attract pilgrims. Marrakesh was dominated in the first half of the 20th century by T’hami El Glaoui, “Lord of the Atlas”, and Pasha of Marrakesh. Still there is a house called Dar Pacha El Glaoui from where he used to rule the whole southern part of Morocco. Car : 1 hours – Walk : 3:30 hours /

Included Activities

Majorel Gardens

Bahia Palace

Souks

Jamaa lfna & Koutoubia

Coranic medrassa ben youssef

Monuments and Heritage Tour

Meals included : Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 9: ESSAOUIRA DAY TOUR

A one day on your pace will be for sure wonderful, since there is no way to get bored. Due to the plenty activities you will be able to enjoy amazingly as Essaouira is well renowned for its kite surfing and windsurfing, with the powerful trade wind. Horse riding, camel riding along the beach, quad biking are activities that one can enjoy while staying in Essaouira. It is known by the delicious seafood too.

In Essaouira, several small art galleries are found all over the town. Since 1998 Essaouira is getting known by its Gnaoua Festival of World Music, normally it is scheduled in the last week of June. It brings artists from all over the world. Although focused on Gnaoua music, it includes rock, jazz and reggae. In the early 1952 the film director and actor Orson Welles made his movie Othello. Now there is a square named Orson Welles.

Along the half way between Essaouira and Marrakesh you will see enormous Argan tree on both sides of the road. These Argan trees are frequently climbed by goats. Argan oil is produced by several women’s cooperatives and it is used to prepare couscous, salads. Moreover it was traditionally used as a treatment for skin diseases before being founded as good enough for cosmetics by Europeans manufacturers. Still stop by one of these cooperatives is worthy to see how Berber women squeezed the Argan fruits between hands to extract this precious oil. We arrive to our hotel in Marrakesh and if time permit we go out for a walk. Car : 6 hours – Free time : 3:00 hours /

Explore Essaouira on 1 day trip

Surfing – Horse riding – quad biking

DAY 10: CASABLANCA / AIRPORT TRANSFER

Your trip ends today after breakfast. Check-out time is usually around midday and you are free to leave at any time. we have arranged a private airport transfer you will be advised of the pick-up time. Additional accommodation can be pre-booked if you wish to spend more time exploring here. Speak to your leader about the wealth of extra activities to do around Marrakech. Car : 3 hours –