DAY 1

Arrive in Chefchaouen

Arrive Tangier airport and meet your transfer who will bring you to Chefchaouen, approximately two hours away.

Prepared to have your senses overwhelmed. Beautifully perched beneath the raw peaks of the Rif, Chefchaouen is one of the prettiest towns in Morocco, an artsy, blue-washed mountain village that feels like its own world.

You’ll be tired, so take some time to settle into your Riad (hotel), then go out and explore a bit.

Welcome to Morocco!

DAY 3

Chefchaouen to Fez

You’ll depart Chefchaouen today and travel on to Fez. Yes, Fez of the hat fame.

First though you’ll stop at the imperial city of Meknes. With the title of Imperial City and a UNESCO-stamped ancient medina, Meknes can rival the likes of Marrakesh, Rabat, and Fez. Take some time here to have some lunch and explore sights such as the Bab el-Mansour gate, Dar Jamai Museum, and Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail.

Welcome to Fez! Our home for the next 2 nights. An ancient breeding ground for scholars and artisans, imams and gourmands – Fez is a supremely self-confident city with a historical and cultural lineage that beguiles visitors. And there is something intangibly raw about a place where 70,000 people still choose to live in the maelstrom of a medina so dark, dense and dilapidated that it remains the world’s largest car-free urban area. And of course, the Fez Hats!

You have a free night to explore the city, and maybe buy a hat.

DAY 5

Fez to Merzouga

You’ll have a long drive today (7hrs), but your target is one of the most remote areas you can imagine – the Sahara Desert. Located on the edge of the starkly beautiful Sahara Desert, Merzouga is a small, dusty town in eastern Morocco.

Although the town itself has little to offer the intrepid traveler (besides a handful of hotels and restaurants), it is famous as the gateway to the vast Erg Chebbi dunes. Here, soaring peaks of sand change color with the shifting light of dawn and dusk.

Camel trains create romantic silhouettes, and Berber villages act as remote oasis in an environment that has remained unchanged for thousands of years.

DAY 7

Merzouga to Atlas Mountains

After breakfast, take some revenge on those sand dunes in the form of atv’s! You will find this aspect a of riding a little more comfortable on your behinds!

Just when you think you’ve seen enough natural and wild beauty, you’ll be heading to the Atlas Mountains. Relax from your adventures in a beautiful Riad and prepare yourself for a hike through the incredible Dades and Tondra Gorges, which may include more camping.

DAY 9

Atlas Mountains

Today you will be exploring the Land of a Thousand Kasbahs (by vehicle thankfully).

You will stop to visit the town of Telouet and its ancient 17th century Kasbah. Then, drive in the direction of Ourzazate where you will visit the UNESCO protected Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah (where Gladiator and Lawrence of Arabia was filmed) and Kasbah Taourirt, one of the most beautiful Kasbahs in this area.

Afterwards, you’ll visit Skoura, a town that overlooks many other beautiful Kasbahs especially the standing 18th century Kasbah of Ameridhil, then onto KalaatMgouna – famous for roses and its annual festival during the roses harvest in May.

Upon arrival at the Riad you can relax or explore the area as you choose!

DAY 11

Marrakesh

Marrakesh has stood for close to a thousand years, a city of history and culture. One of the most evocative places in the world, just the name conjures up images of this cultural melting pot – sandstone buildings, dusty streets and towering minarets against deep blue skies immediately spring to mind. Known as The Red City thanks to the hue of the thick walls surrounding the old city, it’s a place to engage the senses, nowhere more so than in the famous souks. These vibrant markets are a whirlwind of colour and noise, where throngs of people weave between tightly packed stalls exhibiting pyramids of brightly coloured spices, richly woven rugs and a thousand other exotic goods. Enticing smells waft through the souks, and the clamour of voices haggling and the cries of vendors competing for customers provides a constant backing track to the city.

Today you’ll experience Marrakech with a local guide. It’s almost impossible to walk through Marrakech for more than five minutes without finding some architectural wonder to marvel at. From the exquisite gardens to the intricately carved archways to the ornate mosques, this is a city that displays its history in its man-made environment. The Medina is a sight to behold: designated a UNESCO World Heritage Centre it’s a wonderful mix of Amazigh, Arabic and Moorish architecture. When it comes to entertainment, Marrakech blends cultures to magical effect. Jemaa El-Fnaa is the busiest square in the whole of Africa, packed with fire-eaters, cross-dressing bellydancers, Amazing acrobats, astrologers, and a hundred other types of street entertainers.