Highlights of Enchanting Morocco

Day 1: Arrive in Casablanca & Transfer to Rabat

Airport Transfer (1:30 min)

Welcome to Morocco! After flying into Casablanca, a private driver will await you at the airport and transfer you to Rabat. You'll have the rest of the day to explore this bustling city, Morocco's capital since 1956, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012.

Start at the Royal Palace and the medieval fortification of the Chellah Necropolis, where you can wander the Roman and Islamic ruins. Stroll through the medina (old town) to find the Hassan Tower and Mausoleum of Mohamed V. This abandoned 12th-century project features the minaret of an incomplete mosque and some 200 columns. Next, explore the historical medina and roam through its charming streets, stopping at the souks (markets) to peruse local crafts and goods, such as rugs, spices, slippers, jewelry, and leather.

Finally, visit the 20th-century Andalusian Gardens and enjoy the serene space away from the crowds before ending your tour at the grand door of the Kasbah des Oudaïas, the gate out of Rabat's old city center.

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Day 2: Explore the "Blue City" of Chefchaouen

Transport (4hrs), Breakfast

The next day, enjoy a comfortable private transfer from Rabat to Chefchaouen. After settling into your accommodation, head out to explore. Wander through the city's medina and its winding maze of picturesque streets while appreciating the relaxed atmosphere. The old medina has combined Moroccan and Andalusian influences noted in the red-tiled roofs, bright blue buildings, and narrow lanes connecting busy Plaza Uta el-Hammam and its restored kasbah (old fortification).

Once you've had a look around the plaza and perused the nearby souks, head toward the Grand Mosque and kasbah, where you can enjoy walking through the garden, museum, and some of the old prison cells used during Spanish rule. Next, wander into the Quartier Al Andalous, where the houses are painted white, green, and blue. End your day at Ras El Ma Spring, the town's primary water source. Here you can take a break at one of the quaint riverside cafés for a traditional cup of tea. Enjoy a sunset from the Spanish Mosque for an exceptional view of the city.

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Day 3: Chefchaouen

Breakfast

Today is a free day in Chefchaouen. Maybe take a guided tour of the sights, sounds and smells of the medina, or sample the delicious local specialties (the orange juice is delicious!) at a cafe in the Plaza Uta el-Hammam. Alternatively, you might prefer to get out of town and enjoy a hike and picnic in the surrounding hills. The hiking tour outside of the city is a popular option, as you can leave the shades of blue for a journey across the Rif Mountains and join your guide to Akchour Falls – a gorgeous natural wonder, abundant with lush mountains, rivers and waterfalls. In the evening, how about tucking into a tagine at a local restaurant or visiting a hammam  a traditional Moroccan spa? The night is yours to enjoy.

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Day 4: Chefchaouen - Volubilis - Meknes - Fes

Transport (4-5 hrs), Breakfast

This morning, take a private transfer and travel through rolling hills and olive groves to the archaeological site of Volubilis. This was once a provincial Roman capital, and the remains make an undeniably impressive sight. Take a tour around the ruins with a local guide, which look spectacular in the sunlight. Don’t forget to take your camera today, as the town is filled with fantastic mosaics along the Decumanus Maximus, many of which remain fully intact. Drive onwards to Fes, where you'll spend the next two nights. Fes is the spiritual and cultural heart of Morocco  vibrant, noisy and fascinating  it really is a feast for the senses. The evening is then free for you to spend how you’d like.

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Day 5: Explore Fes

Private Guided Visit, Breakfast, Lunch‍

This is your opportunity to see the UNESCO protected Fez Medina through the eyes of a local, with your own private Fez born-and-bred guide. Your tour lasts from 9:30am until 5:30pm with a break for lunch (a real treat at a local family’s home). Before you head out in the morning, you can discuss with your guide which sights you’d like to see most. If you have never been to Fez before you might like to read our travel guide to Fes, which will not only give you a fascinating insight into this equally fascinating city, but will also help you decide which sites you would like to experience with the help of your guide. It really will be worth your while to put yourself in his hands and allow him to show you the mysteries and secrets of the nine thousand streets and alleyways that make up this amazing historic city but don’t worry, you won’t be expected to walk all of them!

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Day 6: Desert Safari Adventures around Merzouga

Transport (7-8 hrs), Breakfast, Dinner

Today, you’ll travel towards the mighty Sahara. It is a long drive, but there will be many opportunities to stop and admire views of local kasbahs and palmeries (valleys lush with date palms, fields and orchards). You may also have the chance to pass by nomads along their journey these free-spirited people are born to move with their animal flocks under the open sky and they never stay settled in one place for long. Continue through barren mountainsides and fertile valleys, pausing in frontier towns like Erfoud and Rissani before reaching the end of the road at the small Saharan settlement of Merzouga. With a backdrop of the orange-coloured Erg Chebbi sand dunes, the charming Saharan village of Merzouga feels wonderfully isolated, like the modern world has left it behind. Store your main baggage in your overnight camp on the edge of the desert and mount a camel to watch the breathtaking sunset from a unique perspective, among the rolling dunes of the expansive desert. Spend the night in a desert camp under the North African stars and enjoy a homecooked feast by the fire.

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Day 7: Drive Through the Desert to Reach Todgha Gorges

Transport (4-5 hrs), Breakfast, Dinner

Rise with the dawn to watch the sun beginning its daily arc with a cool blue morning sky as it illuminates the desert shadows before becoming a glowing ball of fire. You’ll return to a local hotel, where a welcome hot shower and breakfast awaits. Your first stop en route is Tinjedad where lunch is available. If time allows, you must visit Ksar El Khorbat, a roofed-over town whose dark streets are streaked with intermittent patches of sunlight, and which houses a delightfully worn-at-the-edges cultural museum. Tonight, you’ll be staying in Todgha Gorge or Dades Gorge depends on the availbilty.

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Day 8: Walk  & Have Lunch with a Local Family

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Today is dedicated to an immersive exploration of Morocco’s dramatic canyon lands. Depending on your overnight location, you will enjoy a guided trek through either the Todra Valley or the Dades Valley. Accompanied by an expert local guide, you can choose from several scenic circuits; the most popular is a 10 km trail (approx. 4 hours) that winds through ancient Amazigh villages and offers sensational views of the distant Rose Valley.

The true highlight of the day is a private lunch with a local family in their traditional mudbrick Kasbah. This is a rare, authentic opportunity to experience the hospitality of a culture that has remained largely unchanged for centuries. As you will be welcomed into a private home, we recommend dressing respectfully (covering shoulders and knees) to honor local customs. If you prefer a slower pace, you may choose to relax by the hotel pool, taking in the panoramic views of lush palm groves and soaring limestone cliffs.

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Day 9: Drive to Ait Ben Haddou via Skoura & Ouarzazate

Transport (4 hrs), Breakfast, Dinner

When you leave your accommodation, your road takes you in the direction of Ouarzazate, the Hollywood of Africa, where the Atlas Studios is reputed to be one of the largest movie studios in the world. Although many of our travelers opt not to visit the film studio, the Kasbah de Taorirt in town is worth a stop. It was once owned by the Glaoui family, one of the richest and most powerful in the area, whose vast wealth came in part from levies charged on the camel trains that passed through their territory carrying gold, spices and slaves from Timbuktu on their journey to the markets of Marrakech and beyond.

Your most vivid memory from today will be of your visit to Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO world heritage site, which, as well as being the best extant example in the area of a walled town protected by Kasbahs, the homes of the wealthy and powerful, has been the backdrop to many Hollywood blockbusters and major historical television programs, including Gladiator and Lawrence of Arabia. If you are a fan of A Game of Thrones you will recognize Ait Ben Haddou from the final scene of series three. (The series has used a number of locations around Morocco.)

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Day 10: From the UNESCO Kasbah to Toubkal National Park

Transport (6 hrs), Breakfast, Dinner

This morning, journey over the spectacular Tizi n'Tichka Pass (2260 metres above sea level) to Toubkal National Park, home to the highest mountain in North Africa. Pass snow-capped mountains and valleys in full flower along the way. At the end of the road, you’ll reach the rural village of Imlil, where you can store your main luggage and load a daypack onto a pack mule. Immerse yourself in traditional mountain village life with a short trek up to the peaceful village of Aroumd. Far from the reach of the modern world and sitting on a rocky outcrop, this town is a gorgeous place for an I’m-so-far-from-home moment. With stunning views across the High Atlas Mountains, you’ll have a unique opportunity to experience traditional Amazigh culture and spend the night in a family-run mountain home (or gite) at the foot of Mount Toubkal. Surrounded by the smell of woodstoves and bread, meet the host family and enjoy some traditional Amazigh hospitality and mouth-watering home-cooked food.

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Day 11: Travel to the Coast and Explore Essaouira

Transport (4,5 hrs), Breakfast, Lunch

Wake up early this morning for a refreshing hike through Imlil’s outlying villages  to Sidi Chamharouch. Explore rural Amazigh villages, twisting mule tracks and breathtaking mountain landscapes. Stop for breaks among imposing cliff faces and eventually reach Sidi Chamharouch a pilgrimage site with a waterfall, a stream and a few simple houses. Enjoy a slow-cooked tagine made by a local for lunch, while enjoying incredible views of the Atlas Mountains. Take the opportunity to rest for a while and swap stories with the locals, before hiking back to Aroumd. Later, head towards the Atlantic Coast to the old fishing town of Essaouira. Sandstone walkways contrast whitewashed houses, bright blue sky and the surrounding beaches and dunes. This artists' town was once home to sizeable British and Jewish populations, and its charm has seduced people like Orson Welles and Jimi Hendrix, who (according to local legend) spent much of his time here in the 1960s. Your tour leader will guide you through some options for the rest of the day  the seafood auctions are always a fun thing to see. Maybe you’d like to visit one of the small local cafes and do a spot of people-watching. Tonight, you’re free to indulge in a fresh seafood dinner or stroll by the beach in the evening light.

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Day 12: Guided Sightseeing Tour of Essaouira

Breakfast

Explore the charming and historic city of Essaouira with the help of a local guide. Start your excursion under the clock tower inside the walls of the city's medina. As you twist through the medina's wide and bright streets, covering 75 acres (30 ha), enjoy the souks, street vendors, leafy plazas, and whitewashed houses with ornate wooden doors. Eventually, these streets lead to the city's central square, Moulay Hassan Square, lined with restaurants and hotels. Nearby is the harbor, where you can watch anglers make fishing boats by hand, mend nets, and bait fishing lines. You'll also visit the 16th-century Portuguese Castelo Real of Mogador and two defensive structures, the Borj El Barmil tower and the Skala de la Kasbah.

Next, you'll explore the city's Jewish history, stopping at Haim Pinto Synagogue, a historical and religious site dating to the early 18th century. Wander through the Mellah (Jewish District and a UNESCO World Heritage Site), listen to stories of Essaouira's Jewish communities, and admire the profound door paintings and carved emblems. The other two preserved synagogues include Slat Attia and Slat Lkahal Mogador. Your guide will leave you at Essaouira Beach at the end of the tour. Walk along the shoreline, soak up the sun, and catch glimpses of surfers in the wind.

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Day 13: From the Atlantic Coast to the Red City

Transport (4,5 hrs), Breakfast

Bid farewell to the Atlantic as you depart from Essaouira, Morocco’s most laid-back seaside retreat. While local legends claim Jimi Hendrix wrote Castles Made of Sand here, the song actually predates his 1969 visit though the town’s bohemian spirit remains very much alive. After a final morning stroll along the historic ramparts, where life still moves at a local pace, you will begin your journey inland toward the High Atlas foothills.

Upon arriving in the "Red City" of Marrakech, the energy shifts from coastal calm to imperial grandeur. This afternoon, join an expert local guide for a private half-day city tour. You will dive into the heart of the UNESCO-listed Medina, starting with the architectural splendor of the Koutoubia Mosque and its iconic minaret. Wander through the lush gardens before emerging into the electric atmosphere of Jemaa el-Fna. As the sun begins to set, your guide will help you navigate the vibrant stalls and storytelling circles of the square, providing the perfect cultural orientation to Marrakech.

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Day 14: Botanical Beauty & Curated Shopping in Marrakech

Breakfast

This morning, you have the option to visit the world-renowned Jardin Majorelle. Wander through this botanical masterpiece, famous for its vibrant "Majorelle Blue" architecture and exotic gardens. You may also choose to explore the nearby Yves Saint Laurent Museum, which celebrates the designer's deep connection to Marrakech.

For the afternoon, we offer a curated shopping experience for those who wish to bring home a piece of Morocco. This is an optional service designed to take you beyond the typical tourist paths to high-quality, fixed-price boutiques and authentic cooperatives. We focus on stores with transparent pricing and no commissions, ensuring you find the finest Moroccan crafts from leather goods to textiles without any pressure.

Please note: the shopping tour are not included in the base price, allowing you the flexibility to spend your final afternoon exactly as you choose.

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Day 15: Depart Casablanca / Marrakech

Travel in a comfortable private vehicle from your accommodation (or a pre-determined meeting point) in Casablanca to Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport (CMN). The journey takes about 45 minutes. Your driver will ensure that you arrive at the airport with plenty of time for your flight. Have a safe and comfortable trip home or to your next destination!

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