Best of Morocco

Overview

Itinerary at a Glance

• 1 Depart USA
• 2 Casablanca
• 3 Casablanca, Rabat & Fez
• 4 Volubilis, Meknes & Fez
• 5 Fez
• 6 Fez, Middle Atlas Mountains & Erfoud
• 7 Rissani & Full-Day Desert Excursion
• 8 Tinghir Oasis, Todra Gorge & Dadès Valley
• 9 Ouarzazate, Ait-Ben-Haddou & Marrakesh
• 10 Full-Day sightseeing in Marrakesh
• 11 Marrakesh
• Optional Excursion: Essaouira Full-Day Tour, $130
• 12 Return to USA

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Dates & Prices

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Depart USA

• Your journey to Morocco begins this evening as you depart from the USA

Day 2 Casablanca

• Upon arrival in Casablanca, following customs and immigration formalities, meet our representative and transfer to your hotel
• Enjoy a panoramic bus tour en route to dinner
• Join your fellow travelers for a welcome dinner with wine

Grand Mogador City Center Hotel or similar Dinner

Full Day Itinerary

Welcome to Casablanca, the modern heart of Morocco and home to the most popular gin joint in all the world's towns. After completing customs and immigration formalities, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. Though the city's reputation precedes it, Casablanca has much more to offer than just bars and lost love.

This evening, enjoy a panoramic bus tour en route to dinner through the business capital of Morocco. See the United Nations Place, the Habous Quarter, Notre Dame de Lourdes Cathedral, and the residential area of Anfa before strolling along the Aïn Diab coast, dotted with restaurants and cafes. Join your fellow travelers for a welcome dinner with wine at a typical Moroccan restaurant.

Day 3 Casablanca, Rabat & Fez

• Enjoy a guided tour of Casablanca, including the Great Hassan II Mosque
• Tour the imperial city of Rabat

Palais Ommeyad or similar Breakfast & dinner

Full Day Itinerary

After breakfast, depart for Fez, but not before discovering Casablanca's gems on a guided tour of the city, including a visit to the Great Hassan II Mosque.

 

Your journey continues to the white imperial city of Rabat. Drive through the palm-fringed boulevards of Morocco’s charming capital city, past the Hassan Tower (an unfinished minaret from 1199, at the time, intended to be the largest minaret in the largest mosque in the world), visit the Mohammed V Mausoleum to discover the tombs of former leaders, followed by a stroll in the beautiful Oudaya Kasbah and the old Ambassadors alley market. A Kasbah is a traditional Moroccan citadel where the local leader often lived. It would serve as a defense under attack and a community market and gathering place. You will encounter many beautiful Kasbahs during your time in Morocco!

 

Arrive in Fez and check in to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 Volubilis, Meknes & Fez

• Explore the Roman ruins of Volubilis
• Enjoy a visit to a local winery with a tasting
• Visit Meknes, the Moroccan Versailles
• Join a pottery workshop this afternoon

Palais Ommeyad or similar Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Full Day Itinerary

This morning, head out to explore the Roman ruins of Volubilis, one of Morocco's most well-preserved archaeological sites. See the Triumphal Arch, original mosaics, the thermal baths, and much more.

Continue to Meknes. Known as the Moroccan Versailles, this Imperial City was founded at the end of the 17th century by Moulay Ismail. Stand in awe of Bab Mansour, whose ornate calligraphy and Islamic patterns cover the horseshoe-shaped gate. Later, continue to Les Celliers de Meknes for a tour of the castles and wineries, followed by a wine tasting nestled in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, with its altitude, sunshine, and mild temperatures in the heart of wine production in Morocco.

Round out the day with a pottery workshop at a local ceramics factory!

Later this evening, enjoy dinner with your fellow travelers.

Day 5 Fez

• Enjoy a full day of touring in Fez
• Have lunch in the old city before enjoying a henna session
• Explore the Medina of Fez

Palais Ommeyad or similar Breakfast & lunch

Full Day Itinerary

After breakfast, enjoy a day of sightseeing in Fez, the country’s most ancient cultural and spiritual capital of Morocco. Experience one of the true highlights of any trip to Morocco: the medieval medina of Fez. The Medina Quarter is the old Arab section of many North African towns, often walled, with narrow labyrinthine streets. Walk under the ancient Arab arches and discover a new world of commerce and culture: dried fruits and nuts, colorful and aromatic spices, tangerines and fresh cuts of meat at the butcher, lights and textiles and genie lamps, maybe even the tanneries quarter, where they prep and dye leather in huge earthen vats of colored liquid.

Visit the Tanneries, the theological college of Medersa, the Karaouine Mosque, and the famous Nejjarine Fountain with its exquisite display of Moroccan tile craftsmanship. Stop for lunch in the heart of the old city and enjoy a henna session. A trip to Fez’s Medina is a treasure trove of photo ops and an experience you won’t soon forget.

Day 6 Fez, Middle Atlas Mountains & Erfoud

• Embark on a memorable scenic drive from Fez to Erfoud
• Along the way, travel through the Middle Atlas Mountains and the Ziz Valley

Kasbah Hotel Xaluca or similar Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Full Day Itinerary

After an early breakfast, depart for Erfoud on a fascinating drive through the Middle Atlas Mountains to Midelt, which will surely be a highlight. After lunch, travel through the scenic Ziz Valley. Following the Ziz River, towering rock formations sheltering populated palm oases and small sand-colored fortified towns will transport you back in time.

Upon arrival in Erfoud late afternoon, check in to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 7 Rissani & Full-Day Desert Excursion

• Spend the day journeying through the Sahara by 4x4 vehicles
• Visit an open-air market in Rissani
• Enjoy traditional mint tea and a dance performance at the Khamlia Village
• Go by camelback through the Sahara to admire the sunset over the dunes of Grand Erg Chebbi

Kasbah Hotel Xaluca or similar Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Full Day Itinerary

After breakfast, prepare for another Bucket List day in Morocco: your trip to the Sahara desert. Board your 4x4 Jeep, your special transportation for the day, and travel to Rissani, where you will visit a local open-air market specializing in dates. See the main gate of Rissani, the gardens of Moulay Ali Cherif Mosque, and explore Ksar Ouled Abd El Halim.

Visit a Bedouin tent and learn about their customs. See the abandoned mines of M’Ifis to know how fossils were found and mined. Next, proceed to the Khamlia Village, a desert community and gateway to the dunes where inhabitants live very much today the way they have for centuries. Enjoy a traditional mint tea (ubiquitous in Morocco) while watching an exceptional dance performance by the villagers. Stop at Tisserdmine, where scenes from the film Sahara were shot. Relax at an oasis during a homemade grilled lunch under the palm trees. Later, head to Hotel Tombouctou, where you can relax while awaiting the approaching sunset. While here, take a dip, relax at the poolside bar, or retreat to the indoor lounge.

Then comes the coup de gras of your journey. Continue to Grand Erg Chebbi (Desert of Dunes), where you will exchange jeeps for camels and ride intrepidly into the dunes to witness one of the most spectacular ends to earth’s daily second act: the desert sunset!  If available, for the adventurous, try camel milking and sample the fresh milk!

Return to your hotel in Erfoud for dinner and overnight.

Day 8 Tinghir Oasis, Todra Gorge & Dadès Valley

• Enjoy panoramic views of the stunning landscape on a scenic drive through the Dadès Valley
• See the desert oasis of Tinghir
• Marvel at the Todra Gorge canyon

Hotel Xaluca Dades or similar Breakfast & dinner

Full Day Itinerary

After breakfast, depart your hotel for the Dadès Valley. Enjoy a brief visit to a fossil factory and hear an explanation of the different types of fossils, how they are excavated, and how they are transformed into many decorative products, and have a chance to shop. Along the way, stop to learn about khettara, an ancient system of underground water irrigation. Next, follow the desolate but starkly beautiful Tinejdad road to Tinghir, a breathtaking red-stoned oasis rising from the arid valley floor. In the heart of the High Atlas Mountains and built around a rock outcrop, Tinghir welcomes traveling pilgrims with its floral gardens and ornate Kasbahs. Continue to the canyon of Todra Gorge, where the Dades River has carved out a narrow, flat, stony track, at times only 10 meters wide, through the towering cliffs. You'll have the opportunity to marvel at this natural wonder. 

After time for lunch, continue to Boumalne Dadès and check in to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 9 Ouarzazate, Ait-Ben-Haddou & Marrakesh

• Visit the Taourirt Kasbah in Ouarzazate
• Travel along the Thousand Kasbahs Road
• Visit the ruins of the ancient Ait-Ben-Haddou Kasbah

Radisson Blu or similar Breakfast & dinner

Full Day Itinerary

After an early breakfast, depart for Marrakesh. En route, stop in Kelaat M'Gouna, the Valley of the Roses, a colorful flower bejeweled valley and the country's most significant rose water and rose oil manufacturer. These decadent liquids are used worldwide for their antioxidant and anti-aging properties and to scent or flavor food and drink. Enjoy time shopping or enjoying coffee in a local café. Continue to Ouarzazate, passing by the Tifoultout Kasbah and visiting the Taourirt Kasbah. Travel along the Thousand Kasbahs Road, named appropriately for the stunning walled citadels along the way, to Ait-Ben-Haddou. After time for lunch, you'll have a chance to explore the ruins of this ancient citadel. Later today, arrive in Marrakesh.

Day 10 Full-Day sightseeing in Marrakesh

• Discover Marrakesh on a full day tour
• Explore the souks of Djemaâ El Fna

Radisson Blu or similar Breakfast

Full Day Itinerary

After breakfast, head out for your full-day exploration of Marrakesh, the second oldest imperial city in Morocco, known as the Pearl of the South. Visit the Menara gardens, established in the 12th century by an ancient dynasty. Then, stroll through the Mellah, the oldest Jewish area in Marrakesh. Visit the Berber Pharmacy, known for the best quality of spices, medicinal herbs, oils, essential oils, and perfumes. Later see the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, and the Koutoubia. This afternoon, experience another of Morocco’s quintessential traveler offerings: some time to wander through Marrakesh’s souks. Along the narrow, winding streets that open to the plaza of Djemaâ El Fna, witness the bustle, charm, and rhythm of everyday local life that makes Morocco, Morocco. Storytellers, snake charmers, fire-eaters, and seemingly everything under the sun for sale. The souks are one place where you can discover the real Morocco, and they won’t disappoint.

Day 11 Marrakesh

• Enjoy your final day in Morocco at leisure, or join an optional excursion
• Indulge in a farewell dinner with wine with your fellow travelers

Radisson Blu or similar Breakfast & dinner

Full Day Itinerary

Today is yours to explore Marrakesh at leisure. Or, join an optional tour to the seaside town of Essaouira.

This evening, join your fellow travelers for a farewell dinner with wine in a local restaurant.

Optional Excursion: Essaouira Full-Day Tour, $130

This morning, join an optional tour to Essaouira. En route, visit an Argan cooperative to see the production of Argan oil. Along the way, be on the lookout for tree-climbing goats on the boughs of the Argan trees! Later, arrive in Essaouira, a typical Portuguese harbor town with fine examples of both Moorish and Portuguese art. Essaouira is famous for its woodworking handicrafts, silver souk, art gallery, harbor, and islands.

Note: This excursion requires a minimum number of 4 passengers to operate.

Day 12 Return to USA

• This morning, transfer to the airport for your return flight
• Arrive in the USA later today

Breakfast

Hotels

Grand Mogador City Center Hotel

Deluxe

The Grand Mogador City Center Hotel is a luxury hotel conveniently located within walking distance of many attractions and a short drive to the city's beaches.

More information

Palais Ommeyad

Deluxe

The Palais Ommeyad is situated in the most lovely medina of the Arab world, Fez.  The Madarsa Bou Inania Ancient School is just a 10-minute drive away.  With Karaouiyne, Batha Square, the Royal Palace Fez, the Borj Fez Mall and other attractions close-by, guests are sure to find the area lovely.

More information

Kasbah Hotel Xaluca

First Class

The Kasbah Hotel Xaluca in Afroud is a unique hotel in Morocco because of its distinctive traditional Moroccan bricks and its unforgettable architecture. The Royal Palace of Erfoud, the Zerktouni Mosque, and Ziz Valley Overlook are some of the attractions in the area. 

More information

Hotel Xaluca Dades

First Class

Hotel Xaluca Dades is situated at 5,288 feet in the valley of the Majestic Atlas range. The hotel has a panoramic view of the Dades Valley and the impressive Altas Altas peaks. Just a short walk from the hotel is the Buomaine Dades Portico, Mosque, and Stadium. It is a mountain paradise.  

More information

Radisson Blu

Superior First Class

The Radisson Blu Hotel Marrakech Carre Eden is located in the heart of Marrakech. With plenty of restaurants, shopping, and entertainment in the area, each guest is sure to find something to do on their down time.

More information

In the unlikely event that a particular hotel is not available, a similar or better hotel may be substituted.

Reviews & Photos

Trip Details

• What should I know before I go? We've compiled a comprehensive checklist, including information on how to pay your balance due, flights & transfers, packing & luggage, and more.
• Do I need a visa or other documents? Are there any entry requirements? Please review the visa & entry requirements.
• Can I make changes to my trip? Want to upgrade your seats? Depart from another city? Stay a few extra days? Something else? Just ask!
• Can I bring my kids? Are there any age restrictions? To book this package, you must be 18 or older. Your traveling companions must be 8 or older at time of travel.
• Should I purchase travel insurance? Yes! We recommend you purchase travel insurance to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. For your convenience, we offer a plan provided by Travelex Insurance Services.
• What's the fine print? Review the terms & conditions for this package.
• What should I know about Morocco? Check out our guide for practical travel tips, the best time to go, videos, and more.