12-Day Morocco Highlights Tour from Casablanca with Sahara Camp

• Welcome to Casablanca. Upon touchdown, your representative will facilitate your transfer to the hotel from the airport. Loosen up and relax until you meet the tour leader at 6 pm.
• After getting the inside story on what the tour entails, settle in with first impressions and some Moroccan fare at your welcome dinner.

• Start the day by delving into the highlights of Casablanca, capped by the spectacular Hassan II Mosque riding the edges of ocean waves, encased in intricate carvings, and boasting the tallest minaret in the world.
• Head for Rabat thereafter, and lose yourself in the winding alleys of Kasbah des Oudayas, marked by blue-streaked houses, cobbled pathways, and a fusion of the old order and the new.
• Try some mint tea as you progress along these hidden quarters until you find yourself gazing at the striking 12th-century Hassan Tower and its premises, along with the unique mausoleums of Mohammed V and Hassan II.
• As the day stretches into late afternoon, drive onward to Meknes, where you'll be spending the night.

• Get a load of history today as you walk upon the cobbled streets of Meknes, stopping occasionally to contemplate its highlights, including the grand imperial gate of Bab Mansour, the royal granary, and, of course, the old Medina that meanders its way into the Jewish quarters.
• Visit the 18th-century mausoleum of the city's founder, then dig even deeper into the past as you make your way to Volubilis, the ancient Roman city now marked by ruins and beautiful mosaics that ornament some of the houses that remain a little less marred by time than others.
• After flitting between the ruins here, hunker down for a four-hour drive to Chefchaouen.

• Spend the morning wandering through the Medina of Chefchaouen among the soft blues and whites that brush the walls and the red-tiled roofs of the houses there. Learn more about the Andalusian influences that characterise the area while you pass time at Plaza Uta El Hamman, where the cobbled streets stretch sideways to support cafes, restaurants, and souks that display a distinctly Arabic ambience.
• Take a walk around the old Kasbah, and later in the afternoon, head onward towards Fes, where a delightful Pastilla dinner awaits you at a local Riad.

• Step into the land of Fes el Bali, or the Old City, this morning, where the true Arabian character spoken of in fables and legends resides - traders, artisans, tanneries, souks, and mosques all meshed together in a hive of activity, occasionally punctuated by the muezzin's call to prayer.
• Caper through the afternoon as you visit some of the most famous sites, including a delectable 18th-century caravanserai, and recall the stories of a medieval past.
• Uncover more of Fes' past as well as present, and finally round off your tour by visiting the Marinid Tombs, under whose gaze the old city lies splayed and resplendent.

• Enter a change of scenery, atmosphere, and space as you leave the frenzied pulse of Fes and drop anchor at Midelt, a relatively small town squeezed between the Middle Atlas and High Atlas mountain ranges.
• Almost entirely populated by the Berber people, make the best of an opportunity to interact with them this afternoon as you embark on a soft hike, passing through tiny villages with Ayachi Mountain keeping a constant vigil over your progress.

• Spend a lazy morning exploring more of Midelt if the vastness of the landscape here made an impression on you. In that case, there's more on the cards today as you drive to the Erg Chebbi desert in the afternoon and prepare for that quintessential Moroccan adventure - a camel ride among the golden dunes.
• Watch the sand here move, shift, and wear the hourly change of light like an attire and, when the day is done, camp in the desert itself, Bedouin-style.

Note: You will be taking only a daypack with the barest essentials for the camel safari. The rest of your luggage will be kept at a Riad in Merzouga village and can be collected the next morning.

• Rise early to catch the sun spreading itself, stealthy and crimson, over Erg Chebbi, then make your way to Merzouga village for breakfast.
• Enjoy some food here at the Riad, trace your way to Khamila village to learn about the Gnawa tribe and their cultural practices, then chart the limestone expanse of the Dades and Todra Gorges, where brick-red cliffs - some as high as 150 metres - scramble to reach the skies.

• Strike for Ait Benhaddou this morning and tag along with your tour leader as they lead you to the Skoura Oasis, surrounded by date palm, almond, fig, and olive trees that lend a spot of colour to the rust-red tone of the region.
• Take a walk along its most famous Kasbah, the Amridil, which preserves both tradition and the day-to-day articles employed during the 18th century.
• Drag yourself away from this treasure trove and then drive to Ait Benhaddou. Continue your process of discovery as you walk along and inside the Ksar (fortified wall), snaking your way through its most iconic sights to finally crest a hill and take in the sensational views of the surrounding areas.

• Leaving Ait Benhaddou, drive for approximately an hour and a half to arrive at the gates of a place that epitomises and even fuels the worldview of Morocco. If all the medinas you've visited whetted your appetite for more, the one in Marrakesh is worth the visit. Hold on to your horses, though, before letting yourself loose on Marrakesh.
• Tag along with your tour leader for an orientation walk to test the waters, learn the ropes a bit, and then discover the place at your own pace. The rest of the day is free, but make sure you take recommendations from your tour leader, who'll be happy to oblige.

• Grab your bikes this morning and weave your way through the highlights of Marrakesh. Negotiate your way through the mazes of the old Medina and end up at Djemaa El Fna. In this central square, humanity occupies centre stage, displaying wares and occupations as numerous as the warp and weft fitted into the designs of hand-woven carpets - dancers doing a neat pirouette, contortionists bending their backs, snake charmers thrusting out their wriggly companions with nonchalance, and potion sellers vending elixirs of purported empirical formulas.
• Pedal across to a public bakery and a public bath next, catch some of the city highlights such as the Adgal Gardens, the 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque, and the Kasbah, and even sneak up on some of the lesser-known areas in the vicinity.
• Take a break at a local café, jump headlong into an enormous hand-me-down goods market, and cap it off with a visit to the 17th-century mausoleum of Zaouia de Sidi Bel Abbès, the city's Sufi saint. The tour doesn't end here.
• Follow the food trail after you're done with the sights, stepping into hidden corners and sampling some of the tastiest Moroccan msemen pancakes and sfenj doughnuts at this café, or chewing on some juicy tanjia at that stall. Get the taste buds crackling throughout the afternoon and, if you're still up for it, grab a rooftop dinner to bring the tour to an end.

• It's time now to bid farewell to your tour leader and new friends, but not without a backpack full of memories.
• Check-out time in most hotels is 12 pm. Please confirm with your tour leader or the hotel reception.