11-Day Morocco Cultural Tour with Sahara Camp and Marrakech Balloon

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Day 01

Arrival in Casablanca and Hassan II Mosque

• After your tour guide/driver picks you up and drops you off at your hotel, you may like to discover some of Casablanca's sights.
• Visit the Hassan II Mosque, considered the largest in North Africa and the third-largest in the Islamic world, with its splendid esplanade and the tallest minaret in the world. It is a vast reach of marble and emerald zellige rising 210 meters into the sky. Grand and timeless, the Great Mosque is constantly busy and serves as a meeting point for Sunday strolls.

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Day 02

Casablanca, Rabat, and Chefchaouen

• If time did not allow you to visit Casablanca's sights yesterday, you must do so this morning.
• After that, Morocco's political and administrative capital awaits - Rabat. It may be short on top-drawer tourist attractions, but it compensates with plenty of charm.
• You will have the opportunity to explore the city on a short visit, beginning with the monumental Hassan Tower, where the pillared stumps of its mosque are all that remain after the earthquake of 1755. There is also the nearby Mausoleum of the royal family.
• Continue north to Chefchaouen with its bright blue, Andalusian-tiled medina and its grand red-hued Kasbah overlooking the main square of Outa Hamam.

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Day 03

Chefchaouen to Fes

• You will have a free morning to discover Chefchaouen, a city perched beneath the raw peaks of the Rif Mountains. The Blue Town has a mystical blue-washed medina, indeed the prettiest and the smallest compared to others in the country. The town remained isolated, preserving its Andalusian architectural character. Chefchaouen is undoubtedly a place to enjoy exploring at random.
• Later, your driver/tour guide will pick you up and head south to Fes, where you can prepare for tomorrow's amazing tour through the mysteries and secrets of the 9000 alleyways that make it a maze. The guide will show you all the must-see sites.

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Day 04

Fes Medina Walking Tour and Sefrou

• With your private Fes-born-and-bred guide, you will have the opportunity to discover the ancient breeding ground for scholars and artisans and the largest medina in the world.
• Following that, you will see the America Fondouk, Nejjarines, the Tanneries, the Medersa (theological college), and Karaouine, the first established university in the world. Your guide will shed light on many tales and 1200 years of history in this UNESCO-protected medina.
• When you finish your visit to the medina, we will drive you out of Fes to enjoy delicious house-made food at Lalla Fatiha's place in Sefrou.

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Day 05

Fes to Merzouga via Ifrane, Midelt, and Ziz Valley

• We leave the amazing medina of Fes, with its mysteries and secrets hidden in 9000 alleyways, and head southeast towards Merzouga, the gateway to the golden dunes of the Sahara Desert. An early-morning start is recommended for this day.
• En route, we will pass through the cedar forests of Ifrane, the Switzerland of Morocco, where you might think you are in the Alps. If we are lucky, we will come across the Barbary macaques on our way to Midelt, where we will stop for lunch.
• After eating, we drive through the Middle Atlas Mountains to reach the Ziz Valley, considered one of the largest date-producing oases in Morocco. Then it is off to Merzouga, home to the highest dunes in Morocco. You can store any baggage while packing an overnight bag to bring along. You will have the chance to be accompanied by a camel and a blue-turban-robed guide into the sandy seas.
• After an hour-long camel ride, you will be among the lucky ones to watch the sunset over the Sahara dunes and spend the night in a Bedouin-style tent.

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Day 06

Merzouga, Erfoud, Todgha Gorge, and Dades Gorges

• This morning, you will wake up with the sun shining on your face to witness what we hope will be a glorious sunrise among the dunes. Watch the light creep slowly down the dunes and draw the world around you out from the warmth of heavy blankets for an early breakfast.
• After an hour-long camel ride out of the desert, you will depart for Erfoud, where you can marvel at the million-year-old fossils for which the area is famous.
• Then head north for a sublime experience in the Todgha Gorges, where you will find yourself surrounded by gigantic rock walls. Arrive at Dades Gorges, a rust-red and mauve mountain landscape. A series of crumbling kasbahs and ksours line the valley in the Berber villages all the way to the Monkey Fingers Mountains.
• If we get there early and you still have enough energy to hike for a couple of hours, we will drop off your luggage at the hotel and get ready for the hike.

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Day 07

Dades Gorges to Marrakech via Aït Benhaddou and the Atlas Mountains

• Leave Dades at 8:00 am, traversing the Valley of Roses and heading straight to the 11th-century UNESCO-protected red mud-brick ksar, which has formed the backdrop for many Hollywood productions such as Lawrence of Arabia, Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus of Nazareth, Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and many others.
• Explore Ouarzazate, home to Taourirt Kasbah and the Ouallywood studio.
• Wind through the memorable Tizi n'Tichka Pass, beneath North Africa's highest peaks in the High Atlas Mountains, with Berber villages lining the road, before arriving in Marrakech. Here, you will have time to explore the crazed cacophony of musicians, snake charmers, and vendors in the famous open-air Jemaa el-Fnaa square, along with other highly recommended sites with your guide.

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Day 08

Marrakech City Tour and Hot Air Balloon Ride

• Be ready, as your driver will pick you up early in the morning to catch the hot air balloon ride for nearly an hour over the Red City of Marrakech. Enjoy the breathtaking views of the High Atlas Mountains in the background and watch the sunrise over red dust, palm groves, and majestic open landscapes from the sky.
• Embark on an exploration of the Red City from its old quarter, where the medina's skinny lanes lead to great sites, tombs, and religious monuments decked out in marble. Bahia Palace, El Badi Palace, and the Saadian Tombs will be your targets.
• Afterwards, your driver/tour guide will pick you up for the outside-medina visit to explore the Majorelle Garden, Museum Saint Laurent, and the Berber Museum.
• While in Marrakech, you will undoubtedly encounter thousands of motorcyclists and horse carts roaming the city, some of them pulling over next to the vast square of Jemaa el-Fnaa, where every night musicians, acrobats, storytellers, and slapstick acting troupes tap into the medina's frenetic pulse.

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Day 09

Marrakech to Essaouira

• After breakfast at the riad, you will be picked up by your driver/tour guide around 08:00 am and head to Essaouira.
• Along the road, we will have the chance to see the tree goats' phenomenon before giving you enough time to explore Jimi Hendrix's town. You are free to roam the city, which once was - and still is - a haven for hippie backpackers and Gnawa musicians. You can book a local guide; if not, you can begin your visit at the ramparts, a series of forts built in the 15th century around the medina of Mogador.
• Inside the medina, you will have the chance to visit the Mellah (former Jewish quarter) and Morocco's third fishing port, where you can enjoy a delicious fish meal. For sports-oriented travellers, Essaouira is also a place with fine windsurfing and kitesurfing schools.

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Day 10

Essaouira, El Jadida, and Casablanca

• Around 08:00 am, you will head north to the 15th-century Portuguese fortified city of Mazagan, now known as El Jadida and nicknamed the Deauville of Morocco.
• Explore its Portuguese structures, fortified ramparts, and the defence system surrounding the medina, which extends out into the sea and evokes the city's history. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Drive north to Casablanca, where you will spend your last night in Morocco before leaving.

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Day 11

Departure from Casablanca

• Your trip comes to an end, and we have to say "see you again" instead of "goodbye." We hope you have spent one of your best and most unforgettable tours with us.