9-Day Morocco Desert and Imperial Cities Tour from Casablanca

• Arrive at Casablanca airport and transfer to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, it may be possible to visit the Hassan II Mosque.

• Visit the Hassan II Mosque, then depart for Rabat.
• Visit the city of Rabat and its monuments: Kasbah Oudaya, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, and the Hassan Tower, then continue to Meknès.
• Arrive in Meknès, a city founded in the 17th century by Sultan Moulay Ismail.
• Today, we will visit the ruins of the Roman city of Volubilis, 27 km from Meknès, as well as the holy city of Moulay Idriss.
• Stop for lunch in Meknès and continue through the plains and farms of olives and grapes to reach Fes.

Overnight in a riad or hotel.

• Visit the Jewish Mellah. The Mellah is a Jewish quarter located in the old cities of Morocco within a walled boundary. The Fes Mellah is also walled and has a fortified gateway. These Jewish quarters were located near the royal residences, which enabled their inhabitants to be protected from the wrath of the Muslim populace. The Fes Mellah was once inhabited solely by Jews, and it was the first Mellah in Morocco, dating from 1438. In the early 14th century, it was founded by the Merinids beside Fes.
• Visit the Bou Inania Medersa. The Madrasa Bou Inania is a madrasa founded in AD 1351-56 by Abu Inan Faris, who also founded the Madrasa Bou Inania in Meknes. The madrasa functioned as both an educational institute and a congregational mosque at the same time. It is the only madrasa in Fes that has a minaret.
• See the Pottery and Zellij Tile Cooperative, where old techniques of zellij and pottery making are preserved. There is an option to participate in making zellij tiles or pottery. It is also a great place to shop for fabulous pottery, zellij-tiled tables, zellij fountains, and more.
• See the dyers' souk of silk, wool, and cotton. The dyers' market, located along Rue de Teinturies, is the best place to see the dyeing vats that have been used for centuries to soak the skins of sheep, goats, cows, and camels after their hair and flesh have been removed. You will see many tanned hides coloured with natural pigments in shades of brown, black, turquoise, fuchsia, yellow, and orange.
• See the tannery. The Chouara, or Tanner's Quarters, is the most lively and picturesque souk in Fès. The tanneries are often located near watercourses like the Wadi Fès and at a distance from residential areas because of the intensely unpleasant smells they produce. See the vast array of leatherwork, a tradition of Fes.

• From Fes, we will go to Ifrane, known as the small African Switzerland. On the way out of Ifrane toward Midelt, we will stop in the famous cedar forests of the Middle Atlas, where one of the last communities of Barbary monkeys lives, a species of macaque that can only be seen here and in Gibraltar.
• We will then head toward the impressive Ziz Valley, passing through calcareous stone gorges lined with tall date palms and mixed with constructions of adobe houses.
• In the afternoon, we will continue on the road to Merzouga until we reach the great Erg Chebbi.
• There, we will leave the 4x4 and ride dromedaries into the heart of the desert, where we will spend the night in a Berber tent.

• In the morning, we will return to the hotel by camel to shower and have breakfast, then leave for Ouzina.
• We will cross the famous track of the Paris-Dakar Rally. On the way, we will pass through different Berber villages, meet nomads in their tents, and drink tea with them to learn about their culture and customs.
• We will also visit the town of enslaved people originally from Sudan and enjoy a moment of Gnawa music performed there.
• Then continue to the village of Rissani, the capital of the Tafilalet region, where we will walk through the animal market and its souk. We will also visit the mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif, the founder of the Alaouite dynasty.
• We will explore the souks and enjoy a Berber pizza in a local restaurant.
• In the afternoon, we will drive back to Merzouga and check in to your hotel for a pleasant and peaceful stay. Dinner and accommodation.

• After breakfast, we will continue our route toward Boumalne Dades and the Gorges of Dades.
• We will drive through the Ziz Valley until we reach Erfoud to visit the fossil quarry and see how fossils are transformed into real works of art, tables, and other pieces.
• We continue the trip to Todra Gorges to visit the great canyons and take photos from the panoramic viewpoints over the oases.
• We will stop for lunch in a local restaurant and then continue to the Gorges of Dades, where we will spend the night.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• In the morning, we will go to the famous Gorges of Dades. During our tour, we will see landscapes of singular beauty, where the Dades River feeds a series of green oases. The valley narrows, giving way to a thick series of calcareous blocks with vertiginous walls - the Gorges of Dades - a pleasure for the eyes.
• We will continue driving for about 12 km.
• We will take an off-road route through the mountain of Amgoun, the Valley of the Roses, and the palm grove of Skoura with its kasbahs.
• In Ouarzazate, we will stop to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, listed since 1987, and the place where many famous movies were shot, such as Gladiator, Heaven, Lawrence of Arabia, Alexander, and Kingdom of Heaven.
• After lunch, we will continue to Marrakech through the Tichka Pass, 2260 m high, and enjoy the landscapes of Berber villages settled in the foothills of the mountains.
• Arrive in Marrakech in the afternoon and transfer to the hotel.

• After breakfast, we will visit the city, full of places with unusual architectural and cultural value. The famous, exotic, and frenetic Jemaa El Fna Square was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• You will visit the Bahia Palace and Saadian Tombs. Then, you will stop for lunch and continue to the Berber markets and the souks to discover how the artisans work and explore the lifestyle of the people of Marrakech.

Night in the same hotel.

• We will transfer to the airport and end the trip at the agreed time.