11-Day Morocco Journey from Casablanca to Essaouira via Sahara

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Day 01

Arrival in Casablanca and Hassan II Mosque

• Your meeting point depends on your landing time.
• After your tour guide or driver picks you up and drops you off at your hotel, you may like to discover some of Casablanca's sights.
• Notably, 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 long 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 we are done with Casa, Morocco's political and administrative capital will be waiting. Rabat 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 sojourn, first through the monumental Hassan Tower, with the pillared stumps of its mosque being all that remains from the earthquake of 1755.
• There is also the nearby Mausoleum of the royal family.
• Head further north to Chefchaouen, with its bright blue, Andalusian-tiled medina and its grand red-hued Kasbah lording over the main square of Outa Hmam.

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Day 03

Chefchaouen to Volubilis, Meknes, and Fes

• Rise early to snap photos of the people-less streets before leaving for Fes.
• Stop along the way at the UNESCO-protected Volubilis ruins, the Romans' farthest reach in Africa.
• Wander the complex, exploring merchant homes with still-intact heating systems, temples, and many mosaics in situ.
• Continue on to Meknes, the smaller and less busy version of Fes, for an introduction to your second historic imperial city.
• The two main points of interest are the Ville Impériale (Imperial City) and the medina.
• Be sure to visit the Bab al-Mansour gate, the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, and the Royal Stables.
• Continue east to your third imperial city, Fes.
• With its impressively large and somewhat confusing old medina, Fes is a city worth getting lost in.
• Before venturing into the medina, drive up the hill to visit the Merenid Tombs, located just north of the city, and enjoy the all-encompassing view of historic Fes and the surrounding area.
• Descend the hill and find your way to your riad, a traditional Moroccan house with an interior garden, where you can enjoy a delicious meal and relax for the evening.

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Day 04

Guided Discovery of Fes Medina and Sefrou

• Do not panic; the guide will show you the must-see sites.
• 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.
• 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

• An early-morning start is recommended for this day.
• We leave the amazing medina of Fes, with its mysteries and secrets of the 9000 alleyways, heading southeast towards Merzouga and the gateway into the golden dunes of the Sahara Desert.
• En route, we will pass by the cedar forests of Ifrane, the Switzerland of Morocco, where you might think that 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 producers of oasis dates 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 sun set over the Sahara dunes and spend a night in a Bedouin-style tent.

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Day 06

Merzouga Sunrise, Erfoud, Todgha Gorge, and Dades

• 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, watching the light creep slowly down the dunes and pull the world around you out from its warmth-heavy mound of blankets for an early breakfast.
• After an hour-long camel ride back out of the desert, you will depart and head 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 we will be surrounded by gigantic rock walls.
• Arrive at Dades Gorges, a landscape of rust-red and mauve mountains. 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 our luggage at the hotel.

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Day 07

Dades Valley, Ouarzazate, Tizi n'Tichka, and Marrakech

• You leave Dades at 8:00 am, traversing the Valley of Roses and Dades straight to the 11th-century UNESCO-protected red mud-brick ksar, which has formed the backdrop for many Hollywood movie productions such as Lawrence of Arabia, Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus of Nazareth, Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and many others.
• You might also like to explore Ouarzazate, home to Taourirt Kasbah and the "Ouallywood" studio.
• Wind up the memorable Tizi n'Tichka pass through the High Atlas Mountains, with Berber villages lined beside the road, to arrive in Marrakech.
• In Marrakech, you will have a day-long opportunity to explore the crazed cacophony of musicians, snake charmers, and vendors in the famed open-air Jemaa el-Fnaa square, along with other highly recommended sites with your guide.

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Day 08

Marrakech Medina and Jemaa el-Fnaa

• You leave Dades at 8:00 am, traversing the Valley of Roses and Dades straight to the 11th-century UNESCO-protected red mud-brick ksar, which has formed the backdrop for many Hollywood movie productions such as Lawrence of Arabia, Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus of Nazareth, Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and many others.
• You might also like to explore Ouarzazate, home to Taourirt Kasbah and the "Ouallywood" studio.
• Wind up the memorable Tizi n'Tichka pass through the High Atlas Mountains, with Berber villages lined beside the road, to arrive in Marrakech.
• In Marrakech, you will have a day-long opportunity to explore the crazed cacophony of musicians, snake charmers, and vendors in the famed open-air Jemaa el-Fnaa square, along with other highly recommended sites with your guide.

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Day 09

Day Trip to Essaouira

• After having 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 having enough time to explore Jimi Hendrix's town.
• You are free to roam in the city that once was, and still is, a haven for hippie backpackers and Gnawa musicians.
• You can book a local guide. If not, you can start 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, the former Jewish quarter, and Morocco's third fishing port, where you can enjoy a delicious fish meal.
• For sports-oriented travelers, Essaouira is also a place for fine windsurfing and kitesurfing schools.

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Day 10

Essaouira to El-Jadida and Casablanca

• Around 8:00 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."
• Its Portuguese structures, fortified ramparts, and system of defenses surrounding the medina, which advances out into the sea, all evoke the city's past history. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is an impressive testimony to Portuguese architecture in an ancient coastal town.
• Continue driving north to Casablanca, where you will spend your last night in Morocco before leaving.

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Day 11

Departure from Casablanca

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