9 days 8 nights Morocco History and Culture Tour from Casablanca

After breakfast in your hotel in Rabat - the capital of Morocco - you will see the Hassan Tower and the Oudaya Kasbah . Then we will drive to Chefchaouen via the city of Asilah. Most of the drive will be by the coast. Our first stop will be in Asilah, where you will have the opportunity to explore the city. Asilah is known for its annual festival for the art - most of the walls of the Medina are painted by various famous artists from all over the world. Your visit includes the Skalla fortress, where you will experience a wonderful view of the Medina and the ocean. If time permits, you will have a drive through Tangier to get a feel of the city. Afterwards you will continue over the foothills of the Rif Mountains to Chefchaouen. Overnight in a traditional Moroccan riad.

After breakfast in your riad, you will start exploring Chefchaouen "The blue city of Morocco". Situated at the footstep of 2 higher mountains, Chefchaouen is a beautiful unique city, with its white washed walls and blue doors and windows. Unlike many parts of Morocco, Chefchaouen was occupied by Spain; therefore there is much influence from Spanish civilization and Moorish architecture .After that we will drive to Fes via Ouazzan and the Roman site of Volubilis. After a couple of hours drive, you will get to Volubilis, the well preserved Roman empire dating to 225 BC, where you will see the most beautiful Mosaics in Morocco dating back to 3rd century BC. Here you will have a guided tour of the site and learn a lot about the Roman Empire. After that we traveled to Meknes, the Ismaili capital of Morocco. In Meknes we see the fascinating gate Bab Mansour built by the sultan My Ismail; the granary and the Sahrij Souani, used for irrigation and plantation. Your visit also includes the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail. We then continue via the highway to Fes. Overnight accommodation at a fancy riad in the medina.

After breakfast in your riad, you will start exploring Fes the "the Spiritual City of Morocco''. You will spend the whole morning exploring Medina and its alleys; visiting most of the sites with cultural and historical interest - including the famous Al Karaouine Mosque and University (the oldest in the world), the Medersa Bouanania, the Tanneries and the Najjarine fountain. After lunch, we will drive you outside the Medina to see the Royal Palace gate, walk through the Jewish quarter "the Mellah", and then visit the pottery cooperative. In the afternoon, we will drive you to one of the fortresses to experience an amazing panoramic view of the whole Medina of Fes. Overnight accommodation at the same riad .

After breakfast in your riad, you'll start travelling southeast to Merzouga via Midelt and Errachidia. Your first stop will be at Ifran, referred to as "the Switzerland of Morocco", and then to Merzouga via Midlet and the Ziz Valley. During this journey you'll experience glimpses of the Middle Atlas and Higher Atlas mountains. Stopping at the famous cedar forest - the largest in Morocco – where you may well sight Barbarian apes. You'll notice how the scenery changes to reveal hints of the desert as you approach the city Er Rachidia. After lunch in Midelt, your journey continues along the luxuriant Ziz Valley, stopping for panoramic views along the way. We will drive through welcoming Berber villages to Erfoud, and then Rissani, the foundation of the Alaouite dynasty - the current ruling royal family in Morocco. Arriving in Merzouga at the end of the day, you'll be welcomed with a glass of mint tea, then you will start your guided camel ride, led by an experienced camel man to explore within the sand sea of Merzouga  . We will arrive at the berber tents, have some time to relax, drink berber tea with nomads at the camp, enjoy the sandboarding in the dunes, and go over to the dunes to watch the sunset. Dinner will be at the camp, followed by music around the campfire. Overnight in the berber tent.

If we wake up early enough, we can watch the spectacle of sunrise in the desert, when the colour of the dunes combine with the play of shadows to make an awesome sight. After breakfast we will leave for Tinghir and Todra Gorges for lunch. The road passes through Tinejdad and the Todra Valley. This stunning area affords plenty of opportunities to walk, such as along the river through the gardens or up the road on the other side of the gorge. Later, we will continue to the Dades Valley and the Dades Gorges before spending the night in a hotel.

After breakfast,. we will drive through the villages of this charming area,. passing fields cultivated by the Berber women,. with the peaks of the High Atlas as a fitting backdrop. Our journey will then continue toward Ouarzazate,. along the Valley of the Roses,. famous for its Rose Festival in May, and past the Kasbahs of Skoura oasis. Then to Ouarzazate,. known as Hollywood of Morocco, we will visit the cinematographic museum, then the Ait Benhaddou Kasbah, a World Heritage site and the backdrop to many Hollywood blockbusters, this is the most famous kasbah in Morocco. From here, the highest pass in Africa, Tizi n’Tichka, was controlled. In the late afternoon we will arrive in Marrakech.

Take a full day guided city tour of Marrakech, be- ginning with the world-famous Jemaa el Fna Square, which houses an array of food, snake charmers, local musicians, and fortune-tellers. Next, visit the Koutoubia Minaret, Bahia Palace, and the Saadian Tombs, lunch at the hotel, and an afternoon tour of Medina . Dinner and overnight.

we will transfer you to Casablanca's airport for your flight back home.