12 Days Morocco Desert Tour From Casablanca To Marrakech, Trip 12 Days Imperial Cities and Desert, 12 Days 11 Nights Tour in Morocco
Pick up in Casablanca at the agreed time (riad / hotel or airport). Before starting our route to Rabat, we will visit the spectacular Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, the only mosque in Morocco open to non-Muslims. We will be amazed by its immensity, since it is the second largest mosque in the Islamic world, after Mecca in Saudi Arabia and its 200-meter minaret, the highest in the world. We will continue our tour to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Once we reach Rabat, we will visit the old Medina, the Hassan Tower, the Mohamed V Mausoleum, the Kasbah of Oudayas and the Royal Palace. Accommodation in riad / hotel in Rabat.
After breakfast, guided tour of Meknes including El Hdim square, Bab El Mansour, the huge gate that is the entrance to the old city and the Jewish quarter, the royal granaries and the city wall. You will then leave through Volubilis, the Roman ruins and Moulay Idriss, the holy city. We will continue to Fez. Dinner and accommodation in a traditional riad.
After breakfast we will continue our tour towards Fez. En route we will visit the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Volubilis, (Walili is pronounced in Arabic), declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1997. We will be able to admire the beauty of the Caracalla Arch, the Temple of Jupiter, the Baths , the Mosaics ... Later we will head towards Meknes, the most modest and calmest of the four Imperial Cities of Morocco, where in the 17th century Mulay Ismail established the capital of the country. We can admire the beauty of the Bab-el-Mansour gate, icon of the city and located at one end of el-Hedim square. Arrival in Fez, the spiritual and cultural capital of Morocco. Transfer to the riad. Dinner and accommodation in a riad in Fez.
After breakfast, departure towards the Merzouga desert, via Ifrane, known as "Moroccan Switzerland" for the architecture of its houses. En route we will pass through Azrou, one of the most famous Berber cities in Morocco and cross the Cedar Forest. We will continue our route through the Ziz Valley and Tafilalet. In the afternoon we will deviate by track to the Erg Chebbi dunes (Merzouga desert) to change the 4x4 by dromedaries to cross the dunes of the Sahara desert for a couple of hours, enjoying a beautiful sunset until we reach the camp. There, a typical Berber dinner will await us and we can enjoy the unforgettable experience of peace, silence, stars, darkness, moonlight, and the solitude of the Merzouga desert. Possibility of sandboarding (down the dunes with boards). Accommodation in Haima Berber in the desert of Merzouga.
Today we are going to explore the desert and the wonder that is the Erg Chebbi desert dunes. We are going to make a circuit of the desert dunes, where you will have the opportunity to see the way of life of the nomads and the amazing contrasts of the desert. We are going to visit the "black town" of Khamlia to see the Gnawa musicians. We will have a traditional Berber pizza for lunch in the old capital of Rissani. In the afternoon we will ride the camels to watch the sunset over the dunes and spend the night in the desert camp. We will have a traditional tagine dinner, drink a delicious mint tea, listen to traditional Berber music looking at the stars and the crescent moon in the impressive Sahara desert.
We will get up very early to enjoy the sunrise over the dunes in the Merzouga desert, where we will contemplate the sunrise, an image that we can hardly forget. Do not forget to try the sensation of walking barefoot on the fine sand of the desert… After a good breakfast and a shower, we will leave Merzouga to head towards the town of Khamlia, originally from Mali and also called “town of blacks”. We will have a cup of tea while enjoying a small concert of Gnawa music. We will take a tour of the Erg Chebbi dunes in 4 × 4, an extension of the sand desert where the Great Dune of Morocco is located, over 150 meters high, connecting by track with part of the route followed by the old Paris- Dakar and the mountains that border Algeria in the background. We will make a stop at a panoramic point where we can contemplate the Erg Chebbi as a whole. We will visit a nomadic family and we will be able to talk with them about their way of life. Return to Merzouga and transfer to the hotel. Dinner and hotel accommodation in Merzouga.
After breakfast we will leave Merzouga and head towards Rissani, where the current Alaoui dynasty was born and which currently houses one of the most important markets in the country (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday). En route, we will see the Tafilalet oasis, with the largest palm grove in the world. We will continue towards Alnif (more desert landscape), the oasis of Tazzarine and Nkob (a central oasis producing henna), crossing the Draa Valley, one of the longest rivers in Morocco and passing through the Berber village of Agdz, agricultural population with magnificent kasbahs. We will make different stops to contemplate the charming adobe kasbahs and Berber villages that dot the route and the interesting geological formations of the valley. Lunch en route (not included). We will arrive in Ouarzazate "the Hollywood of the desert" in the afternoon, where, if you feel like it, we will visit the kasbah of Taourirt, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, where inside its towers and walls we can see the mix between religion Islamic and Jewish. If you wish and you give us time, you will also have the opportunity to visit the Atlas Studios, the most important film studios in Morocco. Dinner and accommodation in riad in Ouarzazate.
After breakfast we will visit the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, declared by Unesco a World Heritage Site. Located on a hill on the bank of the Ounila river, on the old caravan road between the Sahara and Marrakech, Ait Ben Haddou shows a spectacular clay and stone town with buildings surrounded by great walls, an aspect that makes it one of the most beautiful corners of Morocco. To highlight his recognition in the cinematographic field for the making of films and series such as Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, The Mummy, Game of Thrones ... Lunch (not included). We will continue along the track that will take us to the kasbah of Telouet, an old kasbah Glaoui, at 1,650 meters of altitude and only 136 km from Marrakech. We will find several rooms but the most impressive is the room that was the palace, where we can take magnificent photos with an impressive view from its windows of the town of Telouet and the Atlas. We will continue our route passing through Berber villages and we will arrive at the beautiful fishing village, Essaouira, in the afternoon. Accommodation in a riad in Essaouira.
Breakfast in the riad. Free day in Essaouira, to explore the medina, swim on the beach, eat in one of the port's fish restaurants ... Enjoy the contrast of the medina with the blue sea and rest from the hustle and bustle of big cities. Accommodation in a riad in Essaouira.
Breakfast in the riad. We will continue our tour towards Marrakech. Arrival scheduled before lunch. After settling in the beautiful riad you will have free time. We advise you to enjoy a beautiful sunset at the top of one of the terraces of the restaurants in the Jma el Fna square. Accommodation in a riad in Marrakech.
Breakfast in the riad. Free day to discover “the red city” on your own or to hire a visit with an official Spanish-speaking guide. We recommend visiting the Bahia Palace, the Saadies Tombs, the Koutoubia, the Jmaa el Fna square, the Jewish quarter, the Medersa Ben Youssef, etc. During your trip planning we will tell you curiosities and essential visits that you cannot miss ... Accommodation in a riad in Marrakech.
Breakfast in the riad. Free time to make the last purchases. At the agreed time, transfer to the Marrakech airport to take the flight back home.
The routes that we present to you, the result of a long experience traveling through the country of the Berber world and its customs and cultures, collects the most characteristic of its geography, Mountains, cedar forests, the Rif mountain range, deserts, beaches, palm groves and their oases, the presence of the old border fortifications "Kasbas".
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