12-Day Tour from Casablanca to Merzouga

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12-Day Tour from Casablanca to Merzouga

Duration

12 days / 11 nights

Starting point

Casablanca

End point

Marrakech or Casablanca

Description

12-day tour from Casablanca to Merzouga: a complete journey through the imperial cities, the Sahara Desert and the Atlantic coast of Morocco. We offer this private tour with a driver and local guides, in comfortable 4×4 vehicles and minibuses, so you can discover Casablanca, Rabat, Meknes, Fez, the dunes of Merzouga, the Todra and Dades Gorges, Ait Ben Haddou, Marrakech and Essaouira at your own pace. At Vamos a Marrakech we will be happy to advise you before and during your trip.

Highlights

Tour itinerary

DAY 1: Casablanca – Rabat – Meknes

Today we will start with a pick-up from your hotel to visit the Hassan II Mosque before leaving for Rabat, the capital. In Rabat, we will visit the Royal Palace, the Chellah ruins, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the Hassan Tower.

Then we will leave for Meknes, where we will have dinner at a local restaurant overlooking the square in front of the Bab El Mansour gate. After dinner, we will retire to a local hotel.

DAY 2: Meknes – Volubilis – Fez

After breakfast in Meknes, we will take a city tour including El Hedim square, Bab Mansour (a huge gate leading to the old town and the Jewish quarter), the Royal Palace and the royal granaries. Then we will travel to Fez via Volubilis, where we will visit the Roman ruins, and Moulay Idriss, a holy town and place of pilgrimage where the founder of Morocco’s first dynasty is buried. We will continue to Fez, where we will spend the night.

DAY 3: Fez

We will spend the day exploring Morocco’s oldest imperial city, walking through its alleys and narrow streets. We will start at the gates of the Royal Palace and the Mellah, the first Jewish quarter built in Morocco, in the 15th century. We will visit the main historic and cultural sights, such as the famous Al Qaraouiyine university, one of the oldest in the world, the tanneries, the Attarine madrasa and the Mausoleum of Moulay Idriss. After lunch we will visit several craft cooperatives and enjoy a panoramic view of the whole medina before returning to the riad.

DAY 4: Fez – Ifrane – Azrou – Midelt – Merzouga

We will leave for Ifrane and Azrou, where we will stop to explore the cedar forest, home to the Barbary macaques. Then we will continue through Midelt and the Ziz Valley, with a short lunch stop in Erfoud, and on through Rissani to Merzouga. There we will swap the 4×4 for camels (optional) and, with an experienced guide, ride into the Erg Chebbi dunes. After about 90 minutes we will reach the camp, where we will enjoy the sunset over the dunes and dinner around a campfire. Night in Berber tents in the desert.

DAY 5: Khamlia – Merzouga – Rissani – Erg Chebbi

Today we will explore the region around the Erg Chebbi dunes. You will have the chance to learn about the nomadic way of life and the striking contrasts of the desert. We will visit the village of Khamlia to enjoy Gnaoua music and have a traditional Berber pizza for lunch in Rissani, the former capital of the region. In the afternoon we will ride camels to watch the sunset over the dunes and spend the night at the desert camp, with a traditional tagine dinner, mint tea and Berber music around the fire, under the Sahara stars.

DAY 6: Merzouga – Todra Gorges – Dades

We will get up early to watch the sunrise over the dunes and then go to a nearby hotel to freshen up. After breakfast, we will leave via Rissani and Tinghir for the Todra Gorges, one of the highest and narrowest canyons in Morocco. After lunch in the gorges, we will travel through the Dades Valley and see the curious rock formations known as «monkey fingers». Overnight in the Dades Valley, with dinner and breakfast included.

DAY 7: Dades Gorges – Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou – Marrakech

After breakfast, we will continue to Ouarzazate along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, with a stop in Kalaat M’Gouna, the heart of the Valley of Roses, famous for its annual rose festival. We will continue to the ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the setting for films such as Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator, and the series Game of Thrones. Then we will cross the Tizi n’Tichka pass to Marrakech, where we will spend the night.

DAY 8 AND DAY 9: Guided tour of Marrakech

Guided tour of Marrakech. You will visit the city’s main monuments and sights, such as Jemaa el-Fna square, the Koutoubia Mosque, the souks, the palaces and the museums. We will also visit other areas of the city, such as the Menara gardens, the Gueliz district and the Majorelle Garden.

DAY 10 AND DAY 11: Marrakech – Essaouira

After breakfast, we will leave Marrakech for the Atlantic coast, where Essaouira lies. In the afternoon we will check in to a local riad and then watch the sunset from the old city walls, an experience you cannot miss. In the evening we will enjoy a fresh fish dinner and a night walk through its calm and picturesque atmosphere. The next day you can explore ancient Mogador, the name the Portuguese gave it. Considered one of the most beautiful coastal towns on the Atlantic, its medina is a blue and white canvas surrounded by wide beaches and the old Portuguese-era citadel. We will spend two nights in a local riad.