10-Day desert tour from Marrakech

Itinerary: 10-Day desert tour from Marrakech

Day 1: Marrakech airport

Arrival in the imperial city of Marrakech. Assistance and transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 2: Explore Marrakech

Half board at the hotel. Visit to the city of Marrakech, the “Gateway to the South”. The visit begins with the Menara Gardens, the centrepiece of which is a twelfth century pond. The majestic Qutubiya Minaret, a visit to the Saadian tombs. The visit ends at Jamaa el-Fna (People’s Assembly), declared a World Heritage Site. In the morning, vendors sell fresh orange juice, fruit, wicker baskets, souvenirs and sweets. It becomes particularly enchanting in the evening when the square is lit by thousands of lights and everything looks magical.

Day 3 – Marrakech – Settat – Casablanca

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning at leisure in the city of Marrakech. In the afternoon transfer to Settat via Casablanca. Probably the city with the most cinematic appeal; how can one not remember the legendary film with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in the lead roles. Dinner and an overnight stay in a hotel.

Day 4 – Casablanca – Rabat – Meknes – Fez

Breakfast and city tour, starting on Corniche Avenue; walk and continue along the coastal road to Anfa, passing the Grand Mosque of Hassan II. The most representative monument of the 20th century. You can also visit the interior. Journey to the imperial city of Rabat: capital of the Kingdom of Morocco since 1912. The visit begins at the Royal Palace. You will see the “Dar el Makhzen” with its great mosque built by the “people of Fez”. You will then visit the kasbah of Oudayas. A beautiful panoramic view of the mouth of the Bouregreg. Then the mausoleum of Mohammed V. Then the unfinished mosque of Tur Hassan. We cross the fertile valleys until we reach Meknes. We visit the imperial Meknes with its ramparts, with its magnificent gates such as Bab el-Mansour. Then the Agdal Pond. The visit ends at the Moulay Mausoleum of Ismail Mosque, made of stucco, stone and fine porcelain. A short walk leads to the spiritual city of the Moroccan imperial city of Fez. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 5 – Fez – World Heritage Site

Half board at hotel. One day excursion to the city, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built on mountainous terrain, so its appearance is reminiscent of Rome. We start our visit in front of the Dar el-Mahzen (Royal Palace) with its impressive golden gate, where craftsmen worked all the copper in the city of Fez. We cross the quarter, then the Andalusian quarter and stroll through the squares and streets of the medina with its souks, perhaps the busiest and most colourful in Morocco. Visit Medersa Bou Inania, the former Koranic school, the only open non-Muslim religious building. After lunch (not included), continue through the medina of Fez where you can enjoy the unique atmosphere of this city.

Day 6 – Fez – Ifrane – Middle Atlas – Merzouga

After breakfast, we leave the hotel at 8.30am, heading south, crossing the mountains of the Middle Atlas and meeting monkeys in the cedar forest, who wait at the roadside for travellers to give them cocoa. We start our journey towards the Middle Atlas with its green valleys and mountain panoramas.

We will stop for lunch in a Berber village, then continue along a desert road with villages to reach the Merzouga dunes, camels waiting for us to start our journey through the desert. You will be able to admire the beautiful sunset behind the Merzouga dunes. After a walk through the dunes and relaxing silence, you will spend the night at the camp after dinner and traditional Berber music.

Day 7 – Merzouga – Todra Gorge – Kasbah Road – Ouarzazate

Breakfast at hotel. Optional activity – watch the sunrise over the Sahara dunes. In consultation with your guide. Departure for another nature-given destination: the Todra Gorge: the Todra River has created a narrow gorge with vertical walls over 300m high as a result of erosion to save the mountain. Next to the “Kasbah Road”. This is the name of a series of forts or citadels. Built of clay with crenellated towers and earthen decorations. Then go to Ouarzazate. Visit Kasbah Taurirt, the former residence of the Pasha of Marrakech, built of mud bricks with crenellated towers. The Pasha’s dining room in the old quarter of Glaoui retains its beloved decoration of painted stucco and cedar ceilings. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 8 – Ouarzazate – Marrakech

Breakfast at the hotel. Via the Atlas Mountains, from the N’Tichka Pass, at an altitude of about 2260 metres, back to Marrakech. Arrival at noon. Afternoon at leisure. Dinner and overnight stay.