Private 12-day tour through Morocco
Description of the tour
Twelve full days may not be an eternity, but it will afford you the chance to enjoy a route through Morocco which will uncover the diversity that this wonderful country offers. According to where you maybe you will have the feeling of being in a different Morocco, with common elements, but otherwise differing greatly. Northern and Southern Morocco have their own peoples, customs and even languages.
On this route through Morocco we hope to show you the great variety that exists between different regions: you will see Imperial cities with majestic monuments that enhance the capitals, villages of Muslims who fled the Andalus, with a Spanish flavor, while tracing the tracks of old caravan routes deeper in the south.
In Morocco there is so much to see, let yourself go and enjoy!
General information
- 12-day round trip
- 11 night’s accommodation
- 2,000km
- Cities – mountains – Sahara - coasts
- 4x4 exclusive use - camels
- Arts and crafts (earthenware) – medinas – Roman ruins - Kasbahs
Itinerary
Day 1 Marrakesh
Arrival at Marrakesh Airport, where the staff of Dromedario Volador will be waiting for you to transfer you to your riad in the medina of Marrakesh.
Overnight Marrakesh
Day 2 Marrakesh
In the morning after breakfast, guided tour of the city of Marrakesh, with our own official guide, who will take you to visit the main monuments of the city; La Menara, Las Tombs of Saadies, Palais Bahia, Koutoubia, Jardins Majorelle... And the medina of course.
The atmosphere of Jemaa El Fna Square leaves no visitor untouched; snake charmers, traditional music, food stalls, dentists, henna artists...
Free afternoon and overnight in Marrakesh
Day 3 Marrakesh – Ouarzazate
Departure from Marrakesh heading in the direction of Ouarzazate, over the High Atlas, an obligatory route to reach our destination, where we cross through the highest mountain pass in Morocco, the Tizi-n-Tichka, with panoramic stops and spectacular views that will amaze you, taking a break on the way for a mint tea and a visit to a local cooperative which produces argan cosmetics and oils from the nut of the argan tree. We will then take the road that leads to Kasbah Telouet, where you can make a visit. Once upon a time there was a grandiose Palace, that of "The Glaoui family", which was built on an old Kasbah dating from the 18th century, and which controlled the salt routes from deep in the Sahara that had to pass up through the Drâa Valley.
From here the route continues through the Unila Valley with its wonderful landscapes and Berber villages, to Aït Ben Haddou, where we can stop for a leisurely meal and then visit the Kasbah, a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and the place where they have filmed scenes from many Hollywood movies such as Gladiator, before heading to Ouarzazate.
Arrival and overnight in Ouarzazate
Day 4 Ouarzazate - Gorges of Dadès
Departure after breakfast to the Gorges of Dadès. Today we will pass through the Skoura Valley, with its adobe villages along the so-called "Route of a Thousand Kasbahs", Valley of the Roses, the and Gorges of Todra. Upon reaching the Skoura Valley, we will take a path among palm grove paths and villages until the picturesque Kasbah of Amridil, which we will stop to visit.
We continue on our tour through Morocco entering the Valley of the Roses, until Boumalne Dadès to drive the remaining 27 kilometres until the Gorges of Dadès through which the river of the same name flows. Given the height of 1,600m it is unsurprisingly mild and almost refreshingly chilly at night.
Overnight in the Gorges of Dadès
Day 5 Gorges of Dadès – Sahara at Merzouga
The route through Morocco continues along the Gorges of Dadès, where we will climb up to get a viewpoint from one of the highest areas, before heading further along our path to the meet the palm groves fringing the Gorges of Dadès, the deepest in Morocco where we will stroll a while by the banks of the river and enjoy the views of the magnificent rocky canyon, before crossing through the Gorges of Todra, where we can enjoy a stroll by the banks of the river that runs through this magnificent valley
We will then continue in our 4x4 to the palm groves of Jorf to visit underground channels - an ancient irrigation system that the people of the town used to take water to their lands and onto the small town of Erfoud, known for its fossils, in the afternoon arriving at the great dunes of Erg Chebbi in the Sahara, where the dromedaries await you to enter the dunes and enjoy the sunset.
A magical night in our camp, sleeping in the typical Khaimahs nestled by the dunes.
Dinner, overnight and breakfast by the Sahara
Day 6 Sahara at Merzouga
Early start to see the sunrise, then we pick up our 4x4 to meet nomadic families in the desert so that we can collaborate in humanitarian tasks and offer either food or clothing or educational materials, whichever you deem appropriate. Later we will stop at the village of Khamlia, known for its traditional music, where most of its inhabitants are of Sudanese origin. We will enjoy a performance from one of the groups famous for their "Gnawa" music and dance rhythms while drinking tea in sign of hospitality, before heading to Rissani, famous for its market, where most nomadic peoples pick up supplies.
Afternoon return to our hotel to rest.
Overnight in Merzouga
Day 7 Sahara at Merzouga – Fez
We head out of the desert with the 4x4 towards Fez, passing through the vast extension of palm groves of the Ziz Valley, before our route through Morocco takes us up over the mountain passes of the Middle Atlas (Timahdit), and after a lunch stop near Midelt to see the cedar and pine forest of Azrou, where you can expect to see wild monkeys. We will cross the city of Ifrane, known as "Little Switzerland" before winding our way down to the region of Fez past Lake Dait Taua.
Afternoon arrival in Imperial Fez
Overnight in Fez
Day 8 Fez – Meknes
Guided visit of the city of Fez. Imperial city of Morocco, Fez, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is truly one of the most beautiful cities in the country. We will visit with our own official guide, who will take us into its maze of winding alleys that hug the contours of the bowl it is set in, smells, which appear in a corner to disappear a few meters further, souks that are a melting pot of all imaginable wares, often separated by type, such as the legendary tanners’ quarter – Chouara, Fez is a place to cast yourself back in time. Once the tour is over, we will head west towards Meknes- another of the four imperial cities of Morocco.
Free afternoon and overnight in Meknes
Day 9 Meknes – Chefchaouen
Our route through Morocco continues departing early in the morning from Meknes, for Chefchaouen, passing through the Roman ruins of Volubilis (Walili), an ancient Roman city, whose archaeological site is one of the best preserved in North Africa.
Afternoon arrival in Chefchaouen, known as the blue village, located in the Rif mountains, for centuries considered a "Holy City" where Christians were forbidden entry. The great diversity of colors of the varied products of the bazaars and shops, make a wonderful contrast to the pale blue of the town.
Overnight in Chefchaouen
Day 10 Chefchaouen – Tetuan - Tangiers - Asilah
Departure from Chefchaouen after breakfast, towards Asilah, in the north of Morocco's Atlantic Coast. We will pass through the cities of Tetuan and Tangiers, where we can take a stroll through its medina and explore its streets a little, before arriving in Asilah, a historic controlled variously by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Carthaginians, Portuguese, Spanish and Arabs. It is a white city, whitewashed with sea air and adorned by flowers locals use to adorn their houses, all in all making for a pleasant stroll around the town.
Overnight in Asilah
Day 11 Asilah – Rabat
First thing in the morning, departure from Asilah towards Rabat, capital of Morocco. Once in Rabat you will visit the main monuments: Mausoleum of Mohamed V, the Chellah Gardens, the Hassan II tower...
Free afternoon and overnight in Rabat.
Day 12 Rabat - Casablanca - Marrakesh
Departure from Rabat after breakfast and last day on our route through Morocco,todaywe will explore Casablanca, where you will visit the majestic Hassan II Mosque, largest in all Africa, which surprises visitors with its beauty and immensity. After the visit we head back to Marrakesh.
In the afternoon arrival in the red city, Marrakesh and end of our services