Colors of Morocco: 12 Day Private Tour

Day 1

Casablanca, Rabat, and the Road to Chefchaouen

Casablanca to Rabat to Chefchaouen

We pick you up at Mohammed V Airport and head to Rabat for a sightseeing tour of the capital. North of Rabat, we visit the Exotic Gardens at Bouknadel, then continue through the Rif Mountains toward Chefchaouen, the Blue City of Morocco.

Your riad is in the old medina. After you check in, an orientation tour introduces the highlights of the medina and the area around it, followed by dinner and an overnight stay at the riad.

Overnight: Riad in Chefchaouen

Day 2

Chefchaouen and the Akchour Waterfalls

Chefchaouen and Akchour

After breakfast you tour the medina of Chefchaouen, including the old part of the hill town and the famous kasbah. Then you visit the waterfalls at Ras el Maa, where women do the washing in the spring water.

In the afternoon you drive to the national park to visit the Akchour waterfalls and enjoy the beautiful nature. Dinner is at your riad or at a local restaurant.

Overnight: Riad in Chefchaouen

Day 3

Volubilis and the Road to Fez

Chefchaouen to Volubilis to Sidi Chahed to Fez

Today you drive toward Fez with several stops to enjoy the countryside along the way. You visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the lake of Sidi Chahed, then continue across the farmland of the Mhaya region, arriving in Fez in the late afternoon.

In the evening you see the ville nouvelle and the night life of Fez before returning to the riad.

Overnight: Riad in Fez

Day 4

Fez Medina

Fez

After breakfast we begin the exploration of the oldest city and spiritual capital of Morocco. Step back six centuries into the medieval medina, with its narrow cobbled streets, ancient mosques, towering green glazed minarets, and crumbling fondouks.

Narrow openings lead into private worlds, with peaceful courtyards of carved cedar, brilliantly colored mosaic tiles, and delicately carved stucco. The tour includes madrasas, mosques, the famous tanneries, the Jnan Sbil Gardens, and much more. Dinner is at a local restaurant, and you sleep at the riad.

Overnight: Riad in Fez

Day 5

Bhalil, Sefrou, and the Middle Atlas Lakes

Fez to Bhalil to Sefrou to Ifrane to Azrou to Lake Sidi Ali

After breakfast we make our way through the Middle Atlas. First we visit the caves in Bhalil and the waterfalls of Sefrou, then circle the lakes, including Lake Aoua, and pass through cedar woods to the town of Ifrane. After that we visit Azrou and the Berber village of Ain Leuh.

From there the road leads through one of the most beautiful places in the region, the Oum Rbia river valley and the mountains of Bekrit, and on to the Berber village of Itzer. We arrive at Lake Sidi Ali, where we stay the night.

Overnight: Lodge by Lake Sidi Ali

Day 6

Midelt, the Ziz Valley, and the Sahara

Lake Sidi Ali to Midelt to Erfoud to Merzouga

Today you depart via Midelt to Erfoud, along the Ziz Valley, through a series of fortified villages with fascinating southern architecture. Once in Merzouga, you leave the car and take a camel ride into the desert to see the sunset over the dunes and spend the night in the desert camp.

Dinner is a traditional vegetarian tagine, with delicious mint tea and Berber music, while you watch the stars and the rising moon in the Sahara.

Overnight: Tented desert camp

Day 7

Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley

Merzouga to Todra Gorge to Rose Valley to Dades Valley

After breakfast you head back to Erfoud, then on behind the High Atlas toward the Todra Gorge. In the afternoon you walk up into the towering gorge, about 600 feet high, and enjoy the picturesque river valleys along the way.

You then drive toward the Todgha palms valley, through the Rose Valley, and into the Dades Valley, with its Berber villages and green groves of walnut, willow, and fig trees, on the way to the Dades Gorge.

Overnight: Hotel in the Dades Valley

Day 8

Ait Benhaddou and Over the Atlas to Marrakech

Dades Valley to Ait Benhaddou to Tizi n’Tichka to Marrakech

After breakfast you leave for the Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, where you visit the old kasbah, and have lunch at the kasbah before continuing over the Tizi n’Tichka pass, at 7,415 feet (2,260 metres), and via Taddert to Marrakech.

Overnight: Riad in Marrakech

Day 9

Marrakech Sightseeing

Marrakech

We tour Marrakech, nicknamed the Pearl of the South, with a visit to the sixteenth century Saadian Tombs, the Dar Si Said Museum of Moroccan Arts, the fragrant Menara Gardens, the Koutoubia minaret, and the magnificent Bahia Palace with its extraordinary tiles, opulent courtyards, and fountains.

After lunch on your own, you visit Jemaa el Fna, where fortune tellers, acrobats, vendors, and magicians put on a never ending show. In the evening, an optional dinner show is available before you return to the riad.

Overnight: Riad in Marrakech

Day 10

The Gardens of Marrakech

Marrakech

You visit the private gardens of Yves Saint Laurent and the private Islamic Art Museum, then drive along the city ramparts that divide the oldest and newest parts of Marrakech. The afternoon is free, with a dinner suggestion at a renowned local restaurant.

Overnight: Riad in Marrakech

Day 11

A Free Day in Marrakech

Marrakech

A day at your own leisure in Marrakech. Or we can take a day trip to the Ourika Valley and the Setti Fadma waterfalls, for a taste of the High Atlas on the doorstep of the city.

Overnight: Riad in Marrakech

Day 12

Transfer to Casablanca Airport

Marrakech to Casablanca Airport

You are transferred to Casablanca airport for your flight home.