Choose Morocco's enchanting itineraries

Led by an expert local guide, this exciting nine-day group tour offers an excellent opportunity to experience the country through the eyes of a local. Starting in Marrakech, you will travel by private vehicle to Ait Benhaddou and Ouarzazate before embarking on a camel trek across the Sahara.  Take in the imperial cities of Fes, Rabat and Meknes, and discover many of Morocco’s key sites with the help of specialist guides. By night, you will bed down in comfortable, locally owned, four-star hotels and enjoy many included meals.

Welcome to Morocco! When you arrive at Marrakech Airport, we will meet you and take you to our hotel. This evening, you will have the opportunity to meet your fellow travellers and enjoy some free time to explore the delights of Djemaa el Fna. 

After breakfast, we will head to the beautiful Majorelle Gardens, which are just a short drive from the hotel. Designed by the French artist Jacques Majorelle in the 1920s and 1930s, these botanical gardens are stunning. He used a distinctive shade of cobalt blue throughout the garden, and although much of his other work has been forgotten, this garden is considered his greatest masterpiece. Yves Saint Laurent has owned the garden since 1980, and his ashes were scattered here after his death in 2008. The gardens contain an extensive collection of exotic plants and trees, and are home to 15 species of bird. There is also a Berber museum showcasing the various indigenous tribes of Morocco, with over 600 artefacts on display. Nearby, the newly opened Yves Saint Laurent Museum, which opened in 2017, is also well worth a visit, as it is dedicated to the life and works of Yves Saint Laurent himself. Please note that entrance to the YSL Museum is not included. This afternoon, you will meet the other group members arriving from Casablanca, before embarking on a guided tour of Marrakech. Within the rose-coloured walls of the medina is a maze of winding streets and alleys that open onto lush gardens and bustling souks. At the heart of the medina is Djemaa El Fna, the city's exuberant marketplace, and towering above it is the famous Koutoubia Mosque, the tallest building in the city. 

This morning, we will depart the city and travel across the plains of Haouz, reaching the impressive High Atlas Mountains. After climbing over the Tizi N'Tichka pass, we stop for lunch and then continue onwards, enjoying great views of the mountains and valleys en route to Ait Benhaddou. This incredible, ancient, fortified kasbah, built for defence purposes high on a hill, is a stunningly well-preserved medieval city which has famously featured in many blockbuster movies, including Gladiator and Lawrence of Arabia, as its beauty is unequalled by any other fortified kasbah in southern Morocco. Continuing south, we arrive in Ouarzazate, known as the Hollywood of North Africa. Ouarzazate is famous for being the filming location of many other Hollywood blockbusters and TV shows, including The Living Daylights, The Mummy, and, more recently, Game of Thrones. 

This morning, we will begin our journey into the Sahara, passing through an array of palm trees, rose fields and magnificent gorges. En route from Ouarzazate, there will be an opportunity to visit the Kasbah Amherdhil in Skoura, followed by a visit to the rose fields and a scenic drive through the Todra Gorge. Surrounded by towering, vertical limestone cliffs reaching 1000 ft in height, the gorge is known as Morocco’s Grand Canyon. Todra's charm lies in its ever-changing colours as the sun slowly moves from east to west. After spending some time wandering through the gorge, we will hit the road again for Merzouga, our base for exploring the Sahara.  Depending on the time of year, you can spend the afternoon relaxing and swimming before climbing aboard our camels for an incredible trek into the Sahara Desert. There, you can watch a beautiful sunset before spending the night at our remote Berber camp, nestled amongst the dunes of Erg Chebbi.  Here, we will enjoy local food and music while camping under the stars. Alternatively, if you would prefer the comfort of a hotel with en-suite facilities this evening, you can opt for our Sahara hotel package at no extra cost. Please let us know your preferred option when you book. 

We depart early and climb back on our camels, disembarking to enjoy a truly stunning sunrise. After freshening up and having breakfast in Merzouga, we're back on the road, heading for Fes. It’s a long drive today, but there is plenty to see along the way. We’ll pass through cedar forests full of Barbary macaque monkeys as we travel through the Middle Atlas Mountains.  Just before Fes, we'll stop at Ifrane, a beautiful town often likened to a Swiss alpine resort.  We also start to catch our first glimpses of Morocco’s nomadic Berbers, who travel across the mountains and often stay in makeshift tents while en route to their next destination.  We arrive in Fes in the early evening. 

Fes is the oldest and largest medieval city in the world, and its medina is a riot of aromas, sights and sounds. This morning, we will enjoy a guided tour of Fes el Bali, the old walled city.  This fascinating medina is a veritable rabbit warren of 9,400 alleys, many of which end in dead ends, so be sure to stay close to the group! We will also visit the dye-pits and tanneries before having lunch in the medina. You have the rest of the day at leisure – why not take part in an optional tagine-making class or enjoy a night of Moroccan entertainment and food at a restaurant in town (both payable locally)? 

This morning, we will depart from Fes and visit the fascinating Roman ruins of Volubilis, which are listed by UNESCO and date back to AD 40. We then continue on to the Imperial City of Meknes, known as the Versailles of Morocco thanks to its impressive buildings and elaborate monuments. After lunch and some free time, we will make our final stop of the day in Rabat, Morocco’s capital, where we will spend the night. 

This morning, we will take a guided tour of Rabat, visiting some of the capital’s highlights. These include the impressive Chellah, a necropolis and complex of ancient and medieval ruins; the Royal Palace; and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. After lunch, we will continue to Casablanca, where we will visit the Hassan II Mosque. With its 210-metre minaret, it is the third largest mosque in the world and can hold 25,000 worshippers at any one time. After visiting the mosque, we say goodbye to our fellow passengers who are leaving us in Casablanca, before continuing on to Marrakech for the night. 

Our amazing tour of Morocco comes to an end today after we check out of the hotel. An onward departure transfer to the airport is included.