10 days Private Heritage Tour through Morocco from Casablanca

Duration 10 days & 9 nights

Day 1:

Arrival at Casablanca International Airport. You will be welcomed by your local guide and assisted with the customs formalities.

You start with an exploratory tour in and around Casablanca and its diverse neighborhoods. Visit the famous Mosque of Hassan II (the third largest mosque in the world) (if enough time). Lunch en route (not included). Next highlight is a guided visit to the Museum of the Jews of Morocco. Discover and learn more about the glory and rich and colorful world of Moroccan Jewry.

Check-in at the hotel

Day 2:

Departure to Royal Rabat

Begin your visit with a city tour that includes a drive around the walls of the Royal Palace and a visit to the Mausoleums of Mohammad V and Hassan II, two rulers who worked hand-in-hand with the Jewish community. Take a guided walk through the Old Walled City and the marvelous Kasbah Oudaya. Lunch on your own, en route. Continue to the ruins of Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Founded in the 3rd century B.C.E., the town became an important outpost of the Roman Empire. Departure for Fes, the most extensive medieval city in the Arab world, and the home of Jewish scholars and rabbis for hundreds of years.

Overnight in Fes.

Day 3:

The myths and mysteries of Fes

What a better way to start the day with a magnificent panoramic view of the Medina of Fes from Borj Sud. We continue for a guided visit through the Mellah (Jewish Quarter) of Fes, the Ibn Danan Synagogue and the famous Jewish cemetery, Here, some of the city's legendary rabbis are buried. We then go to the heart of the Medina, to catch, by foot as the streets are really very narrow, a glimpse of local craftsmen at work in their shops, busy weaving, embroidering, carving and chiseling. Fes was also the hometown for a while of the renowned Jewish scholar Maimonides. Next stop is a tour of the Madrasa Bou Inania, founded in the years 1351-56. The madrasa is one of the few religious places in Morocco accessible to non-Muslim visitors. Lunch on your own en route. After lunch we visit the Museum of Wooden Arts in the beautifully restored former caravan stop. Definitely also a must-see is the University of Al-Karaouine or Al-Qarawiyyin, considered by the Guinness Book of Records, UNESCO and many historians, as the oldest continuously operating, academic degree-granting university in the world. And last but not least, no stop in Fes without a visit to the famous Tanneries, which give the Medina its unique flavor and smell.
Return to the hotel.

Day 4:

Sahara Desert – Rissani

Check out and we leave Fes behind us to drive on to Ifrane, through the fertile valley of Saiss and many cedar forests.
Lunch en route. We travel along the luxuriant Ziz Valley and will make stops for very nice panoramic views when heading towards Erfoud and Rissani. Arrival at Merzouga in the afternoon. You will be welcomed with a glass of traditional mint tea.Check-in at your riad (HB).

Day 5 :

Exploring the Desert
Visit the city of Rissani and the ruins of the legendary caravan city of Sijilmassa. Enjoy a Berber pizza as lunch at the hotel.
After lunch, time for adventure and fun in a stunning setting. We drive in rugged off-road (4x4) vehicles deep into the Sahara Desert for a camel ride over the sand dunes of Merzouga. End station: a beautiful and luxurious camp, with private tents, fully equipped with private bathroom and comfortable king-size beds. Dinner and breakfast are included. At night, while having your dinner, and enjoying a romantic environement, the Berbers will be happy to join the party, by playing their favorite traditional music around a campfire.

Day 6 :

The Atlas Mountains
Early wake-up to enjoy a magnificent desert sunrise and get then your adrenaline level pumped up with a sandboarding adventure on the sloping sand dunes (optional). Breakfast at the camp. We take leave of the camp and the beauty of the desert and continue our journey through the High Atlas Mountains. Next stop is in Tineghir, a lovely mountain oasis for a walk along the Todra Gorge, home to a variety of rare plants and bird species. Lunch en route. The tour proceeds along the “Route of a Thousand Kasbahs,” a region full of historically important fortresses. We also make an extended stop to visit Ait Ben Haddou, one of southern Morocco's most prestigious village, often used as a location for fashion and film shoots. Check-in at the hotel and dinner in the hotel.

Day 7 :

From the Atlas Mountains to Marrakech

Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Take some time to further explore Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We then head towards Marrakech, through changing landscapes, including the 7,500-foot-high Tizi N'tichka Pass. Lunch on your own, en route. Marrakech, the vibrant city that never sleeps and that inspires tremendously! Enjoy a guided tour through Marrakech, including: Bab Agnaou, one of the gates of the Medina, the Saadian Tombs, built in the 16th century as a mausoleum for many Saadian rulers and entertainers, the Slat alAzama Synagogue, the synagogue of the Mellah and the 19th-century Bahia Palace.

Day 8 :

The wonders of Marrakech

We start the day with a visit to the famous Majorelle Garden, created by the orientalist painter Jacques Majorelle. And leaving morocco without an introduction to their typical cuisine would be a shame! Take part in a Moroccan home-cooking workshop and smell and taste the flavours of their typical dishes. Lunch on your own. In the afternoon there is plenty of time left to explore Marrakech's enormous and famous marketplace Djemaa El Fna, one of the most colorful and mysterious sites in all of Africa, with its snake-charmers, street vendors, musicians, jugglers, fortune-tellers and storytellers. Enjoy the spectacle!
Return to the hotel.

Day 9 :

At leisure in Marrakech

Free day to explore Marrakech on your own: time for shopping, enjoying one of the many spas or hamams in the city, or just chill and relax. Dinner on your own.

Day 10 :

Return home

Check out and transfer to the airport

including:

• transfer airport - hotel - airport
• 9 nights in selected hotels
• 8 days of touring in a luxury, air-conditioned jeep

• all guided visits as described in the program
• daily breakfast, 3 lunches & 4 dinners
• petrol included
• taken care of by a driver, familiar with all places

• camel trekking

not including:

• drinks

• lunch