Enjoy breakfast and take some time to soak up the morning atmosphere of tranquil Chefchaouen before driving out of the city to the ancient ruins of Volubilis. Once a provincial Roman capital, Volubilis was a distant outpost of the empire, and the well-preserved archaeological remains make for an impressive sight. Volubilis is the foremost Roman site in Morocco and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Upon arrival we'll take a tour around the ruins with a local guide. Don’t forget to take your camera as the town is filled with fantastic mosaics, many of which remain intact.
After time spent exploring Volubulis and imagining the bustling city it once was, continue on to the living museum of Fes. After checking in to your hotel in the late afternoon, the remainder of the day is free for you to spend as you please.
Inspiring Highlights
Hotel
Hotel Riad Al Makan
Day 5 - Fes
Fes is the spiritual and cultural heart of Morocco; vibrant, noisy, fascinating and overwhelming – a true feast for the senses. It is made up of three distinct ‘cities’, or quarters, and we will stay on the edge of the huge, well-preserved medieval old city in elegant, riad-style accommodation (a riad is a large traditional Moroccan house built around a central courtyard).
This morning we'll head into the old city, known locally as Fes el-Bali, arguably the world's most fascinating and confounding old city. Medieval Fes was one of the world's great centres for education and culture, both Islamic and Jewish. Its religious institutions and libraries are legendary, its mosques of great renown. Walk through the twisting streets and alleyways, passing donkeys piled high with goods, and explore the speciality sections that divide the souk. Stalls loaded with fruits, herbs and soups line the passageways; the fragrant smell of spices floods the air; and the sound of metalsmiths hammering at copper can be heard echoing throughout the labyrinthine streets.
This afternoon is free to continue exploring this ancient city before a Moroccan dinner tonight with your group.
Inspiring Highlights
- Fes el-Bali
- Dar Nejjarine
- Arrarine
- Tannery
Hotel
Hotel Riad Al Makan
Meal: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6 - Fes Midelt Merzouga
This morning after breakfast, leave the intensity of the city behind today, for the simplicity of the High Atlas Mountains. Drive south, inland, through a variety of spectacular scenery – fertile valleys, cedar and pine forests and barren, rocky landscapes – to the small town of Midelt. Midelt is a market town, originally built as a base for mining in the area. It's nestled in the high plains surrounding the Moulouya River, between the Middle and High Atlas mountain ranges, at an elevation of just over 1,500 metres. It's a perfect spot to break up our journey to the Sahara. Many of the locals are of the Berber ethnic group, and the town can offer a rich insight into their way of life. Here we stop and enjoy an Inspiring Taste lunch with a local family at their farm for an authentic meal of traditional Moroccan dishes, such as tagine (a slow-cooked, savoury stew).
After lunch we'll drive through changing scenery, from barren mountain sides to fertile valleys, on our journey to Merzouga. With a backdrop of the tangerine Erg Chebbi sand dunes, the charming Saharan village of Merzouga feels wonderfully isolated, like the modern world has left it behind.
You’ll arrive in Merzouga at the end of the day and be welcomed with a glass of mint tea before you check-in to your traditional Moroccan riad.
Inspiring Highlights
- Midelt
- Berber local lunch
Hotel
Riad Madu - Merzouga
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 - Sahara Desert Camp
The Erg Chebbi is one of the world's most iconic landscapes, with towering dunes up to 150 metres high. Located at the end of a sealed road, and just 20 kilometres from the Algerian border, this wild stretch of land truly feels like frontier country. Leave your large bags at the riad, ready to ride camels into the edge of the Sahara Desert, and enjoy a spectacular sunset along the way. The dunes are stunning, especially as the evening light plays across them and sets the landscape ablaze with colour.
Tonight we'll enjoy an Inspiring Stay, taking cues from the Berbers and bedding down in a desert camp, with the chance to try some fantastic local cuisine while we sit around an open-air fire. Enjoy dinner, lively music, drumming, Berber stories and dancing under the stars.
Inspiring Highlights
Special Information
In the camp you will sleep in a raised bed, and each tent have a private bathroom.
If you do not wish to ride a camel, there is the option to travel to and from the camp by 4WD.
Hotel
Sahara Sunny Luxury Camp - Merzouga
Meal: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8 - Merzouga Todra Gorge Dades Valley
Enjoy a real Lawrence of Arabia moment this morning, with a sunrise camel ride across the desert on the return journey to the riad. From here we'll continue on to the Todra Gorge, a canyon, or wadi, that rises for more than 250 metres to form one of the most dramatic and spectacular natural sights in Morocco. We'll enjoy a short, yet exhilarating, walk through the narrow orange limestone walls.
Later we'll drive on to the beautiful Dadès Valley, where we'll spend the night. The valley is a popular spot for tourists and spans several kilometres, offering a wide variety of activities for adventurous types. Tonight's accommodation is a traditional, locally owned, Moroccan kasbah with spectacular views over the Dadès Valley.
In the evening, enjoy a Moroccan dinner with your group.
Inspiring Highlights
- Sunrise Camel ride
- Todra Gorge
Hotel
Riad BaHammou - Boumalne Dades
Meal: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9 - Dades Valley
Enjoy breakfast, before taking off for a full day exploring the beautiful, largely untouched, Moroccan backcountry. Travelling on foot is the best way to get a closer look at the natural landscape and the rural way of life. We'll begin by taking a short transfer to the start of the trek. On the walk you'll pass Berber villages, meeting the incredibly friendly local people along the way. You'll enjoy lunch with a local family; listen to their stories and discover what family life is truly like in the Dadès Valley.
This evening will be spent at your leisure, to relax after a long enjoyable day.
Inspiring Highlights
- Dades Valley
- Local family lunch
Special Information
Your experience in Dades will last approximately 5.5 hours in total and includes a 14–15 km trek, which will take around 2 to 3 hours on foot. It is a moderately easy walk with manageable slopes, no steep hills, and varied terrain. This will be an incredible experience, but if you are unable to join this walk then you have the option of spending the day in the hotel and the surrounding area.
Hotel
Riad BaHammou - Boumalne Dades
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 10 - Dades Valley Ait Benhaddou Marrakech
Today after breakfast we'll leave the Dadès Valley to set off on the fabled Road of a Thousand Kasbahs. A kasbah is a type of keep, or citadel, usually a part of the defensive structure of a city and often where the local leader would reside.
The first stop for us today is the majestic oasis of Skoura, home to several privately owned kasbahs. Here we'll visit Kasbah Amridil, with its extravagant decorations and mud-brick fortifications, before continuing on to Aït Benhaddou, perched on a hilltop and left almost untouched since the 11th century. Aït Benhaddou is one of Morocco's most iconic sites, its grand kasbah one of the most beautiful in Morocco and the fortified village a fine example of clay architecture. If you think you recognise the place, you probably do, as the town has a long list of film and TV credits, including Lawrence of Arabia, Game of Thrones and Gladiator.
We will then drive to the bustling hub of Marrakech. After check-in to your hotel, enjoy some free time to discover the city.
Hotel
Hotel Opera Plaza - Marrakech
Meal: Breakfast
Day 11 - Marrakech
Today will begin with a morning tour of the old medina with your local guide, who will take you through the bustling souks that are the lifeblood of the city. Explore tranquil courtyards filled with the scent of orange blossom, and the many salons and chambers that make up Bahia Palace. This splendid property was built in 1866 for a former slave who rose to power within the government. Next we'll stop by the Koutoubia Mosque; its famous minaret (a tower with a balcony from which a muezzin calls Muslims to prayer), is the prototype for others of its kind around the world, including La Giralda in Seville. From here we then walk back through the streets of the old medina to the Jamaa el-Fna, the main square of Marrakech.
The rest of the day is yours: explore further, relax back at the riad or go shopping in the souk. Perhaps you’ll visit the tropical gardens of the French painter Jacques Majorelle, or check out the ruins of the Palais Badi, long known as one of the most beautiful palaces in the world. Otherwise, head back into the medina, where every step brings a new scent or sight. Watch skilled artisans perfect their craft, practise your haggling skills or take a break from the hustle to sip on tea or share a tajine. This evening, feast with your group in one of the many great restaurants lining the square.
Inspiring Highlights
- Marrakech Souks
- Koutoubia Mosque
- Jamaa el-Fna
Hotel
Hotel Opera Plaza - Marrakech
Meal: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 12 - Marrakech Essaouira
After breakfast this morning we'll head for Essaouira, a city where the medina brushes up against the Atlantic Ocean, where we'll spend the next two nights.
The narrow streets of Essaouira discourages cars, meaning it's an ideal city to explore on foot. Sandstone walkways contrast with whitewashed houses, the bright blue sky and the sand of the surrounding beaches and dunes. Surely one of North Africa's most attractive destinations, you'll soon find yourself slipping into the easy-going pace of this Moroccan town with a European seaside twist. The fishing port is a serious commercial operation and there’s much fun to be had observing the daily catch and its subsequent auction. Elsewhere there are numerous shops and several fine art galleries to distract you, along with a wide variety of restaurants. Your tour leader will help guide you through the maze of options.
Hôtel Coté Océan Mogador - Essaouira
Meal: Breakfast
Day 13 - Essaouira
This artists' town was once home to sizable British and Jewish populations, and its charm has seduced the likes of Orson Welles and Jimi Hendrix, who (according to local legend) spent much of his time here in the 1960s.
Enjoy a morning city tour with your guide who will then take you to the fish souk. Here you'll choose your own freshly caught fish before taking it to a restaurant packed with locals – following your guides lead, hand over your market purchase for it to be grilled. Your guide will also take you to the fruit and vegetable market, where you'll choose the salads and veggies to accompany your seafood lunch. Enjoy this delicious meal together with the rest of your group.
Take the rest of the day to explore the medina; discover the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah Museum and its collection of artefacts, woodwork, carpets and stringed instruments; enjoy café life on the main square; or sit back and watch the kite surfers ride the crashing waves.
Inspiring Highlights
- Essaouira city tour
- Fish Souk
Hotel
Hôtel Coté Océan Mogador - Essaouira
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 14 - Essaouira Casablanca
Today after breakfast we'll travel to Casablanca where we will enjoy one final dinner as a group.
Hotel
New Hotel Wellness and Spa Casablanca
Meal: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 15 - Casablanca
Today marks the end of your incredible tour through Morocco.
Thank you for travelling with Inspiring Vacations. We hope you had a memorable experience.
