After picking you up at the airport and checking you into your hotel, we’ll have the rest of the day to discover: Marrakesh.

If you arrive early, our driver will suggest a few interesting places for you to visit in Marrakech. This will give you the opportunity to get familiar with the surroundings and fully prepare for the exciting tour the following day.

Today we’ll  spend the whole day exploring the legendary red city of Marrakesh.

Highlights include:

– Marrakesh’s old medina – Smaller than the Fez medina, but no less riveting, Marrakesh’s old medina feels worlds away from the fancy modern hotels, clubs, and restaurants that gild its new town.

Main attractions in Marrakesh’s old medina include the Mellah (Jewish neighborhood), the ornate 19th century Bahia Palace, and the crumbling 16th century Badi Palace.

What’s more, we’ll explore the Koutoubia Mosque and the world famous Jemma el-Fna, a UNESCO site, with its fabled snake charmers, monkey tamers, acrobats, musicians, orange juice sellers, and story tellers.

– The Majorelle Gardens – Taking a little excursion into Marrakesh’s new town, we’ll visit the lush Majorelle Gardens.

Designed by the French artist Jacques Majorelle in the 1920s and 1930s, the Majorelle Gardens feature a striking array of cactus species from all over the world in Art Deco inspired grounds.

Famous for its iconic blue walls, the Majorelle Gardens also house an excellent museum devoted to Berber culture and history.

After an early morning pick up at your accommodations, we will begin our exciting day discovering the historic towns that lie in the semi-arid plain on the other side of the High Atlas Mountains.

Leaving Marrakech, the snow covered peaks of the High Atlas Mountains will slowly become more and more visible.

Driving higher and higher, we will encounter the numerous winding switchbacks of the Tizi n’Tichka mountain pass, a marvel of modern eng ineering and design.

Going down the other side of the High Atlas Mountains, we will veer off the main road to discover the traditional village of Ait Benhaddou, before continuing to the city of Ouarzazate.

In this region we’ll discover villages famous for their distinct mudbrick architecture and preserved fortified town centers (Kasbah).

 After about a 45 minute drive, we’ll arrive at the village of Ait Benhaddou, an important UNESCO sight in the region.

With its many towers and traditional houses, Ait Benhaddou stands as the most striking example of the pre-Saharan architecture of southern Morocco.

We can have lunch at one of the excellent restaurants overlooking Ait Benhaddou.

Our last stop today will be in the capital of southern Morocco, Ouarzazate.

Like Ait Benhaddou, Ouarzazate boasts an important fortified center, the Taourirt Kasbah.

However, what makes Ouarzazate most famous today are its internationally renowned movie studios.

Taking full advantage of southern Morocco’s beautiful desert landscapes, these studios have contributed to Hollywood blockbusters, such as The Mummy, Gladiator, and Lawrence of Arabia, just to name a few.

If you’d like, we can visit either the cinema museum, or even one of the studios.

After checking into a hotel in Ouarzazate, you’ll have the rest of the evening to explore the town on your own.

Following breakfast, we’ll get back on the road and skirt along the opposite side of the High Atlas Mountains, exploring traditional mudbrick towns and beautiful desert landscapes as we make our way to Merzouga and its surrounding sand dunes.

Our day’s first stop will be in the Dades Valley, a region famous for its sprawling palm groves growing over an underground river.

We’ll visit many different panoramic viewpoints throughout our day’s drive through the region.

Along our way, we’ll visit the famous little town of Kelaat Mgouna, known across Morocco for its traditional Rose Festival in May.

A little further down the road, we’ll discover Soukora, a traditional mudbrick town in the heart of 25km² of lush palm groves.

Driving a little further on, we’ll reach Tinghir, an ancient Berber town built of traditional mudbrick architecture.

We’ll finish this exciting day with our late afternoon arrival in Merzouga, right on the cusp of the desert, where we’ll have dinner and spend the night in a hotel.

After breakfast, we will hike out of the desert on camelback to reach our van in Merzouga.

After giving you the opportunity to shower and freshen up, we will hit the road to get to Fez before the evening.

Our first stop on today’s itinerary will be in the town of Azrou, the ancient capital of the Amazigh people in the Middle Atlas Mountains region.

Famous for its cedar forests, butterflies, and Barbary ape population, Azrou is a perfect place to get back to nature.

During our time in Azrou, we will stop outside of the town to explore this beautiful natural environment.

Climbing higher into the Middle Atlas, passing through oak forests, the next stop on our drive will be in the famed ‘Switzerland of Morocco’, the town of Ifrane, famous for the world renowned Al-Akhawayn University, which attracts the best and brightest of Morocco each year.

We will also make a stop at the Ifrane National Park to admire the ancient cedar trees and try our luck at finding a colony of Barbary apes.

Our last stop will be in the provincial town of Imouzzer, which is famous for its Apple Festival in September. Many of the inhabitants of Imouzer are of Amazigh descent and speak a language different from Arabic as their mother tongue.

The area around Imouzzer is dotted with lakes that were carved out during a period of intense volcanic activity in the distant past. Stopping at one of these lakes, Dayet Aoua, you will have the opportunity to go for a quick horse or donkey ride on the lakeshore.

Leaving Imouzer, we will drive directly to Fez to get you to your accommodations at a reasonable hour.

We will begin at the Seven Golden Doors, a magnificent set of ornate gates that mark the entrance to the Royal Palace. From there, you’ll stroll through the Jewish Quarter (Mellah), offering a glimpse into Morocco’s rich Jewish heritage and history. 

Next, head to a panoramic viewpoint where you can take in a breathtaking view of Fez, with its sprawling medina below, surrounded by mountains. 

Then we’ll visit the Ceramics area, renowned for its stunning pottery and traditional craftsmanship.

Finally, we’ll return to explore Fez’s ancient medina, the biggest urban car-free zone in the world. Fez, a UNESCO sight, is a massive labyrinth of dusty alleys, sumptuous houses and palaces, hectic markets, and innumerable stories.

The joy of visiting Fez consists largely in simply meandering through this medieval urban maze.

Among the many things we’ll discover are the recently restored leather tanneries, the Foundouk Nejjarine woodworking museum, the Dar el-Magana water clock, the hilltop Merenid Tombs, the serene Bou Inania Koranic school, the Moulay Idriss II Mausoleum, and the Karaouiyne University (the oldest university in the world).

On the last day of our exciting tour through Morocco, we will drop you off anywhere you’d like (Rabat/Casablanca/Marrakech).