12 Days Casablanca to sahara desert tour
DAY 1 : AIRPORT / CASABLANCA
12 Days Casablanca to sahara desert tour pick up at Casablanca airport with a sign with your name on it and transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
DAY 2 : CASABLANCA / RABAT
After breakfast, visit the impressive Hassan II mosque, the largest temple in the world after the mosque of Mecca. Departure to Rabat, after an hour and a half drive to the imperial city of Rabat to visit the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the Hassan Tower. Overnight at the riad.
DAY 3 : RABAT / CHEFCHAOUEN
After breakfast, we will drive to Chefchaouen through the Rif Mountains. After 4 hours drive, we will arrive in Chefchaouen where we will have free time to enjoy this picturesque city also called the blue city. Night in a charming hotel.
DAY 4 : CHEFCHAOUEN / VOLUBILIS / MEKNES / FEZ
After breakfast, departure to Fez, where we will border the forests of the Rif to reach the Roman ruins of the city of Volubilis, visit the ruins with a local guide “optional” and then continue to Meknes, a city that reached its heyday thanks to Sultan Mulay Ismail. Visit his mausoleum and the famous Bab Mansour gate. After the visit we will go to our destination Fez. Arrival in Fez. Free time and night in a charming riad.
DAY 5 : FEZ (WORLD HERITAGE SITE)
Guided visit of Fez, the oldest of the imperial cities. Founded in 808 as the first political, religious and cultural capital. The visit begins at the Golden Gates of the Royal Palace and then, from a high point, we observe the wall that encloses its impressive ancient medina, which you can walk through experiencing the many sensations it awakens.
Walking through it you will discover mosques and medersas, karabansarais and religious places, thematic neighborhoods, such as the tanners’ neighborhood and the artisans’ neighborhood. They brought their knowledge from Spain and have maintained the Andalusian art and style to this day giving Fez the deserved name of the city of artisans. Overnight at the riad.
DAY 6 : FEZ / IFRANE / MONKEY FOREST / MIDELT / ERFOUD / MERZOUGA DESERT
From Fez we will go to the Middle Atlas stopping in Ifrane known as the Switzerland of Africa due to its architectural style dominated by gable roofs, typical of northern European countries. The next village will be Azrou passing through the national park known for its cedar forests where the famous Barbary monkeys are found.
Then we will travel through the Ziz Valley that will lead us to Erfoud known for its fossils. Arrival in the desert where we will change our vehicle for camels with which we will take a pleasant two-hour ride through the dunes, until we reach the haima camp in the heart of the desert where we will be greeted, according to the tradition of the Sahara, with a Berber tea. Night in haimas under the desert stars.
DAY 7 : MERZOUGA DESERT / VISIT TO DESERT NOMADS / NIGHT IN THE DESERT
We will see the sunrise over the sea of dunes. After breakfast we will return by camels to the hotel in Merzouga and after a shower we will go to visit Khamlia, the so-called village of “the blacks”, so called because its inhabitants are descendants of the old slave trade coming from Sudan. They are excellent musicians and have made this art their way of life. With them we will enjoy a small concert of Gnawa music.
Return to the 4×4 to travel one of the tracks used in the “Paris-Dakar Rally”, visiting the mines of Khol and the remains of a French and Berber village. Make a panoramic stop to contemplate the desert and the impressive orange sand dunes that comprise the Erg Chebbi as a whole.
Visit some desert nomads in the process of sedentarism with whom we can take tea and learn more about their way of life. Return to the hotel. Afternoon free and night in hotel in the desert.
DAY 8 : MERZOUGA DESERT / RISSANI MARKET / MERZOUGA
After breakfast. We head towards Rissani, every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday are market days to buy spices, herbs, meats, vegetables and fruits. We park the donkey, tie it by one leg and go into the souk. It is time to walk the aisles of the market of Rissani, mystical with the sun’s rays entering between the roofs. The colors stand out from the brown. Women who go unnoticed, is the daily life of Rissani. It smells of cumin. It smells of freshly tanned leather. They seem to wear a lot of Adidas here, as well as slippers.
It’s bustling, how many species of how many varieties of color. Some vendors try to pull you to their stall to see what they have to offer, others wait for a sign of interest before approaching.
You walk among donkeys, bicycles, small carts, men holding hands, discreet and elusive women. This village centuries ago, was the first imperial city of Morocco.
In its heyday it was an important center of caravans linking Sudan, the salt mines of Gao and the populations of southern Mauritania. In fact, the current dynasty was born in this land. Return to the hotel to rest and free afternoon, dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 9 : MERZOUGA DUNES / RISSANI / TODRA GORGES / DADES VALLEY / OUARZAZATE
After breakfast. Departure to the Todra Gorges famous for its towering natural rock walls (over 200 meters high) where climbers come from all over the world to conquer them.
Visit the Todra Gorges and continue our tour of Morocco to the Dades valley and then connect with the valley of roses and the valley of the Thousand Kasbahs.
We will discover the kasbahs that are in the middle of this valley of palm trees and then we will go to Ouarzazate. Arrival in Ouarzazate also called the Hollywood of Morocco where we will visit Kasbah Taourirt and if we want we can also visit the film studios. Transfer to the hotel and overnight in a charming riad.
DAY 10 : OUARZAZATE / AIT BEN HADDOU / MARRAKECH
Ouarzazate is also known as the Hollywood of Morocco, as many famous movies have been filmed there (The Jewel of the Nile, The Scorpion King, The Kingdom of Heaven, Mission Cleopatra…) and are still being filmed. If you like movies, you can visit the movie studios where the sets of some of these movies are located.
Continue our route to the famous Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou (World Heritage Site). Free time to stroll around the kasbah and climb to its summit to contemplate the views. We will cross again the High Atlas Mountains with its beautiful landscapes. Arrival in Marrakech around 16:00hs. Overnight at the riad.
DAY 11 : MARRAKECH / MARRAKECH
Guided tour of Marrakech, city famous for its Jemaa el Fna square, which will occupy much of our time: an amalgam of aromas, sounds and sensations unrepeatable.
The city also has countless places to wander and enjoy: the Majorelle Gardens, the Menara, the Saadian Tombs, walks through the medina or the mellah (the old Jewish quarter), the route of the ramparts and the modern city (Gueliz) with its western ways of life. Overnight at the riad (12 Days Casablanca to sahara desert tour).
DAY 12 : MARRAKECH / CASABLANCA
Breakfast. Transfer to Casablanca airport and end of our services.
INCLUDED
- Private tour, there will be no other people in the group
- Pick up and transfer to Casablanca airport
- Transport by air-conditioned 4×4/minibus
- English speaking driver/guide at your disposal during the tour
- 11 Nights hotel accommodation with dinner and breakfast
- Local guide for the visit of Fez & Marrakech
- Fuel, tolls and all expenses associated with transportation
- 1 night in haimas with dinner and breakfast
- Dromedary ride in the desert
NOT INCLUDED
- Drinks
- Lunch at noon
- Entrance fees to kasbahs, museums
- Tips
