Best of Morocco with Sahara Desert

Great welcome to Morocco to start your best private Morocco desert tour! When your flight lands in the Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, our experienced English-speaking driver guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to check into the hotel.

After then, a Casablanca excursion will take you to visit Old Medina, Sacred Heart Cathedral (exterior), Square of Mohammed V and Hassan II Mosque.

Activities Suggestion: If you would like to wander rather than get back to your hotel at the end of this day, you may see the local nightlife at La Corniche by yourself. This is a stunning stretch of seafront road facing the Atlantic Ocean, with a wide selection of bars, restaurants and outdoor cafes. Besides, if you are a movie buff, you may feel like stepping into the big screen as in the Rick’s Cafe in the movie CASABLANCA, which has a perfect replica of the scene in the film. But this restaurant is so popular that you have to make a reservation ahead of time.

After breakfast at hotel, our driver guide will pick you up at the hotel lobby for departure to Rabat, the imperial capital of this country.

Upon arrival in one hour, you will be guided to visit the Royal Palace from outside. This is a typical Arabic architecture and mainly served as a political conference center, where the king of Morocco greets the heads of other countries. After that, proceed to the Hassan Tower, which was not completed since 1196. At present, there are only stone pillars remaining due to frequent earthquakes and the lack of funds. Later, continue to visit the Mausoleum of Mohamed V, where royal soldiers stand at the entrance.

The last stop today is the Oudayas Kasbah, a complex of castles. It is characterized by its picturesque garden, museums with jewelry, musical instruments, and ethnological costume inside, and high platforms particularly for overlooking the seascape. Finally, spend some leisure time exploring souks in old medina.

★  Privilege of Our Guests:
At Oudayas Kasbah, we will serve you with a cup of Moroccan coffee. Thus, you can enjoy it while admiring the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. If you want, you can also try the mint tea, a national drink favored by Moroccans, which tastes like sipping hot tea while chewing Doublemint gum as some said. Why not try it for yourself?

Meals: Breakfast

In the morning, transfer to Fez, the third largest city as well as a historical city of Morocco. En route, pay a visit to Meknes, one of the four imperial cities also called the “Black City”. It got its nick name from Moulay Ismail, the first ruler of the Sulala Alawiyya dynasty, and the current king of Morocco is the 22nd monarch of the dynasty. Moulay Ismail came to the throne at his 25. He was young and brave, having an army of 150,000 soldiers, and all black slaves. It is said that, it was this “black” army with strong fighting force that made him never lose a battle in his life. Therefore, black was considered as a lucky color and a representative of Meknes.

In Meknes, we’ll visit the Gate of Bab Mansourt, with colorful and exquisite mosaics and many verses engraved to praise it. Next, follow the guide to step to the El Hedim Square, Dar Jamai Museum, and the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, which is one of the few sacred attractions open to non-Muslims in Morocco. Later, you’ll be escorted to visit the Royal Stables, and in this deserted but still magnificent complex, you can imagine how much the king loved his horses.

After lunch, we'll continue our drive for about 30 minutes to the most famous ancient Roman site around Morocco, the Ruins of Volubilis. A professional guide will make an interpretation of the World Heritage site during our 2-hour visit. Afterwards, we’ll get to our final destination today, the thousand-year-old ancient city of Fez, in about 1.5-hour drive.

Meals: Breakfast

Today's Morocco tour is dedicated to exploring the local life and charm of this ancient royal city, Fez. Our professional local guide will lead you go into the Old Medina from the gate of Bab Boujloud, whose foundation could be dated back to the end of 8th century. This old city is said to be the only one in the world without bus or car due to its intricate narrow alleys. Upon stepping into Fez Medina, you may get the illusion of standing still in time, with its narrow alleys, bustling crowds, donkeys laden with cargo, and a variety of traditional workshops. The life of people here seems never changed for more than 1,000 years.

As the smell gets stronger and stronger, we’ll come to the well-known Chouara Tannery, which is located in a large courtyard. The open-air dye house, in a size of a football field, is filled with colorful dyeing vats. The square white dye vats contain bovine urine, pigeon dung, and lime water, which can soften furs. The round vats contain dyes made of various minerals and plant compounds, which are utilized to dye leathers.

★  Privilege of Our Guests:
●    There are more than 9,000 alleys in Old Medina of Fez, so that you can adventure in this world heritage site to the fullest. We have a local expert guide specially arranged for you. He will introduce you to the history and culture of Fez, multiple traditional workshops, local customs, and of course, mouthwatering food.To provide you with a fine view of the Chouara Tannery, we’ll go to the observation deck on the third floor. Colorful vats compose a feast for the eyes, but also a disaster for the smell. We'll offer you with a few fresh mint leaves, which can help your poor nose.

●    To provide you with a fine view of the Chouara Tannery, we’ll go to the observation deck on the third floor. Colorful vats compose a feast for the eyes, but also a disaster for the smell. We'll offer you with a few fresh mint leaves, which can help your poor nose.

Then, continue to visit two Koran schools, the Bou Inania Madrasa and the Attarine Madrasa, where you will be amazed by the mosaic art of Islamic architecture and the peaceful atmosphere. Adjacent Kairaouine Mosque & University is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest university in the world. Thereafter, continue to visit the Moulay Idriss Mausoleum and the Souk Nejjarine in succession.

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, transfer to Merzouga, the entrance to the Sahara Desert. Although it may be a long drive, you can make good use of your time in the attractive and marvelous scenery. Along the way, we will pass through the majestic Middle Atlas Mountain and Ifrane, a red town known as Switzerland in Africa, and have a stopover there for taking pictures.

Continue a 3-hour drive, we’ll reach Midelt, about halfway through the journey to Sahara Desert. You can have your lunch here, as the driver-guide will recommend the nice restaurants in consideration of your preferences. Midelt abounds with apples, and Tagine of Goat Meat with Candied Apples is a local specialty. Try it if you are interested.

After lunch, we’ll continue driving for 3 hours and 40 minutes to our destination today, Merzouga. Upon arrival, take a 4x4 off-road vehicle heading to your camp in Sahara Desert.

★  Have fun in Sahara Desert:
●    Take a 4X4 ride for a thrilling desert safari.
●    Enjoy a camel ride to the soaring Erg Chebbi Dunes for magnificent desert sunset.
●    Spend a romantic desert night with the desert dinner, bonfire party, starry sky over the desert, and Berber music and dance.
●    Remember to bring your camera and tripod if you love photography, to take pictures of orbits across the night sky over Sahara Desert, and record the moments of eternity.

► What Makes Us Different
With golden sand dunes, brilliant stars, singing and dancing around the campfire..., this is a dream in the Sahara Desert. However, we have to mention the real problem for everyone. You may know most desert camps have a private bathroom, but what you may not know is that, most bathrooms are separated from the tents. That’s to say, it is not in your tent, but outside. Imagine that, when you go to the restroom at night, you have to dress up, go out of your tent, walk a few steps in the dark, and then get to your bathroom. If a chilling wind happens to come in the desert at this time, congratulations, you have been totally awake!

After many field visits, we have carefully selected the luxury Camps for you. In addition to complete facilities and thoughtful service, it has also private bathroom in the tent specially. Thus, it can ensure a restful sleep for you.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Enjoy the desert sunrise at dawn, then return to camp for breakfast. After breakfast, we will leave for Skoura Oasis. We’ll first reach the Todra Gorges in about 3 hours’ drive. For eons, the Todra and Dades Rivers have been scouring the ranges of High Atlas Mountain, creating cliffs and gorges up to 300 m (984 feet) high.

★  Home-cooked Lunch with Family Visit
Today's lunch will be at a traditional Berber home, where you will be served with authentic Berber dishes. Tajine and mint tea are of course essential. If you have any other dietary requirements, please let the guide know in advance. After lunch, you can also visit the house and learn about the life of the host and his family.

Afterwards, continue our 3-hour drive to the destination today, Skoura. We will pass the Dades Gorges and Roses Valley on the way, and stopover for a photo shoot. Skoura is a historic oasis with large stretches of Palmeraie, scattered villages and numerous Kasbahs. Overnight at the Kasbahs hotel of local features.

★  Things to do in Skoura
●    You will visit Kasbah Amerhidil, the splendid Moroccan Kasbahs, which was once printed on the old version of the 50 Dirham note.
●    There are over 1,000 palms in Palmeraie. We’ll arrange a one-hour walking tour or bicycle tour there for you. If you would like to try a horse or donkey ride, the extra charge is on spot payment by yourself.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, we will leave the beautiful and peaceful Skoura and set out for Marrakech. After about 1 hour of driving along the route of a 1000 Kasbahs, we’ll arrive at Ouarzazate. Visit the Atlas Corporation Studio, the Hollywood of Africa. The Jewel of the Nile, Aladdin (2019), the Mummy, Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and many other movies and TV series have been filmed here.

About 30 km (18.6 miles) from Ouarzazate, we’ll reach another highlight today, Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This Morocco’s most beautiful village is famous for the breathtaking view of earthen houses and walls. 1,000 years ago, it was a vital post stop on the way for business travelers. Nowadays, it becomes famous again as the shooting location for many famous movies. We'll hang out here for about 2 hours.

► Rooftop Cafes: A river flows past the gate of Ait Ben Heddou; across the river, there are a few restaurants and cafes, all of which have excellent rooftop terraces. You can enjoy meals here at your own charge and have a panoramic view of whole Ait Ben Heddou. It is great to take panoramic shots.

After lunch, continue driving for about 3 hours to Marrakech, stopping over at Telouet Kasbah and Tizi n’Tichka Pass for photo shooting. Upon arrival, check into your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, your professional guide will pick you up at your hotel. Then your featured tour will start with a horse carriage ride to Old Medina. In the morning sunlight, your open-air carriage allows you to enjoy the city views with the gentle breeze and soak up the city’s unique atmosphere along the way.

Today's itinerary starts with a visit to the Koutoubia Mosque, the landmark and the highest architecture in the city. Built in 1195, this mosque distinguishes in that many precious spices were mixed into the mud to adhere the stones and bricks on the spire. Yet even today, the mosque is embraced with fragrance.

Later, go ahead to Bahia Palace, which was embossed with a wide number of Islamic patterns and decorated with mosaic collage tiles, making it exquisite and elegant. After that, we’ll visit the Saadian Tombs, well-known for its eye-catching architecture with the carved wooden ceilings. The next stop will be the holy Ben Yousself Medersa, the largest Koran academy in North Africa. During free time in the rest of this day, you may take a leisurely exploration of the souks and Jemaa el-Fna Square.

Jemaa el-Fna Square is perhaps the busiest night market in the world, with more than 3,000 stalls serving almost all snacks from the entire Morocco. Besides, you could also watch performances of fortune-tellers, snake charmers, street singers, and more. It's a square that never sleeps indeed.

Finally, the horse-drawn carriage will take you back to your hotel.

★  Privilege of Our Guests
●    Instead of the normal vehicle, a horse-drawn carriage is arranged between your hotel and Medina.
●    A professional local guide will lead you to visit Marrakech’s historic sites, not only to give an overview of the history of this Red City, but also to help you discover local cuisine hidden in the unknown alleys.
●    It is a must-do to taste a glass of freshly squeezed local juice when strolling around Jemaa el-Fna. We will offer a cup of orange or pomegranate juice for you; if you want to try something special, the blend of avocado and lemon juice is a unique flavor of Morocco.

Meals: Breakfast

In our last morning in Morocco, you’ll be escorted to visit Jardin Majorelle and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum next to it. Jardin Majorelle was the Muse of Yves Saint Laurent, the master of fashion, who created many different shades of red here. Ladies loving beauty, maybe your favorite color of lipstick was just discovered or derived from this garden.

After the visit, you will be transferred to the airport in Marrakech according to your return flight. For your reference, it’s around 15 minutes’ drive to Marrakech Menara Airport and 3 hours to Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport. We wish you a nice journey home! Hope to serve you for your next trip.

Meals: Breakfast