14 day Morocco Tour from Casablanca

Your 14 day Morocco Tour from Casablanca - "Best of Morocco" starts in Casablanca. We’ll meet you at the airport or your hotel.

The first stop on your 2 week tour from Casablanca is the impressive Hassan II Mosque on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The mosque is the one of the largest in the world and hasbreathtaking examples of Moroccan Islamic architecture, beautifully crafted tiles, and intricate plaster carving.

We’ll then drive about 1 hour north to the capital of Morocco, Rabat. You’ll check into your hotel and have some time to rest and freshen up before having a welcome dinner in a nearby local restaurant.

After breakfast, we’ll visit the 12th century Hassan Tower and mosque, which were left incomplete when the Caliph died. The tower was recently restored, and you can walk amongst the ruins of walls and pillars of the mosque, which create an open-air square.

Across from the tower is the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, built for the king, who died in 1961. His son and successor, Hassan II, who died in 1999, is also entombed here. Here you’ll find more stunning examples of intricate Moroccan carving and zelig tilework. It may be possible to tour the Mausoleum, depending on the time and date.

We’ll then drive north along the coast to the city of Asilah, where we’ll stop to explore. Asilah is an international arts scene, known for its annual Arts Festival every summer (July and August). The walls of its medina have been painted by artists from all over the world. The medina walls and gates were built by the Portuguese in the 15th century.

After lunch in Asilah, we’ll drive through the foothills of the Rif Mountains to Chefchaouen. Chefchaouen is known as Morocco's "blue city". Yes, it really is blue! Bright blue!

You'll spend the night at a local riad.

After breakfast in your riad, you’ll have the day free to explore this small city’s winding streets. Chefchaouen is home to a myriad of fascinating arts and crafts shops, and the atmosphere is very relaxed. Chefchaouen was once occupied by Spain; you’ll see the Spanish and Moorish influences in the older architecture, some of which dates back to the 15th century.

You’ll spend a second night in the riad.

On Day 4, your 14 day "Best of Morocco" tour continues. After breakfast we’ll drive to the magnificent Roman ruins at Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There you’ll see stunning partially-excavated mosaics, buildings, arches, and columns. You’ll explore the ruins with a local guide.

After touring the ruins, we'll continue on to Meknes, one of Morocco’s four Imperial Cities. Founded as a fortress in the 11th century, Meknes became the capital of Morocco under Sultan Moulay Ismail of the Alaouite dynasty in the 17th century. We’ll visit the Moulay Ismail shrine, see the impressive Bab el Mansour gate, and tour the remains of the Imperial Stables.

After lunch in Meknes, we'll drive the rest of the way to Fes, the oldest of Morocco’s four Imperial Cities, where you’ll check in to your riad. We'll have a traditional Moroccan meal at a restaurant in the medina.

After breakfast in the riad, a local guide will take you on a tour inside the Fes medina (old walled city), with its narrow winding alleys. It's like stepping back in time. Fes was established in the middle ages and in many ways still functions as a medieval city today. Around every corner there is something fascinating to see. You'll visit the famous tanneries of Fes where centuries-old natural methods are still used to cure and dye leather, which is then fashioned by local craftspeople into world-renowned leather clothing and accessories in every colour of the rainbow.

You'll have lunch in the medina with your guide.

After the tour, we'll go outside the medina to visit a pottery co-operative where you’ll see how Morocco's colourful pottery and intricate zelig tile mosaics are made, completely by hand, by skilled artisans. A long day, but this stop is fascinating and not to be missed.

Back at your riad, you'll have time to relax before having dinner there.

On Day 6 of your 14 day Morocco Tour from Casablanca, we'll head to the Sahara Desert. You’ll see the amazing change in the landscape as we travel through the Middle Atlas Mountains.

We’ll pass through Ifrane, a popular ski resort town known as the "Switzerland of Morocco", with its steeply-peaked rooves designed to shed show easily. We’ll stop in Azrou, with its large cedar forest to rest and take photos of the Barbary apes which inhabit the forest.

Lunch will be in Midelt, the “apple capital” of Morocco.

After lunch, we’ll drive alongside the Ziz Valley. The impressive palm-filled Ziz Oasis stretches for hundreds of meandering kilometres along the valley floor. You’ll have a chance to take some beautiful panoramic photos at a lookout point beside the road.

We’ll pass through Erfoud, famous for its Date Festival each October and known for its fossils and fossil products, then turn off the highway and travel across flat rocky desert to the Saharan region of Merzouga, towards the magnificent sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. Erg Chebbi has the highest dunes in North Africa, and the sight of them rising suddenly out of the desert floor never fails to impress!

At the hotel, your camels will be waiting to take you into the dunes as the late afternoon sun sinks over the sands. You’ll leave civilization behind and travel by camel into the high dunes, where you’ll see the sands change colour as the sun moves across the sky. You’ll have time to explore, take pictures, and watch the sunset before returning by camel to the tent camp about 1 hour from the dunes. There, you’ll enjoy a traditional Moroccan meal.

After dinner you’ll be entertained with African music – drumming and singing and dancing – around a campfire.

After breakfast, your desert adventure continues. You’ll trek by camel for about 3 hours, coming out of the dunes on the other side of the Erg, closer to the Algerian border. You’ll arrive at the home of some Berber nomads, where you’ll have tea and spend time learning about their life in the harsh desert. Don’t worry – your guide will translate! The nomad women will demonstrate some typical Berber handicrafts such as weaving and embroidery.

Your nomad hosts will prepare a delicious lunch for you – a traditional Berber pizza, which is flat bread stuffed with ground meat, onions, and spices. If you wish, you can watch them prepare the meal.

After lunch, you’ll mount your camels and trek back to the tent camp. Once again, you’ll be surrounded by sand and sky and the unique silence of the desert. Maybe your guide will explain how he is able to navigate this sea of sand when there are no landmarks visible!

Back at the hotel you’ll be able to shower, change, and have some refreshing tea while you rest and enjoy the sunset.

Dinner will be at the hotel. You’ll spend your last night in a nomad tent near the hotel, or in a room in the hotel – your choice.

At the beginning of Week 2 of your "Best of Morocco" 2 week tour from Casablanca, we'll leave the dunes behind. After breakfast, we'll drive to Rissani, where you'll have a chance to visit the local souk (market). Local people do almost all of their shopping in this warren of small shops & stalls. On Tuesdays, the travelling market arrives, and people flock from nearby villages to shop.

Next, we'll head to Tinghir, a green oasis of palms & gardens, and the Todra Gorge. The rock walls of the gorge are nearly vertical & 300 metres high. There's a small river running along the bottom.

Here we’ll stop for lunch at a nearby restaurant, and you’ll have a chance to walk along the river.

From there we’ll drive to the Dades Valley, known as the "Valley of the Thousand Kasbahs", following the winding road through the mountains.

You’ll stay the night in a guesthouse overlooking the valley. Nearby you’ll see the rock formation known as “Monkey Toes”.

In the morning you’ll have time for a walk through the impressive Dades Gorge, before we resume our journey. We’ll drive to Kalaat M’Gouna, the “Valley of the Roses”, where millions of rose petals are harvested each year to produce a huge array of rose-infused products for culinary and cosmetic use. The harvest culminates in May with the annual Rose Festival – worth attending if you can arrange your visit around this popular festival. We'll make a stop here so that you can see, smell, and, if you wish, purchase some products made from local roses.

We’ll then head to Skoura, famous for its palmerie, where we’ll have lunch and visit the picturesque Kasbah Amridil. The 17th century fortified village (ksar) along the river is mostly in ruins now, but the Kasbah (fortified mansion) on the south end was built in the late 19th century and is one of the most impressive kasbahs in Morocco. It is still owned and maintained by the same family today.

Our tour continues to Ouarzazate, known as the "Hollywood of Morocco". Ouarzazate is home to several film studios, both Moroccan and international. The surrounding landscape is a popular on-location site and has been used to portray everything from the Egyptian desert to the surface of Mars.

You’ll tour one of the Moroccan film studios, and spend the night in a riad or hotel in Ouarzazate.

On Day 10 of your 14 day Morocco Tour from Casablanca, we’ll drive a short way to Ait Ben Haddou, the oldest Kasbah in the south of Morocco, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although the village was originally built in the 17th century, people still live and work there today, their homes built right into the rock or with mud bricks, which are made locally using the same methods as in ancient times. Ait Ben Haddou has also featured in many films, including The Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven.

We’ll have lunch in the village, and you’ll have time to explore the Kasbah. It’s a gentle climb through winding streets to the top, where you can see in all directions.

We’ll continue our journey southwest, to Taliouine, the heart of the saffron growing area of Morocco. We'll stop at a local saffron co-operative to learn about saffron & how it's harvested. It's a very labour-intensive process that happens each November.

We’ll end our day in Taroudant, known as “little Marrakesh”. You’ll check in to your riad in the afternoon and have some time to explore the lovely little medina before dinner. There is often impromptu entertainment in the main square.

On Day 11 of your 2 week tour from Casablanca, we'll head for Morocco's Atlantic coast.

On the way, we’ll visit a women’s cooperative where argan nuts are shelled and processed by hand to make argan oil and argan products. Argan oil is well-known world-wide for its value in conditioning hair and skin; oil made from roasted argan nuts is also delicious for eating with bread or salad. In this region of Morocco, argan trees are everywhere. If we’re lucky, we might see goats climbing in the argan trees – an unbelievable sight – as they feast on tasty fruit.

We’ll have lunch in Agadir, a resort city on the ocean.

After a short walk along the Promenade, we’ll head up the coast to Essaouira, a lovely, laid-back seaside town, well-known for local handicrafts, art, fresh seafood, and long sandy beach. Weather in Essaouira is temperate – mild in winter and cool in summer. Every June, Essaouira hosts the Gnaoua Festival of World Music. Musicians from all over the world fill the streets with music – a treat if you can time your visit to coincide with the festival.

You’ll check in to your hotel/riad and have the rest of the afternoon and evening free.

For dinner, you can’t beat fresh seafood. Just outside the medina you’ll find stall after stall selling the day’s catch. The waiters vie for your attention and your taste buds, enticing you to come eat at their stall. If you prefer, you can take dinner in one of the many restaurants in the medina or along the ocean-front.

After breakfast, you’ll have several hours of free time. You can explore the Portuguese ramparts, walk along the beach, or visit the medina, with its many galleries, shops, and cafés. Essaouira’s medina is small and easy to navigate, and the atmosphere is much more relaxed than in Marrakesh or Fes. One of the specialties of this region is carved Thuja (pronounced Twee-ah) wood, which you’ll find in everything from souvenirs to beautiful, intricately carved furniture.

Late in the afternoon, your "Best of Morocco" Tour takes you away from the coast, inland to the Imperial City of Marrakesh. You'll check in to your riad and have the evening free. You may want to visit the world-famous Jmaa El Fna square, which fills every night with tourists and Moroccan families alike, out to enjoy fresh-cooked food and be entertained by storytellers, musicians, and dancers. It’s a carnival-like atmosphere and not to be missed!

After breakfast in your riad, a local guide will take you exploring for the day in Morocco's Red City. There are many fascinating cultural and historic sites to visit, such as the Saadian Tombs, in addition to the bustling souks in the medina. You'll have lunch with your guide at a local restaurant.

After the tour, you’ll have some free time to relax, explore on your own, or, if you wish, a visit to the famous Majorelle Gardens, may be arranged.

Dinner will be at the riad, where you’ll spend a second night.

After breakfast in your riad, we'll return to the Atlantic Coast. Your 14 day Morocco Tour from Casablanca, "Best of Morocco" ends back in Casablanca when we drop you off at the airport or your hotel.