Imperial Cities and Sahara Desert from Tangier

Meet and welcome at Tangier the gateway between Europe and Africa! Visit tangier or travel straight to the beautiful city of Chefchaouen. Enjoy the scenic route, stopping along the way in Tetouan to the charming Chefchaouen known for its blue-washed buildings in its historic Medina, explore its maze-like narrow streets and alleyways which cling to the northern hillside. Arrive in the charming Chefchaouen known for its blue-washed buildings, endless winding narrow streets and picturesque buildings. Check into your Riad and find Plaza Outa el Hammam for a restaurant or café and enjoy a meal, explore the nearby kasbah and tour the garden, museum, and some of the old prison cells.

Wake up early and you may be treated with an hour of quiet as you wander the streets in the morning. Follow a path outside of the city walls and climb to the rooftop of Hotel Atlas to enjoy a panoramic view of the Blue City. Follow the street east to pass over the Ras el Ma Spring and ascend the path (20-30 minutes) until you reach the abandoned white Spanish Mosque. Enjoy one last panoramic view over Chefchaouen. Leaving Chefchaouen behind and drive toward Fes and can opt to take a short detour to explore the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the imperial city of Meknes.

Meet your guide in your Riad/Hotel at 09am and start the visit of “the oldest living Medina in the world”. Start at the gateway of the Royal Palace and the Blue Gate " Bab Boujloud ".  Explore the twisting streets of the old Medina, Madrasa Bounania, the elegant Nejjarine Fountain & Musuem and the pungent Chouara Tanner... You will have free afternoon to spend at your leisure. Check optional activities below.

Leave Fes behind and travel south toward Merzouga to arrive at the Sahara dunes for a sunset camel ride. Your driver will pick you up from your accommodation at 08:30am. After an hour arrive in ;Ifrane the little Swizerland, where the houses have sloping remarkable and unusual roofs. A 15 minuntes stop to stretch your legs, drink a cup of coffee. We continue south cross the majestic Middle Atlas and stop for a while to observe the Barbary apes in the Aok and the cedar forest. The natural habitat of one of the world’s most endangered primate species — the Barbary macaque (scientifically known as;Macaca sylvanus). Afterwards we will continue to Midelt for lunch (the 'apple city'), relishing the nearby Moulouya River. Later on we will continue to Merzouga over the Tizi n'Talghamt pass ( 1907 ) and into the Ziz Valley, known for its hidden oases and palm tree clusters. Along the road, you will see many fortified houses known as ksars—built to protect precious wares, including gold, salt, and spices, to Erfoud and into the sahara desert. Erfoud is famous for its fossil finds worked into beautiful artifacts, in which you can feel the beginning of the Saharan oasis of Tafilalet and its immense arid plateaus. Your camels are waiting for you At the edge of the golden dunes, the luggage will be loaded in an 4x4 car and transported to the camp, and you can enjoy a beautiful camel ride over the sand dunes and watch a majestic desert sunset on your way to the camp.

Wake up early to catch a spectacular desert sunrise, then spend the morning exploring more of the Sahara Desert. Enjoy sandboarding and test your skills on the dunes, take the Erg Chebbi tour (around the dunes), join a quad bike tour, visit nearby Khemliya village, a typical Saharan village (its people originally from Mali), and enjoy traditional drumming music and dancing before taking a short walk around the settlement. Continue to Tinerhir. This desert town offers fantastic views of neighboring towns hugging the length of the extensive river oasis (30 miles or 48 km of palm trees). The surrounding desert landscape reveals impressive buttes, mesas, and plateaus. Next, you'll reach today's final destination, the Todra Gorge. Almost 1000 feet (305 m) high and carved by the Todra River through red limestone, here you can enjoy a leisurely walk in and around the gorge and relax in the cool waters of the shallow river below. The rest of the evening is yours to explore or unwind.

Leave Tinghir behind and drive to Dades Valley. Upon arrival to Boumalne Dades, we will deviate into a secondary route heading up to Dades Gorges, a surprising landscape that is known for its stunning rock formation, kasbahs and attractive stone and pisé villages. On the banks of the river is a cultivated land that grows almond, fig and walnut trees and polars — its a glorious road that offers one of the most scenic drives in the world. Follow the spectacular M'goun Valley and arrive in Kelaa M'Gouna, known for its Festival of Roses; here you can see extensively cultivated farmland bordered with fragrant pink rose bushes. Continue driving toward Skoura via the road of 1000 Kasbahs. The town of Skoura houses a number of impressive kasbahs, we will visit the most imposing one, the 17th century Amridil Kasbah — a masterpiece that had been printed in the country's 50 Dirham note. Skoura is one of Morocco’s beautiful oases, we will visit the palmeraie gardens and enjoy the abundance of its nature. Arrive in Ouarzazate, nicknamed "Hollywood of Africa" a town located on the main road between the mountains and the desert, Ouarzazate is made popular by the film industry. For a century, hundreds of movies have been shot in this region, including Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Game of Thrones, kingdom of Heaven, and many more. It is possible to join a studio tour so to discover how the nearby desert landscapes have been featured in many films. Have lunch in one of the local restaurants. After lunch, we will travel to the nearby town Ait Benhadou village. We will have time to explore this famous UNESCO World Heritage Site with a local guide, . Overnight in a beautiful kasbah with Dinner..

After breakfast we will drive along the beautiful and awe-inspiring Ounila Valley that is full of bends in the road and surprises at the hues of the rock and soil, gardens, Berber villages, as well as small Kasbahs until you reach the village of Telouet. Arrive at Telouet Kasbah, the main seat of the Glaoui family. The kasbah boasts some of the best andalusion architecture with engraved stuccowork, colourful zellij tilework, painted cedar ceilings and doors. Meet your guide and learn the fascinating history of this crumbling yet stunning village and its role in the struggle for Moroccan independence. Drive across the High Atlas Mountains the highest mountain range in North Africa. Along the way, soak in uninterrupted views of the High Atlas Mountains and its beautiful Berber villages. Near the top, stretch your legs for a great panoramic view of the mountains. Soon you will be a part of the hustle and bustle of vibrant Marrakech.

Meet your guide at 09am in your Riad/Hotel and start your Guided city tour of Marrakech, visit The Bahia Palace, Medrassa Ben Youssef, see the Koutoubia Mosque from outside  Souks and Jamaa el Fna Square. The order of the visits depends on the location of your pick up but you will get a lot of flexibility in terms of what you can see and pace,  plus we have the option of improvising and changing course along the way while focusing on what you find most interesting.

Depending on the time of your departure flight, you may be able to do some last-minute sightseeing, get some souvenirs before your leave to the airport.