Kick off your Moroccan adventure with VIP service to fast-track your arrival at Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport (CMN). From here you’ll be transferred to your cosmopolitan hotel in the heart of this historic city, famed for its place in Hollywood history. Casablanca’s vibrant mix of cultural influences span from traditional Moorish to French colonial, as seen in the intricate architecture.
In the evening, get to know your group over a delicious welcome dinner at a favoured local restaurant.
After breakfast, join your local guide to discover the breathtaking Hassan II Mosque – one of the largest in the world, and indisputably one of the most beautiful. Partially suspended above the sea and fitted with an enormous retractable roof that opens to beaming sunlight on special days of worship, this feat of architecture – with its hand-carved stone and detailed marble floor – pays tribute to the former King of Morocco in painstaking detail.
In the afternoon, depart for the sprawling city of Fes. En route, stop at the influential Les Celliers de Meknes – a pioneering winery on the outskirts of ‘the Versailles of Morocco.’ This sizeable vineyard is responsible for around 20 percent of Morocco’s total wine production. You’ll sample their finest French-style varietals during a wine tasting and traditional Moroccan lunch.
Continue onto Fes and spend your afternoon wandering the car-free medina at your leisure.
Immerse yourself in the medieval history and imperial grandeur of this city as you explore its twisting alleyways on a guided tour. Gaze upon mesmerising mosaic fountains and breathe in alluring spices as you pass aromatic food stands offering bowls of earthy harira soups and lamb sausages stuffed with paprika.
Walk back through time as you weave through the medina. Its cobbled streets are lined with ancient mosques, soaring minarets and historic fondouk hotels. Peek into peaceful courtyards and marvel at the brightly coloured tiling, then retire to spend the evening as you please.
Depart Fes and travel to Merzouga for a dramatic change of pace. Stop at Ifrane - the 'Switzerland of Morocco' and stroll around the quaint alpine streets. Enjoy lunch in Midelt and appreciate its giant statue of a bright red, juicy apple, commemorating the surrounding apple-growing region. Once you reach Merzouga, it's time for your 4WD transfer to your desert escape. Learn the topography of Erg Chebbi – the ‘Sea of Dunes’ – on an introductory jeep safari. Scale the magnificent rose-gold waves of sand as they sweep up from the rocky plains.
Check into your luxury desert camp, then mount a camel and set off for the fringes of the Sahara to experience sunset and the changing colours of the sands. Enjoy a Berber meal by the campfire with your group, complete with the traditional music of your nomadic hosts, and gaze up at the vast shroud of dazzling stars above that cloak the sky like diamonds.
Explore the depths of the Sahara further today with two more desert tour experiences. Start the day with a camel ride into Erg Chebbi once again. Later, adventure further on a four-wheel drive jeep trip to a lush and hidden oasis among the golden sea. Picnic among its mystically thriving greenery before your return to camp.
In the evening, savour another delectable meal by the fire and settle into the serenity of the sand.
Follow the fabled ‘Road of 1,000 Kasbahs’ and wind your way past mud-brick forts on a morning journey towards the Atlas mountain range. Weave along the Dades Gorges spotting historic kasbahs and fortified villages.
Drive through the Valley of Roses and pass Kelaat M’Gouna, where thousands of Berbers travel for the annual Rose Festival. This springtime celebration honours the fragrant harvest and production of treasured rose water with parades and dancing. Witness the dream-like oasis of Skoura and its lush palm groves, then visit the austere 17th-century Kasbah Amridil, well-renowned as one of Morocco’s most majestic constructs.
Continue to Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage city revered as an example of authentic mudbrick architecture, and check in at your hotel for the evening.
Unearth almost a thousand years of history as you tour the fortified ksar of Ait Benhaddou. Beyond its striking beauty and uniquely Moroccan clay architecture, this town built into a hill is a go-to location for Hollywood filmmakers, playing host to epic productions such as Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator and Game of Thrones.
Later, venture through the High Atlas and on to Marrakech. Take a walking tour of the energetic Djemaa El Fna, centuries-old home of snake charmers, conjurers, acrobats and musicians. With a stunning array of fresh produce stands, vending juices squeezed to order from a rainbow organically-grown fruit, and vibrant street life, this central square is the beating heart of Marrakech.
With your appetite suitably whetted, tuck into a sumptuous, Moroccan tajine feast this evening.
After breakfast, join your guide to meander through the powder-pink ramparts of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Medina of Marrakech. Lose yourself in the maze of bustling bazaars that flank the streets of Old Town, and haggle for a colourful souvenir from one of the open-air souks.
Step inside a traditional bakery, where artisans have spent hundreds of years mastering the art of breadmaking, frying buttery msemmen flatbread and hearty pastilla. Visit a traditional Moroccan bath house and learn about the wood-burning furnace that heats the heart of all traditional hammam. You’ll also gain entry into the colonial-inspired Bahia Palace, which housed sultans and the French government until the late 20th century.
With a busy day of sightseeing under your belt, its up to you whether you spend your final night in leisure or reminiscing with company at an optional group dinner.
Optional Activity:
- Farewell group dinner (A$82 per person).
After breakfast, it’s time to bid Morocco ‘adieu’ as you transfer to Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) for your journey home.