Morocco with Nessa – 7 days

DAY 1- CASABLANCA to RABAT

• First pick up before noon (the exact time will be announced a month prior the trip date) at the airport (Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport) or from your Riad/Hotel and travel to the city of Casablanca where you will enjoy your first views of the Moroccan country-side.
• Visit Hassan II mosque (not possible on Fridays or religious holidays), the largest mosque in Africa, decorated with beautiful tiling of the utmost craftsmanship. You may need to queue a while for tickets and the tour takes about an hour.
• Second pick up in the afternoon and later (the exact time will be announced a month prior the trip date)
• Continue to the capital city, Rabat, to spend the night in a Riad (hotel). You may have time to look around the medina and get a feel of this city.

DAY 2- RABAT to CHEFCHAOUEN

• Private guided tour of Rabat after breakfast. This busy political centre has a mix of the old and new: wide, tree-lined boulevards in the new town lead to the narrow bustling alleys of the old medina. You will have a day to explore: visit the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V; the Kasbah Oudaias, dominating the estuary entrance and used to defend the city against pirates; and the Chellah, a 13th century necropolis that also encloses the remains of the ancient Roman City of Sala Colonia.
• In the afternoon, drive to the blue town of Chefchaouen via Kénitra abd Wazzan through the Rif Mountains and other villages. Chefchaouen is one of the most beautiful cities in Morocco and a stunning village at the foot of the Rif Mountains. Chefchaouen’s medina has a Spanish-style square surrounded by many funky arts and crafts stores, roof-top restaurants, and cafes.

DAY 3- CHEFCHAOUEN to FES

• Visit Chefchaouen. Chefchaouen is one of the most beautiful cities in Morocco and a stunning village at the foot of the Rif Mountains. Chefchaouen’s medina has a Spanish-style square surrounded by many funky arts and crafts stores, roof-top restaurants, and cafes.
• Drive to FES.

DAY 4- EXPLORE FES

• Explore Fes with our guide, the oldest Imperial City, founded in 790 A.D.
• Enjoy a full day sightseeing tour in Fes which is the oldest of Morocco’s four “Imperial Cities”. The medieval city of Fes El Bali, or “Old Fes” remains complete and is unspoiled.
• During your tour of this part of the town, you can visit the exotic Bou Inania Medersa, the Medina and the Kairaouine Mosque, where you may take photos of the wonderful courtyard from the main gate.
• You can also visit the mize-maze of souks.
• In the afternoon you could visit Fes El Jdid, or “New Fes” and the Museum of Moroccan Arts. The night is spent in the riad (hotel)
• Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Fes.

DAY 5- FES- IFRAN-AZROU-MERZOUGA (450 km)

• Early drive to Merzouga desert
• From Fes to Merzouga, enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the Middle Atlas Mountains
• Pause at the picturesque cedar forest, known for its panoramic views and playful monkeys
• A sumptuous lunch awaits at a local eatery in Midelt, before we continue our scenic drive towards Merzouga, where you will be accommodated in a comfortable hotel for the night (camping in the desert).

DAY 6- MERZOUGA to DADES GOERGES (250 km)

If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise, when the colour of the dunes and the play of shadows are an awesome sight.

• After breakfast at the camp, we leave for Tinghir and the Toudgha gorges. On the way, you pass by the water channels – “khettarat”. It is possible to descend and appreciate the architecture behind this form of irrigation which prevents evaporation in the summer heat. The channels start at a higher gradient at one end until they finally emerge at the surface of the soil. You can find out more about these channels by reading Andrew Wilson’s work.
• In the gorge and the valley, there are opportunities to walk beyond the gorge itself or by the village gardens and fields before you reach it.
• Later the itinerary continues to the Dades Valley. The area, which now forms the Dades Gorges, lay at the bottom of the sea millions of years ago. Great quantities of sediment were deposited around giant coral reefs. Over time this material became compacted into a variety of sedimentary rocks such as sandstone and limestone. Eventually, the movement of the earth’s crust caused the region to rise above the sea, forming the Atlas Mountains and surrounding landscape.
• The night is spent in a hotel or kasbah.

DAY 7- DADES GORGES – OUARZAZAT – AIT BENHADOU- MARRAKECH (210 km)

• Start the day with a fulfilling breakfast at your riad before we embark on the journey back to Marrakech. En route, we visit the famous Ait Benhadou Kasbah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its cultural significance and cinematic history. Our journey culminates with a scenic drive through the High Atlas Mountains’ Tizi’nt Tichka pass, followed by a refreshing lunch at a local restaurant. Conclude the trip with a drop-off at your Marrakech accommodation
• Relax at the hotel or go for last minutes shopping
• Last dinner at a local restaurant, chat with new friends.

DAY 8

• Breakfast
• Check out
• Drive to Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport for your flights back home.