12-Day Cultural Tour from Marrakech

Day 1 – Marrakech – Welcome and meeting with the guide at the airport – Hotel or riad transfer – Free time for a first contact with the city and its medina

Welcome at Marrakech Menara Airport and meeting with the escort guide.

Prepare to be amazed and inspired!

Transfer to the Riad. Free visit at your own pace of Jemaa el Fna Square and the medina, the heart of the city. A unique experience where all the nightlife and activity is concentrated: dancers, storytellers, jugglers, artisans, merchants, and snake charmers. From the terraces of some cafes, you can get a wide panoramic view of the city: mosques and minarets, palaces and gardens, souks and bazaars.

JEMAA EL-FNA SQUARE

This square is the city’s main square and throughout the day it attracts tourists and locals alike, who visit the stalls selling orange juice and water during daylight hours, as well as snake charmers, women dedicated to painting with henna, or boys with monkeys.

At night the atmosphere changes and you can see dancers, musicians, and entertainers filling it entirely, providing an atmosphere of drums and fun.

We recommend sitting in one of the surrounding cafes to enjoy the atmosphere or going to dinner at one of the more than 100 stalls set up at this time featuring different types of Moroccan food.

Day 2 – Marrakech – Casablanca – Rabat

After breakfast, departure to Casablanca. Visit of the exterior of the Hassan II Mosque; those who wish can take an optional tour of the interior. Next, we will head to Rabat, the administrative capital, to visit the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the Hassan Tower, and the Kasbah of the Udayas.

Day 3 – Rabat – Asilah

After breakfast, departure toward the peaceful and bohemian walled coastal city of Asilah in the north. Free time to explore its streets and medina and enjoy its beautiful sunsets from its ramparts.

Day 4 – Asilah – Chefchaouen

In the morning, departure toward the Rif Mountains, where the charming town of Chefchaouen is located, famous for its streets and facades painted in blue. Free time to discover the charms of this town.

Day 5 – Chefchaouen – Roman Ruins of Volubilis – Meknes – Fes

Breakfast and departure to visit Volubilis, the capital of Roman Morocco declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Next, free visit of Meknes, a city linked to the name of Moulay Ismail, the great sultan of the Alawite dynasty. Visit of the walled Medina of the city, the Bab Mansour gate, and El Hedim Square. Arrival in Fes, the cultural and religious capital of the country.

Free time for a first contact with the city and its medina.

Day 6 – Fes – Guided tour with a local guide

In the morning, at the indicated time, departure for the tour with a local guide of Fes, the oldest of the country’s Imperial Cities, approaching the gates of the Royal Palace and walking through the Jewish quarter, the impressive Medina with its typical shops and artisan quarters, the tanners’ quarter, the exterior of the Mosque, the Al-Attarine or Bou Inania Koranic School, and the Al Quaraouiyne University.

Free time in the afternoon to continue enjoying the city.

Day 7 – Fes – Ifrane “Moroccan Switzerland” – Cedar forests and monkeys of Azrou – Middle Atlas Mountains – Midelt – Errachidia – Ziz Valley – Merzouga

After breakfast, we resume the route to the desert passing through the university city of Ifrane, better known as the “Moroccan Switzerland” and for being one of the favorite cities of the King of Morocco, the cedar forest and monkeys of Azrou, and the landscapes of the Atlas Mountains, until reaching the Ziz Valley, an extensive palm grove. We will arrive in Merzouga at the foot of the Erg Chebbi dunes.

Traditional welcome dinner in the desert.

Day 8 – Merzouga – Tour around the dunes in 4×4 – Visit to Berber nomadic families – Fossils and mines area – Khamlia (including traditional Gnaoua music demonstration) – Camel excursion – Magical night in a Berber camp (khaimas)

Today we will have the whole day to travel around and discover the lifestyle and culture of the desert.

After breakfast, departure in the 4×4 vehicle to circle the dunes, visit Berber nomadic families living in the area and share a tea with them, head out to the mines and fossil area to discover the natural resources of the desert, and witness a traditional Gnaoua music demonstration by the Bambaras group of Khamlia.

In the mid-afternoon, a camel excursion is taken to reach the camp while enjoying a sunset that will probably remain saved in your memory as one of the best natural spectacles you have ever witnessed.

Traditional Berber dinner at the camp to the rhythm of drums under the moon and stars, surrounded by dunes and accompanied by a campfire.

This will undoubtedly be a magical night!

Day 9 – Merzouga – Todra Gorges – Dades Valley

Those who wish can wake up early to contemplate the sunrise from the dunes, a spectacle of nature that can be enjoyed here like in few other places.

We will say goodbye to the dunes and head toward Erfoud, from where we will set out on the route toward Tinghir and Todra. We will make a stop to visit its gorges perched at an altitude of 1,350 m and surrounded by a palm grove, until reaching the town of Boumalne, where the other gorges called Dades were formed.

A beautiful journey through valleys, Berber villages, kasbahs, and a landscape of contrasts between palm trees and vegetation. Today we will spend the night surrounded by mountains and valleys.

Day 10 – Dades Valley – Roses Valley – Skoura Palm Grove – Ouarzazate – Ait Ben Haddou – Tichka Pass (2260m) – Marrakech

After breakfast, and once past the Roses Valley and the city of Ouarzazate, located on a large plateau, we will step right into the Route of the One Thousand Kasbahs, visiting one of the best—if not the best—preserved ksurs in Morocco: Ait Ben Haddou, a fortress village built of adobe, the setting for a multitude of movies and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Continuation of the route through the High Atlas, crossing the Tichka Pass (2260 m) surrounded by impressive mountains. Arrival in Marrakech and transfer to the Riad.

Time for a well-deserved rest or to continue enjoying the magical atmosphere of this city.

Day 11 – Marrakech – Guided tour with a local guide

In the morning, at the agreed time, the guide will pick you up at your accommodation to begin the cultural tour of the city’s most iconic and tourist landmarks.

The tour of the monuments and sights is done on foot at the locations, accompanied by an official Spanish-speaking city guide.

The guided tour includes visits to:

THE KOUTOUBIA, one of the masterpieces of Almohad art located in the center of the city, where a stone palace called “Ksar AL HAJJAR” used to stand.

BAHIA PALACE, built in the 19th century as a sultan’s residence. Bahia means brilliant; in fact, in the 19th century, Moroccans believed they had built the grandest palace of all time. To get there, we will cross the Kasbah market, the Jewish Quarter (El Mellah), the Spice Souk, and Badia Square.

THE SAADIAN TOMBS, one of the most visited sites in Marrakech. These tombs date back to the late 16th century and are located in a closed garden accessed through a small hallway. Past the threshold, we find extraordinarily beautiful mausoleums decorated with mosaics, and various tombs where sultans, warriors, and servants of the Saadian dynasty are buried.

During this tour, we will enter the SOUK and also visit the BEN YOUSSEF MEDERSA. Built in the 16th century, it was one of the most important Koranic schools. Its students lived in austere cells while finishing their religious studies. The most beautiful part of the visit is its interior courtyard with its architecture and mosaics, in harmony with the central pool used for performing ablutions before prayer. Here, visitors will find extreme tranquility after passing through the bustle of the Medina streets.

MAJORELLE GARDEN, this garden was built by the painter Jacques Majorelle, who created it just as he would create a work of art. As a point of interest, nowadays the color “Majorelle blue” is frequently spoken of in honor of the blue used on most of the gates, walls, and details of the garden. In the 1980s, the legendary fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent acquired it and increased the number of plant species to over 300. It became his favorite retreat, and he wished for his ashes to be scattered among its bamboos and water lilies.

And finally, JEMAA EL FNA SQUARE, which is the central square of Marrakech and the most important place in the medina. The public life of Marrakech unfolds here both day and night. The best thing about Jemaa el Fna Square is the transformation it undergoes throughout the day.

Day 12 – Marrakech – At the agreed time, airport transfer

Depending on your flight time, free time for last-minute visits and shopping. At the agreed time, transfer to the airport.

END OF OUR SERVICES.

We wish you a happy return home, and see you again soon in Morocco, Inshallah