12-Day Cultural Tour from Tangier, Morocco

Day 1 – Tangier – Welcome and meeting with the escort guide at the port or airport – Asilah

Welcome at Tangier port or airport and meeting with the escort guide.

Prepare to be amazed and inspired!

Start of the tour with a first stop in Asilah, a beautiful coastal town that features a lovely medina, endless pristine beaches, and welcoming people.

Free time to enjoy the charm of Asilah.

Day 2 – Asilah – Rabat

After breakfast, we will head to Rabat, the political and administrative capital of Morocco, to visit the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the Hassan Tower, and the Kasbah of the Udayas.

Free time for a well-deserved rest at the hotel/riad or to continue enjoying the city at your own pace.

Day 3 – Rabat – Casablanca – Essaouira

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 the coastal town of Essaouira, known as the Pearl of the Atlantic.

Arrival in Essaouira and free time to visit its medina, fishing port, and beaches.

Day 4 – Essaouira – Marrakech

After breakfast, we will head to the “Red City,” Marrakech. Along the way, we will be able to observe the hundreds of trees that cultivate the argan fruit and, if you wish, we will visit a women’s cooperative where the famous and precious argan oil is still made in an artisanal way.

Arrival in Marrakech.

Transfer to the Hotel / 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 5 – Marrakech – Free day or optional tour with a local guide

Full day free to discover the city or take an optional tour with a local guide.

Optional Guided Tour:

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 city guide in your language.

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.

Free time to continue enjoying the magical atmosphere of this city.

Day 6 – Marrakech – High Atlas – Tichka Pass (2260m) – Telouet Kasbah – Ait Ben Haddou – Ouarzazate – Skoura Palm Grove – Roses Valley – Dades Valley

After breakfast, and at the time agreed with the guide, pick-up at the hotel or riad to continue the journey.

We will cross the High Atlas Mountains, traveling through the Tichka Pass at an altitude of 2,260 meters, making stops to contemplate the landscape and take photographs, as it is one of the most impressive routes in Morocco. Here, we will trade the vegetation of Marrakech and the views of the palm groves on the northern face of the mountains for the aridity of the south, and we will begin to notice the first adobe Berber villages on the mountain slopes.

We will pass through Telouet, home to the ancient Glaoui Kasbah, built in Andalusian style at an altitude of 1,650 meters, and we will detour to visit the Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, the best-preserved fortified village (ksour), declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the setting for a multitude of movies.

After passing the city of Ouarzazate, the so-called “Gateway to the Desert,” we will continue through the Skoura palm grove and the Roses Valley until reaching the Dades Valley, where we will spend the night surrounded by mountains and valleys.

Day 7 – Dades Valley – Todra Gorges – Erfoud – Merzouga – Erg Chebbi Dunes – Camel excursion – Magical night in a Berber camp (khaimas)

After breakfast, we will continue along the banks of Boumalne Dades, where a road lined with kasbahs and ksours (fortresses or castles) opens up, presenting a landscape of ocher, red, and mauve colors. After a journey filled with oases and palm trees, we will arrive in Tinghir, home to the spectacular Todra Gorges perched at an altitude of 1,350 meters and surrounded by a palm grove.

We will continue toward Erfoud (the city of fossils) and after crossing a section of dirt tracks, we will arrive in Merzouga, facing the Erg Chebbi dunes. There, we will swap our vehicle for camels, which will lead us to the camp to spend the night in khaimas and enjoy the magic of the desert under a blanket of millions of stars.

Typical dinner to the rhythm of Berber drums.

This will undoubtedly be a magical night!

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) – Afternoon of relaxation to enjoy a walk in the dunes, the hotel pool, or to take part in an optional activity (quads, buggies…)

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 the Berber nomads 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.

Today we will have a free afternoon to take a relaxing walk in the dunes and enjoy the last sunset in the desert, engage in optional activities (quads…), or simply take a swim and relax in the hotel pool.

Day 9 – Merzouga – Ziz Valley – Errachidia – Midelt – Middle Atlas Mountains – Cedar forests and monkeys of Azrou – Ifrane “Moroccan Switzerland” – Fes

Those who wish can wake up to contemplate the last sunrise from the dunes.

We will say goodbye to the desert and resume the route through the Ziz Valley, an extensive palm grove surrounded by gorges.

We will cross the Middle Atlas Mountains until reaching the cedar forests and monkeys of Azrou, where we will observe the macaques that live in the wild.

Next, once past the university city of Ifrane, better known as the “Moroccan Switzerland,” we will arrive in the Imperial City of Fes to enjoy a well-deserved rest in our charming riad.

Day 10 – 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 11 – Fes – Meknes – Roman Ruins of Volubilis – Chefchaouen

After breakfast, departure toward Meknes, free visit at your own pace or optional tour with a local city guide of the city linked to the name of Moulay Ismail, the great sultan of the Alawite dynasty. Free visit of the walled Medina of the city, the Bab Mansour gate, and El Hedim Square.

Next, free visit or optional guided tour of Volubilis, the capital of Roman Morocco declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Subsequently, we will head to the charming town of Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains, famous for its blue-colored streets and facades.

Free time to stroll at your own pace through its pleasant medina and explore its streets and markets.

Day 12 – Chefchaouen – Tangier and transfer to port or airport

If the scheduled flight or ferry departure time from Tangier permits, free time for last-minute visits and shopping in Chefchaouen.

Transfer to the port or airport of Tangier.

END OF OUR SERVICES.

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