Arrive in Casablanca Mohamed V International Airport and transfer to your hotel. Upon arrival at your hotel, you’ll have a welcome tea and check in.

The day features an orientation drive through the white city of Casablanca to the famous Corniche, where you can take a short stroll to stretch your legs and enjoy refreshments at one of the seaside cafes. If you arrive on time and are not too tired, you can do the drive before checking in to your hotel, or choose to drop your bags and go straight out again.

Enjoy your first delicious Moroccan dinner and spend the evening absorbing your surroundings

Rise and shine for your first full day in Morocco!

This morning, we will visit the magnificent mosque of Hassan II, the largest in Africa and second only in size to the great mosque in Mecca, with its prayer hall, ablutions room and public baths. This is one of the very few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslims and is a showcase of Moroccan craftsmanship. As you approach, you will be amazed by the scale of the building, as it is so proportinally huge to itself that only comparing it to the people around it give you a sense of it’s size. From there, we will continue through the “new traditional town” known as the Quartier des Habous where the Royal Palace and government buildings are located.

After lunch, drive to Fes, arriving late afternoon. Check into your beautiful riad (hotel/guesthouse), your comfortable base for the next three nights. After tea and pastries in one of the riad’s traditional salons, unpack and settle in.

If you still have the energy, you can take a stroll in the neighbourhood before dinner or you can enjoy an optional Moroccan steam bath (hammam) and/or a massage in the riad’s spa.

Begin your amazing adventure into the world of Moroccan street food!

You will visit three different food souks allowing the chance to try traditional Moroccan street food including dried meats, milawi, harsha, briwats, spicy sardines, spicy potato cakes, soups, olives and more.

Upon visiting the honey souk we’re you’ll be able to taste an array of delicious wild honeys, discuss their flavors and health-giving properties and find out why honey is so important in Moroccan cooking and Islamic culture.

Next, investigate traditional cooking methods by visiting a furnatchi where the water for the communal bath house ‘hammam’ is also heated, and holds a 400 year old ‘furan’, or communal oven and bakery. Here, you’ll discover the world of spices and their uses as well as the secrets of the male-oriented domain of the tea den under the guidance of a culinary leader and story-teller. Alternatively, learn to bake bread in the 400 year old community oven with the baker overseeing your hands-on efforts. Take your hot bread to the honey souk to try it with 8 artisanal wild honeys, aged butter or khlia, spicy dried beef.

The hands-on cooking classes take place right in the heart of a family house – the kitchen. This is a very intimate experience, staying in a villa with the family and being immersed into family life in Morocco. You’ll learn the intricacies of Moroccan cuisine and then of course savour your creations.

Breakfast at the Hotel: Enjoy a leisurely breakfast as you contemplate how to spend your day of relaxation in Marrakech.
Free Day: Today is yours to enjoy at your own pace. Whether you choose to unwind by the pool, indulge in a spa treatment, or explore Marrakech’s hidden gems, the day is yours to tailor to your preferences.
Optional Activities: Should you wish to add a touch of adventure to your day, your guide can arrange optional activities such as cooking classes, hot air balloon rides, or camel treks through the desert outskirts of the city.
Dinner: As the day draws to a close, savor your final evening in Marrakech with dinner at a restaurant of your choosing, where you can relish in the flavors of Moroccan cuisine one last time before your departure.

We depart on the long scenic drive to Erfoud through the Middle Atlas mountain range, stopping at the alpine resort of Ifrane to stretch your legs and have a coffee. As we continue the journey south, you’ll have amazing views of the country as we approach Midelt, renowed as the apple capital of Morocco, where you will stop for a deliciously light lunch. Our journey goes on with a visit to the French Foreign Legion outpost of Errachidia and then through oasis of the Ziz valley.

Upon arriving in Merzouga, you’ll have a chance to relax before mounting up and partaking on an enjoyable camel ride through the desert dunes to view the sunset. As the sun goes down and the wind picks up, you’ll have an amazing feeling come over you as your inner explorer awakens to your seemingly endless desert view.

Afterwards, return to camp where you will have dinner and enjoy local music before settling down to sleep in the desert camp. As you enjoy the night, make sure you take in the amazing sights of the star filled night sky, promising an unforgettable experience.

Today we visit the neighbouring Rissani, cradle of the current Alaouite dynasty of Morocco and the site of ancient Sijilmassa, gateway to the Sahara and an important trading post linking sub Saharan Africa with Northern Morocco and Europe. As we visit the town of Rissani, we will explore its market and the sanctuary of Moulay Ali Cherif, founder of the Alouite dynasty that rules Morocco to this day.

We then head to Skoura. On the way, we will pass Tinjdad, whereafter we will follow the spectacular route of 1000 kasbahs, through beautiful palm oases. We will pause at Tinghir, lying at the edge of the Todra gorge. Stretch your legs by enjoying a short stroll through the gorge, and afterwards you’ll have the chance to visit a traditional bazaar.

Continuing our journey, you’ll catch the scent of roses as we make our way through the Dades Valley, where roses are grown for the perfume industry. Stop to admire the beauty and fragrance of the roses close up and to purchase rose products at one of the refreshment stops should you so desire.

We finally arrive in Oasis of Skoura where we you will have dinner and spend the night in a kasbah in the midst of the palm grove. On arrival, walk through the palm grove to see the crops being grown locally. Enjoy this small piece of paradise on earth.

Enjoy a real treat as you breakfast in this Kasbah. Awake to the smells of breakfast being prepared, and you’ll soon discover that local women make the best msemmen (roti like breads) around. After filling yourself with delicious flavors, you will be introduced to a local Berber lady and learn to make some of these specialities yourself. Enjoy the fruits of your labor as you feast upon the lunch you prepared.

Once you’ve finished, you’ll have a chance to explore and tour the palm grove of Skoura: walk in the green fields and see how the traditional Berbers live with their gardens of herbs, live stock, and henna plants, as well as having the chance to visit the amazing 17th century Kasbah Ameridil.

Drive to Ouarzazate, the film capital of Morocco, then to the Ait Ben Haddou Ksar. Explore the UNESCO classified ksar (group of fortified houses) where you can climb up into the citadel and have a magnificent view of the snow clad High Atlas Mountains beyond. Relax as you take tea with a local family. As you sit and talk with the family you may decided to dine with them on their Berber cuisine.

Upon departure, we will follow the ancient caravan route as we drive over the High Atlas Mountains via Telwat until we arrive in Marrakech.

After breakfast, your guide will take you to buy ingredients to make a traditional tanjia, a fabulous dish of lamb, preserved lemon and spices. After you purchse the ingredients, they will be placed in an earthenware amphora and sent to the ovens of the public baths to cook in the ashes for hours and before they are picked up just before dinner today.

While you wait for your meal to cook, you’ll visit the stunning Majorelle gardens owned by the late Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berger before we continue to the 12th century Menara sultanic garden with its pool, olive groves and views through to the High Atlas Mountains. Try to have lunch in the Gueliz at Al Fassia, a restaurant run by women and featuring some of the best cuisine in the country.

The afternoon promises more sightseeing as you visit the main monuments of the city including the Koutoubia mosque and the splendid El Bahia Palace. Throught this exploration period, take time out to visit a spice shop and learn the secrets of ras el hanout as well as Moroccan beauty products and magic potions.

Finally, in the time you still have left before dinner, visit the Medina and explore its various trade quarters.

Today’s highlight is a four and a half hour cooking workshop conducted by a dada (traditional Moroccan cook) or a chef from a Moroccan restaurant. There are different choices of meals, depending on the menus you choose, and throughout the duration of the course, you’ll prepare a variety of dishes while having a ton of fun. You will, of course, be able to partake in the meals you prepare and enjoy the varied flavors of your dishes.

Once the course is complete, you will have time to return to the Medina, visit monuments you have not yet seen, or do extra shopping. As the early evening approaches, you should head down to the Djema l’Fna square to see all the goings on. Have dinner at one of the stalls with the locals as you enjoy happy musicians, acrobats, transvestite belly dancers, monkeys, snake charmers, and more! As you explore the area, you’ll have plenty of food choices available for snacking and meals.