Tour itinerary
Day 1 Casablanca
Welcome to Casablanca, the most colourful and cosmopolitan metropolis in the Northern Africa. This evening you will meet your fellow travellers and tour leader, who will brief you on the next few days of your journey. We remain in Casablanca overnight.
Day 2 Casablanca, Rabat, Fes
After breakfast we begin to explore this unique city. We visit the United Nations Square, the Anfa Residential Quarter and the impressive Mosque of Hassan II. We then make our way to Rabat, set in a rich, amber-coloured landscape combining ancient history with modern Moroccon culture. After visiting the Royal Palace, Chellah Ruins, Hassan Tower, Mohamed V Mausoleum and the Oudayas Gardens, we depart for Fes, where we stay overnight.
Day 3 Fes
Today we stroll through the oldest imperial city of Morrocco with more than 10.000 tiny streets offering the largest “medina” (old city) and souks in the world. The Bab Boujloud Gate, Bou Inania Medersa, Moulay Idriss Mausoleum, Andalusian and Quaraouiyine Mosque, Najjarine Square and the Spices Market, Atarine Medersa, the surroundings of Karaouine Medina and Mellah are the sites visited today. We remain in Fes overnight.
Day 4 Fes, Midelt, Erfoud
This morning we travel to Midelt passing through the Atlas mountains. Midelt is an impressive mountain city at 1488 meters above sea level, remarkably situated down the jbel Ayachi (3737 m). In the afternoon we continue to Erfoud via the canyon of Ziz and the lake of the Hassan Addakhil reservoir. We arrive in Erfoud, the city situated at the gates of Tafilalet for an overnight stay.
Day 5 Erfoud, Tineghir, Todra Gorges, Ouarzazate
You have the option of an early morning excursion to the sand dunes of Merzouga before departing for Ouarzazate. After breakfast we leave for Tineghir by passing through the breathtaking desert landscape and Oasis with its fantastic palmgroves. We then travel to Todra Gorges, the narrow canyon where 300 meters high cliffs drop to the riverbed below. In the afternoon we arrive in Ouarzazate, the city famous for its handicrafts, nature, narrow streets and the marvellous surrounding kasbahs.
Day 6 Ouarzazate, Marrakech
Today we visit Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou, one of the most authentic and well maintained villages in the region of Atlas, then proceed to Marrakech via the High Atlas mountain and 2700 meters high Tizi n Tichka pass - offering magnificent views and a unique landscape. We arrive in Marrakech in the afternoon and begin to explore this fascinating city. Marrakech is the point where the Arab culture of the cities meets the Berber culture of the mountain villages; where the weary sub-Saharan traders (carrying gold, salt and slaves) would ply their wares to the merchants who then took them to Europe. We wander through the Djemaa el Fna Square filled with story tellers, snake charmers, acrobats, musicians, folklore dancers and remain in Marrakech overnight.
Day 7 Marrakech
Framed by the snowy heights of the Atlas, with rose-coloured ramparts and a thousand year old palm grove, Marrakech casts a magic spell and after breakfast we fall under it as we visit Menara Gardens, Koutoubia Mosque, Saadian Tumbs, Bahia Palace and Dar Si Said Museum. You have the afternoon free to lose yourself in the city’s mystique.
Day 8 Marrakech Free day in Marrakech.
This evening you will meet fellow travellers and tour leader, who will brief you on the adventure days of your journey.
Day 9 Marrakech, Azilal, Ait Bougmez (D)
After breakfast we depart for Ait Bougmez Valley in the Central High Atlas mountains. After lunch we continue through the town of Azilal and along a winding mountain road to the valley of Ait Bougmez, the starting point for our trek. Ait Bougmez is one of the most beautiful valleys in the High Atlas. 14km in length and about a kilometre across, it’s a wide flat expanse of fruit orchards, fields of barley, and green pastures criss-crossed by streams flowing down from the surrounding M’Goun massif. We spend the night in a local cottage in the area.
Day 10 Ait Imi, Akourbi, Rbat, Ibaklioun (L, D)
Morning trek : 3.5 hrs, Afternoon trek : 2.5 hrs. After an early breakfast we begin our trek through the valley along paths normally used by villagers and their mules. We walk through cultivated fields, orchards, and meadows of wild flowers. After visiting the villages of Akourbi and Rbat, we give a lunch break which will be brought by a donkey and served on the sheepfolds. In the afternoon we continue to the village of Ibaklioun where the vestiges of the dinosaurs can be seen. We then return to our base in Ait Imi.
Day 11 Lamane, Arouss Valley, Tassila (L, D)
Morning trek : 4 hrs, Afternoon trek : 2 hrs. After a solid Moroccon breakfast we follow the valley eastward and trek to Lamane, through Arouss Valley. It’s a gradual climb up to Lamane Pass at 2.250 meters. We then follow nomad trails to the next valley, Ahabbak, where we stop for lunch. In the afternoon we climb to the crest of Tassila with a fantastic panoramic view of the valley, where we may also have the opportunity to see the white storks nesting on village roof tops. After a deserved rest, it’s downhill all the way to our traditional cottage.
Day 13, Tizi N’Oughrbar, Arouss, Ait Said (L, D)
Morning trek : 4 hrs, afternoon trek : 2.5 hrs. After breakfast we start trekking to Tizi N’Oughrbar (2400 m) with a magnificent view of M’goun, the second highest mountain in Morocco, 4068 meters above the sea level. After our lunch in the sheepfolds of Arouss, we walk through the mountain paths and reach Ait Said village. In the afternoon we return our cottage to spend our final night at the valley.
Day 14, Ait Bougmez, Marrakech
Today we depart for Marrakech. In the afternoon we visit Djemaa el Fna Square - filled with story tellers, snake charmers, acrobats, musicians and folklore dancers -, Menara Gardens, Koutoubia Mosque, Saadian Tumbs and Bahia Palace . We remain in Marrakech overnight.
Day 15 Marrakech, Casablanca
After breakfast we depart Marrakech for Casablanca where our trip concludes.