10 Days from Casablanca Desert and Imperial Cities Tour

Day 1 : Italy – Casablanca

Arrival at Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca, and transfer to hotel/riad. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 2 : Casablanca – Rabat (95 km)

Breakfast at the hotel and morning dedicated to exploring the country’s economic capital. You will visit Mohamed V Square, the Central Market, the Habous district, and the Hassan II mosque from the outside. Seafood lunch along the corniche (optional). Depart for Rabat, the White Imperial City. Visit to the Royal Palace (Mechouar), Kasbah Ouadaya and its gardens, Mausoleum of Mohamed V, Hassan Tower. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 3 : Rabat – Meknes – Volubilis – Fes (250 km)

After breakfast departure for Meknes , another imperial city characterized by ramparts about 40 kilometers long declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. On arrival visit the city with the magnificent Bab Mansour Gate, the royal stables of Moulay Ismael, the medina and the Jewish quarter. Lunch (optional). In the early afternoon continuation of the tour with a visit to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, founded by the Carthaginians in the 3rd century BC and conquered by the Romans from 40 AD until the arrival of the Berbers in 280 AD. This site has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continuation to Fes. Arrival, hotel accommodation, dinner and overnight.

Day 4 : Fes

Breakfast at the hotel. The day will be entirely devoted to visiting Fes, the oldest of the imperial cities, founded in 790 by Moulay Idriss II. Fes immediately became Morocco’s main religious interior. Visit the medieval-era Medina, the Mederse (ancient Islamic religious universities) Bounanaia and Attarine, the Karaouine Mosque and the famous Neijarine fountain. Continue with a visit to the souks, some of the most beautiful and lively markets in Morocco. Possible lunch in a restaurant in the Medina. Continuation of the visit in the afternoon. Dinner of traditional dishes in a local restaurant. Overnight stay in hotel.

Day 5 : Fes – Cedar Forest – Azrou – Erfoud – Merzouga (450 km)

Breakfast at the hotel. Early morning departure to reach Erfoud, an oasis at the edge of the desert. The road heads into the hills in the Middle Atlas through a cedar forest. From the road you can see the alpine-style roofs typical of the town and Ifrane. Stop at a protected area for a fun walk among the cedars and the many monkeys playing in the branches. Continue to Azrou a pretty village located at an altitude of 1250 meters surrounded by mountains planted with oaks and cedars, which gives it a special charm. Stop for lunch (optional). Continuation to Errachidia and the Ziz valley until reaching the pre-Saharan area of Erfoud village, the famous date city where a very picturesque festival is held every year in October. Depart in all-terrain cars to reach Merzouga, an oasis known as “The Gateway to the Sahara,” here the road ends to make way for the immense golden sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. Accommodation in hotel/camp. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 6 : Merzouga – Rissani – Tinghir – Todrà Gorges – Boumalne du Dades (250 km)

Wake up at dawn to admire the sunrise over the dunes of Merzouga, a unique spectacle! Return to Merzouga and depart for Rissani, a small Saharan village from where the current royal dynasty originated. Continuation via Tinghir to visit the Todra Gorge, a stunning canyon with walls up to 250 meters high that draws a natural boundary between the High Atlas Mountains and the jagged Jebel Sarhro range. Continuation to Boumalne du Dades and hotel accommodation. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 7 : Boumalne du Dades – Dades Gorges – Kelaa M’Gouna – Ouarzazate (110 km).

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning departure to the Dades Gorges. Return on the road to Ouarzazate and visit El Kelaa M’Gouna, a center famous for the production of rose water and an interesting destination during the “Rose Festival” held in spring. Continuation along the Casbah Route, so called because of the countless oases and Casbahs that spring up all along the valley. Continuation to Ouarzazate, arrival at the hotel. Time at leisure, dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 8 : Ouarzazate – Kasbah Taourirt – Ait Benhaddou – Marrakech (210 km)

Early morning visit to the Kasbahs of Taourirt and Tifeltout. Then continue to Ait Benhaddou, the most spectacular fort in southern Morocco. Lunch (optional) on the terrace of the restaurant in front of the Kasbah. Depart for Marrakech via the Tichka Pass (2260 m), which offers spectacular views into the heart of the Atlas mountain range. Arrival in Marrakech, hotel accommodation, dinner and overnight.

Day 9 : Marrakech city tour

Breakfast at the hotel. The day will be entirely devoted to visiting the city, nicknamed “The Pearl of the South,” founded in the 12th century by the Almoravid dynasty, which left remarkable palaces and gardens. Visit the Saadian Tombs, the Menara Gardens, the Koutoubia, and the Bahia Palace. Afternoon visit to the souks, artisans’ quarters and the famous Djemaa El Fna square, where the show is permanent: snake charmers, fire-eaters and performers of all kinds. Dinner of traditional dishes in local restaurant. Overnight in hotel/riad.

Day 10 : Marrakech – Flight – Italy

Breakfast at hotel. And transfer to airport. and end of our services.