Imperial cities and desert tour - 8 days
Day 01 : Casablanca - Rabat - Fes
We meet you at Casablanca airport and start your Berber Nomadic tour by driving to Fes via Rabat,” The capital of Morocco”. If we have enough time there you will visit Hassan tower and Kasbah of Oudaya. Afterwards we will drive on the highway to Fez. Overnight at your hotel/Riad, with breakfast.
Day 02: Exploring Fes
After breakfast will an official local guide join you and will show you the city and its historical parts “Fes El Bali, the old medina”, “Al Qraouine University” “Jewish Quarter” etc. Fes is the fourth largest city in Morocco and also one former Imperial capital during the reign period of the Idrissis dynasty, the original founders. You will enjoy walking through narrow streets and huge ancient gates. The Medina of Fes, Fes el Bali is believed to be the largest car-free urban area in the world as the people of the Medina use only mules or small motorcycles to get merchandise inside the medina. Overnight at your hotel/Riad, with breakfast.
Day 03: Fes - Ifrane - Midlet - Ziz Valley - Merzouga
After breakfast you will leave towards the desert, to village Merzouga, Berber village, located on the foot of sand dunes Erg Chebbi, the jewel of the desert. During this journey you’ll experience glimpses of the Middle Atlas Mountains. We will pass through Ifrane or "Switzerland of Morocco", another but different, beautiful city in Morocco, which was considered as the second cleanest city in the world in 2013. We will also stop at the Cedar forest, the largest one in Morocco in Middle Atlas Mountains, to visit the oldest Cedar tree in the forest and where you will have the chance to take pictures of the Barbarian apes. Afterward we will drive to Zaida village for to have a lunch and after which we continue our tour to the desert, passing by Midelt and Errachidia city before we arrive to Ziz valley with its palm grove. Here we will stop on a panoramic park to take some photos before we continue to Merzouga in the foot of Erg Cehbbi, where start the desert trip. Overnight in your hotel, dinner and breakfast included.
Day 04: Exploring Merzouga area
After breakfast you will do a trip by 4x4 around Berber village Merzouga and surroundings and taste the real desert life. You will visit even village Khamlia and listen to the music playing by descendant of former slaves, living there. In the afternoon you will ride to the sand dunes and spend a one night under the clear sky or under Nomadic tent in the camp in the middle of the desert, a chance for to learn to feel your real inner soul. Overnight in the desert camp in sand dunes of Erg Chebbi, there you will have dinner.
Day 05: Merzouga – Rissani - Todra Gorges - Boumalne Dades
Early in the morning, your camel man will wake you up to watch the best sunrise of your life and then you will ride camel back to the village Merzouga to your accommodation. On the way back you will enjoy the unique beauty of the spectacular Erg Chebbi sand dunes - changing with the light as the day progresses. After breakfast and shower in your hotel, you’ll leave for Rissani and Todra Gorges - the highest and narrowest gorges in Morocco. After lunch we’ll drive through the Dades Valley, where you’ll see the sand castles and the amazing rock formations locally known as "monkey toes". Night will be spend at the hotel inside Dades Valley including dinner and breakfast.
Day 06: Dades Valley - Ksar Ait BenHaddou - Tizi n’Tichka Pass - Marrakech
After breakfast we will depart to Marrakech via the Rose Valley including a stop at a rose distillation Unit in order to get a clear idea of how rose productions are manufactured. Then we continue by passing the Skoura Palm grove and on the road of 1000 Kasbahs and continue to “Hollywood of Africa”, the city of Ouarzazate, very well known for being the spot of the international movie makers and in which famous movies were filmed such as “ The Mummy”,” Prince of Persia”, “Gladiator” and so many other movies. Then we continue our way to the famous UNESCO World Heritage site Ksar Ait BenHaddou. After visiting the Ksar we drive over High Atlas Mountains to pass one of the Morocco amazing roads and Tizi n Tichka Pass, 2260m above sea level. We will take a pause for a cup of coffee and thereafter we continue to the red city Marrakesh.
Day 07: Exploring Marrakech
After breakfast will an official local guide join you to see all the sites with historical and cultural interest, including the Koutoubia Menaret; the Saadian tombs; the beautiful Palace of Bahia and the Ben Youssef Coranic School. Finally, you end the morning by walking through the medina alleys getting a chance to admire all of the different artisans performing their crafts before arriving at the famous Jamaa El Fna Square. In the afternoon you will have a chance to walk around the famous square by your own. Overnight at your hotel/Riad including dinner.
Day 8 : Marrakech airport
After breakfast and according to your flight departure, we will leave you at the airport of Marrakech, where the Berber Nomadic expedition ends.
