8 Days Morocco Tour with Guide

Day 1 Arrival into Casablanca

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   Casablanca

   5 hours

   Here we Go!
   Our local representative will provide you with your travel documents and go over the itinerary in great detail.
   Upon arrival into Casablanca, you will be met on the tarmac by a local representative and escorted through Customs and Immigration, avoiding any queues along the way.
   You will be privately transferred between your hotel and Casablanca's international airport by an English-speaking driver. Approximate travel time varies based on the location of your accommodations, taking up to one hour.

Day 2 A Dazzling Drive (Rabat-the capital)

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   Rabat

   8 hours

   An English-speaking driver will transfer you from Casablanca to Fes. Along the way, enjoy some touring including a visit to the impressive Hassan II Mosque, the second largest mosque in the world after the Al- Haram Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia (direct payment for the entrance). Continue to the diplomatic and administrative capital of Morocco, Rabat. Visit the Royal Palace, a 14th-century Merinid necropolis, and walk through the Andalusian Gardens within the walls of the Kasbah of the Oudaya. Next, travel to the city of Meknes, the famed Ismailia capital known for its 25-mile long city walls and numerous gates. Next, visit Bab Mansour, an impressive and elaborately decorated gateway that is today a popular arts and crafts galleria. Interestingly, the marble columns seen here were taken from the nearby Roman city of Volubilis. Next, visit the historic Royal stables, the amazing artisan markets and the popular Jewish quarter.

Day 3 A Journey Back in Time (Fés-medina)

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   Fez

   6 hours

   Meet your guide in the hotel lobby this morning, then set out to explore Fes, the cultural and spiritual center of Morocco. Also known as Fes el Bali, this UNESCO World Heritage Site was founded in the 9th century and is also home to the world's oldest university, founded in 859 CE. The city of Fes reached its true economic and cultural height through the 13th and 14th centuries under the Merinids, at which time it replaced Marrakesh as the capital of the kingdom. Although the political capital of Morocco was transferred to Rabat in 1912, Fes has retained its status as the country's artisan center. Workshops hosting master craftsmen in the medina are as busy today as they were hundreds of years ago, and strongly contribute to the city's industrial economy. Trades such as blacksmithing, leather working, ceramics, silk weaving, and sculpting are still practiced, and you'll sure to witness this firsthand throughout the day.

Day 4 A Change of Scenery (Merzouga Desert)

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   Merzouga Desert

   8 hours Admission ticket included

   Sit back and relax as a private vehicle driver and guide provides you with a transfer between Fes and Erfoud. En-route you'll pass through a scenic forest of cedars and across the Middle Atlas Mountain range to the mineral mining city of Midelt, where today's lunch will be picked up. This journey continues along through the dramatic Ziz Gorge, passing en-route the ancient, holy city of Rissani. It is here where the one would find the ruins of Sijilmasa, a once capital and merchant stopping locale for the ancient caravan routings of the 8th century. After an approximate 7 hours of travel you will arrive in Erfoud.
   A 4x4 vehicle will be waiting for you to continue your adventure by heading towards the dunes of Erg Chebbi, possibly the largest dunes in the Sahara desert. The dunes of Erg Chebbi are a strikingly strange natural formation. On the top of the flattest area you could imagine, suddenly a long mountain of sand rises...

Day 5 The Journey Continues to Skoura

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   Skoura

   6 hours

   A 4x4 vehicle will transfer you back to Erfoud where your private vehicle awaits for your onward journey.
   Travel today between Erfoud and Skoura with private vehicle and driver. En-route, you'll stop in the Dades Gorge, located just southwest of Tinerhir. Experience the unbelievable glory of the massive canyon walls reaching some 900 feet high. A little north-east of the southern city of Ouarzazate, lies the Dadas Valley-stretching out between the peaks of the High Atlas and the Jbel Sarhro mountain range. Known as 'The Valley of One Thousand Kasbahs', it is the most prominent of the oasis valleys that dominate southern Morocco. Before reaching Ouarzazate, continue to Skoura - one of Morocco's beautiful oasis. Skoura offers travelers a chance to rest their weary feet and enjoy the abundance of nature. At first glance from the road, it resembles a sort of thin, long, oasis.

Day 6 Onward and Upward

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   5 hours

   Travel in a private vehicle with English speaking driver between Skoura and Marrakech. This route offers wonderful photo opportunities like the UNESCO World Heritage Centre of Aït Benhaddou, where movies such as Gladiator and Jesus of Nazareth were filmed. Drive through the High Atlas Mountains, across the dramatic Tizi n'Tichka pass to Ouarzazate, a very diverse Moroccan city home to some 40,000 inhabitants. The focal point to this town is the long and wide street Avenue Muhammed V, which begins just before the city starts, and continues along past the Kasbah of Tifoultoutte. Please note that the exact duration of today's transfer will depend on the number of stops made along the way.

Day 7 Strolling the Magical Streets(Marrakech)

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   Marrakech

   7 hours

   The sweeping and dynamic history of Marrakech - an imperial capital in centuries past - is best appreciated with the help of a private guide. Today, begin your tour of the Ochre City with a visit to the Koutoubia Mosque. Constructed in the 12th century, it's known for its a beautiful minaret which can be seen from nearly every approach to the city due to a long-standing ordinance that forbids any other building in the old city to rise above the height of a palm tree. After viewing Koutoubia Mosque, visit nearby El-Bahia Palace. Translated to English, the El Bahia Palace means "Palace of Brilliance," and this incredible, ornate and meticulously crafted property is endowed with some of the finest ceramics in the country. This 19th century palace was built over a seven-year period for Ba Ahmed, the son of the Grand Vizier Si Moussa.

Day 8 Departure day.

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   Casablanca

   3 hours

   Until Next Time....
   A private vehicle with English speaking driver will provide a transfer
   between Marrakech and Casablanca. The approximate travel time is 2 hours and 30 minutes.