15 Days tour from Tangier to Lmperial Cities and Desert (Grand Tour)

Following arrival formalities, transfer to hotel or raid, lunch at your leisure and in the afternoon a visit to the city of Tangier, the mythical city of painters and writers such as Matisse and Delacroix. Visit the medina between large and small “socco” where the delegation Etas United is situated, the Mendoubia gardens, Kasbah’s square which overlooks the bay and its archaeological museum. Take a peaceful break at the Anfa café. We’ll continue discovering this city at the end of our 15-day tour. You will have dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

After taking breakfast, departure to Chefchaouen, “The Blue City”. The route crosses the Rif hills during our way to Chefchaouen, a small town with narrow streets all painted in blue, a holy city with more than 20 mosques. Chefchaouen is the city of weavers, peaceful and wild. It enchants visitors with its doors and blue walls. Next, we visit the center of the 2 men going about their day in a blue-colored street in Chefchaouen, Morocco. Then its spice and crafts market, typical hand wash laundries dotted along slopes of the Rif hills across the river. Then you are going to finish the day tour with dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Following breakfast, we have to go to the city of Fes, the cultural and spiritual capital of the kingdom. Fes impresses with its density, its wealth, its colors and the rustling of the medina, its palaces and fountains, Madrasas, the Bouamania of major interest, walking in the souks, those of the tanners, dyers, copperware, Arched entrance to the city of Fes with bustling streets and take dinner and overnight at the Hotel or Riad.

Departure from Fes at 8 o’clock, traveling via Azrou, where you can see Barbary apes in the forest of the Middle Atlas. Lunch is in Midelt, the apple capital, at the foot of the Ayachi Mountain. We continue over the Tizi-n-Talremt pass and through the Ziz Valley, which is particularly well-known for its palm trees and the length of the oasis. All along the road, there are innumerable ksars, small villages of individual houses. From here we reach Er Rachidia and then Erfoud, famous for its date festival and fossils. Then continue to Merzouga with a walled pathway leading through a date grove in the Ziz Valley where will be your overnight accommodation in Hotel or Riad.

After visiting the village and oasis of Merzouga, you’ll visit the Gnawa people, originally slaves brought from Sudan, to experience their music and lifestyle. Then we continue to see the panoramic view behind the Erg-Chebbi of sand dunes so as to take a lot of pictures and to see how the color of the dunes is changing by the light of the sun. After that, we go to the village of Mirdani — an old village in ruins. Also stopping at M’fis, the place where coal was extracted and the large majority of the population of Merzouga worked to earn a living. A very interesting day which it spends in or very near the dunes the highest dunes in Morocco. After the village of Mirdani, we continue to the Bedouin families in their tents at Kem Kem. After having tea there we continue to finish the tour by visiting where you can see the fossils and the oasis of Tissardmine in the afternoon we will come back to Merzouga where your camel will be waiting. You mount a camel, guided by an experienced camel man, to explore within the mysterious sand-sea of the Erg-Chebbi. Here you will spend your night under the stars, or if you prefer, in a traditional Berber nomad tent.

Our camel man will awaken us early in the morning to watch what well may be the best sunrise of your life. Then we will trek back to the village of Merzouga to have breakfast and enjoy the unique beauty of the spectacular Erg Chebbi dunes – changing with the light as the day progresses. After that, we will travel to Rissani, Tinghir and Todra Gorges – the highest, narrowest gorges in Morocco. You will have a break with lunch in the gorge. Pathway through a narrow gorge with high rose-colored walls. In the heart of the gorge, we’ll drive through the Dades Valley, where you’ll see the majestic sand castles and the amazing rock formations known as “monkey toes”. Overnight accommodation will be in a fancy hotel overlooking the Dades valley.

After breakfast, depart to Ouarzazate passing through the Dades valley, the line of Kasbahs that give this extremely popular route its nickname: Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs. Begin just before the town of Skoura, which is Kalaa Mgouna, the rose city where you could purchase rose water and continue to Ouarzazate, the Hollywood of Africa, whose geography and beautiful landscapes have attracted many world-class movie producers. Possible visit (if there is no production event) to the movie studio, a well-known cinematographic center used for blockbuster productions including “Astrix and Cleopatra” directed by Alain Chabat, and the Oscar-winning “Gladiator” directed by Ridley Scott. We will then have a visit to the Taourirt Kasbah of the famous Pasha Glaoui. Overnight stay will be at the riad in Ouarzazate.

After breakfast, we will depart for Zagora passing the Tizi-in-Tiniffit Pass at 1660 meters elevation. We will cross a wild and ragged, rough mountain countryside. The road descends to the Draa Valley, where Moroccan Jewish families settled along this fertile valley and used to live in harmony with Berber tribes. We will lead to Agdz, situated at the foot of the extraordinary rock formation called Jbel Kissane, In Agdz you will be able to visit the Ksar with the Kasbah of Tamnougalte, the former center of the tribal region of the Mezguita Berbers. Along the Oued Drâa, we will pass by the Drâa valley which is one of Morocco’s most fascinating river landscapes… Marvel at the date palms, laurel bushes, and numerous Kasbahs and ksars. Continue to the Zagora oasis, the real “Gate of the desert”. The valley is lined by palm oases, clay fortresses, and picturesque Berber villages. Arriving at Zagora, the “Gate to the Desert”, which use to be the most important camel trail station. The sign “52 days to Timbouctou” still proves it. Amid wonderful palm groves, we will find the Ksar Amezraou known for its silver jewelry workshops which you can visit just like the Ksar. From Zagora, we will drive past the sand dunes between Tinfou and M’hamid, which also means the end of the tarmac road. This is where the journey to the closest sand of the dunes region, where we will reach our bivouac, starts. Experience an unforgettable evening in the desert. Until dusk, you can walk across the dunes on foot or use the time for a camel tour. Enjoy a lovingly prepared dinner and the music of the drums. You will spend the night in a nomad’s tent under the stars.

After breakfast, our westbound journey will take us to the great dune field of Chegaga. The journey will lead us across sand roads and stone deserts, deep into the Moroccan Sahara. On the way, we will stop in the midst of the desert to rest at a wonderful oasis that is supplied by the Source Sacred. We will then arrive at the mighty dunes of the Erg Chegaga, where there are still nomads living with herds of camels today. You will enjoy the rough beauty, the endless vastness, and quietude of the desert. You will experience the constant change of light depending on the position of the sun that turns this archaic countryside into a bizarre dream landscape. Our trip will lead us across the even plane of Lac Iriki, a dried-out lake in a solidarity desert landscape glistening white in the sunshine. We will pass by a fossil site and drive across the gravel desert until we reach the small oasis village of Foum Zguid, where you will spend the night in the hotel.

After breakfast we will leave small settlements in the midst of palm groves behind, we will cross the Antiatlas and arrive at Tazenakht, which is known for its beautiful carpets and Ouzguita Berbers. From here the road winds its way up weathered rock formations to out Ouarzazate. In the afternoon we will return to Marrakech through the famous Tizi–in-Tichka pass over the High Atlas Mountains. The range has snow on its peaks most of the year. Appreciate the beauty of the timeless landscapes on the twisted roads through Berber villages. And after arriving Marrakesh, dinner and overnight stay in riad or hotel.

Marrakech is the second oldest imperial city, known as the pearl of the south. After breakfast, we’ll visit the historical Marrakech: the Menara garden, the Saadian tombs, the Bahia Palace, the Koutoubia Minaret and the Majorelle Gardens named after the famous French painter. He constructed here his art deco villa and started the botanical gardens. In 1980 it became the residence of Yves Saint Laurent. In the afternoon, visit the famous Djemaa El Fna square with its surrounding souks and handicraft quarters and in evening check-in to the hotel or Riad.

Today we will travel to the romantic seaside town of Essaouira. After arrival and check-in, we will enjoy a sightseeing tour of the city. Essaouira is a typical Portuguese town, portraying influences of both: Moorish and Portuguese design. Optional 1-hour boat tour, and Overnight at the hotel or a riad in Essaouira.

After breakfast, we depart back to Casablanca via the picturesque coastal road, stopping in Oualidia for a fish lunch in a local restaurant with a sea view. Continue to El Jadida, sightseeing in the town includes the famous citadel, built under the Portuguese occupation in the 16th century. The night accommodation will be in Casablanca at the hotel.

Following breakfast, we head to Rabat, the administrative and elegant capital of the kingdom. Visit of the capital and its great architectural heritage. A tranquility city with an impressive esplanade overlooking the ocean. We’ll see The Royal Palace, Mohamed V Mausoleum and The Hassan tower which is a red brick Islamic style tower and columns from a ruin in the foreground. Continue our journey to Asilah via Laarache. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel or Riad in Asilah.

After taking your breakfast. Then we will drive to visit Hercules cave, where according to legend, the Greek God was born. Then transfer to the airport (depend on your departure time).