If you crave adventure, this 13-day journey is for you. It begins and ends in Humphrey Bogart’s Casablanca and travels via the Barbary coast to Rabat, where a visit to the fortified Kasbah of Oudaias is included. Continue to the second imperial city of Meknes, and then to Fez to visit Morocco’s largest medina. Wind through the Middle Atlas range and spectacular Ziz Gorges to Er-Rachidia of French Foreign Legion fame. Next through stony deserts to Erfoud and holy Rissani, gateway to the Sahara Desert, followed by a thrilling experience: a visit to the colorful Souks, the desert tribe’s market, where Tuareg, Berber, and Blue People meet. Next is Quarzazate, known for its film studios, where you will visit the Taourirt Kasbah, and a spectacular excursion to Zagora. In Marrakesh enjoy a carriage ride, stroll through the exquisite Yves Saint Laurent Gardens, and visit Menara Park, Bahia Palace, and the elaborately decorated 16th-century Saadian Tombs. A full day at leisure has been added to fully enjoy this “pink city”, before returning to Casablanca. The perfect Moroccan vacation.

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Itinerary

Day 1
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2 Arrival in Casablanca, Morocco
After you check into your hotel, there’s time to rest or start exploring Morocco’s pulsating business capital. At 6 p.m. meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner. (D)

Day 3 Casablanca–Rabat–Meknes–Fez
Follow the infamous Barbary Coast to the imperial city of Rabat, once lair of the corsairs and now the country’s capital. Sightseeing focuses on the Royal Palace and residence of King Hassan II, MOHAMMED V MAUSOLEUM, Hassan Tower, and the fortified KASBAH OF OUDAIAS. Today’s second imperial city is Meknes, with its monumental gates and city walls, known as the unfinished dream of Sultan Moulay Ismail. Visit the impressive OLD GRANARIES and STABLES, which housed up to 12,000 horses, and stop at the Market Square to admire Bab el-Mansour, the finest gateway in North Africa. Continue your journey to Fez. (BB,D)

Day 4 Fez
Snap pictures of the magnificent entrance to the Royal Palace, drive through the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter, and travel on to beautifully ornate BAB BOU JELOUD, the traditional entrance to old Fez. Today’s highlight is a visit to the labyrinthine FES-EL-BALI, Morocco’s largest medina: follow your Local Guide to exquisite MEDERSA BOU INANIA, admire Nejjarine Square and its fountain, the Karaouiyne Mosque and University, and the Mausoleum of Moulay Idriss. Enjoy a tenmile drive along the panoramic Route de Fez, stopping at its best vantage point. Back to your hotel with time to relax by the pool. Tonight your Tour Director may suggest an optional folklore dinner at a typical Moroccan restaurant. (BB)

Day 5 Fez–Erfoud
An unforgettable scenic journey through ever-changing landscapes on your way to the mystical deep south. Morning break in the quiet Swiss-style village of Ifrane. Verdant cedar forests give way to volcanic mountains and wind-swept plains as you motor across the Middle Atlas range to Midelt. Pass fortified mud-and-straw villages and spot young shepherds driving their flocks to scant pastures. Descend into the spectacular Ziz Gorges and arrive in Er-Rachidia, an important crossroad once controlled by the French Foreign Legion. Afterwards, the landscape becomes progressively more arid, and you enter a stony desert. On your last stretch to Erfoud, an unexpected and breathtaking surprise: the miraculous and peaceful oasis of Ziz Valley, dotted with palm-fringed towns, fortified strongholds, and scenes of timeless rural life. (BB,L,D)

Day 6 Erfoud
A short drive takes you to holy Rissani, gateway to the Sahara Desert, where a few bowing date palms recall what was once a luxuriant oasis. For a thousand years this was the principal trading post for caravans from the Niger River, where gold was exchanged for salt and sugar. See the Grand Gateway of the town and the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Sharif, the first ruler of the Alawite Dynasty. A thrilling experience is the visit to the colorful SOUKS, the desert tribes’ market, where Tuareg, Berber, and Blue People meet and animatedly swap silver jewelry and rugs for vegetables, salt, and other goods, by slapping one another’s hands. Weather permitting, your Tour Director will offer you an exciting optional excursion to the 450-foot-high Erg Chebbi sand dunes for a close-up encounter with the Sahara Desert. (BB,D)

Day 7 Erfoud–Ouarzazate
Motor along the eastern slopes of the High Atlas mountains to the enchanting oasis of Tinerhir. Follow its lush valley, where crops grow in the shade of date palms, hemmed in by mud-brick villages and barren mountains, to one of Morocco’s most impressive natural sights: the Todra Gorge, also known as the “Grand Canyon of the Sahara.” After lunch, explore its narrowest point, just 33 feet wide, but some 950 feet high, with a crystal-clear river running through it. Drive further west through the Dadès Valley, called “Valley of the Thousand Kasbahs” for its superb and noble fortresses, and “Roses Valley.” Arrive at the resort town of Ouarzazate, famous for its film studios. Before heading to your hotel, time for a visit to the carefully restored TAOURIRT KASBAH, where outstanding views of the fortified town and valley can be seen from the terrace. (BB,L,D)

Day 8 Ouarzazate. Excursion to Zagora
Enjoy a spectacular full-day excursion to the town of Zagora on the edge of the Sahara Desert. You will be amazed by the contrast of the breathtaking scenery of the Drâa Valley with its palm grove oases, kasbah dwellings, and colorful Berber villages with the surrounding desert. (BB,D)

Day 9 Ouarzazate–Marrakesh
Pass through picturesque villages surrounded by craggy mountains while motoring towards the 7,414-foot-high Tizi-n-Tichka Pass in the heart of the High Atlas mountains. Each new twist in the road leads to a different, more dramatic landscape. Leaving the pass behind, the landscape gradually changes to a green mantle. Lunchtime arrival in the redcolored imperial city of Marrakesh, situated in an oasis of more than half a million palm trees and surrounded by deep walls. In the late afternoon, enjoy a leisurely CARRIAGE RIDE and a stroll through the exquisite YVES SAINT LAURENT GARDENS. (BB,D)

Day 10 Marrakesh
Guided half-day sightseeing includes MENARA PARK with its man-made lake and quaint pavilion, BAHIA PALACE, the elaborately decorated 16th-century SAADIAN TOMBS, and Djemaa El-Fna, the palpitating town center dominated by the 222-foot-high Koutoubia Minaret. Afternoon at leisure to catch up on your postcards or bargain hunt in the souks. Tonight an optional excursion not to be missed: the 30-horse fantasia and Moroccan feast “Chez Ali.” (BB)

Day 11 At Leisure in Marrakesh
Full day to let your senses truly come alive in this magical “pink city” or to just relax at the pool in its enchanting setting of perfumed gardens and exotic plants. (BB)

Day 12 Marrakesh–Casablanca
Head across farming country towards Casablanca, Morocco’s modern seaport with a strong French accent, recalling scenes from the film starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Sightseeing focuses on the magnificent United Nations Square, the Arab League Park, Anfa’s residential quarters, the SYNAGOGUE, the CHURCH OF OUR LADIES OF LOURDES, and to top it off, the imposing HASSAN II MOSQUE, built in a breathtaking setting on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Tonight enjoy a farewell dinner celebrating the success of your fascinating Moroccan adventure. (BB,D)

Day 13
Your homebound flight arrives today. (BB)

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