8 Days Tour from Marrakech to Imperial Cities & Desert

Day 1: Arrival in Marrakech

The first day of the program begins with arrival in Marrakech and aims to make contact with the country. Our staff will pick you up at the city airport with a private vehicle to transfer you to your accommodation. Depending on the flight arrival time, you will enjoy free time or a guided tour with a local guide. At night you will rest in a charming riad, located in the medina.

Day 2: Marrakech – Ait Benhaddou – Ouarzazate – Dades Valley

The second day of 8 days tour from Marrakech through the Imperial Cities of Morocco marks the beginning of the road route. After a delicious breakfast at the riad in Marrakech, we get into our private vehicle so that the driver heads south. We will cross the High Atlas through the Tizi n’Tichka pass, at 2,260 meters above sea level, and on the way up we will pass beautiful Berber settlements, with spectacular panoramic views.

Once this enormous natural barrier has been overcome, we will continue to the ksar of Ait Benhaddou. We will take some time to visit this mythical Berber fortress, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. In it, we will discover its historical and artistic secrets and remember the scenes of great film productions filmed here, such as Game of Thrones. Just a handful of kilometers, on the outskirts of Ouarzazate, we will also visit the Kasbah of Taourirt.

Both fortresses are a good preview of what awaits us in the rest of the day and at the beginning of the next: the Route of a Thousand Kasbahs, which in turn runs through the Skoura palm grove, the Valley of Roses and the Valley of Dades, all of great scenic beauty. Our riad is located in this latter environment, where you will have dinner and sleep.

Day 3: Dades Valley – Todra Gorges – Merzouga Desert

After charging our batteries with a good breakfast at the riad, we will continue the route through the Dades Valley to the Todra Gorges. Here we will discover one of the most spectacular rock canyons in the country, with natural walls that are around 200 meters. Subsequently, our route will pass through beautiful palm groves: those of Tinghir (or Tinerhir), Tinjdad (or Tinejdad) and Touroug, which provide an explosion of greenery in an increasingly arid landscape.

In this way we arrive at Erfoud, a town famous for its countless discovered fossils and for its tradition in the production of marble, as we will discover in one of its workshops.

And after that we will reach the southernmost point of this circuit through the Imperial Cities of Morocco and the Merzouga Erg Chebbi. Here we will change ‘vehicle’, leaving the 4×4 for the 8×8, that is, the dromedaries that will take us into the desert to the breathtaking dunes of Erg Chebbi. In the middle of this sea of ​​fine golden sand we will witness the sunset spectacle. And in a tent camp we will enjoy dinner and a night rest under a resplendent starry sky.

Day 4: Merzouga Desert – Zia Valley – Azrou – Ifrane – Fes

With the sunset and the brightness of the stars still in your retina, it is time to wake up and enjoy an equally special sunrise. And also having breakfast and taking a new camel ride, this time back to Merzouga. During the morning, there will also be time for a comforting shower (at the camp or in a hotel, depending on the contracted package).

Ahead lies a new road route in our private vehicle. We will leave behind the small town of Rissani, we will travel through the Ziz Valley, we will cross the Middle Atlas and we will cross the beautiful Cedars National Park, also called Monkey Park because of the large population of Barbary monkeys that live there.

Ifrane, known as the ‘Moroccan Switzerland’ for its unique gabled buildings, will be our prelude to Fes, a key stop on this tour of the Imperial Cities of Morocco . Upon arrival, a charming riad will be waiting for you in the historic center to spend the night.

Day 5: Visit Fes with a Local guide

Due to its enormous attractiveness, Fes is worth spending a full day visiting. Specifically, the fifth of this circuit through the Imperial Cities of Morocco . After a good breakfast at the riad, we will meet with an official guide to discover the monumental places in its historic center.

The main landmarks of this guided tour are concentrated in the medina, such as the Bou Anania medersa, the Nejjarine fountain, the Moulay Idriss mausoleum or the Karaouine mosque. In the latter is one of the great cultural centers of Islam, headquarters of the University of Fes, one of the oldest in the world. The artisan neighborhoods of the medina, organized by guilds, will also be visited, especially that of the tanners. And there will also be time to reach the Royal Palace and its golden doors made of bronze.

At the end of the day, accommodation will once again be the charming riad from the previous night, located in the Medina.

Day 6: Fes – Meknes – Rabat

After another breakfast at the riad in Fes, we will head to the second historical capital of this tour of the Imperial Cities of Morocco . We are talking about Meknes, located just 60 km by road, a distance that we will travel mainly between olive trees and fertile crop fields. In Meknes we will find a small but surprising city, with a rich monumental heritage. This is, to a large extent, a legacy that dates back to the time of Mulay Ismail, sultan who turned Meknes into his capital and his eternal resting place: his mausoleum still fascinates today for its rich materials, such as fine porcelain, stone of different colors and the most detailed stucco. On our visit we will not miss the gates of the wall, such as Bab Mansur, or the Aghal pond.

Back in the car, we will continue our route westward to Rabat, the third historical (and current, since 1912) capital of our tour of the Imperial Cities of Morocco . We will dedicate the entire afternoon to it, since it houses important monuments such as the Dar el Makhzen Royal Palace, the Oudaias kasbah or the mausoleum of Mohamed V, among other places. And at the end of the day, you will rest in a new charming riad.

Day 7: Rabat – Casablanca – Marrakech

After enjoying the included breakfast at the Rabat riad, it is time to follow the route for 80 km along the Atlantic Ocean to Casablanca. It is the largest city in the country and world famous for the film of the same name, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Our walk will take us along the Boulevard de la Corniche, a suggestive promenade that leads to the imposing Hassan II mosque, one of the few that can be visited in the country.

After visiting (optionally) this icon of the 20th century in Morocco, we will head to the city of Marrakech, where a new charming riad awaits to spend the night in.

Day 8: Transfer to Marrakech airport

After having breakfast at the riad and checking out, the following hours will be organized depending on the flight schedule. It could be used to make the last purchases in the center, to visit monuments that were pending or even to take a guided tour with a local guide, if you did not have time to do so on the first day. The Kutubia mosque, the Saadian tombs or the Ben Youssef medersa are places worth visiting during your stay in the city.

And upon arrival at the agreed time, our driver will pick you up to transfer you to the Marrakech airport. Our services will conclude here, but the farewell will have a wish for reunion in the future.