Meals

Breakfast and Dinner Daily

Accommodation

11 nights accommodation in 4 star Hotels and Guesthouses 1 night in Chefchaouen: Hotel Casa Hassan or similar 1 night in Moulay Idriss: Hotel Volubilis or similar 2 nights in Fez: Hotel L’Escale or similar 1 night in Erfoud: Kasbah Leila 1 night in Ouarzazate: Tichka Salam 2 nights in Taroudant: Hotel Tafoukt 1 night in Essaouira: Hotel Riad el Madina 2 nights in Marrakech: Hotel el Andalous

Guide

Best Local Guides and Tour Leader

Transport

SUVs, Jeeps, Vans, mini-coach

Others

Visits to Temples Visits to Nomadic encampments Visits to Medina family

Not included:

Insurance

Flights

Optional

There are many optional activities: Henna Tattooing party for Ladies Traditional Hammam Spa Dinner with local family in their home Moulay Yacoub Thermal Hotsprings Family Moroccan party with music Mint Tea Ceremony with a family Moroccan Arabic Class Cooking Class

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Day 1 Day 1: Welcome To Morocco
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Welcome To Morocco

Our Tour Manager will be waiting for you at Tangier airport right after the customs services gate to greet and then take you on a historical tour of Tangier, home of Paul Bowles for over fifty years. Later in the afternoon, we will transfer you immediately to check in to your guesthouse in Chefchaouen. This is a beautiful short drive of about 45 miles through the lush farms and nurseries of exotic plants. Chefchaouen is the quintessential Mediterranean city. White and Blue are the primary colors, and a sense of cleanliness is the aura this city and its people project. Adding to that, sublime Moorish architecture makes the city one of the most picturesque cities in Morocco. Enjoy a walking tour of Chefchaouen with your local guide in the afternoon.
Day 2 Day 2: Explore The Ancient History Of Morocco
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Explore The Ancient History Of Morocco

After breakfast, we will proceed on an excursion for the day, traveling east in the hinterland, covering most of the Moroccan ancient history highlights. The first stop will be the ancient Roman city of Volubilis, where Islam was introduced firsthand to Berber natives. Volubilis was a critical city in the imperial Roman department of Mauritania (modern-day Morocco and the western Sahara) during the reign of Caracalla. Volubilis is impressively well preserved, and the genius of Roman urbanism is still intact. The two central integral streets in every Roman castrum, the Cardo, and Decumanus, are prominent. The Cardo is the north-south boulevard, and the Decumanus is east-west. The intersection of the two is the heart of every Roman city. There you will find the ruins of the old forum.

The holy citadel of Moulay Idris is nestled in the neighboring hills of the vicinity. Founded in the 8th century by Moulay Idris al Akbar, grandson of the prophet Mohamed (s.a.w.s), this citadel is considered to be both the cradle of Sufism to Moroccan society as well as the first Islamic capital for the premier Arab dynasty. The city was created primarily for the indigenous population that migrated with Moulay Idris from the middle east. Your guide will take you around the narrow streets of this ancient hill town to explore a 13 hundred years old city that still keeps its lively existence like a medieval city inside its walls.
Day 3 Day 3: Visit The Amazing Moulay Idriss On Your Way To Fez
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Visit The Amazing Moulay Idriss On Your Way To Fez

After breakfast, we will continue our quest to travel to Fez. Eventually, you have reached your destination, the eighth-century city of Moulay Idriss, or the City of Islam as it is referred to. In the evening, you will taste the greatest of well-preserved ancient towns of Morocco and the first Islamic of Morocco. You will visit the sights outside of the old walled city, including the ramparts, the gates, and the panoramic views of this mountain town.

Our specialized guide will take you on a monumental discovery of Volubilis, just one mile from Moulay Idriss. Volubilis is an exciting archeological site of the ancient Roman capital of Mauritania, Tangitana. Our Morocco adventure trip will proceed to Fez, where we will overnight and prepare for an in-depth cultural tour of the city. Most of our Morocco tours go through Fez, as it is the heartbeat of this nation spiritually, intellectually, and historically.
Day 4 Day 4: Explore The Rich Culture Of Fez
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Explore The Rich Culture Of Fez

The whole day will be devoted to a historic visit to Fez ancient Medina. Extremely enthralling, Fez is a feast for the senses with its haunting yet beautiful sounds, visual splendor, and evocative smells. Fez is the most ancient of the imperial capitals and the most complete medieval city in the Islamic world. Time spent in Fez will reveal much about the sophistication of the Moroccan artisan, providing an unparalleled experience to all visitors. Your morning will be devoted to visiting historical sites in Medina. Drive down the hills to the gate of Bab Guissa, where you will leave your vehicle and walk to enter an ancient world. Fez has preserved its Medina as it was centuries ago. Not even a bicycle can be used as a tool of transportation. Only donkeys, mules, and horses can help move all that the city produces and needs as supplies.

Your local guide will take you to all the Islamic highlights you must visit and give an overview of these sites’ historical and cultural aspects. Walking also in the narrow medieval streets of Fez is an experience among guilds and markets of all colors and sounds. You will end your walking tour and retreat to your hotel for dinner and other accommodations.
Day 5 Day 5: Explore The Beautiful Rural Environment Of The Atlas Mountains
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Explore The Beautiful Rural Environment Of The Atlas Mountains

You will spend your day discovering the rural environs of the Atlas Mountains’ Berbers. Covered with evergreen pines, tall cedar trees, and poplars and laced with flowing streams, your first view of the Middle Atlas Mountains will appear oddly un-Moroccan. Passing by Imouzzer, with a quick stop at the Swiss-like town of Ifrane, you will soon come across the first real town of the Middle Atlas, Azrou.

Azrou is an important market center for the region’s Berber tribes, located at a major junction of mountain routes. Your driver will take a little detour in a cedar forest to introduce you to one of the oldest inhabitants of this region, the Berber apes. This may also coincide with the encounter of a nomadic family in its temporary encampment while you are trekking the Atlas Mountains. As nomads are very hospitable people, whenever we encounter them, we are all invited at least for a mint tea under their tents. Midelt’s Middle Atlas ranges give way to the High Atlas Mountains, whose peaks are visible through the haze, soaring to over 12,000 feet. You will stop in Midelt for lunch, enjoying the dramatic sight before you. After you arrive in Erfoud, you will leave your vehicle and ride your camel over the dunes of the Sahara. You will conclude your day in your camp over the dunes of Merzouga, where tents are pitched for you to enjoy a night under the African Skies. After dinner, the Rokba drummers will illuminate your night with their lively dances and moving chants. Enjoy this encounter of Man and nature at its best. Ll, then continue your overland trip to Erfoud, one of the most delightful southern regions consisting of a dry, exploring the red belt of the desert with a sudden drop into the lush valley of Ziz, with copious date palm groves and flowing streams. Visit the gorges of Ziz and some of the oases and natural sites before you reach the magnificent oasis of Erfoud.
Day 6 Day 6: Experience The Spectacular Sahara Desert
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Experience The Spectacular Sahara Desert

You will wake up early to reach the highest peak of the dunes and watch the sun rise over the spectacular Merzouga dunes. This is an experience that should not be missed. Afterward, you will eat breakfast with the Tuaregs and continue onward hiking and trekking peaks and valleys that highlight your Morocco tour. You will leave Erfoud traveling west toward the Valley of Todra, between the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert. You will reach Tinghir, where we will be spending the night. Only 15 kilometers from Tinghir inside the Valley of Todra, you will find the Todra’s highest and narrowest gorges in the region.

Next, you will travel through the Dadès valley, wherein the spring, thousands of Persian roses bloom in hedgerows, filling the air with their heavenly perfume. You will also be trekking trails of the thousands of Kasbahs scattered along the Dadès River, majestic sandcastles with a visually appealing, timeless beauty. You will continue to explore the Dadès Valley, traveling through El Kelaâ De Mgouna and Boumalne to view the inimitable natural vistas and unusual rock formations. You will then continue to Ouarzazate, one large oasis that intercepts the water flow between the Dadès, the Drâa valleys, and the majestic High Atlas Mountains. This is an ideal place to stop for the night. You will conclude your day with dinner and other accommodations in your hotel.
Day 7 Day 7: Your Adventure Continues
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Your Adventure Continues

Following our adventure in the footsteps of Paul Bowles, our great explorer traveled through, we will overland to Taroudant, stopping at the village of Taznakht and Taleouine, the Zafran growing capital, where you will feast on a typical Berber tagine lunch. You will pass through indigenous argan and thuya tree forests, where you may see the region’s notorious tree-climbing goats. Finally, you will conclude your day with dinner and other accommodations.
Day 8 Day 8: Explore South Morocco’S Most Ancient City- Taroudant
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Explore South Morocco’S Most Ancient City- Taroudant

You will spend your morning touring the city of Taroudant with our unique guide. Surrounded by red ochre walls, Taroudant is one of south Morocco’s most ancient cities, with its rich bazaars reflecting a solid tradition of arts and crafts, spices, and leather goods trade. Visiting Taroudant, this elegant imperial city, is like discovering the classic Marrakech of the 1940s, a beautiful, exotic, and laidback walled oasis. You will conclude your day with a festive dinner at your hotel.
Day 9 Day 9: Make Your Way To Essaouira, A Jewel Nestled In The Rugged Atlantic Coast
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 9: Make Your Way To Essaouira, A Jewel Nestled In The Rugged Atlantic Coast

You will begin your day by traveling to Essaouira (Mogador), a picturesque city with a rich history. With fascinating antiquity, Essaouira was occupied by the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, supplied essential purple dyes to the Romans, absorbed the sophisticated arts of the silversmith, and spent centuries as a Portuguese enclave. Despite the apparent influence of these civilizations, Essaouira has managed to remain a small, authentic Berber town. Alive with the breath of fresh air provided by the Atlantic, Essaouira is a jewel nestled in the rugged coast, with a vast expanse of empty sands trailing back along the peninsula towards the south. After an introductory tour of Essaouira, you will conclude your day with dinner and other accommodations in your Luxury hotel.
Day 10 Day 10: Arrive At The Magnificent Oasis City Of Marrakech
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 10: Arrive At The Magnificent Oasis City Of Marrakech

After breakfast, you will descend the atlas mountains, finally arriving in the foothills, which overlook the magnificent oasis city of Marrakech Alhambra. Some of the stops above will include visits to Berber villages, scenic views, and traditional markets. You will devote your afternoon to exploring Marrakech’s many historical sites, starting at the Menara, a magnificent pool surrounded by flowerbeds, reflecting the image of an exquisite Moorish edifice. It was constructed in 1866 for dignitaries who enjoyed glorious sunsets with the ethereal Atlas mountains as a backdrop. The pool is an innovative irrigation system serving dry life in the desert.

Your walking tour of Marrakech will cover many impressive sites, including the Koutoubia minaret (identical to la Giralda, a tower found in Sevilla, Spain) and the Saadian tombs, demonstrating Moorish architecture at its best. The tombs consist of sixteenth-century mausoleums, which had lain walled-in and undiscovered until 1917. Next, you will explore the gardens of then the Majorelle. Finally, you will return to your hotel for a halal dinner and other accommodations.
Day 11 Day 11: Explore The Surrounding Atlas Mountains
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 11: Explore The Surrounding Atlas Mountains

In the morning, you will venture into the high-atlas mountains to visit the Asni and Tahanout. The fortress is what remains of a stronghold belonging to the Berber chieftain El Glnthe lord of the Atlas). You will stop for lunch in Imlil, feasting on a Typical Berber Tagine unique to this region. Hike on the slopes of the Toubkal footsteps and continue trekking to Ourika Valley. In the afternoon, you will return to Marrakech. A Farewell Dinner will be offered at a Typical Moroccan Restaurant with a Berber show.
Day 12 Day 12: Departure Day
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 12: Departure Day

You will depart for the Casablanca airport early in the morning. You will catch a flight connecting you to your next destination with a lifetime of memories packed neatly into your suitcase. Another option, if you are leaving from Tangier, is to take the overnight Marrakech Express Train.

12 days tour

Morocco Sheltering Sky Expedition

This tour includes:

Not included:

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Itinerary of your trip Morocco Sheltering Sky Expedition

Day 1: Welcome To Morocco

Day 2: Explore The Ancient History Of Morocco

Day 3: Visit The Amazing Moulay Idriss On Your Way To Fez

Day 4: Explore The Rich Culture Of Fez

Day 5: Explore The Beautiful Rural Environment Of The Atlas Mountains

Day 6: Experience The Spectacular Sahara Desert

Day 7: Your Adventure Continues

Day 8: Explore South Morocco’S Most Ancient City- Taroudant

Day 9: Make Your Way To Essaouira, A Jewel Nestled In The Rugged Atlantic Coast

Day 10: Arrive At The Magnificent Oasis City Of Marrakech

Day 11: Explore The Surrounding Atlas Mountains

Day 12: Departure Day

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