Morocco highlights - Morocco's imperial cities

Royal cities and sand dunes

Route: Casablanca – Rabat - Meknes - Fes – Camel Trek and Desert Bivouac –Dades Valley – Kasbah Aït Benhaddou - Marrakech

This Morocco highlights itinerary offer an exciting combination of the four imperial cities with the natural splendour of the Sahara desert and lush green palm valleys. You’ll spend 5 days soaking up the unique atmosphere of the imperial cities before travelling by hire car to the edge of the Sahara where you’ll ride into the desert on camel back and sleep under the stars. From the desert you’ll travel to the verdant oasis of the Dades Valley. The itinerary is the same as our Magnificent Morocco itinerary, except that you’ll end your trip in Marrakech instead of the coast. During our Morocco highlights itinerary you'll stay in different types of accommodation including small-scale traditional Moroccan hotels, a stylishly decorated riad and a bedouin tent in the desert.

Duration	12 days / 11 nights departs daily from Casablanca	Accommodation	Charming hotels and stylish Moroccan riads. Comfort level 3-4 (see accommodation).
Price	£643 per person - based on 2 people sharing £797 - special stay option (see bottom of this page for more information)	Includes	11 nights accommodation with breakfast, transport by train, coach, hire car (A-class) and private transfers as described.
Transport	Train, coach, hire car, private transfers	Excludes	Return flights UK-Morocco, insurance, other meals, entrance fee Volubilis (approx £1.50 per person), cooking workshop in Marrakech, camel/horse trek in Essaouira

Day 1: Arrival Casablanca - Rabat

On arrival at Casablanca airport you’ll be met by our driver and transferred directly to your hotel in Rabat, opposite the old train station in the Ville Nouvelle, the newer part of the city. Your small-scale hotel has a typical Moroccan atmosphere and small terrace where you can sit with a drink and watch the world go by. Once you’ve unpacked and freshened up, you can head out to explore the city.

Morocco highlights - typical Moroccan street scene

Day 2: Rabat

When you wake up you can make your way down to breakfast - usually a cup of coffee or tea, a piece of French bread with jam and perhaps a glass of fresh orange juice.

After breakfast, you can start to explore. The easiest way to get around the city is by blue ‘petit taxi’ and short trips will cost around £0.80 - £2. Make sure you agree on a price beforehand! Ask your petit taxi driver to take you to the impressive Kasbah Oudaias on the edge of the old city (the medina) and then continue on foot. If you want to grab a cheap bite to eat, try the Baahia restaurant. Built within the city ramparts, it’s a great little find. As you walk out of the kasbah you’ll see a lovely little street (Rue des Consuls) full of small shops selling aromatic spices, leather, silver, rugs and wood carvings. Other interesting sights include the Bab Chellah, considered by many to be the most beautiful city ramparts in Morocco, the Parc du Triangle, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the uncompleted Hassan Minaret. In the evening you can try one of the local restaurants. Just behind the hotel ‘La Mamma and La Bamba’ serves local, Italian and seafood dishes.

Day 3: Rabat - Meknes

Travel time: 2.5 hours

Once you’ve checked out, you can simply cross the street to the train station. Your train tickets and departure times are included in the vouchers supplied by our local representative. The train journey to Meknes takes about 2 hours. The rail service in Morocco is excellent - comfortable and fast. Just sit back and relax as orchards, vineyards, cacti, and (in the spring) fields full of bright yellow rapeseed glide by.

Depending on your departure time, you’ll arrive in Meknes late in the morning. In the 17th century, Meknes was little more than a small provincial town, but Sultan Moulay Ismail transformed it into a majestic walled city with more than 20 monumental gates (Babs) and over 50 palaces - a real Moroccan highlight. When you arrive in Meknes, you can take a petit taxi to your traditional Moroccan riad in the historic part of the city. It’s also home to one of the best restaurants in town, although luckily not many people know about it. The pastilla and tajine are out of this world.

You can spend the rest of the day wandering through Meknes. If you like, the staff at your riad can arrange a local guide for you (approx. £8). If you walk out of the front door of your riad and follow the little street to the Place El Hedim, you'll soon see the impressive Bab Mansour and Bab Djemaa and Nouar gate. The covered souk (local market) is now on your right and a Morocco highlight not to be missed. Rows of spices in all shapes and colours are piled high, and dozens of olives, figs and dates. Diagonally across the square you'll find the mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, the founder Meknes. When retracing your steps back to you riad, try continuing on to the little street at the back. You’ll pass several different souks, divided into separate sections according to their ware - tapestries, textiles, bric-a-brac, tents and musical instruments.

After a day of Moroccan sights and sounds, you can head back to your riad to relax and freshen up for dinner. As it gets dark, the riad will becomes filled with candlelight, and you’ll be treated to a magical Moroccan dinner.

Day 4: Meknes - Volubilis - Fes

Travel time: 2 hours

After a tasty breakfast it’s time to continue with your Morocco highlights itinerary. You’ll be collected at your hotel around 9.30am by our driver. Around 45 minutes later you'll catch your first glimpse of the impressive ruins of Volubilis, the most remote city in the Roman Empire. Surrounded on all sides by green hills, Volubilis was built as an outpost from which to conquer the tribes beyond the Atlas Mountains. The remnants and particularly the colossal pillars and mosaics are astonishingly well-preserved. If you want to know more about the ruins, one of the official guides waiting at the entrance will be happy to show you around for about £8-£12, plus tip.

After exploring the ruins, it’s another 30 minute drive via the pilgrimage site of Moulay Idriss to Fes. You’ll be dropped off at your cosy hotel in the Ville Nouvelle, the new part of Fes. The hotel is ideally located in a little side street off the Avenue Mohammed V where you’ll find shops, tea stands, juice stalls and a great choice of restaurants. Fes has plenty of small restaurants where you can order a delicious tajine for less than £3. A tajine is a clay pot filled with chicken, beef, goat’s meat and vegetables, stewed over a charcoal fire for about an hour. Remember that everything in Fes closes early. The restaurants and food stalls start packing up at 9.30pm, so if you would like to enjoy a relaxed dinner, it's best to leave around 6pm.

Morocco highlights - mosaics at Volubilis

Morocco highlights - weaveries in the medina

Day 5: Fes

After breakfast, you can take a petit taxi to the medina and start to explore. This is the most authentic medieval city in the Arabic world, and a real Morocco highlight. The medina is divided into separate quarters, each with its own bakery, mosque, fountain and hammam.

Fes is a journey back in time. Walking through the narrow streets, you'll sense medieval Morocco as you peer into the century-old workshops. The tanneries in particular are well worth seeing. To get the most out of your stay in Fes, buy the travel guide 'Fez from Bab to Bab', available at one of the many book stalls close to your hotel for a couple of pounds. The book is an interesting read and has some great tips for thing to see and do this afternoon, like the doors of the Royal Palace and the Jewish Quarter with its pretty balconies.

Day 6: Fes - Errachidia - Erfoud - Rissani

Travel time: 8 hours

This morning, your rental car will be delivered to your accommodation in Fes. It’s a full day’s drive to Rissani, so you might wish set off early, giving you enough time to take it easy and stop on the way. Driving in Morocco is no problem at all. For more information check out our driving in Morocco page. Your car will be dropped off with a (nearly) empty tank, so at the end of your trip you can hand in the car again with an empty tank. You’ll have just enough petrol to get to a petrol station at the edge of town, where you can fill up before you head into the great wide open. On the way stop off at the Gorge du Ziz, a huge gorge near a lake that you’ll pass just before the turn-off to Erfoud.

From Erfoud it’s another 20 minutes across an immense palm oasis to Rissani where we’ve selected a charming kasbah hotel on the outskirts of this small desert town. The hotel is tastefully decorated by the friendly and extremely welcoming owner Hassan, who designed the sets for famous films like 'The Mummy'. Hassan and his brother Ibrahim will make you feel at home in their beautiful desert hotel. After your long drive, take a refreshing dip in the pool or relax with a cool drink in the Bedouin tent. In the evening, you can enjoy a wonderful homecooked tajine and a glass of wine out on the candlelit terrace.

Day 7: Rissani - Merzouga

Travel time: 40 minutes

Today you can take it easy and recover from yesterday’s long drive. After breakfast, take a dip in the beautiful pool or relax on the terrace with a good book. If you want have explore the town, there’s an old kasbah across the road from the hotel. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, pay a visit to the local market in Rissani.

Towards the end of the afternoon, as the searing sun loses some strength you’ll make your way to the awe-inspiring sand dunes of the Erg Chebbi desert at Merzouga, a definite highlight of any Morocco itinerary. It’s around a 40 minute drive across a brand new tarmac road. As you peer ahead, you'll be able to see the dunes shimmering on the horizon. You'll pass dozens of signs for hotels, bivouacs and desert Bedouin tents along the road, so read your directions carefully for your exit. Well, not exactly exit…just follow the tyre marks along the sandy track.

The majestic sand dunes will loom up on the horizon as you get closer and closer. You can park your car close to the kasbah hotel and grab a refreshing drink in the garden before you clamber onto your camel and wobble into the desert as cheerful camel boys lead the way. Soon, all you'll see around you is a vast expanse of bright orange sand dunes offset by a dazzling blue sky and the silence here is overwhelming.

After around an hour and a half, you'll come across a small tented camp in the dunes. The basic camp is little more than five bedouin camel hair tents and stone water jugs. Mattresses and blankets are provided so you don’t need to bring your own.

As your camel drivers prepare a traditional Morocco meal, you can go wander into the surrounding sand dunes. The unusual shapes and colours and the deafening silence make this place seem almost unearthly. As the sun slowly sets on the distant horizon, you'll be treated to a steaming tajine and glass of hot mint tea. Later on, you can crawl under your camel wool blanket or drag your mattress outside to stare at the stars - an unforgettable moment in this Morocco highlights itinerary.

Day 8: Erg Chebbi desert - Todra Gorge - Dades Valley

Travel time: 6 hours

You'll be woken at the crack of dawn to see the sunrise over the dunes. As the sun slowly creeps up in the distance, the expanse of sand will be basked in a soft purple, red and finally golden glow. Once the sun is up you'll climb back on your camel to make your way out of the desert.

There's time for breakfast and a refreshing shower at the kasbah before it's time to leave for the next destination on your Morocco highlights itinerary. If you have the time, it's great to spend an extra day in the kasbah hotel in Rissani after your camel trek. Just let us know if you would like us to add an extra night on your quote request form.

Around 10am, you'll climb back into your hire car and set off for one of Morocco's most scenic highlights, the Dades Valley. You'll drive through several small villages and palm forests to Tinerhir. We definitely recommend taking a short detour and turn left at Tinerhir to the Todra Gorge. It’s less than an hour there and back. Driving on, the cliffs will begin to close in on you to form a huge, towering gorge. Next you'll drive back to Tinerhir, turn right at the junction to the town of Boumaines Dades. After about an hour you'll enter the town. From here follow the signs to the Dades Valley.

The road cuts straight across one of the most spectacular areas of Morocco, with bizarre rock formations, fertile palm valleys and rugged mountain peaks alternating with small traditional villages and breathtaking views. After about an hour you’ll pass a restaurant (‘Panoramic’), with an outdoor terrace overlooking the valley and the colourful cliffs. It’s a nice place to stop off for a cup of coffee or mint tea or even better, the fantastic chicken and prune tajine. From here it’s another 40 minutes drive past more weird and wonderful colourful rock formations. When the cliffs become narrower and you enter a kind of gorge, you’ll know that you’ve nearly reached your small mountain hotel. It's basic, but the staff are extremely welcoming. In the evening, you can enjoy a delicious dinner and relax on the terrace under the bougainville.

Day 9: Dades Valley - Ouarzazate - Aït Benhaddou

Travel time: 3 hours

After breakfast Moustafa will take you on a hike through the mountains. The hike takes about three hours and it’s a wonderful way to see the countryside. If you’re not really into hiking you can also drive for another hour to see the fantastic views instead. The tarmac road stops in the small mountain village Imilchil, so when you reach the village turn around and head back to the hotel.

Early in the afternoon, you'll make a short one hour drive to Skoura. Just as you drive out of the town you’ll see a sign on the side of the road for ‘Kasbah Ben Moro’. We recommend stopping here to take a look. You can park your car here and walk through the palm tree garden to the kasbah. A kasbah is a kind of citadel that used to house entire village communities. Some of the kasbahs are still inhabited, but many are now deserted. If you want to visit the older kasbah, you can ask for a guide at the hotel (£3-4).

From here it's another hour to the kasbah-style town of Ouarzazate. You can stop off here to buy some snacks for on the way and use the cash machine before you continue across a barren lunar landscape. Soon, out of nowhere, the imposing kasbah Aït Benhaddou will loom up fringed by lush palm trees and a shallow river, one of the Morocco highlights of this trip. Before you visit the kasbah, you can stop and check in at your kasbah-style palace hotel with a lovely pool surrounded by shaded bedouin tents and a terrace overlooking the kasbah where they serve wonderful food in the evenings.

In the afternoon, you can make your way across the river to explore. At the gate to the kasbah, you’ll pay a small entrance fee (approx £1) and pass into a medieval world where you can lose yourself in the warren of narrow lanes leading into the kasbah. At the top of the kasbah there’s a fantastic view across the citadel and the surrounding countryside. You can also book a camel ride or rent mountain bikes here.

Day 10: Aït Benhaddou - Marrakech

Travel time: approx 4.5 hours

After breakfast, you'll drive across desert-like plains to the Atlas Mountains on the horizon. After about an hour, the road will begin to wind its way upwards past terraced wheat fields, cacti, and palm trees. In the distance, you'll see the snow-capped peaks of the Atlas Mountains. As the road descends again, you'll pass through fertile valleys before you enter the magical world of Marrakech, a true Morocco highlight.

On arrival, you'll drop off your car at the car rental company. In Marrakech we've selected a friendly little hotel around the corner from the famous Djemaa el Fna square, but if you'd prefer to stay in a real Moroccan riad, just let us know. Once you’ve settled into your hotel and freshened up, it’s time to explore Marrakech, a definite highlight of your Morocco trip. The moment that you set foot out of your hotel door you’ll be greeted by intoxicating smells and colours. Marrakech has surprisingly few tourist attractions (though the tropical gardens and the bizarre baby blue house of the Jardin Majorelle make for a worthwhile visit). Its main attraction is the atmosphere and it’s something you have to experience rather than see.

The Djemaa el Fna and the surrounding souks form the beating heart of the city and this is where you'll probably spend most of your time in Marrakech. During the day the area is pretty quiet except for the odd storyteller, snake charmer or group of musicians. The souks border the square, a warren of little streets lined with stalls selling everything under the sun from Moroccan rugs to live tortoises. You could also choose to visit the hammam, a traditional Moroccan bathhouse. It’s an everyday ritual for most Moroccans but for us it’s pure pampering: steam bath, scrub, massage…

As the sun sets, you can stroll back to the Djemaa el Fna. As if by magic, the square will have transformed into a huge open-air restaurant with acrobats, musicians and storytellers entertaining the crowds. Mouth-watering aromas drift from the dozens of small food stalls with rickety tables where the food is freshly prepared before your eyes. The stalls are numbered an each has its own speciality. For fresh fish go to Number 14, for kebabs and grilled vegetables try Number 55 and Number 5 does a great harira, the national Moroccan soup of tomatoes, chickpeas, vermicelli and green lentils.

Morocco highlights - vegetable market with Gemma

Day 11: Marrakech

Day 11 of your Morocco highlights itinerary is free for you to spend as you wish. If you want to get a taste of the everyday life of Marrakech, then join us for our Marrakech city tour and cookery lesson. If you go for this option, you'll be picked up at your hotel around 11am by Gemma, a Dutch lady who's lived in Marrakech for years. She’ll take your into the souks to buy ingredients for tonight’s meal, and as you follow Gemma through the narrow alleys you’ll see Marrakech like a local. Once you’ve filled your bags with ingredients, it’s time to roll up your sleeves for Gemma’s Moroccan cooking workshop. Ghita and Khadija will show you the ropes and teach you how to prepare a traditional tajine - a type of meat, fish or vegetable stew prepared and steamed in a triangular clay pot. You’ll also learn how to make proper couscous and Moroccan salads. After two hours of chopping and stirring you’ll sit down to feast on your first homemade Moroccan dinner.

Day 12: Marrakech - UK

Today your Morocco highlights itinerary comes to an end, and board the plane back home. We'll take care of your airport transfer for you. It's about 20 minutes drive to Marrakech airport. Once you're back home, we'd love to hear about your Morocco travel experiences.

If you have any other questions about this Morocco itinerary, drop us an email at info@moroccotravelplan.co.uk or give us a call on 01273 322056. You can book this itinerary using our online booking form.

Special stay accommodation

During our Morocco highlights itinerary you'll stay in different types of accommodation, each with its own style and atmosphere. We've visited all of our accommodation ourselves and selected the best ones based on location, friendly staff, service, cleanliness and value for money. If you'd like to add something extra special to your itinerary, you can choose to book this itinerary on 'Special Stay' basis, in which you'll stay in unique accommodation with an added touch of style and charm.

Morocco highlights accommodation

Special stay accommodation

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