The grand tour: imperial cities, Sahara, kasbahs and Essaouira
A journey of a lifetime across Morocco, joining the highlights: the imperial cities of Rabat, Meknes, Fes and Marrakech, the blue city of Chefchaouen, the majestic Sahara, the kasbahs and the Atlantic port of Essaouira.
Arrive at Mohammed V International Airport or be picked up from your accommodation in Casablanca. Visit the Hassan II Mosque, the third-largest mosque in the world, whose minaret dominates the skyline. Drive along the Ain Diab Corniche and stop at Rick's Café before settling into your hotel for the first night.
Drive to Rabat, the capital of Morocco, and visit the Kasbah of the Udayas (12th century, views over the Bou Regreg river and the Atlantic), the Mohammed V Mausoleum and the Hassan Tower. Cross the fertile Gharb plain and reach Chefchaouen in the late afternoon: Ras el-Ma spring, the Kasbah, the blue alleys and Uta el-Hammam square.
Leave the Rif Mountains and visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis with a local guide, then explore the imperial city of Meknes (Bab Mansour, El Hedim Square, the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail) before arriving in Fes.
Enjoy Fes in the morning, then drive through Ifrane and the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas to Midelt, where you spend the night.
Cross the High Atlas and the Ziz Valley to the Sahara. Ride a camel at sunset into the dunes of Erg Chebbi and spend the night in a desert camp, with dinner and music under the stars.
Sunrise over the dunes, then Erfoud and the Todra Gorge, before continuing along the road of the Kasbahs to the Dades Valley for the night.
Leave the Dades Valley through the Valley of Roses and the palm grove of Skoura, then cross Ouarzazate, the "Hollywood of Africa" (Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Lawrence of Arabia were filmed here). Take a guided walk around the UNESCO-listed Ait Benhaddou kasbah, then cross the Atlas Mountains over the Tizi n'Tichka Pass (2,260 m) to Marrakech.
Discover the Ochre City with a local guide: the Koutoubia Mosque, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, the souks of the medina and the lively Jemaa el-Fna square at sunset.
Drive west to Essaouira, the walled Atlantic port: ramparts, fishing harbour, blue boats and a relaxed medina.
Follow the Atlantic coast back to Casablanca, with drop-off at your hotel or the airport.
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