Undiscovered Morocco

Itinerary

Day 1 – Casablanca
Arrive and transfer to your hotel. Overnight Hotel Suisse or similar.

Day 2 - Fes
A free morning in Casablanca to perhaps visit the Hassan II Mosque, after which we take the train to Fes. Overnight Riad El Yacout or similar. (B)

Day 3 - Fes
A guided tour of this fascinating medieval Islamic city, dating back to the 9th century. The medina of Fes is a rabbit warren of streets and quarters where tradesmen ply their trades in much the same way as they have for the last thousand years, and is home to intriguing architecture including some of Morocco’s most important religious sites. We stay in a converted riad in the heart of the medina. Overnight Riad El Yacout or similar. (B)

Days 4-5 – Middle Atlas Mountains
We travel into the little visited Middle Atlas Mountains, home to vast cedar forests, Barbary apes, nomadic tribes and reputedly Morocco’s last population of leopard. The scenery here is spectacular, with isolated lakes and impressive waterfalls, and occasional shepherd’s tents providing evidence of human habitation. We hope to meet some of the semi-nomadic local tribes that live here and take hikes through this area, where few others visit. We will camp or stay in village houses for two nights. (BLD)

Day 6 - Midelt
Emerging from the Middle Atlas we head to Midelt on the edge of the barren desert. Near Midelt we visit a local kasbah. Overnight at an auberge on a farm near Midelt. Overnight Auberge Jafaar. (BL)

Days 7-8 – High Atlas Traverse
We take two days to cross the formidable High Atlas mountains to Tinehrir. The journey, made by 4wd vehicles, is tough going at times but we are rewarded by stunning scenery and the knowledge that few tourists have travelled this pioneering route. We stop where we can to meet the local tribes people and stay in a village gite one night in the village of Imilchil, high in the mountains, where the local tribal families have a special marriage festival each year. We end our journey at the famous Todra Gorge before checking in to our hotel, built as a kasbah by a local tribal chief early last century. Day 7 – overnight Hotel Tomboctou or similar. (BLD)

Day 9 – Djebel Sarhro – Nkob
We cross the Djebel Sarhro Mountains, home to the formidable Ait Atta tribe, en route to the small town of Nkob, where we stay in a hotel built in the style of a local kasbah. Overnight Kasbah Imdoukal or similar. (BLD)

Day 10 – Zagora / Amazrou
We head off road on rough pistes to Zagora, exploring remote villages on the way and stopping to look at some of the rock art and engravings which litter this part of Morocco. We finish in the small village of Amazrou on the edge of Zagora, located amongst palm trees and small farmsteads. Overnight Hotel Zagour or similar. (BLD)

Days 11-12 – Desert Exploration
We journey into the Sahara accompanied by our nomadic guides and their camels, taking our food and equipment with us. The landscape here is a fascinating combination of barren mountains, small oases, austere desert and tumbling dunes, and is home to some of Morocco’s most remote nomadic tribes, who we hope to encounter. We spend our nights in wild camps amidst stunning scenery and watch the desert stars above our heads – an amazing experience. (BLD)

Day 13 – Ait Ben Haddou
We leave the desert behind and head to Ait Ben Haddou, an amazingly well preserved village fortress that was once an important stop on the Saharan trade routes. Overnight Hotel La Kasbah or similar. (BLD)

Day 14 - Marrakech
Journey across the mountains to the fabled city of Marrakech, once the meeting place for Morocco’s tribes and today the most exotic and captivating city in the country. Overnight Hotel Islane or similar. (B)

Day 15 - Marrakech
Day to explore the city. Tonight we take our final dinner in Djemaa el Fnaa, the huge square that becomes an open air restaurant by night and is also home to acrobats, storytellers and snake charmers. Overnight Hotel Islane or similar. (BD)

Day 16 – Marrakech
Tour ends. (B)