Arrival to Tangier

Tangier - Welcome to Morocco!
Whether arriving by plane or ferry, a shuttle will be waiting with a card displaying your name to transport you to your hotel.
NOTE: For an exhilarating experience, consider arriving by ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar, transitioning from Europe to Africa.

Tangier City Tour

Cap Spartel - Welcome to Morocco!
The tour begins at the gateway from Europe to Africa, Tangier, named after the goddess Tinge, Hercules’ lover, who is said to have separated Europe from Africa to create the Strait of Gibraltar. Enjoy a scenic drive through La Montagne over a pine-covered headland to the Cap Spartel Lighthouse, located just 14km west of Tangier. Continue 5km further to Grottes d’Hercule, where you can capture the much-photographed view from within Hercules’ mythical cave, resembling a map of Africa. Return to the Medina to spend a few hours exploring its 15th-century Portuguese fortress walls and visit the Kasbah Museum of Mediterranean Culture. Visit St Andrew’s Church for some gravestone reading, then enjoy the latest art exhibition at Centre Culturel Ibn Khaldoun.

Caves of Hercules - Continue 5km further to Grottes d’Hercule, where you can capture the much-photographed view from within Hercules’ mythical cave, resembling a map of Africa.

Medina of Tangier - Return to the Medina to spend a few hours exploring its 15th-century Portuguese fortress walls and visit the Kasbah Museum of Mediterranean Culture. Visit St Andrew’s Church for some gravestone reading, then enjoy the latest art exhibition at Centre Culturel Ibn Khaldoun.

Tangier - Chefchaouen - Fes

Chefchaouen - Depart from the famously decadent Tangier, with its Europe-facing Medina, and head into the Rif Mountains. European influence continues in Chefchaouen with its bright blue, Andalusian-tiled medina, and grand red-hued Kasbah overlooking the Main square of Outa Hmam. Chaouen, a city nestled beneath the raw peaks of the Rif Mountains, boasts a mystical blue-washed Medina, arguably the prettiest and smallest in the country. The town, with its Andalusian character architecture, remained isolated. Chaouen is undoubtedly a place to enjoy exploring at random. In the afternoon, head to the Imperial city of Fes, which is more quintessentially Moroccan with its ancient Medina.

Walk and Talk Fes Medina Tour

Medina of Fez - No need to worry, the guide will show you the must-see sites. With a private guide born and raised in Fes, you will have the opportunity to discover the ancient breeding ground for scholars and artisans and the largest medina in the world. You will see the America Fondouk, Nejjarines, the Tanneries, the Medersa (Theological college), and Karauine, the oldest university in the world. Your guide will illuminate many tales and 1200 years of history of this UNESCO-protected Medina. After visiting the medina, you will drive out of Fes to enjoy a delicious local meal at Lalla Fatiha’s house in Sefrou.

Fes - Meknes - Rabat - Casablanca

Meknes - Depart from the amazing Medina of Fes, with its mysteries and secrets of the 9000 alleyways, and head west to Casablanca. First, stop at the imperial city of Meknes, starting with the famed gate Bab El Mansour, Dar Jamai Palace and Museum, the royal stables, Hedim square, and Moulay Ismail tomb. Explore the narrow lanes of the Mellah, where Jewish families once lived.

Rabat - After Meknes, Rabat, the administrative capital, awaits you. Greet the soldier-knights on horseback in front of the gate to the monumental Hassan tower, with the pillared stumps of its mosque being all that remains from the 1755 earthquake. Nearby is the Mausoleum of the royal family.

Hassan II Mosque - Take the highway to Casablanca, the economic capital of Morocco. After a one-hour drive (if time permits), you might like to explore some of its sights, including the architectural masterpiece, Hassan II Mosque, completed in the 90s. It overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and features a retractable roof to let in sunlight, and is one of the few mosques that non-Muslims are allowed to enter.

Casablanca - El-Jadida - Safi - Essaouira

El Jadida - Around 8:00 am, head southwest of Casablanca to the 15th-century Portuguese fortified city of Mazagan, now known as El-Jadida, nicknamed “the Deauville of Morocco.” Its Portuguese structures, fortified ramparts, and defense system surrounding the Medina, which extends into the sea, evoke the city’s historical past. (Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO), it is an ancient coastal town with impressive Portuguese architecture.

Safi - After leaving El-Jadida, the road takes you to Safi, known for sardines and pottery. Much of its old medina was built by the Portuguese in the 16th century. From Safi, head to the most laid-back beach city in Morocco. Essaouira is more than just a town; it is a muse, a source of endless inspiration, and Jimi Hendrix’s inspiration site.

Essaouira City Tour

Essaouira Ramparts - Today, you’ll have ample time to explore Jimi Hendrix’s town. After breakfast, you’re free to roam the city, which has long been a haven for hippie backpackers and Gnawa musicians. You can book a local guide, or start your visit at the ramparts, a series of forts built in the 15th century around the Medina of Mogador. Inside the Medina, visit The Mellah (former Jewish quarter) and Morocco’s 3rd fishing port, where you can enjoy a delicious fish meal. For sports enthusiasts, Essaouira offers excellent wind and kitesurfing schools.

Essaouira - Agadir - Tiznit - Sidi Ifni

Agadir - An early-morning start is recommended for this day. Head south along the Atlantic Ocean with its beautiful white beaches. Stop to visit Agadir, a city completely rebuilt after a devastating earthquake in 1960, with its bustling port and beach resort sprawling beneath its Kasbah.

Mirleft - Continue to the rich and lush lands. Visit the birds’ national reserve park of Souss-Massa. Mirleft is a charming place to enjoy a cup of mint tea. Continue onward to the most romantic Art Deco military town ever built on a cliff-top site. A real Santa Cruz del Mar Pequeno “Holy Cross of the Small Sea,” built in 1930.

Sidi Ifni - Tafraoute

Tafraoute - From Sidi Ifni, head to a village nestled in the beautiful Ameln Valley, surrounded by muscular, red-granite mountains and rock carvings. Tafraoute, with its stone-built villages and around five thousand hardy residents, remains one of the must-see relaxed destinations in the country of the red and green flag. It is worth a walk around to see curious rock formations such as Napoleon’s Hat or the Pierres Peintes, painted blue and pink by a Belgian artist.

Tafraoute - Akka/Tata

Tata - Erg Chigaga Desert

Erg Chigaga Desert Roam

Erg Chigaga - The best way to experience nomadic life and explore the desert is by camel ride. Today, enjoy a real desert experience with a camel driver to discover the fauna, flora, and history of the desert. Lunch will be served in the middle of nowhere amidst the 300-meter-high dunes.

Erg Chigaga - M’hamid El Ghizlane- Todgha Gorges

Todgha Gorge - Wake at dawn to watch the sun rise, replacing the Sahara shadows with a cool blue morning sky before becoming a glowing ball of fire. Depart Erg Chigaga and head north to see Todgha Gorges by daylight, with its gigantic rock walls changing color to magical effects as the day unfolds.

Tamegroute - Before reaching Todgha Gorges, stop in an unusual place that was once the most important settlement in the Valley of Draa, known for its green pottery. The Zawiya Naciria remains a site of pilgrimage and refuge for the mentally ill, and a working Quranic school with a library that was once the richest in Morocco, containing 4000 ancient illuminated texts.

Todgha Gorges - Imilchil - Bin Elouidane

Imilchil - Today, head to Imilchil and cross the Middle Atlas Berber Villages, a dizzying trip that eventually winds through Boutfarda and Taglaft to Bin Elouidane Dam, one of Morocco’s earliest and most ambitious irrigation schemes, which has transformed much of the surrounding land. Recently, many hotels have sprung up on the lake’s shores, offering a scenic chance to relax beside the deep-blue waters.

Bin Elouidane - Ouzoud Waterfalls - Marrakech

Ouzoud Falls - This morning, without rushing, head south of Bin Elouidane, about 167km from Marrakech, to the spectacular Cascades d’Ouzoud. These waterfalls cascade into pools in a lush valley that remains hidden until the last moment. The view improves as you descend into the cool canyon, and in the late afternoon, rainbows appear in the mist around the falls. At the bottom, enjoy a memorable short hike along the riverbed, where Barbary Apes clamor for attention. Reach the picturesque and fascinating Tanaghemlt, a Berber village connected by semi-underground passages. For longer treks, follow the river valley to the Gramâa Nakrouine caves. Around 5 pm, head to Marrakech to spend the night.

Walk and Talk Marrakech Medina Tour

Medina of Marrakesh - Good morning, land of jokes and fun!
Marrakech is the final exploration point of the Morocco Cultural Tour with a private guide born and raised in Marrakech, as in other spots. Begin exploring the Red City from its old part, with its Medina’s narrow lanes leading to lavish sites, tombs, and religious monuments adorned in marble. Bahia and El-Badii Palace and Saadien’s Tombs will be your targets. Afterward, your driver/tour guide will pick you up for an outside medina visit to explore the Majorelle Garden, Museum Saint Laurent, and Berber Museum. In Marrakech, you will encounter thousands of motorcyclists and horse-carts roaming the city, some stopping near the vast square of Jemaa El-Fnaa, where it’s carnival night every night, with musicians, acrobats, storytellers, and slapstick acting troupes tapping into the Medina’s frenetic pulse.

Departure

Marrakech - Whether departing from Marrakech or Casablanca, rest assured that your driver/tour guide will coordinate the departure time with you.

• Private transportation
• Camel ride at the desert
• 2 Hours hike in the gigantic rocks of Todgha Gorges
• Lunch
• Local experience
• Dinner
• In-vehicle air conditioning
• Some meals with local families
• Visit to local women cooperatives
• Breakfast
• Parking fees
• On-board WiFi
• Surcharges on fuel
• An opportunity to give back and meet up with locals

• Gratuities

This tour is sure to transform your perspective on travel, uplift your spirits, and boost your motivation. Picture the joy of realizing you’ve explored all of Morocco in just a few days.

The North to South Morocco Cultural Tour offers a comprehensive exploration of Morocco, showcasing its must-see attractions. You’ll travel along well-maintained roads and venture off the beaten path. The journey begins in the famously opulent Tangier, with its Medina facing Europe, and continues to the nearby Chefchaouen, known for its stunning blue-painted Medina. Travel south to Fes and then west to Rabat, passing through Meknes.

From Rabat, the tour follows the Atlantic Coast to Sidi Ifni, then turns eastward to Morocco’s largest desert. Here, you can choose to fall asleep under a blanket of twinkling stars amidst a magnificent expanse of golden sand. Awaken at dawn to witness the sun’s ascent, as it replaces the Sahara’s shadows with a cool blue morning sky, before transforming into a radiant ball of fire.

If you cancel at least 3 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.