8 DAYS CASABLACA TO IMPERIAL CITES

The 1^st : CASABLANCA – RABAT

The first day of our imperial cities of Morocco tour, you are going to explore the beauty of this lovely huge city. Casablanca’s landmark is the Hassan II Mosque, literally can’t be missed. Perched dramatically on a rock outcrop overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, its soaring minaret is the world’s tallest, and the mosque’s ornate details are the result of over 6000 traditional Moroccan artisans. Your guide can explain this modern masterpiece to you before you take a wander through the city’s Ancienne Medina,then we will be hitting the road to Rabat ,which is the capital of Morocco and its seventh largest city It is also the capital of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra administrative region. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg.

On the facing shore of the river lies Salé, the city’s main commuter town. Rabat and the food processing and construction industries. In addition, tourism and the presence of all foreign embassies in Morocco serve to make Rabat one of the most important cities in the country. Once a reputed corsair haven, Rabat served as one of the many ports in North Africa for the Barbary pirates, who were particularly active from the 16th through the 18th centuries. Rabat is accessible by train through the ONCF system and by plane through the nearby Rabat–Salé Airport. The Moroccan capital was ranked at second place by CNN in its “Top Travel Destinations of 2013.” It is one of four Imperial cities of Morocco, and the medina of Rabat is listed as a World Heritage site.

The 2nd day: RABAT – FEZ:

Our second day trip we are going to drive towards Volubilis the print of Romans’ civilization in the kingdom. It dates back to 225 BC; its structure may have decayed but not entirely as its mosaic is still bright and shiny as it was once. We will then make a stop in the Ismaili capital Meknes; it is surrounded with dozens of giant gates and fortified with a vast tall standing walls. We will pay a visit to El Hdim Place; it is a home for numerous creative activities such as painting, dancing, storytelling, and charming snakes. We will also visit the Sahrij Souani used for irrigation and plantation during the sultan’s rule. By the evening we will be found in a Riad in Fes.

The 3^rd Day: FEZ – FEZ:

After having breakfast we will start our trip around Fes, one of the most important cities of the kingdom, and actually it is believed to be the first built city by the Idrissids, it is the spiritual, cultural, scientific and artistic capital of Morocco, walking down its narrow ancient streets of the medina you would feel as if time had stopped in the middle age, we will visit historical sites and buildings like the Quaraouine mosque which is also considered as the first university to ever exist founded in 859. It is a prestigious center for the Arab world; its influence grew as the Marinids took charge over it.

Fes was divided into two parts fortunately they were reunited by Almoravids. And in the 11^th century Fes became one of the major cities of Islam. At sunset we will drive upwards to a wonderful hill where we can overlook the whole city just by scenery. After that we go back to the Riad to rest and get ready for the next day.

The 4th Day:  FEZ – IFRANE AZROU – MIDELT – ERRACHIDIA – ZIZ VALLEY – ERFOUD – MERZOUGA:

After having breakfast we will aim to south. We will firstly drive by Ifran the Switzerland of Morocco and Cedar forest situated not far in Azrou. It is famous for being a home for a wide variety of monkeys and apes. Along the route you will notice the change in sceneries from mountainous -the Middle Atlas Mountains and high Atlas mountains- to desert like landscapes especially as we approach Errachidia. We will have lunch in Midelt and continue to Ziz valley where we are willing to admire the magnificent views.

Before we arrive to Erfoud we will pass by numerous Berber villages like Rissani which is the ancient capital of the current dynasty the Alaouits. That would be our final point before reaching to Merzouga. We will leave vehicles aside and ride camels to the nomad camp which is only 1h30min far. We will enjoy the sunset whilst being over the high dunes. As we arrive we will have a yummy dinner with the locals under the rhythm of Berber drums and the moonlight.

The 5th Day:  MERZOUGA – KHAMLIA – RISSANI – DRAA VALLEY – OUARZAZATE:

Your guide will make sure to wake you up in order not to miss the spectacular view of sunrise reflected over the peaks of high dunes. You will ride camels back to the hotel to have breakfast and have a refreshing shower. We will then continue the journey by driving towards Tinghir and Todgha gorges. They are considered to be the highest narrow gorges in Morocco. You can hike along its valley.

Our next stop would be the Dades valley wherein you are willing to admire the formidably shaped sand castles and the gorgeous rock formation often referred to as Monkey toes. You will spend the night in a nearby hotel or riad of your choosing.and on our way to Ouarzazate, via one of the longest rivers in Morocco. We will have some pauses to see some kasbahs and Berber villages on the route and we will see interesting geological formations of the Draa Valley. Dinner and night would be at Ouarzazate.

The 6th Day: OUARZAZATE – AIT BEN HADDOU – MARRAKECH:

Today after that we have breakfast we will start driving through the 1000 kasbahs the main route connecting Dades valley and Ouarzazat. The road is a splendid opportunity for you to exercise your photography skills.

The next stop is the Klaat Mgouna known for its massive production of Rose water. We will then head towards Ouarzazat the African Hollywood; we will have breakfast in Ait Benhadou Kasbah which is the largest Kasbah in Morocco. It is also admiited to be a Unesco world heritage site. It is the famous filming location for numerous blockbuster movies like the Gladiator and Babel.  We will pass by the mountain pass Tizi n Tichka 2260 m high. And if you are more interested we would make a stop at women cooperatives of making Argan oil before we reach Marrakech by night.

The 7th Day:  MARRAKECH – MARRAKECH:

For your sixth day we will fully explore the beloved Marrakech, most tourists prefer stopping by Marrakech before they leave. This charming is the perfect combination of both modern and traditional Moroccan print, you could see that in its buildings in the ancient medina, you can start off by paying a visit to Jamaa el Fna square, a unesco worldwide heritage site. You can have a freshly squeezed lemon juice from the aligned dozens of shops, and then observe the snake charmers, acrobats, storytellers, musicians….

Beside the square, there are few recognizable museums like Dar sidi Said and Bahia Palace. You can also visit the Saadain tombs and have lunch there before we steer again to the Koutoubia Mosque although non muslims aren’t allowed to enter yet you still can marvel at the formidable architecture of the ancient civilizations. Late afternoon you can stroll down the streets of this fascinating city. You will spend the night in a traditional Riad.

The 8th Day: MARRAKECH – CASABLANCA AIRPORT

In this final day we will transfer you to the airport and that would be the end of our services until we embark on another journey.