From Casablanca: grand tour of Morocco in 12 days

Itinerary: From Casablanca: grand tour of Morocco in 12 days

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   Day 1 · Casablanca — Rabat

   Visit of the Hassan II Mosque, with its 210-metre minaret and its prayer hall overlooking the ocean: it's one of the few mosques in Morocco open to non-Muslims. A walk on the corniche and in the Habous quarter, then an hour's drive to Rabat. Afternoon in the capital: the Kasbah of the Udayas with its white and blue houses above the river, the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V with its guards in full dress uniform.

   
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   Day 2 · Rabat — Chefchaouen

   Morning in Rabat for the Kasbah of the Udayas and the Hassan Tower, then about four hours' drive north-east. The Gharb plain gives way to the Rif hills; arrival in Chefchaouen in the afternoon and a first stroll in the blue lanes.

   
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   Day 3 · Chefchaouen and Akchour

   Morning departure for Akchour, about 45 minutes from Chefchaouen, in the Talassemtane national park. A trail follows the river past emerald-green pools and small cafés under the trees. In 45 minutes you reach the first waterfall; those with strong legs continue to God's Bridge, a huge rock arch over the canyon. A simple lunch by the river and back to Chefchaouen in the afternoon. Sunset from the Spanish mosque, with the blue city at your feet.

   
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   Day 4 · Chefchaouen — Volubilis — Fez

   We leave the blue city after breakfast and head south. In Volubilis we visit the Roman site, with its mosaics and the Arch of Caracalla, and then Moulay Idriss, the holy town built on two hills. Arrival in Fez in the late afternoon.

   
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   Day 5 · Fez with a guide

   Fez el-Bali was founded in the 9th century and has changed very little since. With the official guide we enter through the Bab Boujloud gate and let ourselves be carried along by the rhythm of the medina: mules loaded with hides, the smell of bread in the neighbourhood ovens, the call to prayer. We visit the Bou Inania madrasa, the Nejjarine caravanserai, now a wood museum, and Seffarine square, where coppersmiths hammer huge pots. From the terrace above the Chouara tannery you can see the craftsmen at work in the vats.

   Lunch in a medina palace and a free afternoon for shopping.

   
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   Day 6 · Fez — Ifrane — Midelt — Merzouga

   An early start to cross three landscapes in a single day. First the forests of the Middle Atlas, with Ifrane and the ancient cedars of Azrou where you meet the macaques, then the bare Midelt plateau, with Jebel Ayachi snow-capped until spring. After lunch the road drops into the Ziz gorges and runs along the palm grove to Erfoud. The last kilometres and, suddenly, the orange dunes on the horizon. Night in a hotel at the foot of the dunes.

   
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   Day 7 · Day in the desert

   A day devoted entirely to the desert, with no rush. In the morning a 4x4 tour around Erg Chebbi: the highest dunes, a well where dromedaries drink, a nomad family and the village of Khamlia with its Gnawa music. In Rissani we visit the souk and the Oulad Abdelhalim ksar and eat medfouna. Free afternoon at the hotel or for an optional activity: quad, buggy or sandboarding. Around five o'clock we set off by camel: an hour's ride through the dunes to the camp, just in time for sunset. Berber dinner and a night in the desert.

   
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   Day 8 · Merzouga — Todra — Dadès

   A last look at the dunes at sunrise, then we leave the desert. The road west crosses a plateau of black stone broken by sudden oases. We stop at the khettaras of Tinejdad and then in Tinghir, where the palm grove follows the river like a green ribbon. In the Todra Gorge we leave the car and walk through the narrowest part of the canyon, cool even in summer. In the late afternoon we reach the Dadès valley, among the 'monkey fingers', curious red rock formations.

   
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   Day 9 · Dadès — Skoura — Aït Ben Haddou

   We drive down from the Dadès valley along the road of a thousand kasbahs. In Kelaat M'Gouna we stop at a rose water cooperative, then the Skoura palm grove, where we walk among channels and palms to the Amridil kasbah. After Ouarzazate we reach Aït Ben Haddou in the afternoon: we cross the river and climb among the earthen houses to the granary at the top, which overlooks the Ounila valley. Sunset here is unforgettable. Night in a kasbah at Aït Ben Haddou.

   
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    Day 10 · Aït Ben Haddou — Marrakech

    Last morning in the south. The road climbs the valley towards the High Atlas and the Tizi n'Tichka pass, the highest drivable pass in Morocco. On both sides the villages change colour, from red to grey, and the terraced fields follow the bends of the river. A break for tea at a panoramic café and arrival in Marrakech around midday. In the evening, a stroll in Jemaa el-Fna.

    
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    Day 11 · Marrakech with a guide

    A morning in the medina with a local guide: the Koutoubia mosque with its 12th-century minaret, the Bahia Palace with courtyards full of orange trees and painted ceilings, and the Saadian Tombs, hidden for centuries behind a wall. Then the souks, divided by trade: dyers, blacksmiths, spice and lantern sellers. Free afternoon: we recommend the Majorelle Garden, blue and full of cacti, or a traditional hammam. In the evening Jemaa el-Fna fills with stalls, musicians and storytellers.

    
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    Day 12 · Marrakech — Casablanca

    Free morning in Marrakech for a last stroll in the souks. Then the motorway to Casablanca, about three hours. If there's time, a visit to the Hassan II Mosque, built partly over the ocean, before the transfer to the airport or hotel.