14-Day Imperial Cities, Sahara, High Atlas & Atlantic Coast

Land Tour

14 days

14-Day Imperial Cities, Sahara, High Atlas & Atlantic Coast
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$AUD 306 per day

Departure: Casablanca, Morocco

Arrival: Casablanca, Morocco

Adventure

Private / Tailor made

Spending 2 weeks in Morocco enables you to see many of the best sights and to engage in many of the very best experiences that the country has to offer. This full but well-paced itinerary has been developed to allow travellers to fully immerse themselves in the cultures and traditions of the true, real Morocco.Starting in the northwest of Morocco, in Casablanca, you'll visit the Imperial Cities of Casablanca, Rabat, Meknès & Fès (and later Marrakesh) where, in each contrasting city, there is so much history to appreciate and stunning architecture and design to savour. Perfectly tucked in amongst these great Imperial Cities is the 'Blue City' of Chefchaouen, a delightful, small settlement nestled in the Rif mountains and one that simply cannot be missed. After then crossing southwards over the Moyen Atlas, passing through extensive cedar forest where macaque monkeys live, the landscapes dramatically change. Passing through Azrou and Medelt, the climate becomes drier and the landscape becomes much less vegetated, revealing fantastic rocky scenery. The Gorges du Ziz offer excellent examples of this. First travelling south to Khamleya, a traditional Saharan village, after your night in the Berber Camp, you will experience more Berber culture through their drumming and dance. Around Khamleya village, amongst the sands of the Sahara, you will also see farmed plots; survival at the very edge of possibility. Travelling westwards from the Sahara, and after passing through Rissani, a busy market town, you travel between the High Atlas and the Jbel Sahrho mountains. The Todra Gorge is a most impressive, 300m deep, water cut canyon; the journey into it is superb, the road climbing ever higher and letting you see traditional, remote life in the mountains. Onwards then to Boumalne Dadès for overnight. A morning visit is taken into the Dadès Gorge to reveal truly awesome scenery. Deep, twisting, entrenched river valleys astound as will the strange Monkey Finger rock formations. This morning you will also visit troglodytes (present day cave dwellers) and have tea with the family. Then it’s lunch in Boutegfhar. Departing the Gorges du Dadês, it’s on westwards again, through the "Valley of the Roses", with rose bush edged fields, the petals used to make cosmetics (creams, lotions). Then it’s through the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, old kasbahs, weathered by wind/rain with only stark ruins remaining (maybe spot nesting storks atop the corner turrets) to Ouarzazate, the “Peaceful City” for overnight.Crossing the High Atlas then takes you into the land of the Berbers, a most welcoming and friendly people. Their ability to wrest a living form the landscape is mightily impressive. Aït Benhaddou kasbah is a morning stop today to give the opportunity to explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then it’s up and over the High Atlas via the Tiz-n-Tichka pass (2,260m) and on to Marrakech. Marrakesh, the other Imperial City, instantly assaults the senses - in a most positive way! Colour, clamour, excitement, noise and spectacle all are here to be savoured. A full day here allows you to enter the Old Medina area and to visit a selection of famous sights/sites.To conclude your trip, you’ll travel to the seaside town of Essaouira on the Atlantic Coast. You will travel through the country’s unique argan forests (perhaps seeing goats grazing in the upper tree branches). Impressive sea walls, a cute and compact Medina, a lively fishing harbour and a lengthy beach promenade in Essaouira all allow for a most relaxing time after your recent travels.This tour will give you a real taste of Morocco, its landscapes, its people and its very special experiences.This wonderful and wide ranging tour is costed using very pleasant 3* accommodations. However, if wished, the tour can be costed using 4* and/or 5* accommodations if you wish (for either the whole of the tour of for parts of itDay 1: Begin your 14 day tour in Morocco, in Casablanca Day 2: Casablanca to Chefchaouen via RabatDay 3: Chefchaouen to Fès via Meknès/VolubilisDay 4: Explore FèsDay 5: Over the Anti Atlas, Gorges du Ziz, to the Sahara at Merzouga (Erg Chebbi)Day 6: Rissani and the Todra Gorge to Boumalne DadèsDay 7: Into the Dadès Gorge, visit troglodytes (present day cave dwellers), travel along the Valleys of a Thousand Kasbahs/Roses to OuarzazateDay 8: Into the High Atlas to Aït Benhaddou & up and over the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass to MarrakeshDay 9: Explore the 'Red City' of MarrakeshDay 10: Magical Tour in the High AtlasDay 11: Hot Air Balloon Ride, the Marrakesh Plain & Jbilet Mountains Day 12: The Atlantic Seaboard: EssaouiraDay 13: Essaouira to Casablanca Day 14: Goodbye Casablanca
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