11Days 10Nights Enticing Morocco

Itinerary:

Day 1: SINGAPORE - CASABLANCA - RABAT (-/-/D)

Departure from Singapore Changi Airport for your flight to Casablanca, the most vibrant and largest cities of Morocco.

Arrival into Casablanca airport, your dedicated driver will pick you up and drive an hour north or the capital city of Rabat. You’ll be staying at the in an the former post office building that has been beautifully converted into the airy and modern Riad Zyo. After checking-in, take some time to relax and refresh before having your first Moroccan meal at the hotel’s excellent restaurant. After dinner, have a good rest for an early set-off the next day.

Overnight in Riad Zyo or similar.

Day 2: RABAT - CHEFCHAOUEN (B/L/-)

After an early breakfast, you’ll head out to see two Rabat monuments before heading to Chefchaouen. First off, you’ll stop at the Chellah necropolis. Established originally as a Phoenician colony, the ruins feature remnants of Roman settlements from the 2nd century, and early Arab rebuilds as early as the 7th century.

From the Chellah, you’ll head to the Yacoub al-Mansour Esplanade is home to two must-see monuments: First, the King’s Mausoleum, which was built in 1971 and which houses the remains of the late king Hassan II, Prince Abdallah, and their father King Mohamed V. In front of the Mausoleum, you will find the Hassan Tower, an incomplete red sandstone minaret which began construction in 1195AD. From the mausoleum, you’ll get a light lunch and head out for the 4 hour drive to Chefchaouen.

Upon arrival at Chefchaouen, you’ll check in at Lina Ryad. Dinner is not included this nights but we are happy to recommend a few of our favorite spots around the village.

Overnight in Lina Riad or similar.

Day 3: CHEFCHAOUEN - FES (B/-/-)

This morning will be your discovery of Chefchaouen! Known for its signature powder-blue walls and its calming charms, the village was founded in 1471AD. You will be met by our favorite local of Chefchaouen, Adnane, who will be with you for what should be a great morning of discovery and photography! Adnane will lead you to his favorite haunts as well as the signature locations of Chefchaouen, starting with the Kasbah in the center of town offering breathtaking panoramic views from the top of the tower. You can also meander up the town’s waterfall, where locals meet to chat and do laundry, where you can relax with your toes in the water at one of the river bank’s small coffee shops! From there, you can take the short walk up the hill to the old Spanish Mosque and observe the sunset over the charming Blue Village. Throughout your morning, Adnane will unlock the village with his photographer’s eye, showing you how to take gorgeous shots and taking several pictures of you as well!

After lunch, you’ll head out to Fes (a 3.5 hour drive), where you will check into Palais Amani, your heavenly retreat tucked into the old medina. The former home of an old noble family in Fes, Palais Amani has been painstakingly restored with great care by its current owners, and you’ll be impressed by the expert craftsmanship in the riad’s plaster, tiles, and woodwork! Enjoy a welcome mint tea followed by a light introductory tour of the Fes Medina. You’ll be on your own for dinner this night, but we will be very happy to make recommendations for a tasty meal.

Overnight in Palais Amani or similar.

Day 4: FES (B/-/D on street food tour)

After breakfast, you’ll meet your guide once again for a more in-depth exploration of Fes. Your day will also include stops at the medina’s Jewish quarter, the medersas, and the legendary tanneries, where ancient techniques are still used to prepare Moroccan leather which is then used in a variety of goods from clothing to bags and other handicrafts. In addition, you’ll also stop by the world’s oldest and longest operating learning institution, the University of Al
Quaraouiyine, founded in 859AD. Lunch this afternoon is not included, but we’ll be happy to make a recommendation about where to eat.

Dinner this evening will take place as part of the Tasting Trails of Fes tour. You’ll join an expert local culinary leader and story-teller for a truly unique look into the world of Fessi cuisine and culture. The tour will include stops at three different food souks allowing the chance to try traditional Moroccan street food including dried meats, milawi, harsha, briwats, spicy sardines, spicy potato cakes, soups, olives and more. At the honey souk we’re you’ll be able to taste an array of delicious wild honeys, discuss their flavors and health-giving properties and find out why honey is so important in Moroccan cooking and Islamic culture. We’ll investigate traditional cooking methods by visiting a furnace where the water for the communal bath house ‘hammam’ is also heated, and a 400 year old ‘furan’ or communal oven and bakery. The evening will conclude with a stop at a tea seller shop to discover the world of spices and secret to preparing Morocco’s signature drink.

Overnight in Palais Amani or similar.

Day 5: EXCURSION TO VOLUBILIS AND MEKNES (B/L/-)

After breakfast, you’ll depart at 9am for the 1.5-hour drive to the splendid roman ruins of Volubilis. Imagine Morocco in the 1st Century: an epoch of tumultuous transformation, where people from all over the Mediterranean and Northern Africa were migrating to the fertile Middle Atlas Mountains. Volubilis, located about 30 kilometers from Fes, is an ancient Berber and Roman city considered by many as not only the capital of the Kingdom of Mauretania but also the administrative center of Roman Africa. On this morning, you’ll wander among the dramatic ruins up-close-and-personal through the homes, temples and public buildings of the Greek, Syrian, and Jewish city dwellers. Exceptionally well preserved, the ruins offer beautiful and colorful mosaics adorning many of the floor spaces, and you can just picture what it was like to wander the cypress-lined city in its Golden Age!

You’ll leave Volubilis by 1pm to sit down for lunch and a tour of the stunning imperial gates that dot the neighboring city of Meknes (45 minutes away from Volubilis).

Upon returning to Fes, you’ll have the afternoon at leisure to do some exploration of the medina on your own, or just relax at the hotel. Dinner this evening is not included, but we’ll be happy to provide some recommendations of excellent restaurants.

Overnight in Palais Amani or similar.

Day 6: FES - SAHARA DESERT  (B/L/D)

Your day begins as you embark an early morning scenic drive that will lead you to the golden dunes of the Sahara! With several panoramic vistas as well as a lunch break en route, your drive will take a total of roughly 8 hours hours and will lead you to the very end of the paved roads where you’ll hop out from the car and onto the camels that will take you on a beautiful path through the tall sand dunes arriving into your luxury camp. Mint tea will be served as you
arrive, after which you’ll have some time to enjoy the camp and contemplate the peaceful quiet of the Sahara. Dinner will be served at your convenience, followed by a campfire and some live music by the camp’s staff who will perform tribal music for you. You can then enjoy the starlit sky before going to the sleep in the comforts of your well-appointed tent.

Overnight in Luxury Tented Camp.

Day 7: SAHARA DESERT - DADES GORGES (B/L/D)

Fresh from your Saharan adventure, this is the day you’ll explore the mesmerizing rock formations and twisty roads of the gorges of the Atlas Mountains! Your day begins with an optional sunrise over the dunes in your luxury camp, followed by a hearty breakfast and a departure from your camp around 9am heading towards the Todgha Gorges (a 3 hour drive). Located in a small canyon in the eastern part of the High Atlas near the town of Tinerhir, the
Todgha Gorges were carved out by rivers running through cliff-sided canyons on their final stretch through the mountains. The last 600 metres (1,969 ft) of the Todgha gorges are the most spectacular - you’ll see how the canyon narrows to a flat stony track, in places as little as 10 metres (33 ft) wide, with sheer and smooth rock walls up to 160 metres (525 ft) high on each side. After a lunch near the Todgha gorges, you’ll continue onto Chez Pierre (1 hour) where you’ll have the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

We wouldn’t usually dedicate a new paragraph to a meal, but this is a special exception - as you’ll understand when you get to the gorges, you will be in a very remote and rural part of the country, so you ordinarily would expect a wholesome but standard meal. Instead, the brothers who run Chez Pierre have made an art of their meal service, crafting creative dishes based on locally-sourced ingredients, and we’re willing to bet that this dinner is one you’ll remember! Pro tip: Leave room for a delicious breakfast the following morning, where you’ll have a selection of jams made from fruits that grow in the gorges!

Overnight in Chez Pierre.

Day 8: CHEZ PIERRE - MARRAKECH  (B/L/-)

Enjoy a morning at leisure at Chez Pierre, before departing at 11am for the hour drive to the ancient fortress of Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou (a 3 hour drive). A UNESCO world heritage site located in the foothills on the southern slopes of the High Atlas Mountains, the fort of Ait-Ben-Haddou is a striking example of southern Moroccan architecture. The fort is a mainly collective grouping of dwellings, with imposing defensive walls that are reinforced by angle towers and pierced with a baffle gate. It is an extraordinary ensemble of buildings offering a complete panorama of pre-Saharan earthen construction techniques. You’ll have the option to take an ATV tour of the Kasbah or just walk around if you prefer.

After lunch near the Kasbah, you’ll continue towards Marrakech on one of the most scenic drives you’re likely to take in your life, venturing through the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas mountains and back down on the other side into the dry flat plains of Marrakech. You’ll arrive in the early evening to La Maison Arabe, your home base in Marrakech. After checking-in you’ll have the chance to unwind with a luxuriating 90 minute Royal Hammam and Spa
Treatment where you will delve into the complete ritual of Moroccan Wellness.

Hammam means “spreader of warmth”, and walking into a Hammam is like walking through time in a spacious and ornate sanctuary, a quiet retreat in an atmosphere of half-light, silence, seclusion and heat. Silence is an integral part of the cleansing process and helps the body and spirit liberate itself from excess and the superfluous. The Hammam traditional ritual involves several steps to cleanse, detoxify, and help you relax. You’ll experience one of the world’s most
ancient traditions, a black-soap cleanse, followed by a cascading cold-water rinse. This prepares your skin for an invigorating scrub, which leaves you soft and free of accumulated toxins and impurities. After another rinse, a Ghassoul mask of Moroccan volcanic clay is applied to the body, face and hair. The last step of this centuries-old practice of purification is the relaxing massage using pure oils, Morocco’s precious youth elixir!

Diner this evening is on your own, but we’ll be happy to make a recommendation of our favorite spots in Marrakech.

Overnight in La Maison Arabe or similar.

Day 09: MARRAKECH - Sightseeing in the Ochre City (B/L/D with cooking class)

We won’t judge you for wanting to linger at La Maison Arabe’s fantastic breakfast table, but we hope you’ll be ready to go by 9am to tackle your jam-packed day of sightseeing in Marrakech!
Your day will break up into a morning and afternoon block, with a hearty lunch in between. In the morning, you’ll see the Koutoubia Mosque (the iconic sight of Marrakech), the Bahia Palace (a stunning example of traditional Moroccan architecture), and the Saadian tombs.

In the afternoon, you’ll visit the medersas or religious schools and delve into the myriad pathways of the Souk.

In the later afternoon, you’ll return to La Maison Arabe for a tagine cooking class at their world-class culinary school. In this immersive experience, you’ll learn how to prepare every element of a typical Moroccan meal, including bread, mint tea, salads, the Tagine, and even delicious sweet almond paste cookies that you’ll enjoy for desert. The class ends with a dinner where you eat your very own masterpiece, and you will have the rest of the evening to relax at the property or go explore more of Marrakech.

Day 10: MARRAKECH - Free day to explore the Gardens, Tagines, and Souks! (B/-/D)

There is no set schedule on this day, so it is up to you to choose if you have a relaxing morning or get going early.

There are numerous things to explore around Marrakech but our top recommendation is to visit the Majorelle Gardens. They are in their most pleasant state when they’ve just opened so aim to go right at 10am. Global fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent made his home in Marrakech for many decades, and his vision drove every detail behind the lush Gardens, accompanied by a small but must-see Berber Museum. The Yves Saint Laurent museum is located right next door and for any fashion or design lovers, it is a must see. (own expenses)

In the evening you’ll be picked up at La Maison Arabe and take a horse carriage ride around the city as the sunsets. Then you’ll arrive to the incredible Kasbah for a magical farewell dinner. Start by walking through the scented gardens lighted by traditional Moroccan lamps before being seated poolside surrounded by hundreds of candles. You’ll dine on a gourmet feast of Moroccan foods and the meal will be accompanied by music from a traditional Andalusian musical trio.

Day 11: DEPART MARRAKECH (B/-/-)

Free at leisure till your departure transfer to Marrakech airport for your flight back home.

Package Includes (Minimum 6 Adults):

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