“Live life with no excuses,
travel with no regrets.”
— Oscar Wilde
Owner and Travel Advisor, Cathy McDonald, will sometimes lead group tours that have been customized by her. These tours are updated as they become available.
Tours are small groups with lots of personal attention. When you join one of Cathy’s groups, you will enjoy the added bonus of additional care in the destination as she will be onsite with you all the way.
All tours include a local leader and guides to make your experience truly immersive.
Explore Imperial cities in Morocco, trek the Atlas Mountains with an overnight stay in a Berber Village, and spend a night in the Sahara Desert in a luxury tent. This tour also includes overnights in traditional Riads within the Medina in Fez and Marrakesh. The itinerary below includes many guided tours along with a hands-on cooking class where you will learn to cook a traditional Moroccan dish called tajine and make Moroccan mint tea.
DATE: TBD (Can be private group for you)
COST: TBD (Dependent on group size and dates – max 12)
INCLUDES:
• Transfers from airport to the hotel and from hotel to the airport (Marrakesh)
• Transportation within destinations
• Accommodations
• Daily breakfast plus any meals indicated on the itinerary
• Tour with a local guide in each location
• Admission to attractions indicated in the itinerary
• Moroccan cooking class (includes lunch)
• Water on the bus
Welcome to Marrakesh! Today, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Your day is free to allow you to rest from your long journey. However, Marrakesh is a vibrant city so you may want to venture out to explore the city at your own pace before the tour begins. As you stroll through the streets, take note of the beautiful architecture of the historic buildings that surround you. A visit to the main square in the heart of the Medina, called Jamaa al Fna, is an experience in itself. The square is quieter during the day with a few snake charmers and horse drawn carriages but at night it comes to life with magic, music, food and more. We will have a chance later in the tour to experience the square in the evening. There are many hidden treasures in this area including an endless maze of (souks) markets in the Medina. Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner the group and our lead guide.
Accommodation: Riad
Meals: Welcome Dinner
Today, the adventure begins as we leave Marrakech to ascend to the High Atlas Mountains, passing fields of almond and olive groves on our way. Tizi n’Tichka is the highest pass at 2,260 m, and we will see several Berber villages along our route. We then make our way to the beautiful Valley of Ounilla, where we will find the ruins of the Kasbah of Telouet. Next, we arrive at Ait Benhaddou, one of the most beautiful and best preserved parts of Morocco, a UNESCO Heritage area and also famous as the setting for films such as ,The Bible, The Gladiator and The Prince of Persia. After this, we travel thorough Skoura, which is famous for its oasis. Here, we will visit some old Kasbahs. Tonight, we stay in the picturesque Dades Valley where you see a series of rugged wadi gorges carved out by the Dades River
Accommodation in Dades: TBD
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
After breakfast, we continue our drive through the Roses valley. This area is famous for its Damaskin flower and is celebrated every May by the local Mgouna Tribe. We move forward into the Great Valley of Dades. (also called the Thousand Kasbah route, towards the Todra Gorge. We will leave the foothills of the Middle Atlas and continue to Erfoud with its stunning palmeraie in Ziz Valley. After lunch in Erfoud, we continue to Rissani, an agricultural town in the middle of a huge palm grove that has grown over the desert thanks to the waters of the Ziz. The town was an important religious centre and a meeting point for caravans. This is where Islam began in Morocco and the current ruler of the Alaoui dynasty descended from here. In the afternoon, we arrive at the dunes of Merzouga where we change our transport to enter the heart of dunes by the camels.
Accommodation in Erg Chebbi: Luxury Desert Camps
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
We begin our grand tour of the dunes today passing through many villages in the desert. One of villages is home to the people of Khamlia where we will enjoy traditional Moroccan gnawa music. We then continue via the nomadic desert where people live in their haimas. Here, you will discover a new sense of life after the visit to the oasis and listening to gnawa music. Enjoy free time in your hotel. You can enjoy a swim in the pool and later take in the spectacular view of the dawn of a million stars.
Accommodation in Merzouga: TBD
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Leave Merzouga desert passing by Midelt and Ifrane towards Fez. Admire the sunrise and ride a camel to the Riad to enjoy an early breakfast. Cross the palm grove of Tafilalet and the town of Rissani to reach the Ziz valley. Meet the Magots monkeys at the cedar forest between Azrou and Ifrane.
Accommodation in Rez: Riad
Meals: Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast and then we are off to visit the culture capital of Morocco, Fes. The biggest attraction in Fes is the entire old medina. We will start our visit at bab Boujloud. This gate (bab in Arabic) is a monumental gateway that spans one of the medina’s busiest thoroughfares and is a good starting point for our explorations inside the medina walls. This gate was constructed by the French in 1913. However, the 12th-century original, which is positioned with an indirect entrance to negate battering rams, can still be seen next to it. Then we continue to visit the Medersa Bou Inania that was built in the 1300s. It has some beautiful examples of Merenid plasterwork and woodwork. After the coranic school, we will visit the tanneries. Morocco has been famous for its high quality leather since medieval times. The best time to visit the tanneries is in the morning when the dyes are at their most brilliant. Fes is famous for its leather products and most of it comes from the leather bazaar (souk) in old Fes. The tanneries have been in operation since medieval times and little has changed, which makes them absolutely fascinating to visit.
Accommodation in Rez: Riad
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
After an early breakfast, we head to Voluiblis, an ancient Roman city where the most important archaeological sites in Morocco are located. After enjoying the impressive Roman remains, we make our way to the small town of Moulay Idriss, one of the most important pilgrimage centres of Morocco. Our next stop is Meknes, the most “humble” of the four imperial cities of Morocco. In Meknes, we will have free time for lunch and then visit the most important places of the city, step into its souk or enjoy a coffee in the square. In the afternoon, we head to Rabat. Around a million people reside in the capital city of Morocco. Rabat is one of the imperial cities of Morocco and boasts many enticing historical monuments and extraordinary places of interest. The city has exotic gardens and interesting museums displaying the Roman ruins. Rabat, with its city gates, magnificent mosques, small back streets, and souks, fascinates any visitor. After our visit to Rabat, we make our way to Casablanca for the night.
Accommodation in Casablanca: TBD
Meals: Breakfast
Casablanca boosts an enchanting mixture of modern and traditional influences that shape the city. We will visit Hassen II Mosque, one of the largest Mosques in the world. It is spectacular and beautifully situated by the water. As we travel through Casablanca to Marrakesh, we can enjoy seeing a number of sights including the Medina.
Accommodation in Marrakech: Riad
Meals: Breakfast
Enjoy a good hearty breakfast today as we off to trek the Atlas Mountains for two days. We begin our adventure into the high Atlas Mountains via Tahnnaout, Oued Ghighaya and Asni. You will enjoy stunning views of the villages along the valley. Arriving in Imlil (65 km from Marrakech), we start the scenic trek and climb to Tizi Mzik pass (2,684 m). Your breath will be taken away as you enjoy the spectacular views overlooking Imlil valley and Toubkal Summit. The beauty of the mountains continues as we make our way to Tamsoulte. Here, we will visit the highest waterfalls in the Atlas Mountains (100m of height) and move down the Azzaden valley through a juniper forest to get to Tizi Oussem village. This is where we will spend the night, Note: 6 hours of walking.
Accommodation in Atlas Mountains: Guest house in Berber Village
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
After breakfast, enjoy the sunshine in this colourful valley and your remaining time in this typical Berber village before begin our trek. We leave Tizi Oussem and continue down to Ait Issa village, before heading up to Tizi Oudid mountain pass (2,000 m), cross Matat village after a wild thurifer juniper forest, get lunch under walnut groves and relax near the river. In the afternoon, we transfer back to Marrakech (arrive approximately 17:00). Enjoy an evening to yourself.
Accommodation in Marrakech: Riad
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Today we have a local guide who will take us on a morning tour of Marrakech. Highlights of the tour include attractions the Koutoubia Mosque with its sublime minaret along with the pavilions, courtyards and perfumed gardens of the Bahia Palace. Hear historical anecdotes from your guide as you explore, and round off your tour with visits to the decorative Saadian Tombs and Tiskiwin Museum, home to a fascinating exhibition on the ancient Saharan caravan routes between Marrakech and Timbuktu. After the tour, it is time for yourself . Tonight, for those who are interested, we can take the opportunity to visit the famous square Jamaa al Fna to enjoy the magic that takes place in the evening.
Accommodation in Marrakech: Riad
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
This morning, we learn to cook a traditional Moroccan dish. It is a special experience with a local women’s cooperative and one that will create a very memorable experience for you. The cooking class is an interactive culinary experience where you will learn the secret’s to making the county’s most celebrated dish — tagine. In Moroccan tradition, these tajines are slow-cooked over charcoal and eaten as a group (as we will enjoy for our lunch today). We will source herbs from the garden to be used in the dish we prepare and gather mint for the Moroccean tea we will learn to make and enjoy. The rest of the day is free to enjoy.
Accommodation in Marrakech: Riad
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
After breakfast, we will have a guided tour of Jardin Majorelle. This magnificent garden in Marrakech is one of the most visited sites in Morocco. It took French painter Jacques Majorelle (1886-1962) forty years of passion and dedication to create this enchanting garden in the heart of the “Ochre City.” We will visit the Berber Museum, which is located within the Jardin Majorelle property. The museum represents a rich panorama of the various indigenous tribes, the most ancient of North Africa, are more than 600 objects from the Rif Mountains to the Sahara. The wide range of jewellery, weapons, leather goods, basketwork and woven textiles demonstrate the richness and diversity of the still-vibrant Berber culture. This afternoon you can explore on your own or pack for your return home tomorrow. Tonight is our last night as a group so we will enjoy a farewell dinner together.
Accommodation in Marrakech: Riad
Meals: Breakfast and Farearewell Dinner
Your amazing tour is over today. You will be transferred to the Marrakesh airport.
Meals: Breakfast
