Private Grand Tour of Morocco

From the modern airport, it’s a 2-hour drive south to your first stop, El Jadida. The sleepy walled citadel built during the age of exploration is your introduction to Morocco. Built by the Portuguese on the trade route to India the old city remains relatively untouched. Stroll the ramparts overlooking the Atlantic, walk the streets, and breath in the history that surrounds you as you make your way to the underground cistern. As you descend the stairs under the walled city, you’ll enter another world hidden for centuries and now made famous in several movies (admission included).

Then it’s a 4-hour drive further south to Essaouira. On arrival, you check into the Riad Mimouna deep in the heart of the old city just as the denizens promenade along its narrow streets and alleys. Stop into a restaurant, or dine at any of the food vendors whose cooking smoke fills with air with a feast for the senses. When you’ve had your fill, head back to the riad and the rest of the evening is yours to enjoy.

At sunrise, the soft call of Muizen mixes with the roar of the waves. Start your day with breakfast at the riad before checking out and getting your bags loaded into the vehicle. Then take some time to explore Essaouira. In the light of the sun, Essaouira takes on a new vibrancy as tourists and locals alike move through the ancient streets. Walk the walls of the citadel as the smell of thuja wood fills the air then head down to the busy port filled with fishing boats. If you have a taste for seafood, vendors and their cook fires beckon you to stop and enjoy lunch. When you’ve had your fill, head back to your driver and start the 3-hour transfer to Marrakech.

Arriving in the late afternoon, you’ll check into the Riad Azoulay nestled deep in the heart of the Medina (old city) and then have the rest of the evening to get acquainted with Marrakech. As the sun sets, Marrakech comes alive at the Jemaa el-Fnaa Square. Rows upon rows of vendors fill the square with an otherwordly haze of their cook fires, offering every flavor of Morocco set to the sounds of musicians and the shrill drone of the snake charmers’ flutes. As you walk the rows you’ll encounter wave upon wave of aggressively helpful cooks and servers touting their meals. After dinner, the square is the center for musicians, acrobats, storytellers, and strongmen delighting the crowd for tips. When you can no longer withstand the energy of the Jemaa, head back to your riad for the night.

Today Marrakech awaits! Enjoy a calm breakfast at the riad before your guide meets you for a private 4 hour guided tour of Marrakech (admissions included). The world comes to Marrakech, filling the narrow streets with a symphony of sounds and voices, punctuated with the ever-present scooters weaving their way at breakneck speed through the crowds. You’ll walk the Medina led by your guide and not miss a site. From the Saadian Tombs to the Madrasa and everything in between. You’ll see magnificently restored palaces, and massive ruins of long past empires. As you walk, the delicacies of Marrakech are sold from every corner and your guide will make sure you can sample as you please (Taste of Marrakech upgrade available). After the tour, the rest of the day is yours. Take a carriage ride to the Menara Gardens with its olive groves and a massive artificial lake. Or head to the Majorelle Gardens for a rest from the hustle and bustle of the city. Then back to the riad for the evening.

efore checking out and meeting your driver for the adventure south. Like a formidable wall, the High Atlas Mountains grow closer as you begin your ascent. For 4 hours, you’ll wind your way up and over the High Atlas Mountains with its sharp turns, steep drops, and dramatic vistas as you venture through the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass.

Descending the mountains, you’ll arrive at Kasbah Aït Benhaddou. A fortified village from the 11th century, this massive site and current UNESCO world heritage site held the key to Marrakech, situated along the ancient trans-Saharan trade routes. Venture over the bridge and into this centuries-old time capsule. Uneven stone streets twist and turn as you climb towards the summit of the Kasbah, passing small shops and vendors as you go. Your efforts are rewarded as you reach the top with its views of the Atlas and the valley below.

Morocco itself is the stuff of the movies exotic, adventurous, and dramatic. Nowhere is this more obvious than at Atlas Studios where you’ll spend an hour guided through its backlots and soundstages. Step after step the sets change from Rome to Jerusalem, China to Egypt.

After your tour, it’s a short 1-hour drive east to Skoura, where you’ll have dinner and spend the evening.

Have breakfast at the Riad before checking out and meeting your driver for a day of outdoor adventure. Gone are the farms and fields of the plains of Marrakech as the road travels down into the dusty Valley of Roses (center for rosewater production) with its small villages and earth hewn kasbahs before briefly veering off to see the Todra Gorge

Your driver will drop you off at the mouth of the gorge and drive ahead to wait on the other side. It’s a quick and easy walk along the narrow paved road next to a small babbling stream, a remnant of the mighty forces that carved the gorge. As you stroll, the 500-foot cliffs tower over you on either side. When you emerge from the gorge, your driver will be waiting and you’ll continue your journey.

In the next 3 hours, the mountains and hills give way to the flat windswept sands as you reach Erg Chebbi, the edge of the Sahara. You’ll check into the Auberge Dunes D’or and have a moment to relax before joining a camel caravan into the dunes to watch the sunset. The camel is a truly gentle giant, swaying softly as you ride into the towering sand dunes lead by a guide. This lifeless brutal environment hides a remarkable beauty. Every minute the sands shift and the colors change as the sun slowly starts to set. Dismount the camels and venture on foot to the top of the dunes and enjoy a front-row seat to one of the most incredible sites in nature. As twilight settles over the desert, you’ll ride your camel back to the Auberge for dinner and evening in the Auberge.

After breakfast and checking out of the Auberge, your driver will take you north, to Fez. As you travel, the desolate rolling dunes of the Sahara slowly drop as you enter the foothills of the mountains.

As you travel higher the green of the Middle Atlas Mountains starts to surround you. Forests of cedars accented by gentle streams are a magical site after the desert. Villages that look like they were plucked from the Swiss Alps appear, and (if you’re lucky) a troop of Barbary Apes await as you pass through Midelt before ascending 7 hours later into Fez.

They say that Marrakech is the beating heart of Morocco, always alive and moving, but Fez is the soul of Morocco. Above the valley, looking down into the Medina, this old city of 200,000 looks dead and lifeless, only springing to life when you enter like spirits arizing from the ether. Hundreds of thousands of people pulsing through the narrow streets with not a vehicle in sight. After a long day of traveling, you’ll check into the Riad el Yacout upon your arrival to Fez. The moment you walk in the door, the luxury embraces you like an old friend. You’ll have dinner and the rest of the evening on your own.

Before sunrise, the call of over a hundred muezzin in Fez fills the morning stillness as your day starts with breakfast in the courtyard of the Riad El Yacout before being met by your guide. For the next 5 hours, you’ll be taken on a walking tour of the Fez Medina. One of the largest labyrinth cities in the world, the Fez Medina is a riddle waiting to be solved. Its narrow streets and alleys twisting and turning through thousands of years of history. Fez is THE place for shopping for traditional crafts. Around every corner, another market appears. The cacophony of the metalworkers as they hand hammer and carve brass and bronze. The rhythmic ticking of the weavers, the sweet smell of cedar from the woodworkers. And of course, the overpowering aroma of the tannery as they produce the finest Moroccan leather. Your guide will take you to the historical and cultural sites of Fez. Sites of history, culture, and faith lay waiting for your visit. After the tour, the rest of the day is yours.

After breakfast, you’ll join your driver for a 1.5-hour drive west, arriving at the Roman ruins of Volubilis.

Originally founded in the 3rd century BC, Volubilis became a vital outpost of the Roman Empire. As the centuries passed and the world changed, Volubilis became the ruins you see today. As you walk the streets and enter the shops and homes, you can still almost hear their voices in the wind. Explore on your own, or upgrade to a guided tour.

After Volubilis, it’s a short drive to the Imperial City of Meknes. Your self-guided tours include the massive Heri es Souani granary and stables, the Prison de Kara where Barbary pirate would keep their Christian prisoners, and the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail. After the tours, you’ll be brought back to Fez, and the rest of the day is yours.

After breakfast at the Riad, you’ll check out and meet your driver for the next leg of your adventure. You’ll travel north for 4 hours, destination, the to the blue city of Chefchouan.

Less of a destination and more of a state of mind, the old city beckons you to explore and enjoy. Check into your Riad and then walk the narrow winding streets of the Medina with its radiant blue buildings. Everywhere you look the vibrant blue soothes and relaxes, and each turn is more photogenic than the last. Stroll to the waterfall and gentle stream flowing along the edge of the city, or hike to sunset hill for a magnificent end to the day. Small restaurants are scattered throughout the Medina so enjoy a laidback evening before returning to your Riad for the night.

Located on the Straights of Gibraltar with Europe looming on the horizon only 8 miles away. This busy modern port has been the lynchpin of history for centuries. Home to Phonecians, Romans, and European powers, Tangier became the playground of the rich and famous, authors, artists, and even spies. After checking into the Riad, the afternoon is yours to enjoy on your own. Stroll the streets of White City with lime-coated houses unchanged from the days of Delacroix or Matisse. Stop by the American Legation, the first US Embassy overseas (now a museum), then stroll the high walls of the Kasbah into the alleys of the Grand Socco market. A little farther away, visit the “Sultan’s Palace,” a museum of Moroccan arts. Tangier is also renowned for the Spanish influence on its culture, starting with the arena that stands on the Plaza de Torros and the 1913 Cervantes Theatre.

Have breakfast and checkout of the Riad for your next day of adventure. From Tangier, you’ll travel west for 30 minutes to Cap Spartal National Park.

Located where the Atlantic meets the Medeterian, its rocky coast is a serene site.

lk the tunnels carved out by the Phoenicians.

Your journey then turns south for 1 hour before stopping along the way at the Roman ruins of Linxus (the mythological garden of the Hesperides) for a self-guided tour of the city and remains of its coliseum. If you enjoy seafood, we’d recommend a stop or lunch at the village of Larache nearby.

Your driver will then take you west for 2 hours to Rabat, the bustling, modern capital of Morocco, where you’ll see the ruins of the Hassan Tower and the magnificent Royal Tombs. Guarded by smartly dressed honor guards, the ornate tombs are the resting place of the current ruling dynasty. A short drive away, nestled high on the bluff overlooking the Sale River is the pirate fortress Kasbah of the Udayas. Once the fortress of the Barbary Coast pirates, it’s now mostly an artist settlement. As you stroll, keep an eye out for the entrance into the gardens in the center of the Kasbah.

From Rabat, it’s a 1-hour drive to Casablanca, where you’ll check into your hotel for the night.

Enjoy your last breakfast in Morocco and an easy start to the day. Check out of the hotel and meet your driver for a sightseeing drive in Casablanca. The colonial Frech colonial and Art Deco district is just the start before moving on to the magnificent Hassan II Mosque for a tour (closed on Fridays). After the tour, the driver will take you to the Casablanca airport for your flight out.