IMPERIAL CITIES WITH DESERT 09 DAYS MOROCCO TOUR

Start your Morocco Tour from Casablanca. Meet your driver at Mohamed V Airport to escort you to your hotel in Rabat. Upon arrival in Rabat, check-in and Overnight at your hotel

During your morning tour, you will learn Rabat's history and enjoy its beautiful domes, minarets, wide avenues, and green spaces. Your guide will escort you on a walk around the picturesque Almohad northern walls of the Oudaïa Kasbah. Visit the Royal Palace and the Hassan tower which stands on the hill overlooking the Wadi Bou Regreg. Explore the gardens nearby and visit the Palace of Rabat and visit the Necropolis at Chellah/Kasbah of Chellah.
Next take the road to Meknes. On arrival, enjoy a panoramic view of Meknes which includes a splendid look at the old Islamic medina with its numerous tall and soaring minarets. Explore the Old Medina and Bab el-Khemis. Pass through the ancient walls of the medina and the Islamic cemetery from which extends the Jewish quarter and the entrance to the Old Mellah (Jewish neighborhood). 
Visit the 17th Century Kasbah. Famous for its military scale, Meknes has a massive extension of walls and monumental gates. Its breadth emanates the historical achievements of one of the greatest Sultans in the history of Morocco, Moulay Ismail. Continue to the Royal Stables and Agdal Reservoir. The Royal Stables are an amazing site, as this massive stable yard was constructed to comfortably house no less that twelve thousand royal horses. Pass the Bab el Mansour Gate. Regarded as one of the most beautiful gates in Morocco, the Bab el Mansour is the most important gateway in Meknes. 
Take the National road to Volubilis. The breathtaking archaeological site of Volubilis, also referred to as Oualili, was once occupied by the Romans. Volubilis has been recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site and gained international acclaim when Martin Scorsese made it a feature location for his film, The Last Temptation of Christ. Discover the fascinating Roman ruins adorned with beautiful mosaics and colorful tiles depicting Roman mythology. 
Overnight in at a Boutique Riad or Hotel in Fes

Enter the Fès el- Bali through the symmetrical horse shoe arches at Bab Boujeloud (The Blue Gate). Fès -el Bali, best characterized as a sea of rooftops embellished with minarets and domes, is too narrow for cars. Aside from walking, donkeys and mules are still the best way to travel within the cities old walls.
Upon entering Rue Talaa Kebira, the main street in the medina, you will see lines of shops covered by canopies. Make your way to the Karaouiyine Mosque. Located in the Karaouiyine quarter, the Mosque is one of the oldest in the world and functioned as the first university in Morocco and then Medersa Bou Inania An (Islamic school) founded by Abu Inan Faris that is highly decorated from floor to ceiling. The medersa is one of the few religious places in Morocco that is accessible to non-Islamic tourists.
Stop for lunch within the medina at one of the fine Moroccan palace-restaurants.
Next, enter Bab el Ftouh, the “Gateway of the Aperture” to explore the Andalusian quarter, a residential part of the medina laced with monuments. Our last part of the tour will take you into the Fès el Jedid, a kasbah which functioned as Morocco’s administrative center until 1912. Explore the royal palace and many interesting quarters including the Moulay Abdalllah Quarter, the Mellah (Jewish Quarter) and a little farther down south lies Ville Nouvelle (The New Quarter).
Overnight in your chosen accommodation

A Journey through the Middle Atlas to the Sahara Desert, Passing Ifrane, known as “Little Switzerland,” Midelt, Erfoud (the Capital of Fossils), and Rissani, Arriving in Merzouga for a Sunset Guided Camel Trek and Arabian Nights in the Great Sahara Desert. Take the road to Merzouga. Enroute to Merzouga, we will pass Ifrane, stopping to see the cedar tree forest and the local barbary monkeys. 
Stop lunch in Midelt. Arrive to Erfoud and meet your 4X4 for transfer to Merzouga before sunset and then go by dromedary camel 45-60 minutes, at sunset, into the Erg Chebbi Dunes to camp overnight in our luxury bivouac tent at an oasis

Travel to Skoura via the Saharian Desert towns of Rissani and the capital of fossils, Erfoud.
Travel towards the perfumed Valley of Roses, just north of El Kelaa D’Mgouna. On the way to the Valley of Roses, your driver will stop for you to view the Capp et Florale distillation factories laid out in the small kasbah town that manufacture the entire nation’s production of eau de rose. The rose water and other products such as hand and body soaps, oil, cream, perfume, and dried flowers are for sale and also popular among Moroccans. 
Lunch and visit of the Todra Canyons before continuing to Skoura
Overnight in Skoura

During the French period, Ouarzazate expanded considerably as a garrison town and became the administrative center of the Zagora region. Ouarzazate became famous when its nearby Kasbah, Ait Benhaddou, appeared in the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia. 
Visit Ait Benhaddou Kasbah.32 km from Ouarzazate lies the picturesque village of Aït Benhaddou, situated in Souss Massa Draa on a hill along the Ouarzazate River. Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here and Orson Welles used it as a location for Sodome and Gomorrah; for Jesus of Nazareth, the whole lower part of the village was rebuilt. 
After visiting Ait Benhaddou, continue the road to Marrakech. You will pass the olive groves of the Oued Zat as you ascend onto the Tizi-N-Tichka Pass Road. Built by the French in the 1920’s, the Tizi-N-Tichka Pass can be described as having mountainous barriers, Mediterranean and oceanic influences and desert borders. 
Overnight in Marrakech

Your introduction to Marrakech will begin in the Medina, the old quarter of the Marrakech. From here we will explore this historically charming area by foot. In Djemma el Fna, you will visit the famous 12th century KoutoubIa Mosque and its influential minaret.
After tasting a fresh squeezed orange juice you will be driven to the Lower Medina to explore more of Marrakesh’s secrets:  the sixteenth century Saadian Tombs with its stark towers, the 19th century Bahia palace, originally built for Si Moussa, a former slave who became King Moulay Hassan’s chamberlain. The palace holds a courtyard and riads decorated with beautiful carved stucco, Arabic architecture. 
Lunch in one the Moroccan restaurants of the Medina then continue the tour Visit Djemaa El Fna Square for an evening of adventure at dusk. Beneath the foothills of the Atlas Mountains in the city center of Marrakech lies Djemaa el Fna, a famous UNESCO-recognized city square. During the daylight, Djemma el Fna is every Moroccan travelers shopping paradise as when they visit their busy souks. As the sun sets, the real excitement starts. Enjoy a bowl of steamed snails in a local spice broth or, for the adventurous, sheep’s head. Enjoy the nightlife of Gnaoua trance-healers, Andalous musicians, and exotic snake charmers. Easily, this mysterious place can be compared to a land of Arabian fantasies. With its wild and colorful characters, Djemaa el Fna will bedazzle and astound you
Overnight in your hotel/riad in Marrakech

Depart from your hotel and take the road back to Casablanca. After some refreshment in your hotel, start your tour with the visit of visit the Mosque of Hassan II. Casablanca is home to the Hasssan II Mosque, designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau.  It is situated on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic, which can be seen through a gigantic glass floor with room for 25,000 worshippers. Its minerat is the world's tallest at 210 meters. It is an enormous architectural masterpiece and the second largest religious building in the world.

Tour will continue then to Parc de La Ligue Arabe, a huge garden with avenues lined with tall palm trees, arcades, pergolas and flower beds. Moving north, work your way up to the old medina as you move through Place Mohammed V and the Place des Nations Unies, the main focal points of Ville Nouvelle, Casa’s new town. See French architecture complemented with Moorish design in Place Mohammed V, the protectorate square. Continue a short way to the Avenue des Forces Royal, a commercial area that leads into the old medina. With the help of your guide, travel the labyrinth of narrow streets lined with jewelers, barbers and artisans. See the squala, a fortified 18th century bastion.

Dinner in one of the Corniche restaurants with view on the port or sea. Drop off in your hotel

Departure to Casablanca Airport for your return flight

• 8 Nights stay in chosen category of hotels with daily breakfast +  dinner in the South  (Merzouga & Skoura)
•  A/C deluxe minivan at disposal with English/Spanish speaking driver.        
•  English speaking local guides for city tours.      
•  Entrance to Monuments as per program. Supplement for interior visit of Hassan II Mosque 15 usd/person.    
• 4x4 return transfers to Merzouga.   
•  Camel ride for sunset tour in Merzouga.
• Local taxes.

3* Hotels:
CASABLANCA: Hotel Relax Casa Voyageurs
RABAT: Hotel Rihab
FES: Hotel Across
MARRAKECH: Hotel Relax
MERZOUGA: Berber Camp Merzouga
SKOURA: Dar Lorkam

4* Hotels:
CASABLANCA: Hotel Kenzi Basma
RABAT: Hotel Mgallery Diwan
FES: Hotel Barcelo
MARRAKECH: Hotel Kech Boutique
MERZOUGA: Sirocco Luxury Camp
SKOURA: Kasbah Chez Talout

5* Standard Hotels:
CASABLANCA: Hotel Movenpick
RABAT: Hotel Dawliz & Spa
FES: Hotel Palais Medina & Spa
MARRAKECH: Hotel Adam Park & Spa
MERZOUGA: Chebbi  Luxury Camp
SKOURA: Les Jardins de Skoura

5* Deluxe Hotels:
CASABLANCA: Hotel Sofitel Tour Blanche
RABAT: Hotel Sofitel Jardins des Roses
FES: Palais Faraj & Spa
MARRAKECH: Hotel Sofitel
MERZOUGA: Sahara Majestic Luxury Camp
SKOURA: Les Jardins de Skoura

RIAD:
CASABLANCA: Hotel Kenzi Basma
RABAT: Riad Zyo
FES: Riad Jouhara
MARRAKECH: Riad  Amira
MERZOUGA: Sirocco Luxury Camp
SKOURA: Kasbah Chez Talout

Price starts from 799 USD$ per person in double room