Splendours of MoroccoEscorted Tour, Morocco

When visiting Morocco, many make a beeline for vibrant Marrakech and look no further. This tour reveals the soul of the country through its Berber villages, ochre-glowing desert, ancient Kasbahs, souks brimming with locally made treasures and sweeping sandy beaches. We’ll watch the countryside roll out as we snake up into the High Atlas Mountains and see how luscious dates grow in such a remarkably dry landscape. And after an Arabian Nights dinner, you can watch for shooting stars in the desert night sky.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

9 nights in hotels (accommodation as specified or similar)

International flights. Prices are based on return flights with British Airways from London Gatwick. Supplements may apply from other airports

20 meals: 9 breakfasts (days 2-10) 2 lunches (days 7-8) 9 dinners (days 1-9)

VIP door-to-door travel service

Local tour manager

Travel in destination by coach

Porterage

13 excursions and visits

City tour of Marrakech

Majorelle Garden by horse and carriage

Moroccan cookery class

Drive through High Atlas Mountains

Road of a Thousand Kasbahs

Visits to Erfoud; Agdz; Ait Benhaddou; and Telouet

Desert camel trek

Tours of Ouarzazate film studios and Essaouira

Wine tasting at Val d’Argan vineyard

ITINERARY

Day 1 UK - Marrakech

VIP door-to-door travel service collects you from home for your flight to Marrakech. On arrival you’ll transfer to your riad. The rest of the day is at leisure to relax or wander through the streets of this fascinating, fast-paced city - your riad is around 15 minutes on foot from the souks and Djemaa el-Fna.

Day 2 Marrakech

Marrakech is a former imperial city of Arab and African character, reflecting the city’s role as a caravan station on trans-Saharan trade routes. You’ll take time to explore the city this morning, with sights like the 12th century Koutoubia mosque. Standing 225 feet high, it is one of the largest, most beautiful mosques in the western Muslim world, with a Moorish minaret that can be seen for miles. You may also see the Menara Gardens, the Saadian Tombs, the Bahia Palace and gardens that captures the essence of Islamic and Moroccan styles, and Djemaa el-Fna. This main square is full of entertainers, singers, storytellers, snake charmers and acrobats. This evening you’ll take dinner in a traditional palace in the old medina, where kings and queens have dined.

Day 3 Marrakech

Enjoy a morning at leisure before you take a horse and carriage to the Majorelle Garden. French painter Jacques Majorelle spent 40 years creating this enchanting garden of exotic plants and cacti, and pools filled with water lilies and lotus flowers. As you take a stroll through the garden, you are bound to spot numerous birds enjoying this serene haven. You’ll return to the medina for a lesson on Moroccan cooking. Glean the secrets of Moroccan culinary art under the guidance of a local chef at La Maison Arabe, then relax on the medina-view terrace with a sweet mint tea.

Day 4 Skoura

Today you’ll take an unforgettable journey across the High Atlas Mountains and over the infamous Tizi n’Tichka Pass. The natural landscapes change continuously as you make your way along this snaking road, with valleys of fruit trees and desert-like areas. See traditional Berber villages perched on the mountain sides, blending into their surroundings with peach-coloured walls, and see the local way of life, with women and children tending their goats and sheep. Your journey continues to the fertile oasis of Skoura, renowned for the cultivation of roses and referred to as the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs. The fortified, 7th century Amerhidil Kasbah is the most imposing building here, and easily recognisable from its image on 50 Dirham notes. You have the option to take an excursion inside this Kasbah or choose to relax in your hotel.

Day 5 Erfoud - Merzouga

Your route today starts in the Valley of Roses, where the nation’s eau de rose is produced. As you travel on, uniquely shaped limestone cliffs announce that you have reached the spectacular town of Boumalne Dades. Driving the precarious road alongside flower-filled fields, riverbanks and several fortified ksours, you’ll enter the narrow Dades Gorge, naturally carved through towering red cliffs. The road takes us through to Erfoud, where you can visit the Royal Palace gate and take in the panoramic view from the top of the Borj-Est, 935m above the city. This modern city has the authenticity of a Moroccan Sahara Desert town despite being built up by French troops just 80 years ago. You’ll travel in 4WD vehicles into the gorgeous surrounding landscapes to the dunes of Merzouga, where you’ll mount awaiting camels for a two-hour trek further into the desert. Tonight, you’ll have an Arabian Nights dinner and stay at a Deluxe Desert Camp. Watching the ever-changing colours of the desert as the sun sets and the stars appear is a magical experience.

Day 6 Agdz - Ouarzazate

After a hearty Berber breakfast, you’ll set off for Erfoud by camels and 4WD. Your coach then takes us through yet more starkly beautiful scenery, between the peaks of the Jbel Saghro (the ‘Dry Mountain’), to Agdz, a town famous for the dates that grow here. Observe how agriculture survives in an otherwise arid region before you continue to Ouarzazate for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 7 Ouarzazate - Telouet - Marrakech

This morning you’ll visit the film studios, where many famous films, such as ‘Gladiator’, ‘Game of Thrones’, and ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ have been produced. On a tour of the studios, you’ll learn of this newly thriving industry for Morocco, before continuing on to the Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou. This UNESCO-listed fortress was once a major stop on the old Salt Road caravan routes - gold, ivory and salt were all brought here en route to Marrakech. Next up, you’ll visit the stronghold of Telouet, home of the Glaoui family (and Thami El Glaoui ‘The Lord of the Atlas’), who once ruled Morocco. Keep your camera handy for the final journey of the day - you’ll be passing through some of the most spectacular scenery of the trip as you make your way back to Marrakech.

Day 8 Essaouira

Today you’ll make your way towards the Atlantic Ocean, following the coastal route to the Val d'Argan vineyard. You’ll taste the various different wines produced in Moroccan vineyards, then have lunch in the shade of an olive tree in the beautifully quiet garden. Afterwards you’ll travel on to Essaouira, decorated in the blues and whites of Berber, Arab, Jewish, French and Portuguese influence. Cars aren’t allowed through the narrow streets of the gorgeous, UNESCO-listed medina quarter, giving the impression that Essaouira remains rooted in the days when pirates and sailors thronged the town.

Day 9 Essaouira

Take a guided tour and enjoy time at leisure to wander through the medina’s alleyways to witness artisans making their wooden tables, boxes and sundry items in lemon or briar wood and inlaid with mother of pearl. Head along the town’s coastal boundary to find the old Scala Fortress, where 19 bronze cannons still watch over the seas. Tonight’s farewell dinner is at the sumptuous L’Heure Bleue Palais. Former residence of a kaid (tribal chief) in Essaouira, this Relais & Châteaux-listed palace is remarkably restored, preserving the elegance of its past and offering hospitality and Moroccan cuisine to match.

Day 10 Essaouira - Marrakech - UK

You’ll transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK. Upon arrival, your vehicle will be waiting for the journey home.

PLEASE NOTE

There is a significant amount of walking on this holiday and a good level of mobility is required, particularly for the desert camel trek.

Splendours of Morocco is located in Escorted Tour, Morocco. Accommodation rating is the operators own rating and may not be the official rating. Hotel details correct at 25/03/2020