Itinerary
- Day 1
Casablanca
Your driver meets you at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca and takes you into the city. You'll walk through United Nations Square and Mohammed V Square, checking out the Central Market where local vendors sell everything from spices to textiles. The Habous Quarter gives you views of the Royal Palace from outside, and then you head to the Hassan II Mosque, the second-largest functioning mosque in Africa, which sits right on the coast. By evening you're settled in Casablanca.
- Meals
- Dinner
Optional Activities
- Visit United Nations Square
- Explore Mohammed V Square
- Browse Central Market
- Explore Habous Quarter
- Visit Hassan II Mosque
Landmarks Mohammed V International Airport United Nations Square Mohammed V Square Central Market Habous Quarter Hassan II Mosque - Day 2
Rabat - Chefchaouen
Early morning drive takes you to Rabat, Morocco's capital and one of four imperial cities. You'll wander through Kasbah des Oudaias with its narrow streets and white-washed houses, see Hassan Tower rising from the riverbank, and visit the Mausoleum of Mohammed V to see the zellige tilework up close. Later you head north toward Chefchaouen, arriving in what locals call the Blue City. Walking through the medina, you'll notice the distinctive blue painted walls and facades that make this place so recognizable.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Optional Activities
- Stroll through Kasbah des Oudaias
- Visit Hassan Tower
- Visit Mausoleum of Mohammed V
- Explore Chefchaouen medina
- Photograph blue painted walls and facades
Landmarks Kasbah des Oudaias Hassan Tower Mausoleum of Mohammed V Chefchaouen Rif Mountains - Day 3
Chefchaouen
Morning starts with a moderate hike to Akchour Waterfalls with your local guide, taking in the Rif Mountains scenery around Chefchaouen province. You'll head back to the medina by lunch and eat at a family restaurant serving local food. Afterward, you can get traditional henna tattoos applied if you'd like, learning about this well-known Moroccan tradition. Family members who prefer can spend time with your guide learning about local life and history instead.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Local family restaurant), Dinner
Included Activities
- Moderate hiking at Akchour Waterfalls
- Lunch at local family restaurant
- Henna tattoo application
Landmarks Akchour Waterfalls Chefchaouen Medina Rif Mountains - Day 4
Volubilis - Meknes - Fes
Starting early, you drive to Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Morocco's best-preserved Roman ruins. You'll walk through the ruins seeing mosaics and columns scattered across the hillside. Then it's on to Meknes, a small imperial city where you wander its medina for a couple hours. By afternoon you reach Fes, known as the spiritual capital of Morocco. After checking in at your accommodation, you can explore Jemaa el-Fna Square or just rest before your detailed tour tomorrow.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Optional Activities
- Explore Roman ruins at Volubilis
- Wander Meknes medina
- Explore Jemaa el-Fna Square
Landmarks Volubilis Meknes Medina Fes Royal Palace - Day 5
Fes
Your local guide leads a six-hour tour starting at the great gates of the Royal Palace, then you see the mellah or Jewish Quarter nearby. Walking to ruined forts surrounding the city gives you panoramic views from above. You visit the pottery quarter outside the medina watching artisans create blue pottery and tiled mosaics. After that, you navigate the labyrinthine medina streets, coming across tanneries, mosques, madrasas, and craftspeople at work. Evening is yours to explore more or grab dinner at a restaurant or café.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- Six-hour guided tour of Fes medina with local guide
- Visit Royal Palace gates
- Explore mellah (Jewish Quarter)
- Visit ruined forts
- Explore pottery quarter
- Walk through medieval medina
- Visit tanneries
- See mosques and madrasas
Landmarks Royal Palace Mellah Fes el-Bali Pottery Quarter - Day 6
Fes
You walk to a cooking workshop venue where your family prepares a traditional Moroccan meal together. Learning how Mediterranean, Atlantic, and inland regions each bring different flavors and spices, you'll work with ingredients that create this unique African cuisine. By the end you're eating what you've made, tasting the results of your effort in the kitchen.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner (Moroccan meal prepared at cooking workshop)
Included Activities
- Moroccan cooking workshop with family
- Prepare and cook traditional Moroccan meal
Landmarks Fes - Day 7
Merzouga
After breakfast you head toward Merzouga with optional stops along the way. You might see wild Barbary apes, visit mountain towns like Azrou and Ifrane (called the Switzerland of Morocco), or explore Erfoud to learn about nomadic life. Once you arrive in Merzouga, your guide provides clothing and equipment for a camel ride through the desert. You head to a viewpoint for sunset, then travel to your Bedouin camp for dinner and spend the night under the desert sky with local musicians playing by your private tent.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner (Dinner at camp restaurant tent)
Included Activities
- Camel ride through desert
- Sunset viewing from desert viewpoint
- Stay at Bedouin camp
Optional Activities
- See wild Barbary apes
- Visit Azrou mountain town
- Visit Ifrane mountain town
- Explore Erfoud for nomadic life information
Landmarks Merzouga Sahara Desert Azrou Ifrane Erfoud - Day 8
Tinerhir - Todra Gorge
You wake early to catch sunrise from your Bedouin tent. Your driver takes you to Rissani, a market town with an impressive gate, then through the desert past oases and palmeries to Tinerhir. Towns cling to green river oases filled with palm trees, and the surrounding landscape features impressive buttes, mesas, and plateaus. You visit Todra Gorge, a natural limestone gorge where you can walk through the dried-up river bed. After checking in at your accommodation, you relax from the long drive.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- Sunrise viewing at Bedouin tent
- Explore Rissani market town
- Walk through Todra Gorge
Landmarks Rissani Tinerhir Todra Gorge - Day 9
Ouarzazate - Ait Ben Haddou
Driving toward Ouarzazate, you see this popular Sahara stopping point in a beautiful valley at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. There's a historic 19th-century palace to see and a museum dedicated to films shot in the area. Continuing to Aït Ben Haddou, you reach a UNESCO Heritage Site Ksar Aït Ben Haddou, a fortified village that looks frozen in time from its days as an Almoravid caravanserai. The kasbah appears in films like Lawrence of Arabia and Game of Thrones. You walk to the top for a sunset view.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- Walk through Ksar Aït Ben Haddou
- Climb to top of kasbah for sunset
Optional Activities
- Visit 19th-century palace in Ouarzazate
- Visit film museum in Ouarzazate
Landmarks Ouarzazate Ksar Aït Ben Haddou - Day 10
High Atlas - Marrakech
The drive takes you through the High Atlas mountains, crossing Tizi N'Tichka Pass, the highest major mountain pass in North Africa. You'll stop to admire Berber villages and take photos from the views. Arriving in Marrakech, one of Morocco's four imperial cities and known as the Red City, you check in at your accommodation. Before evening, you explore Jemaa el-Fna Square, the vibrant main square filled with acrobats, dancers, musicians, and storytellers. By night the square transforms into an open-air restaurant with food stalls.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Optional Activities
- Explore Berber villages
- Explore Jemaa el-Fna Square
- Experience open-air food stalls
Landmarks Tizi N'Tichka Pass High Atlas Mountains Jemaa el-Fna Square Marrakech - Day 11
Marrakech
With your local guide you visit Marrakech's beloved gardens starting outside the old walls at Agdal Gardens and the Royal Palace. Next you go to Menara Gardens with large olive groves, a water basin, and Atlas Mountain views on clear days. Moving through Guéliz (the modern European quarter) brings you to Majorelle Garden, a botanical garden created in the 1920s by artist Jacques Majorelle and now owned by the Yves St. Laurent estate. Back in the old medina you explore Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, and Koutoubia Mosque. You wander the famous souks, grab dinner at a restaurant or café, and watch the city's nightlife.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit Agdal Gardens and Royal Palace with guide
- Visit Menara Gardens
- Visit Majorelle Garden
- Explore Bahia Palace
- Visit Saadian Tombs
- Visit Koutoubia Mosque
- Explore souks on foot
Landmarks Agdal Gardens Menara Gardens Majorelle Garden Bahia Palace Saadian Tombs Koutoubia Mosque - Day 12
Marrakech
You spend your day at a traditional hammam or bathhouse, a genuine part of Moroccan culture. Most hammams accept families with children, though entry is gender-separated. You'll relax in warm, dry rooms before moving to progressively hotter rooms and a steam room. An attendant applies black olive-oil soap and scrubs you with a kessa loofah, then rinses you thoroughly. Keep the phrase 'ghi bshwiya' (a bit softly, please!) in mind if you need it. Afterward you return to your accommodation to relax or continue exploring the city.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- Traditional hammam treatment
Landmarks Marrakech - Day 13
Essaouira
You head to Essaouira, a coastal city on the Atlantic Coast formerly known as Mogador. The 18th-century town sits enclosed by medieval-looking battlements facing rocky offshore islands. Walking through the UNESCO World Heritage-listed medina, you see beautifully whitewashed, blue-shuttered houses and colonnades. The small fishing harbor still operates with active boats. You spend the rest of the day relaxing or shopping, enjoying the calmer atmosphere compared to Marrakech's energy.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Included Activities
- Explore Essaouira medina
Optional Activities
- Visit fishing harbor
- Shopping in medina
- Relax on beach
Landmarks Essaouira Essaouira Medina - Day 14
Essaouira
This free day lets you explore Essaouira at your own pace with your family. You might spend time at the beach or wander through the medina. Relaxing and taking photos in Moulay Hassan Square, the central square lined with restaurants, cafés, and hotels, gives you a feel for local life. You can visit the port to admire blue wooden fishing boats and the Portuguese Castelo Real of Mogador. Exploring the mellah or old Jewish quarter and visiting the Synagogue Haïm Pinto, named for an 18th-century rabbi, adds cultural depth. Alternatively, head to one of the fish markets to watch the fishmongers working.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
Optional Activities
- Beach time
- Explore medina
- Relax at Moulay Hassan Square
- Visit fishing port
- See Portuguese Castelo Real of Mogador
- Explore mellah quarter
- Visit Synagogue Haïm Pinto
- Explore fish markets
Landmarks Moulay Hassan Square Portuguese Castelo Real of Mogador Synagogue Haïm Pinto - Day 15
Marrakech
Your final morning involves wandering Essaouira's streets and picking up last-minute souvenirs in the souk. Later your driver picks you up at your hotel and drives you to Marrakech's Menara Airport for your flight home, ending your Moroccan journey.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Wander Essaouira streets
- Shop in souk for souvenirs
Landmarks Marrakech Menara Airport
