Small Circuit to Morocco Highlights

Arrival Note: You will be warmly greeted by our guide when your flight lands at the Marrakech Menara Airport. Get on our chauffeur-driven private car, and you will arrive at the accommodation within 15 minutes. Tonight, you will be staying at the Riad Nesma Suites & Spa, which is our handpicked Moroccan hotel converted from a stately home of a former local rich.

After a short break, our guide will lead you on a tour of downtown Marrakech. Visit the Bahia Palace, Saadian Tombs, Koutoubia Mosque, and Ben Yousself Medersa (Ibn Youssef School). The exquisite carvings and mosaics of these buildings reveal a strong Islamic style, giving you a quick glimpse of this historic city.

★ Evening Activity - Marrakech Food Tour at Jemaa el-Fna
Food is the fastest way to get to know a country. We will offer a special reception dinner for you. Walk with our guide into Jemaa el-Fna, Marrakech’s largest souks, and you’ll be dazzled with a variety of handicrafts, food and sideshows. Our veteran guide, who has lived here for more than 20 years, is able to pick out the most authentic snack bar in the crowded market and treat you to the most delicious Moroccan dishes such as tagine, couscous, kebabs, harira, and mint tea.

Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Riad Nesma Suites & Spa

After breakfast, we’ll first visit the Jardin Majorelle - Yves Saint Laurent Mansion, including the Berber Museum inside, and the nearby Yves Saint Laurent Museum. The initiator and designer of the garden was the French artist Jacques Majorelle, and the second owner was the French fashion guru Yves Saint Laurent, so it has become an art mecca for Moroccan artists and is also popular with tourists. The buildings are painted bright blue, like a fairytale world, and there are dozens of different types of cactus in the garden, perfect for photos. Next, we will visit Gueliz, the center of Marrakech's New City, and then have lunch and noon break.

Afternoon Safari to Agafay Desert: In the afternoon, we will provide you with a 4WD vehicle into the Agafay Desert, which is a 40-minute drive from Marrakech. After arriving at the camp, enjoy dune bashing by jeep (20 to 30 minutes) to feel the wild and exciting desert. Afterwards, you can hike around the camp, take pictures, or swim in a desert pool for a leisurely afternoon. Also, you can ride a desert quad bike at your own expense. At dusk, we will arrange a camel ride (1 hour) for you to enjoy the desert sunset.

We have a professional chef cooking dinner for you at the camp and you can have a wonderful candlelit dinner made up of traditional Moroccan recipes: tagine, couscous, salad, and dessert. By the campfire, you can join the local artists performing lively Gnawa music, fire dance, belly dance, and juggle. What a wonderful night! Finally, our guide and the driver will escort you back to the riad in Marrakech.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Riad Nesma Suites & Spa

Today we're going on a long road trip from Marrakech to the historic city of Fez, passing through some distinctive cultural cities and mountain villages. We will start early at 8:00 in the morning and gradually enter the Middle Atlas Mountains. Driving through the mountains with magnificent cedar forests, we will reach the Ouzoud Waterfalls in 2.5 hours. Take an hour hike along the falls to stretch your legs, and then drive 2 hours to Beni Mellal. We’ll stay 1 hour here for lunch and a visit to the Ain Asserdoun, where you can see the city from the high viewing platform at the Beni Mellal Kasbah.

In the afternoon, continue driving for 4 to 5 hours to Fez, with proper stops for rest and arrive in the evening. Check into a top-reviewed local riad carefully selected for you.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Riad Marjana Suites & Spa

★ Moroccan Cuisine Cooking Class in Fez: In the morning we will offer you a rare chance to have a cooking class on Moroccan cuisine. First, our guide will take you to a traditional souk in the Medina of Fez and explain the food material in detail. After selecting all the ingredients for today's dishes from the souk, we’ll head to the professional chef class in a beautiful riad, where you could learn step by step how to make authentic Moroccan food. Use fish, beef, chicken, olives, lemons, and lentils to make your own tagine. At noon, enjoy your self-made dishes and salads for lunch in the garden.

★ Fez Medina Walking Tour: 2 to 3 hours
Walking route: Bab Boujloud → Bou Inania Madrasa → Dar Batha Museum → Maimonides’ house → Nejjarine Square and Nejjarine Fountain → Mausoleum of Moulay Idriss II → Attarine Madrasa → Mosque and University Kairaouine → Chouara Tannery

► Highlight of Fez - Chouara Tannery: You may have heard of Fez before you go there, the place that makes the best handmade leather goods; while you would definitely smell the Chouara Tannery when you get to Fez. Smell it? Yes, you are not mistaken. The tannery’s pungent stench can be smelled from a distance, but that doesn't stop people from flocking to see it. We will provide our guests with the best viewing platform on the adjacent rooftop, from where you can see the tannery and even the whole medina. The tannery’s yard is lined with hundreds of vats filled with leather softening solution and dye, which stinks for the mixture of cow urine and pigeon droppings inside. However, the workers need to step barefoot in the vats to let the leather fully and evenly soaked. It’s what they do for a living, and also a great inheritance of traditional hand-made leather techniques.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Riad Marjana Suites & Spa

Drive 1.5 hours from Fez to Volubilis, a Roman old city in Morocco. Follow our guide to visit the UNESCO World Heritage site Volubilis Ruins and the Moulay Idriss Zerhoun. Afterwards, we’ll drive 50 minutes to Meknes, an ancient imperial city well-reputed for its olive oil and wine.

Check into a local riad, have lunch, and then we will visit the Old Medina in central Meknes, which is home to plenty of ancient Roman and Islamic ruins. We’ll visit the Bab Mansour, El Hedim Square, Dar Jamai Museum (museum of Moroccan arts), Bou Inania Medersa, Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, Royal Palace, and Royal Stables. What’s more, let's stand on the roof of the Bou Inania Medersa, enjoying the panoramic city views and feeling the solemn historical atmosphere.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Riad Yacout

In the morning, we will drive 2 hours to Rabat, the capital of Morocco and also a coastal city by the Atlantic. Our guide will take you to visit the highlight attractions including the Royal Palace of Rabat (exterior), Mausoleum of Mohamed V, and Hassan Tower. At noon, have lunch near the Rabat Medina, which has a very busy market, perfect for a stroll after lunch. You can certainly pick up some favorite souvenirs here. Next, we’ll pay a visit to the Kasbah of the Udayas, a military fort strategically built on a promontory. Admire the Andalusia gardens inside, marvel at the collection of historical jewels, musical instruments and folk costumes in its museum, and then we’ll climb onto the high platform overlooking the Kasbah’s stairs that extend to the Rabat Beach and out to sea.

In the late afternoon, our guide and the driver will escort you for the 1.5-hour drive to Casablanca. After checking into our beachfront hotel, you can swim in the hotel’s outdoor pool or stroll to the Corniche for views and dinner.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Club Val D'anfa Hotel

Many people know Casablanca from the classic movie. This morning, follow our guide to let the city moves from movie scenes to reality. Let’s start by the Hassan II Mosque on the Atlantic coast, a landmark in Casablanca and the largest modern mosque in North Africa. A third of the mosque is built on the sea, in honor of the Arab ancestors who came to Morocco from the sea. Next, we'll visit the Old Medina Market, where the guide will accompany you on a walking tour to explore the surrounding bustling alleys, markets, and attractions such as the Sacred Heart Cathedral (exterior) and Square of Mohammed V.

Departure Note: Later, a drive past the Royal Palace and the Mahkama du Pacha (exterior) will bring our 7 days Morocco guided tour to a close. Our guide and the driver will escort you to the Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport before noon. Wish you a pleasant trip home!

► Tips: 
1. You are suggested to book a flight in the afternoon or evening, to ensure sufficient time for transfer.
2. If your return flight leaves from Marrakech, you can contact our customer service to change the see-off service to the Marrakech Airport.

Meals: Breakfast