Tours From Tangier 13 Days Morocco Cultural Tour, Imperial Cities, Desert And Kasbahs From Tangier

chefchaouen circuit morocco depart tangerDebarquement Tangier, welcome to the airport or the port, and departure to Chefchaouen, one of the most pleasant cities of Morocco. Holy city, with a dozen mosques and shrines, happy city with paved alleys leading to a series of shady squares. Dinner and accommodation at the Riad.

After breakfast, free time to explore the city and take some last photos, and then, leaving for Meknes, we will cross the Rif mountains and enjoy the beautiful landscapes to reach Volubilis the old roman ruins dated to 3BC, visit of the site and continue to Meknes, the forth imperial city of Morocco, founded earlier in the 17^th century by the sultane Moulay Ismail, we will visit the beautiful gates of Bab El Mandour and Bab Lakhmiss, then the Royal stables of Hri Souani, then the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail. After the visit we will head to Fes a beautiful city founded in the 8th century. Fez is the oldest of the Moroccan imperial cities, with a medina that brings us back to the 13th century, craftsmen grouped in its streets and activities reminiscent of ancient guilds, mingling with peasants fleeing drought in recent years.

circuit-morocco-depart-tanger / Free day in the city of Fes, ancient imperial city, and one of the highlights of this tour, Fez is the pearl of the Arab world, the place of great sensations. Here, as in Florence or Athens, the traveler comes for the treasure of a civilization, the inexhaustible riches of a generous and varied life to the profusion, where the sun reigns Sensuality, colors, flavors. Fez is, surely, all that you like. Here, no one knows where the pleasure of the mind ends and begins the senses. With the refinement of its palaces and the sensuality of its life, Fes, unique city, invites you to a multiple trip. The old Medersas and the beautiful fountains and the Art museums will let you fall in love with this city, without missing the Mosaic and Zellij factory which is one the characteristics of Fes.

The desert call, after breakfast we will drive along the middle and high atlas mountains crossing the rivers and the palm groves inhabited by communities of semi-nomadic Berber breeders tradition. On the way, we will cross the city of Ifrane, "The Switzerland of Morocco", then the cedar forests of Azrou where we will see the colony of Barbary Apes/monkeys living there.

 We leave the bustle of the big cities to find ourselves in welcoming and quiet villages, dedicated to agriculture and pasture to Midelt, stop for lunch, then continue to the Gorges of Ziz and the palm grove of Ziz valley, slowly the sceneries changing to give you a sign that the desert is closed, we will reach Er-Rachidia to arrive in Merzouga in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight at a hotel at the foot of the dunes.

fiesta en el desiertoBreakfast at the hostel, and departure one of the tracks used in the "Paris-Dakar". We will pass the other side of the dunes and we will visit the oasis of Merzouga, and the oasis of Tissadmine, the nomadic lands, mines MIFISS, and the desert plateaux to arrive at the village of Khamlia, village inhabited by Black population from Mali.

 A break is planned to enjoy a tea accompanied by a percussion of drums of Castanets, then return to the hotel for lunch, free time until the time of the departure by camels through the vast expanse of golden sand to enjoy the beautiful sunset and the desert spirit with an indescribable starry sky as rarely seen. Dinner and accommodation under nomad tents in desert camp.

Breakfast. We surround Erg Chebbi, an expanse of sand desert where the Great Dune of Morocco is located, of more than 250 meters of altitude, connecting by track with part of the route followed by the old Paris-Dakar, with the mountains that border with Algeria. Stop at the oasis of Tissardmin and continue to a nomadic settlement where we will know some secrets of his life and customs. Later stop at a panoramic point where you can contemplate the Erg Chebbi as a whole. Stop in Khamlia, the original town of Mali, where you can relax with a tea while enjoying a small concert of Gnawa music. Return to the lodge, lunch and depart on dromedary in a route of an hour and a half that will take us to the foot of the Great Dune, wrapped in the beautiful sunset of the desert. We will sleep in a Haima in the heart of the desert under the spectacular blanket of stars.

Breakfast and departure to Ouarzazate through the valley of a thousand Kasbah, then the valley of the roses to reach the palm of Skoura, famous for its many Kasbahs among the palm trees, including that of Amerhidil which appears on the old tickets of 50 Dirhams, Skoura is the first crossing point on the Dades road leading to Kelaat M'Gouna, the Dades gorges, Boumalne and the Toudra valley. It is in fact a characteristic place of oasis architecture.

Arrival in Ouarzazate, lunch break then visit the Taourirt Kasbah, built entirely of earth is part of the village of the same name attached to Ouarzazate. The ensemble occupies a strategic position at the confluence of two major rivers: the Dades and Ouarzazate wadis thus forming the Drâa river; also located at the crossroads of old caravan passages.

Breakfast and departure direction Marrakech, En route, we visit the famous ksar Ait Ben Haddou, which has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is undoubtedly the best preserved fortified village south of Morocco. Arrival in Marrakech at the end of the afternoon. Accommodation at Riad diner libre.

Day dedicated to the visit of Marrakech, we will visit the Saadian tombs where the founders of Saadi dynasty are buried, the Bahia Palace, residence of the former vizier, the Koutobia mosque built in the 12^th century by Almouahad dynasty with its splendid minaret, the madrasa ben Youssef, to finish in the inexpressible Djemaa el Fna, in the morning a big souk and the evening a magic show. In the afternoon we will leave the old Medina to visit the beautiful botanic gardens of Majorel. Overnight accommodation in Hotel or Riad.

After breakfast we will leave Marrakech to Casablanca the largest city and the economic capital, once there we will visit the Hassan II mosque, once the largest mosque in the world and the once that is visited by tourists in the whole morocco. Built in the last decade of 20^th century by the last king Hassan II, after the visit we will drive along the Cornish of Ain diab to enjoy a fish lunch in a restaurant settled by the Atlantic ocean. After lunch, we will continue to Rabat the political capital of Morocco and the third imperial city, in Rabat we will visit the Kasbah chellah (the royal tombs of the Merinids dynasty),  the Hassan tower and the Mohamed V mausoleum. Overnight in Hotel or Riad in Rabat

After breakfast we will continue to city tour of Rabat, we will visit the royal palace and the Kasbah oudayas The Oudayas Kasbah was originally built in the twelfth century by the Almoravids to fight the Berghouatas tribes. It becomes important only with the Almohads, who make it a military camp, a ribat overlooking the mouth of the river Bouregreg and name it Mehdiya. The kasbah serves as a base for Moroccan armies conquering Andalusia, led by the Almohad dynasty. After lunch we will leave to Assilah, the city goes back to 1500 a. C., when the Phoenicians occupied a place called Silis or Zilis, Zilil, which is being excavated in Dchar Jdid, about 12 km NE of the current Asilah; that place was once considered the Roman stronghold Ad Mercuri, the city of Asilah was built in part by the Idrisid dynasty, and the Caliph Al-Hakam II rebuilt the city in 966. The Portuguese conquered the city in 1471 and built its fortifications, but abandoned it due to an economic debt crisis in 1549. In 1578, Sebastian of Portugal used Asilah as a base for his troops during a planned crusade that resulted in the death of Sebastian, which in turn caused the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580. In 17^th century the Moroccans briefly regained control of Asilah under the sultane Moulay. After the visit of the city we will leave to tangier. Overnight in hotel or Guest house.

During this guided city tour of Tangier you will discover the real face of the city of Tangier. First, drive along the Corniche, the central beach, before reaching the eastern part of the city. There you can take pictures of the port and hopefully you will even see the Spanish coast!

Join the coast to visit the mythical caves of Hercules. It is said that these caves once housed the famous hero, for you to see what legend you want to believe!

After the caves, discover the true face of Tangier while strolling in the Kasbah. This fifteenth-century fortress has had a tumultuous history and serves as a meeting point for all the inhabitants of the city. The archaeological museum offers a nice contrast with the crowded and colorful streets.

After breakfast and following the return flight schedule, transfer to the airport, boarding assistance and end of our tour.

NB: We suggest:

• Standard Tours: including Official art historian guide and accommodation in Selected 3 stars hotels and Riads, Standard desert camp at the desert
•  Luxury Tours: including official art historian guide and accommodation in Selected Luxury hotel and Riads, luxury desert camp.