Morocco’s Ancient Cities and Kasbahs

We meet our fellow travellers and Tour Manager at London Heathrow for our lunchtime flight to Marrakech, Morocco's first historical capital and Imperial City. Here we are transferred to our 5-Star hotel for two nights. Set in eight hectares of lush oasis on the edge of Marrakech's bustling Old City, you can stroll beneath palm trees, banana trees and bougainvillea or take a dip in the pool before we gather for our first dinner together.

After breakfast we embark on a guided tour of ancient Marrakech, at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains. We visit the ramparts, the stately 12th-century Koutoubia minaret that stands tall above the Old City, and the Menara Gardens.

We then visit the Bahia Palace with a lush Moorish-style garden and courtyard, and the former home of a sultan, Dar El Bacha, before reaching the lively Djemaa el Fna Square, the ancient trading point of northwest Africa, where musicians, dancers, acrobats, jugglers, snake-charmers and stallholders still ply their trade. This evening, we enjoy dinner and a folklore show, performed by people from different tribes around the country.

This morning we take the train from Marrakech to Casablanca, where we are transferred to our hotel. After free time to enjoy lunch independently, we take a guided sightseeing tour of Morocco's most modern and largest city. Our tour takes us to the Hassan II mosque, and Place Mohamed V - a popular shopping street with 1930s residential blocks. We also see the United Nations Square, designed by French architect Joseph Marrast, and the 1920s-built League of Arab States Park - an elegant oasis of palm trees, pergolas and cafés with shady terraces. 

A coach transfers us along the shimmering coast to Rabat, Morocco's political capital. We set out on a guided tour, seeing the old Medina, the picturesque Kasbah of the Oudayas, and the Oudaya Gate which faces the port of Salé. Once renowned for Barbary pirates, Salé now boasts historical museums, built during the Almohads dynasty. The Merinides built the well-preserved Hassan Tower and the Chellah in the 12th and 13th centuries.

We walk into the Mohamed V Mausoleum, the burial place of the present King's father, in front of the Royal Palace. We have lunch at the Marina Riverside restaurant. This afternoon we take the train from Rabat to Fes, where we check into our hotel for two nights and enjoy dinner.

Today we head out on a full day city tour of Fes, the oldest of the four Imperial Cities. Founded around 809AD, Fes is considered the spiritual and intellectual capital of Islam in the west. Our tour takes in the Borj Nord arm museum, the great gateway of the Royal Palace, the imposing fortifications of the medieval Kasbah des Chrardas, the 9th century Karaouyine Mosque and the 14th century University. We also see the shrine of MoulayIdriss II, founder of Fes, the Nejarine fountain and the Bab Boujloud gateway, as we explore the spice market and souks of the Medina.

You are free to enjoy lunch in a restaurant recommended by our guide or to eat in another of your choice. Tonight we enjoy dinner and a performance at a Moroccan restaurant in the Medina.

We head south by coach today discovering fascinating Berber fortified mountain villages called Ksars. Making photo stops enroute, we visit the pseudo-Swiss town of Ifrane - with its red-tiled roofs and cedar forest - then arrive at Azrou, a fortress settlement in the Middle Atlas Mountains. Our tour continues into the Oued Gigou Valley, through the High Atlas to the ksar of Midelt, where we stop for lunch.

Our journey continues as we travel through passes with intriguing names - such as the Pass of the She-Camel - into the dramatic Ziz Gorges to the French-built garrison town of Er-Rachidya, alive in the evening with students from the university and lycée. We reach the small palm grove at Meski - the familiar picture-postcard image of La Source Bleue. After crossing an arid belt of red desert, we descend into the oasis town of Erfoud, and experience our first impression of the proximity and vastness of the Sahara. We dine and spend the night at our Kasbah hotel.

A short trip by coach awaits today to the desert town of Rissani, once an important trading centre for African and Berber people where gold was traded for salt and sugar. Caravans guided by the Touareg used to come and go between here and West Africa. Here we are given a guided sightseeing tour of the Berber villages, Ksar Akbar and Ksar Oulad Abdelhalim. We also make a photo stop at the tomb of Moulay Ali Charif, founder of Morocco's Alaouite Dynasty.

After sightseeing we're taken on an unforgettable drive through the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi to the Saharan village of Merzouga, where we are greeted with a refreshing glass of mint tea. Our journey continues to explore this fascinating, flowing sea of golden dunes. As the only true desert area in Morocco, this is a truly spectacular Saharan landscape familiar from countless films and images of undulating, turmeric-coloured waves of wind-blown sand. Our accommodation for the night is a luxury tented camp - Merzouga Camp. With fabulous facilities and impeccable service, we enjoy a 3-course dinner and spend the night under a starry sky watching the changing colours of the desert.

For those who are natural early risers - and in fact for anyone who would like to take the opportunity of this special experience - before breakfast today you have the exciting option of a private sunrise desert excursion by camel (included). After this extraordinary excursion, we return to our desert camp for breakfast.

We then travel by coach to the village of Tinghir at the start of the stunning Route of 1000 Kasbahs in the wonderful Dadès valley. From here we set out up the Oued Todra, a remarkable deep and narrow canyon, continuing through rugged mountains to the mouth of the Todra Gorge. We see traditional Berber villages and the ruins of fascinating kasbahs enroute. After breaking for a light lunch, we arrive at Boumalne Dadès, where we check into our hotel for the night.

Our drive back to Marrakech this morning involves stops at the beautiful ruins of El Glaoui Kasbah and a group of other kasbahs built against a volcanic twist in the rocks. We return to the mouth of the gorge to see Kalaat M'Gouna, a citadel of the M'Gouna tribe, where thousands of small, pink Damascene roses, first planted by French settlers, are grown. We also visit the fortified 18th-century Kasbah of Taourirt in Ouarzazate and magnificent Kasbah and Ksour of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We make photo stops at the Tizi n'Tichka mountain pass and the small town of Ait Ourir to Taddert, then continue down the Glaoua Plains into Marrakech. We check into our original Marrakech hotel where we dine together on the last night of our Moroccan holiday.

After a free morning in Marrakech - during which you may like to indulge in a final browse of the souks, or to sip mint tea in a café overlooking the bustling square Djemaa el Fna - we are transferred to the airport for our flight back to London Heathrow.

On our return journey, we can begin to recall the evocative and enchanting sights we have seen, from bustling, colourful cities and enigmatic fortress towns to the unforgettable beauty of the desert. As we arrive back in London, we say farewell to our Tour Manager and fellow travellers with whom we have shared these memorable experiences.