13-Nights Colors of Morocco - Explorations – Small Group from $4,199

Colors of Morocco

Day 1 Overnight Flight
On a captivating adventure through a land of centuries-old culture and customs, discover the “Land of Sunset” and “Gateway to Africa” – the country called Morocco.

Day 2 Casablanca, Morocco - Rabat - Tour Begins
Hotel: Flower Town Hotel & Spa
Welcome to Morocco! After you land in Casablanca you'll transfer to Rabat. Depending on your arrival flights, you may join your local Tour Manager on a vicinity walk to get acquainted with the area around your hotel in Rabat, your home for the next two days.

Day 3 Rabat
Hotel: Flower Town Hotel & Spa
Come to know Rabat on an in-depth tour* with a local guide who’ll share his knowledge of this city and its architectural gems. Visit the Chellah, a walled town containing both Roman ruins and a medieval necropolis. Explore the mausoleum of Mohammed V, the epitome of modern Moroccan design. The mausoleum’s ornate woodwork, marble, and bronze ornamentations make this a tomb truly fit for a king. See the Kasbah de Oudaias and its whitewashed buildings. Enjoy free time to explore on your own in the afternoon. At the end of your day, join your fellow travelers for a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.(B, D)

Day 4 Rabat - Fes
Hotel: Riad Yacout
Depart Rabat for Fes this morning. En route to Fes, stop at a winery estate for a tour, tasting, and lunch. Explore the winery’s grounds on a guided tour through the vineyard and cellar, taking in sweeping views of vines and tasting some of the vintages. End your tour with lunch at the estate. Then continue on to Fes, where you’ll spend the next three nights at a riad.(B, L)

Day 5 Fes
Hotel: Riad Yacout
Get ready to discover Fes, one of the holiest cities in the world. Learn about its history as a center of government, philosophy, medicine, and religion. Visit the royal palace and Al-Qarawiyyin University (UNESCO), the oldest continuously operating university in the world, admiring its high arches and Andalusian influences. On a walking tour of the ninth-century medina, explore the alleyways and stalls of this ancient market.(B, D)

Day 6 Fes
Hotel: Riad Yacout
Enjoy your day at leisure in Fes. Explore the city further, strolling through marketplaces or visiting a museum. Perhaps you’ll join an optional tour of Meknes and Volubilis. On this full-day tour, experience Meknes, one of four Imperial cities in Morocco, where you’ll see the Bab Mansour gate. After an included lunch, travel to Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its impressive and well-preserved Roman ruins.(B)

Day 7 Fes - Midelt - Erfoud
Hotel: Kasbah Hotel Xaluca
Cross some of Morocco’s most breathtaking desert landscapes on the way to the Sahara. En route, pause in Midelt to bask in majestic views of the Middle Atlas Mountains. Arrive in Erfoud, called the “Door to the Desert,” and where many famous movies were filmed, including The Prince of Persia and The Mummy.(B, L, D)

Day 8 Erfoud - Sahara Desert
Hotel: Sahara Desert Camp
This morning, get to know about local life at El Maadid Ksar, a village with narrow lanes surrounded by ancient fortified walls. Spend some time walking through town and get an authentic look into how local people live, like the farmers who spend their days tending to fields on the outskirts of the village. This evening, make your way into the Sahara aboard a Jeep 4x4 for a two-night stay in a luxury tented camp in the desert, under the stars.(B, D)

Day 9 Sahara Desert
Hotel: Sahara Desert Camp
Rise early to watch the sun illuminate the Sahara in stunning hues of orange, yellow, and red. This morning you’ll have the opportunity to ride through the dunes on the back of a camel. Continue your day by traveling to the village of Khamlia. Meet with locals for an eye-opening and meaningful discussion before experiencing traditional sub-Saharan Gnawa music. The next step of your desert expedition brings you to meet a nomadic group. You’ll learn about this ancient way of living and how its traditions have changed. Return to your camp as the sun sets over the desert. This evening, sit with your Tour Manager and learn more about the importance of Islam in Morocco through the centuries and its impact on today’s day-to-day life in sub-Saharan Africa.(B, L, D)

Day 10 Sahara Desert - El Khorbate - Boumalne du Dades
Hotel: Hotel Xaluca Dades
Return to the edge of the desert this morning and marvel as the sun illuminates the sweeping sands. Visit the fortified village of El Khorbat. Dating back to the 17th century, this village showcases Jewish and Muslim architecture and artifacts. Learn more about Berber culture while visiting the museum within the village. Enjoy a simple lunch at a local restaurant. This Impact Moment supports a business whose profits are used to conserve the cultural heritage and improve the living conditions of this small community. Later, arrive in Boumalne du Dades, where a golden sun lights up the gorge’s river valleys, palmeraies, and burnished mud-brick homes.(B, L, D)

Day 11 Boumalne du Dades - Ksar Ait-Ben-Haddou - Marrakech
Hotel: Movenpick Hotel Mansour Eddahbi
Follow the rugged “Road of a Thousand Kasbahs,” where turreted fortresses rise up like sandcastles along this ancient trading route. Arrive at the UNESCO site of the Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou and discover the earthen buildings, defensive walls, and corner towers that make the Ksar a striking feat of Moroccan architecture. Before you reach the exotic city of Marrakech, enjoy a homemade meal, then continue along the Tizi n’Tichka Pass in the High Atlas Mountains, a scenic route through lush oasis valleys, imposing mountains, and Berber villages.(B, L)

Day 12 Marrakech
Hotel: Movenpick Hotel Mansour Eddahbi
Among the mosques and palaces, souks, and riads, visit the Jardin Majorelle, an iconic site that showcases the beauty and ingenuity of Morocco’s cultural heritage. Next, visit the ancient El Bahia palace, whose architecture is a distinct blend of both Islamic and Moroccan styles. Then it’s your choice! Embark on a walking tour with a local guide, stopping at shops along the way -OR- relax in a traditional hammam, a community bathhouse where locals still gather to relax, cleanse, and socialize today -OR- return to the hotel to relax by the pool.(B, D)

Day 13 Marrakech
Hotel: Movenpick Hotel Mansour Eddahbi
Today experience an Impact Moment and join a local women’s training center for an interactive cooking class. Head to a garden on the property to source your herbs and vegetables and learn the secret to making the country’s most celebrated dish: tagine. Enjoy the rest of your day at leisure. This evening, perhaps you‘ll join an optional horse-drawn carriage ride through Marrakech, followed by dinner at a local restaurant.(B, L)

Day 14 Marrakech - Casablanca
Hotel: Barcelo Anfa
Depart Marrakech for Casablanca this morning. Upon arrival in Casablanca, visit the largest functioning mosque in Africa, the Hassan II Mosque. Learn about the history and the significance of this mosque on a privately led tour. Gaze upon the intricate, colorful artistry of the ceramic tile and hand-carved stone of this architectural wonder. Then say goodbye to your Tour Manager and fellow travelers during a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.(B, D)

Day 15 Casablanca - Tour Ends
Your tour comes to a close this morning.(B)