Highlights of Morocco: Imperial Cities & the Sahara

Today you explore dazzling Marrakech with your local guide. You visit the exquisite Bahia Palace, a nineteenth-century masterpiece of carved cedar, painted ceilings and tranquil courtyards, and the serene Koutoubia Mosque with its landmark minaret. You lose yourself in the labyrinthine souks, a treasure house of carpets, lanterns, leather slippers, brass, ceramics and spices, learning the art of the friendly haggle over glasses of mint tea. You visit the beautiful blue Majorelle Garden, once owned by Yves Saint Laurent, with its cobalt villa, bamboo groves and cactus. As dusk falls you arrive in the great square of Jemaa el-Fnaa, a UNESCO-listed spectacle of storytellers, musicians, snake charmers and sizzling food stalls. As the day ends, you return to your riad, dazzled by the colour and energy of the Red City. Rest well, for tomorrow you cross the High Atlas towards the desert.

Today you cross the High Atlas Mountains towards the south. You wind up the spectacular Tizi n'Tichka pass, the highest road in Morocco, with breathtaking views over terraced valleys and Berber villages, then descend to the mighty kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful earthen citadels in the world, its towered mud-brick houses rising in tiers above a river. You climb its winding lanes for sweeping views, then continue to Ouarzazate, gateway to the desert and home to the famous Atlas film studios. You drive on into the Dades Valley, along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, past palm groves and crumbling red fortresses. As the day ends, you settle into your hotel in the Dades Gorge amid rose-red cliffs. Rest well amid the wild beauty of the south.

Today you journey deeper into the desert. You explore the dramatic Dades Gorge, with its fantastic rock formations and winding roads, then travel to the towering Todra Gorge, a sheer canyon three hundred metres deep and in places just ten metres wide, where you walk beside the cool green river beneath immense cliffs. You continue east across increasingly desert country to Merzouga, on the edge of the great dunes of Erg Chebbi. In the late afternoon you mount a camel and ride in a caravan into the golden dunes, the sand glowing amber as the sun sinks, and climb a high crest to watch a spectacular Sahara sunset. As night falls you reach your desert camp among the dunes, dining on tagine beneath a canopy of countless stars, with Berber drumming around the fire. Rest well in the magical silence of the Sahara.

This morning you wake early to watch a breathtaking sunrise spill over the dunes of Erg Chebbi, the sand shifting through pink, gold and amber, before riding your camel back out of the desert for breakfast. You then set off on the long, scenic drive north towards Fes, following the palm-lined Ziz Valley with its vast oasis, climbing over the cedar-forested Middle Atlas near Ifrane and Azrou, where you may spot Barbary macaques in the woods. The changing landscapes, from desert to green mountains, are endlessly beautiful. As the day ends, you arrive in Fes, the spiritual and cultural heart of Morocco, and settle into your riad in the old city. This evening, savour the atmosphere of this ancient imperial city. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore the spellbinding medieval medina of Fes.

Today you explore the spellbinding medina of Fes with your local guide. Fes el-Bali is the world's largest car-free urban area, a breathtaking maze of some nine thousand lanes that has scarcely changed in a thousand years. You plunge into hidden squares, bustling souks and medieval workshops, following the cries of muleteers and the tap of coppersmiths. You gaze from a terrace over the famous Chouara tanneries, where hides are cured in honeycombs of coloured dye pits, and admire the Al Quaraouiyine, founded in 859 and often called the oldest continually operating university in the world. You visit the beautiful Bou Inania and Al Attarine madrasas, dazzling with carved plaster, cedar and zellige tilework, and the ornate Nejjarine fountain. As the day ends, you return to your riad, spellbound by this living medieval city. Rest well, having touched the ancient soul of Morocco.

Today you journey west towards the coast, taking in two more imperial treasures. You visit the remarkable Roman ruins near Volubilis, the best-preserved Roman site in Morocco and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, wandering among triumphal arches, columns and astonishing mosaic floors on a hillside of olive groves. You continue to Meknes, the imperial city of Sultan Moulay Ismail, taking in the monumental Bab Mansour gateway and vast granaries. You then drive on to Rabat, Morocco's elegant seaside capital on the Atlantic. As the day ends, you settle into your hotel in Rabat, a refined and green city very different in mood from the interior. This evening, savour the calm coastal atmosphere of the capital. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore Rabat before continuing to Casablanca.

This morning you explore Rabat, the graceful capital, with your guide. You visit the beautiful Kasbah of the Udayas, a blue-and-white walled quarter overlooking the ocean, the soaring Hassan Tower and the elegant Mausoleum of Mohammed V, and the atmospheric Chellah, a ruined Roman and medieval necropolis draped in gardens and storks' nests. You then drive the short distance to Casablanca, Morocco's largest city and economic hub, a place of white Art Deco boulevards and ocean energy. In the afternoon you visit the astonishing Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world, rising dramatically over the Atlantic with a minaret two hundred metres tall, its vast halls open to visitors. As the day ends, you settle into your Casablanca hotel by the sea. This evening, enjoy the cosmopolitan buzz of the city. Rest well.

This morning you enjoy a little more of Casablanca, perhaps strolling the ocean corniche or the old medina, before setting off south again towards Marrakech. The drive crosses the fertile plains of central Morocco, and in the afternoon you arrive back in the Red City for a final night. You have time to return to the souks for last treasures, revisit the great square of Jemaa el-Fnaa as it comes alive at dusk, or simply relax on a rooftop terrace with mint tea, reflecting on the extraordinary journey you have made across cities, mountains and desert. As the day ends, you gather your impressions of this magical country. This evening, savour a final Moroccan feast, tagines, couscous and honeyed pastries, in dazzling Marrakech. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow, carrying warm memories of Morocco.

After a final morning in dazzling Marrakech, perhaps a last stroll through the souks or a final glass of mint tea on your riad terrace, you are transferred to Marrakech Menara Airport for your onward international departure. You leave having experienced the very best of Morocco, the souks, palaces and great square of Marrakech, the mighty kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, the wild Dades and Todra gorges, the golden dunes of the Sahara with a night under the stars, the spellbinding medieval medina of Fes, and the imperial elegance of Rabat and the vast Hassan II Mosque of Casablanca. The images stay vivid long after you land, the lanterns of the souks, the camels on the golden dunes, the tanneries of Fes and the ancient kasbahs beneath red mountains. Morocco offers colour, beauty, adventure and warmth in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return.