Luxury Morocco: Palatial Riads, Desert Camps & the Coast

Today you explore dazzling Marrakech in privileged style with your private guide. You visit the exquisite Bahia Palace, the tranquil blue Majorelle Garden and the Saadian Tombs, and wander the labyrinthine souks with expert insight into the finest carpets, crafts, lanterns and antiques, with unhurried time and privileged access. In the afternoon you unwind with a sumptuous hammam and spa ritual, a sensuous experience of steam, black soap, exfoliation and massage. As dusk falls you might take in the great square of Jemaa el-Fnaa from a private terrace, before dining at one of the city's finest rooftop restaurants overlooking the medina. As the day ends, you return to your palatial riad, dazzled and pampered. Rest well in serene luxury, for tomorrow you cross the High Atlas towards a private kasbah retreat in the dramatic south.

Today is yours to enjoy at leisure in the sumptuous style of the journey. You might spend a slow morning at the riad, luxuriating by the pool or in the spa, then explore more of Marrakech at your own pace, perhaps the beautiful Ben Youssef Madrasa, the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, or private shopping for treasures with your guide. Alternatively, you can take a chauffeured escape into the High Atlas foothills, perhaps a gourmet lunch at a luxurious mountain retreat with pool and panoramic views, or a visit to the green Ourika Valley. A cooking class with a private chef can also be arranged. This flexible day of indulgence lets you savour Marrakech and its surroundings exactly as you wish. As the day ends, you return to your riad. This evening, dine at leisure. Rest well in luxury, for tomorrow the road leads south.

Today you cross the High Atlas to the dramatic south in chauffeured comfort. You wind up the spectacular Tizi n'Tichka pass, the highest road in Morocco, with breathtaking views over Berber villages and terraced valleys, pausing at the finest viewpoints. You 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 glowing gold above a river, and explore its winding lanes with your guide, climbing to the granary at the summit for sweeping views. As the day ends, you settle into a beautiful kasbah-style luxury retreat with pool and mountain views, gazing at the floodlit citadel across the valley. This evening, enjoy a refined dinner beneath the stars in the profound quiet of the south. Rest well in luxury amid dramatic desert scenery, ready for the Sahara tomorrow.

Today you journey to the golden dunes and an exclusive desert camp. You visit Ouarzazate and its famous film studios, then wind along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs through palm oases and the dramatic Dades and towering Todra gorges, where pink cliffs rise sheer above a green river. You continue to Merzouga, on the edge of the great dunes of Erg Chebbi. In the late afternoon you ride a camel caravan into the towering dunes as the sand glows amber, and climb a high crest for a spectacular sunset. As night falls you reach your exclusive luxury camp of spacious, beautifully furnished tents with proper beds and en-suite bathrooms, dining on refined Moroccan cuisine beneath countless stars, with Berber music and stargazing. As the day ends, you settle into the magical camp. Rest well in comfort beneath the stars 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 a leisurely breakfast. You then journey north towards Fes, following the palm-lined Ziz Valley with its vast oasis and climbing over the cedar-forested Middle Atlas near Ifrane, where you may spot Barbary macaques; a private flight from Errachidia can be arranged to shorten the journey. The changing landscapes are beautiful. As the day ends, you arrive in Fes, the spiritual heart of Morocco, and settle into your magnificent riad within the ancient walls. This evening, savour a refined dinner in your riad as the call to prayer drifts over the old city. Rest well in luxury, for tomorrow you explore the spellbinding medieval medina of Fes in depth.

Today you explore the spellbinding medina of Fes in depth with your expert private guide. Fes el-Bali is the world's largest car-free urban area, a breathtaking maze of some nine thousand lanes little changed in a thousand years. You discover hidden madrasas dazzling with carved plaster, cedar and zellige, gaze from a terrace over the famous Chouara tanneries with their honeycomb dye pits, and see the ancient Al Quaraouiyine, often called the oldest continually operating university in the world. With special access arranged, you meet master artisans in their workshops, zellige mosaic-cutters, weavers, coppersmiths and potters of the famous blue Fassi ceramics, gaining privileged insight into Morocco's living crafts. As the day ends, you return to your magnificent riad, spellbound. This evening, dine at a fine restaurant in a historic palace. Rest well in luxury, for tomorrow you make for the Atlantic coast.

Today you make for the Atlantic coast and the artistic port of Essaouira, transferring in chauffeured comfort (with a private flight via Casablanca or Marrakech arranged to ease the journey where preferred). Passing groves of argan trees, you may stop at a women's cooperative to see the famous oil made by hand. You reach Essaouira, a blue-and-white walled port of honey-coloured ramparts, breezy beaches, art galleries and a bohemian soul, and settle into your elegant seafront property. In the late afternoon you stroll the sea walls with the wind and gulls, wander the relaxed medina of woodcarvers and jewellers, and watch the blue fishing boats in the harbour. As the day ends, you savour the mellow, artistic, ocean-fresh atmosphere over a seafront dinner of the freshest seafood. Rest well by the Atlantic in elegant Essaouira, lulled by the waves.

Today you relax in elegant, artistic Essaouira at your own indulgent pace. You might wander the relaxed medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, browsing art galleries, thuya-wood crafts and jewellery, or linger over coffee in a sunny square. You could take a spa treatment, stroll or ride horses along the vast sweeping beach, enjoy a boat trip along the coast, or simply relax at your seafront property with a book and the sound of the Atlantic. Essaouira's mellow, creative charm makes it the perfect place to unwind after the riches of city and desert, and to reflect on the sumptuous journey you have made. As the day ends, you savour a final, elegant seafood dinner overlooking the harbour. Rest well by the sea, carrying warm memories of the very best of Morocco.

After a final, relaxed morning by the Atlantic in elegant Essaouira, perhaps a last stroll on the ramparts and a leisurely breakfast, you are privately transferred to the airport (Essaouira or Marrakech) for your onward international departure. You leave having experienced Morocco at its most refined, palatial riads in Marrakech and Fes, a private kasbah retreat in the south, and an exclusive Sahara desert camp among the dunes, alongside dazzling Marrakech, the kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, the dramatic gorges, the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi, the spellbinding medina of Fes and the artistic coast of Essaouira. The images stay vivid long after you land, the tiled courtyards of the riads, the camels on the golden dunes, the master artisans of Fes and the blue boats of Essaouira. Morocco has offered beauty, culture, drama and indulgence in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to this magical country.