9 days/8 nights - Departure Casablanca Imperial cites and the Sahara
1st day: Casablanca – Rabat Meet at airport and travel into the city with the first views of the Moroccan country-side. Visit to Hassan II mosque (not possible on Fridays or religious holidays), the largest mosque in Africa and decorated with beautiful tiling of the utmost craftsmanship. Continue to the capital city, Rabat , to spend the night in a riad right in the heart of Sale medina, a lively community on the opposite side of the Bougreg River . Here in Sale a new project to enhance the river with a marina and promenades is well under way with a new bridge under construction for the tramway linking Rabat and Sale .
2nd day: Rabat - Meknes After breakfast in the riad, we go back again over the river to Rabat, where a visit to the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, built in homage to the king who passed away in 1961 is scheduled. His son and successor, Hassan II, who died in 1999, is also entombed here. Continue to the Kasbah Oudaya gardens, which are Andalusian in style, and from there into the Kasbah itself, painted the traditional blue and white on the outsides of the walls. This style of decorating houses can be found in many seaside towns up and down the Atlantic coast. The trip goes on to Meknes , where you visit Bab Mansour, one of the most famous sites of Morocco , the Moulay Ismail mausoleum and the granaries. The night is spent here in a riad.
3rd day: Meknes – Volubilis – Fes After breakfast at the riad, departure to Volubilis to visit the Roman ruins, which are spread over a wide area and afford beautiful views over the valley and hills. From here you can see and then visit the holy city of Moulay Idriss . Non-Moslems are not allowed entry into the mausoleum but the main square has lovely views and lovely little shops. Continue to Fes for dinner and the night in a riad.
4th day: Fes Enjoy a full day sightseeing tour in Fes which is the oldest of Morocco ’s four “Imperial Cities”. The medieval city of Fes El Bali , or “Old Fes” remains complete and is unspoiled. During your tour of this part of the town, you can visit the exotic Bou Inania Medersa), the Medina and the Kairaouine Mosque, where you may take photos of the wonderful courtyard from the main gate as well as the famous soukhs. In the afternoon you can visit Fes El Jdid, or “New Fes” and the Museum of Moroccan Arts . The night is spent in the riad.
5th day: Fes – Midelt – Er Rachidia – Rissani Departure from Fes at 8 o'clock, travelling via Azrou, where you can see Barbary apes in the forest of the Middle Atlas. Lunch is in Midelt, “the apple capital”, at the foot of the Ayachi Mountain . We continue over the Tizi-n-Talremt pass and through the Ziz Valley , which is particularly well-known for its palm trees and the length of the oasis. All along the road there are innumerable “ksars”, small villages of individual houses. From here we reach Er Rachidia and then Erfoud, famous for its date festival and fossils. In Rissani the night is spent in a new but traditionally built Kasbah. Rissani is the origins of the Alaouite family, the family of the present king of Morocco .
