a Morocco Private Tour over 2 weeks: comprehensive and Tailor made

Day 1: Casablanca/ Rabat – Fez ( 3 hour drive). *driving times don’t include the various stops. 

Notwithstanding the Art Deco heritage, Casablanca is nowadays mainly a large metropolis devoid of any monuments. King Hassan 2 wanted to change that and decided to erect a landmark to match the city – the second largest mosque in the world. The last few years of its completion, 1400 craftsmen worked by day and 1000 by night. The marble, cedar wood and granite all come from Morocco while the glass chandeliers and white granite columns were brought from Murano, Italy.

With a rich history and recently included on the select UNESCO site list, Rabat lies suspended somewhere between Europe and the Arab world. The 12th century Kasbah des Oudayas and its Andalusian Gardens are a delight. We can dwell further into the past and visit the Merenid necropolis of Chellah, where Phoenician, Roman and Merinid traces blend. Or loose yourself inside the splendid ‘Jardins d’Essais Botaniques’.

Sale, across the bay, harboured a pirate nest and a republic onto its own. But perhaps it is best to hear all about it from our local guide, a passionate university teacher who will give you a comprehensive behind- locked- doors visit. The journey should reach Fez late afternoon/ evening, just in time to freshen up and get ready for dinner. 

Day 2: Fez.

With the first light of dawn, you realize you have travelled in time. Four centuries? Five? If it weren’t for the satellite dishes adorning every roof, it could be more. Perhaps as much as the Kayraouine University and mosque, now 12 centuries old, the oldest still– working university in the world. The heyday of the caravan trade coming from Timbuktu is long resolute. Instead, the migration of wealthy Moors and Jews from the courts of Granada and Cordoba in 15th and 16th century is more present.

The numerous Islamic schools, among which the most ornate are Bou Inania and El Attarine, will wow you with their intricate stucco and cedar engravings that have resisted the passage of centuries. Out in the streets again, you will most likely smell the tanneries before you sight them… 

Little has changed here since Fez took over Cordoba in Spain as the center of leather production around the Mediterrenean. Dozens of workers toil over open vats, dipping skins in to treat them before hand-dyeing them in bright yellow, red and white, stomping them under the hot sun to distribute the pigment. 

The trip through the souks takes us to Nejjarine Square you can catch your breath enjoying a mint tea on the roof terrace of Nejjarine Foundouk, an 18th-century caravanserai, turned into a woodwork museum.  “There is a good deal of frustration involved in the process of enjoying Fez,” wrote Paul Bowles about Fez and that still holds true nowadays. 

There are thousands of derbs, streets so narrow you could whisper in your neighbor’s ear. Just when the walls seem to cave in on you, a little square comes up and suddenly all menace disappears. On your second night in Fes, it would be a pity not to try one of the local excellent restaurants. 

Day 3: Fez.

After a full day spent visiting the old town, you should be by now, better with directions. Lately, many derelict palaces of Fez have turned into riads ( boutique hotels built around an inside garden) while others became museums, like Palais Batha. 

On display are fine examples of woodcarving, stucco, and zellij, much of it rescued from Fes’s crumbling medersas, along with embroidery, Berber carpets, jewelry, textiles, astronomical instruments and calligraphy.  

Back inside the maze, you will sooner or later end up next to the zaouia of Moulay Idriss, the site where the founder of the city is buried, which at any time of day is packed with women, burning candles and incense looking for the much coveted baraka (good fortune). Up until the 1980’s any citizen had the right to claim asylum from prosecution or arrest and so the area was a heaven for fugitives and outlaws.

If you feel you had a culture overdose by now, venture in the country side for a picnic (just one hour drive from Fez the countryside is peppered with lakes and forests) or indulge in a traditional Moroccan hammam. 

Perhaps you should allow some time for shopping as well: the leather and brass trade in Fez is without equal in all of Morocco. If you want to try your hand at a Moroccan cooking class, Fez offers the possibility of a complete immersion into the Moroccan culture and family life. Learn how to bake hubz, preserve lemons, the name of the different spices and make mint tea, before embarking on to prepare the ubiquitous tagine.

Day 4: Fes – Azrou – Beni Mellal – Ouzoud Waterfalls – Marrakech ( 8 hours drive).

( If you wish to avoid the long drive, we can book you a one hour internal flight from Fez to Marrakech. We will arrange for pick up with the hotel in Marrakech and your driver will join you there next morning).

After breakfast, leave Fes behind and take on the Middle Atlas. With Fez in the background, our trip meanders its way up into the shade of cedar forests. The route takes us first through Ifrane, the ‘Switzerland of Morocco’. 

Pretty walks are to be had in the foothills of the next town, Sefrou. Country lanes wind through pine forest and lush villages. The dense forest is also home to the Barbary macaque, almost domesticated now and the 800- year old Gouraud’s cedar. We are soon crossing lush pastures and olive groves, each with its own olive mill.

After lunch, we can take a detour and stop by the 110- meter high Ouzoud waterfalls. From the top, it is possible to trek down to the bottom of the waterfall taking a number of stone steps. The oversized grottoes here used to shelter watermills, grinding wheat into flour as the river is diverted through the wheels before plunging over the edge. A path through a grove of olive trees leads to the pools carved out of the rock.

Leaving the falls behind, our private tour of Morocco bumps off a rutted road, through rich farmland. Fields of golden grain, patched by deep green and thickets of trees, fade to haze in the distance. Here and there stands a farm compound and, in late afternoon, the village is softly hushed, the only sound the bleating of far- off goats. 

Ahead in the distance, lays sensual Marrakech, its walls and eighteen gates enveloping hundreds of caravanserais formerly accommodatiing the caravans and their precious cargos.

Day 5: Marrakech – visit of the city.

Where Fez is the bashful scholar, the ‘red city’ is the exuberant seducer. More than its opulent night life and luxurious palaces, the design boutiques or the French restaurants, it’s something in the air, a certain je ne sais quoi… 

A good place to start is perhaps Maison de La Photographie, documenting life in Morocco from late 1800’s all the way to the 1950’s through photographs and a worthwhile documentary on the Berbers.

Crossing the souks, the shops do look like they just got Ali Baba’s last shipment and shameless snooping turns compulsive. If it is too early in the day for shopping, you can also admire the dying of the wool or the looming of a Berber carpet on site. 

Past Place des Epices and its shops stuffed with turtles, colorful spices and witchcraft accessories, we make our way into the Kasbah. Uncovered by chance in 1917, the Saadi Tombs hold the remains of sultans responsible for the last golden age of the city, the 16th and 17th century. 

An English merchant that lived at the sultan’s court in 16th century relates: ‘Six days past here aryved a nobleman from Gao (in Mali), whoe was sent by thins King 10 yeares paste to conquere the said countrye. He brought with him thirtie camels laden with tybar, which ys unrefyned gold; also great store of pepper, unicornes horns and a certaine kynde of wood for diers, to some 120 camel loades, and great quantitye of eanuches, duarfes, and weomen and men slaves, besydes 15 virgins, the Kinge’s daughters of Gao, which he sendeth to be the kinge’s concubines. You must note all these to be of the cole black heyre, for that contry yeldeth noe other.’

Unfortunately, the palace was to be dismantled by the succeeding dynasty and only the walls and towers remain nowadays. As the sun sets and the shade of its towers loses  contour, the fumes start rising on the nearby Jemaa El Fna. 

Musicians, acrobats, snake charmers, witch doctors and food stalls all come alive as if they had never left the place. This is the city at its most essential, a place where people from everywhere mingle, perform and people- watch, half way between a village market and a circus show.

Day 6: Marrakech – visit of the city/ relaxing/ cooking class.

The popularity of Marrakech is with foreigners and Moroccans alike. Its gardens are a magnet to people living in traffic jammed Casablanca or conservatory Fez. Ali Ben Youssef, the Spain- educated sultan, brought with him the refinement of Andalucia with its elegant houses built around a patio back in the 11th century. 

The Almohads then built the Kasbah and the vast manicured gardens still in use today. Agdal Gardens and Menara Gardens are examples of the garden culture permeating the 12th and 13th century, highly similar to the alcazars of Cordoba and Seville. Majorelle Gardens were subsequently acquired by Yves Saint Laurent and then made available to the general public ( 2018 has seen the opening of Yves Saint Laurent museum adjacent to the gardens and starting 2023 you need to book your visit online).  Our favorite gardens must be those of La Mamounia hotel, where for the price of a coffee at the bar, you are free to roam around the afternoon.

If gardens are not your things, worry not. Cooking lunch with a local family, Arab caligraphy, making slippers, a tour of the modern art galleries, a food tasting tour, hot air balloon ride, are but some of the activities you can choose from. Here are some ideas on how to spend the day.

Day 7: Marrakech – Telouet – Ait Benhaddou – Agdz ( 5 hour drive)

Shortly after leaving Marrakech, our itinerary breasts the Atlas mountains. It is one of the most winding roads, filled with twists and turns and making its way up to 2300 meters altitude to then descend onto Ouarzazate and the Grand sud. Before arriving at the Tizi n Tichka pass, mesmerizing views alternate with the shade of the pine forest, argan oil cooperatives and goat herds. 

The tour reaches Telouet with its imposing derelict palace dominating the village. Pacha Glaoui had managed to overshadow the sultan by controlling most of nowadays Morocco. He had employed the most skilled artisans to build and decorate his main residence, while a flourishing Jewish community ruled the nearby salt mines.

Leaving Telouet behind, our 4×4 Morocco tour crosses spaghetti western backgrounds to then follow the canyon. The gardens by the river bed melt into a gigantic green serpent imprisoned between the barren light brown walls of the gorges, only to escape out into the horizon. Here and there, decaying kasbahs stand witnesses of an age soon resolute.

Arrive at Ait Benhaddou early afternoon and visit the UNESCO world site citadel.  Back on the road, our trip crosses Ouarzazate, famous by its film studios where scenes of ‘ Game of Thrones ‘ and ‘Gladiator’ were shot, the tour sways its way through barren rocky hills and valleys. As we come out of Agdz, the magnificent Kasbah Tamnougalt deserves a visit. The adobe honeycomb is a testimony to the grandeur it used to shed on its neighbors centuries ago. 

Further on, you can also admire megalithic rock paintings depicting animals and hunting scenes. And since you are here, why not bake some pie with the local village lady ( and eat it too) ? Back at the guest house, the dusk is upon us when the breeze stirs the palm trees swaying in the enveloping night.

Day 8: Agdz – Zagora – Tamegroute – Mhamid – Erg Chigaga ( 3 hours drive)

Our tour takes us past Tamegroute. Among the thousands of priceless manuscripts on display in its library, works of mathematics, philosophy, astronomy and a 900 year old Koran. The emerald- glazed pottery cast in the open- air earth ovens is famous throughout Morocco. 

If you wish, you can try your hand yourself at a short clay pottery class. And why not bake some pies with the local ladies in the neighboring palm grove ? The palm grove is soon put behind us and a few twists and turns later, the tour reaches the end of civilized world. Or at least the end of the tarmac.

The next two hours of our trip make full use of the four wheel drive as rocky desert gives way to rocky hamada and then sand dunes, past the occasional water well and oasis. These are the dunes of Erg Chigaga. 

While the staff of the camp is unloading your luggage and preparing your dinner, you climb onto the highest dune you can find. And lose yourself. And while the sun sets, there is nowhere else you would rather be… Dinner and accommodation in a private tent under the stars.

{ Salt for gold. Literally. Salt mines were present all around Morocco but for a long time, caravans used the salt mines of Taghaza, in the heart of the Sahara. From there, the salt slabs were loaded onto camels and exchanged at the end of a 9-week journey across the desert for gold in Timbuktu, Gao or Oudaghoust. When salt was scarce, an ounce ( 28 grams) of gold was worth a pound ( 454 grams) of salt. The caravans would return with gold, slaves and ivory and reach Morocco through the oases of Akka or Sijilmassa to then cross the Atlas Mountains and deliver their loads to the courts of Marrakech and Fez. }

Day 9: Erg Chigaga – Iriki – Foum Zguid ( 3 hour drive).

Should you have missed the sunrise… well, try not to. If yesterday was about getting away from civilization, today is about getting back to it. After toddling across sand dunes, we reach the vast Lake Iriki, nowadays a soda plain. We’ll have a break and tea with the nomads, then search for fossils. 

Further on we take on the hamada while trying to spot some wildlife along the way. Iguanas or antilopes are not that hard to come by. Finally, we come out to Foum Zguid. Good bye Sahara, hello tarmac. Have a snack in the village to then retreat to your lodge for the night and spend a relaxing afternoon taking in the views and the pool. 

Day 10: Foum Zguid – Tata – Ighrem – Taroudant ( 4 hour drive).

Leave Foum Zguid to follow the solitary road leading to Tata, lined by semi deserted landscapes, a sort of Moroccan route 66, stopping on the way to admire the waterfalls at Tissint. Later, head north across the Anti Atlas. 

But first, stop in an old Berber village and visit the 18th century village granary, still in use. The granaries of Morocco still give meaning to local’s lives whereas they keep storing their grains, but also jewelry and marriage contracts  in the stacked cells, guarded by the ever reliant amin.

Back on the road, with a bit of chance, your driver will have you discover the ancient Berber alphabet symbols carved thousands of years ago on the stone embankment of the dry river bed. 

The valley of Tagmoult is one of the most dramatic in the south, ascending to 1800 meters high. Stop for a tea or coffee in Ighrem, a quiet Berber town. Late afternoon, descend on the plain of Taroudant, majestically overlooked by the peaks of the High Atlas, at over 4000 meters high.

Day 11: Taroudant ( relaxing day).

Spend the day relaxing at your accommodation or take one of the caleche rides around the walls of the Little Marrakech. Your driver can also take you north of Taroudant where trekking opportunities and village life abound. 

Day 12: Taroudant – Agadir – Essaouira ( 4 hours drive)

Less than 1 hour drive from Taroudant lies Agadir and the wide beaches of Taghazout, famous for their surfing and warm currents. Our tailor made Morocco tour is now headed towards Essaouira following the Atlantic coast, past surfer villages and unspoilt beaches. 

Past Taghazout the region lays claim to a windswept, untouched spot on the western coast with empty, golden beaches, clear blue sky and waves to surf on.  As we approach the wind city, shepherds—very young boys or very old men—dressed in hooded djellabas tend flocks of sheep and goats, some of them high up in the argan trees feasting on the fruit.

With its strong breezes, Essaouira is one of the world’s top windsurfing and kite boarding spots. It has a lot more going for it though, besides water sports, glorious trading past and European military architecture. Should you arrive before sunset, you can have a quiet walk on the vast beach, passing the impromptu soccer matches, out to the dunes where hooded horseback riders offer bonjours and a shimmering lagoon is filled with birds.

Day 13: Essaouira – Oualidia – El Jadida ( 4 hours drive )

The present Essaouira dates from 1765, when the sultan decided to build a port on the site of the ancient Mogador which would open Morocco up to the world and develop commercial ties with Europe. The new port became one of the country’s main commercial hubs. The local Jewish community played a very important role as the sultan made use of them to establish commercial relations with Europe. 

On the way to El Jadida, the picturesque fishing village of Oualidia, built around a wide lagoon midway up Morocco’s Atlantic coast, is a quiet, slightly out-of-time place. For much of the second half of the 20th century, the Moroccan bourgeoisie decamped here in the summer.

Today, well-to-do Moroccans come for the clean air, the tranquility and the best oysters in the country, which are shucked tableside on the terrace at L’Araignee Gourmande or the posh Sultana Hotel. The lagoon is right on a wide and deserted beach, with sand gently sloping into the palest blue water.

Day 14: El Jadida – Casablanca ( 1H30 drive).

UNESCO world site El Jadida radiates with the memories of the Arab sultans and Portuguese explorers who came and went on the trade winds. It was one of the very first settlements of Portuguese explorers in West Africa on the route to India.  When Portuguese left in the 18th century it fell into decline and revived in 19th century.  Echoes of Orson Welles’ Othello still resonate within the 16th century old water cistern. 

The trip to Casablanca takes no more than 1 hour and a half and the driver will make sure to drop you off at the airport at least 2 hours before your flight. This concludes our 2 week Morocco private tour

Below you will find the resumed version of this 2 week Morocco tour :

• Day 1: Casablanca/ Rabat – Volubilis/ Meknes – Fez ( 2/ 3 hour drive*).
• Day 2: Fez – visit of the city with a local guide ( no driving).
• Day 3: Fez. Leisure time, cooking class or sightseeing.
• Day 4: Fez – Azrou – Beni Mellal – Ouzoud falls – Marrakech ( 8 hour drive) or Fes- Marrakech ( 1 hour internal flight);
• Day 5: Marrakech – visit of the city with local guide.
• Day 6: Marrakech – leisure time, crafts lesson or cooking class.
• Day 7: Marrakech – Telouet – Ait Benhaddou – Agdz ( 5 hour drive).
• Day 8:  Agdz – Zagora – Mhamid – Erg Chigaga ( 5 hour drive).
• Day 9: Erg Chigaga – Iriki – Foum Zguid ( 3 hour and a half drive).
• Day 10: Foum Zguid – Tata – Ighrem – Taroudant ( 4 hour drive).
• Day 11: Taroudant – relaxing day ( no driving) or trekking.
• Day 12: Taroudant – Taghazout/ Chichaoua – Essaouira ( 4 hour drive).
• Day 13: Essaouira – Oualidia – El Jadida ( 4 hour drive).
• Day 14: El Jadida – Casablanca airport ( 1 hour drive). End of the tour.

* driving times don’t include the stops along the way.

Please remember that this is merely a sample itinerary. What we excel at is crafting a tailor made itinerary around your preferences and schedule. Please note that all our tours of Morocco are private and daily stops are accommodated along the way every couple of hours for you to visit a site, take a stunning photo or stretch your legs. Feel free to let us know if you would like to include a site/ activity of your own in the itinerary. 

Some of Morocco’s hidden gems and experiences on this private tour can be:

• visit of a 500 year old apiary and honey tasting;
• visit of Bronze- Age rock engravings and century old granaries;
• trekking in the High Atlas/ Anti Atlas with a local guide;
• wine tasting and lunch at a wine domain next to Essaouira;
• bake pie with the village ladies in the Draa Valley;
• tour the palm grove and find out about the adobe architecture, community customs and holidays, village markets ;
• hot air balloon over Marrakech and Palmeraie;
• cook a Moroccan meal with a local family and shop for ingredients inside the medina;
• take a class in Moroccan zellij/ tadelakt/ slippers or Arab caligraphy;
• lunch inside a Berber home or at Richard Branson’s Kasbah Tamadot;
• learn how the argan oil is extracted in a local Berber cooperative;
• wind surf or surf on a wild beach on the Atlantic coast.

How much a 2 week Morocco tour costs ?

Bellow you will find our tentative rates ( no two itineraries are similar ) based on two persons traveling together, with the relevant accommodation option. For discounted rates, we invite you to book off season. 1 % of our revenues are donated towards social causes in Morocco.

Dreamers: starting from 2395 US $/ 2050 €/ 1965 £ per person ( double room & comfort desert tent);
Privilege:  starting from 3850 US $/ 3565 €/ 3160 £ per person ( suite & luxury tent with en suite shower and toilet);
Divine: price available on request.

Our portfolio accommodations do not fit into a rigorous star rating system, so we have named them Dreamers, Privilege and Divine, to best resume their nature. To ensure availability, we recommend booking at least 3-4 months in advance. 

Pricing can vary at different times of the year. If you book your tour to take place in December, January ( outside NYE holidays), February, June, July and August, you will enjoy our low season rates. An exact rate will be offered once we have agreed on the precise itinerary, accommodation range preferred and any extras you would like to include. Discounts apply when 3 or more persons share the vehicle(s). You can also choose to mix different accommodation ranges within the same circuit.

What a 2 week itinerary rates include: 

• private use of English fluent driver-guide and modern air-conditioned Toyota 4×4;
• boutique/ luxury hotel accommodation for 12 nights;
• desert camp private basic / luxury tent with en suite shower and toilet for 1 night;
• 9 three course meal dinners and 13 breakfasts for 2 persons; airport or hotel pickup and drop-off;
• private guided visit of Fez with local official guide;
• private guided visit of Marrakech;
• private guided visit of a palm grove with local guide or guided trek in the gorges/ High Atlas;
• refreshing drinks inside the vehicle all along the itinerary;
• local English speaking guides;
• admission fees to all local sites and attractions;
• 24 hour travel assistance ( with Privilege and Divine option);
• gasoline and highway tolls;
• transport insurance, VAT and visitors tax.

WHY BOOK WITH US  THIS PRIVATE TOUR IN MOROCCO ?

# We are based in Morocco since 2006 and no, we don’t work from home :). We scout for the most unique sites & local experiences all year round. We present these on our blog and Instagram  pages. And only a travel agent based in Morocco can keep you up to date with latest travel advice or the best hammams in Marrakech;

# We anonymously test, hand- pick and continuously update the best boutique and luxury hotels, Riads , eco lodges and Kasbahs across Morocco;

# We strive to bring you most authentic experiences. Some of them are exclusive: private flight to the Sahara; visit of a medina with a local university teacher; mechoui with a nomad family;

# 1 percent of our receipts go towards local projects, like help educate girls from rural Morocco or restoring the agadirs of southern Morocco;

# we accept payments by credit card, bank transfer and starting 2023, select cryptocurrencies;

# we are on hand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, before and during your tour, by email, phone or Skype/ Zoom.

Ready to create your unique Morocco tour? Get in touch here with our on- the- ground team in Morocco.