With this journey we cover a vast expanse of the Kingdom of Morocco's amazing geography and cultural diversity.
Beginning in easy-to-get-to Marrakech, ON DAY 1 - your arrival day - you'll be picked up from the airport and brought to your spacious riad in a quiet, convenient and safe area of the old medina, where you have chosen either a luxury suite or a deluxe room - they're all unique, all special and atmospheric with every convenience you need - and on the first night we're going to dine together at an Aladdin's cave of music, candlelight, belly-dancing and delicious plates of mezes
Tomorrow, still in Marrakech on DAY 2, we'll spend the morning discovering the iconic Majorelle Gardens and its breathtaking museum of Berber jewellery, followed by the Yves St Laurent Museum before lunch, and then take a guided walk with our charismatic guide who will show you into the deepest pats of the old medina with stories, characters from history and of course, personal shopping tips too, for Marrakech is, indeed a shopper's paradise'.
The evening is at leisure to discover Marrakech's many culinary delights before returning to your riad for a good sleep before our journey tomorrow ... you're heading to the Sahara Desert!
On DAY 3 we travel west to spend two nights in an oasis - the only permanent oasis in Morocco, where you can unwind by the palm-shaded pool before dinner. Tomorrow you'll explore the ancient mellah - Jewish medina - of Quarzzazate. Rarely visited, its museum is a hidden gem, and through it we will come to understand the rich history of Morocco's peoples, and we'll pay a visit too, to an ancient kasbah whose iconic form adorns one of Morocco's currency bills. Skoura is a location to leisurely discover Berber art and crafts, rugs, woodwork without the hassling of big city vendors.
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The Sahara Desert is, in my experience, not to be rushed. The remoteness needs to be acclimatised to, then savoured, for its wilderness is beautiful, and part of the experience is understanding how Berber people can withstand its extremes, make it their home - and not to wish to be elsewhere. We're going to explore on camel, and in 4 x 4 vehicles to remote areas - including the lakes which attract migratory birds near the Algerian border, lunch at Kem Kem oasis, and take tea with nomad women who'll welcome you into their tented homes (along with the goats and the children!).
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For two nights, in two different, remote locations, you'll sleep in luxurious tents (with own amenities) - one with a swimming pool hidden amongst the red dunes ... a rare indulgence. Music abounds on these unforgettable campfire nights!
From here, on DAY 7, we travel northwards; it's a dramatic journey over two mountain ranges, where you'll appreciate how the geography has shaped culture. Finally reaching the walled city of Fes by late afternoon, you'll transfer to your luxury riad to refresh before we dine all together in the medina where you'll glimpse the UNESCO Heritage medina of Fes, the most complete medieval walled city in the world, a maze of more than 9000 alleyways, just waiting to be unravelled over the coming days if you decide to stay on for the Art Retreat which follows on from this tour. ... truly Marvellous in Morocco!
Day 1
12 May 2025
MARRAKECH, the Red City of the Sahara
Arrival day and the following day (2 nights)
Your arrival day - you'll be picked up from the airport and brought to your spacious riad in a quiet, convenient and safe area of the old medina, where you have chosen either a luxury suite or a deluxe room - they're all unique, all special and atmospheric with every convenience you need.
If you've arrived early in the day, you might enjoy spending time at Marrakech's latest addition to its private museums - the museum of jewellery and costume is mesmerising for anyone who loves oriental and tribal textiles, tribal jewellery.
Tonight we'll dine together at an extraordinary restaurant - an Aladdin's cave of music, candlelight, belly-dancing and delicious plates of mezes!
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HOTEL : Medina Riad with swimming pool (1/2nights)
MEALS: Dinner
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Day 2
13 May 2025
MARRAKECH Discovery
Amazing museums, shopping, dining
Today you'll take a short ride to enjoy the the Majorelle Oasis Gardens and Pierre Bergé Museum - the famous blue gardens designed by Jaques Majorelle and later owned by Yves St Laurent and Pierre Bergé. We'll start early so there's plenty of time, because this is a lovely place to enjoy lunch in the garden. Follow with the Yves St Laurent Museum with its several exhibitions and fascinating short film on Yves. From here, lunch and there are several options to choose from nearby before we meet our guide for a exploration of the famous medina of Marrakech., taking you into the deepest parts of the old medina with stories and characters from history.
Sip coffee from a balcony as the sun sets, watching the largest public square in Africa, the J'ma El F'na come to life - discover why its called "square of the dead" - and take some time to go shopping in the souks.
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If you'd prefer to discover a gem of a museum, may I suggest the beautiful Photography Museum?
Your evening is at leisure to shop, saunter and discover the many dining possibilities that this cosmopolitan city offers. Your riad is easy to find and from anywhere in the medina you can walk back, and cabs are also accessible ..
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HOTEL :Medina Riad with swimming pool (2/2 nights)
MEALS: Breakfast​​
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Day 3
14 May 2025
MARRAKECH to SKOURA OASIS
Over the High Atlas and into the desert
HOTEL : luxury desert kasbah with gardens, swimming pool and hammam spa
MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Departing after a good breakfast we board our coach with the same driver that we will have until we reach Fes.
We will head out of Marrakech, during the day you'll encounter rural dwellers from all works of life, see how living in the harshness of mountains affects the way people live, dress and survival for the basics governs daily life for most Moroccan people,.
close to Skoura, we'll stop to briefly visit the frontier town of QUARZZAZATE. I recall it being no more than a row of shops in 1986, it now boats a university and exemplifies Morocco's emerging generation. The King Mohammed VI has erected a gigantic solar array out here, and it is the centre of the Moroccan film industry.​
By late this afternoon we will reach the only permanent oasis in Morocco - SKOURA, an ancient watering hole - literally - for nomads and traders who maintained ksars here - large fortified fortress homes which offered protection to those who worked, and those who served with the grand landowners. Your home tonight is an authentically created ksar. The gardens are a salve to the weary traveller, its swimming pool and hammam complete indulgence amongst the palm grove. A beautiful room and delicious dinner await you tonight.
You may wish to book yourself in for a hammam - steam bath and scrub or massage with rose and orange scented argan oil.​
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Morocco's only permanent oasis creates an Eden of date palms and fruit trees, and tomorrow morning you may wish to take an optional guided OASIS WALK.
Day 4
15 May 2025
SKOURA OASIS
​ The gift of water
Awaking in an oasis is a delight not to be hurried ... take time to savour the distant calls to prayer that echo through the Spring air.
After a leisurely breakfast we will take a guided walk into the ancient gardens, sustained by the precious water which for centuries has coursed through ancient canals, managed by the community for equality and fairness - it's fascinating. Learn about the agriculture here and how these sublime desert gardens shaped the Islamic vision of Paradise which finds its expression from the Quran through more than a millenium of poetry extolling the beauty of gardens and their necessity in our lives a sources of calm and well-being.
​We'll then drive into Quarzazzate to walk through the ancient mellah - Jewish medina, with its rarely visited museum, a hidden gem, displaying the rich history of Morocco's Jewish communities. We'll pay a visit too, to an whose ancient kasbah whose conic form adorns one of Morocco's currency bills.
If you're a cinema buff you might enjoy the museum of Cinema, but mainly Skoura is location at the crossroads of berber travel routes, so it's a natural location to leisurely discover Berber art and crafts, rugs, woodwork without the hassling of big city vendors ... tonight a special dinner awaits you!
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HOTEL :Medina Riad with swimming pool, garded, hammam spa (1/3nights)
MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5
16th May 2025
SKOURA to SAHARA DESERT
Via The Road of a Thousand Kasbahs
​The Sahara Desert is, in my experience, not to be rushed. I have spent many visits here, even hiring my own camels and a couple of Berber men to accompany me on a ten-day solo trek. (you can read the blog here ). I really love it, and my desire with these two days is to share with you much that I have learned over years.
The remoteness needs to be acclimatised to, then savoured, for its wilderness is beautiful, and part of the experience is understanding how Berber people can withstand its extremes, make it their home - and not to wish to be elsewhere.
Having journeyed today from Skoura along what is known as The Road of a Thousand Kasbahs
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You'll spend two nights in Sahara, at two different locations under canvas. From the many bivoucs that are springing up in this area, i have chosen two specifically for their remote locations. Here you'll really experience a sense of the expansive Sahara, without the annoying intrusion of quad bikes revving through dunes.
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You'll sleep in luxurious tents (with own amenities) - one with a swimming pool hidden amongst the red dunes ... a rare indulgence. Music abounds on these unforgettable campfire nights! Thet are both luxury tented sites with private attached bathrooms - you'll be entranced.
Their cuisine is traditional Berber tagines, with fresh produce and breads made on the spot.
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HOTEL : Luxury tented camp with swimming pool (1/1 nights)
MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Day 6
17 May 2025
SAHARA DESERT
Golden dunes, camels ...
This is what you came for! Savour the joy of awaking in your own tent nestled amongst sand dunes, with Berber rugs laid out and a delicious breakfast served with coffee or Berber mint tea. Today you will experience a whole constellation of aspects of desert life,, as we set out with out expert guides in 4 x 4 vehicles to remote areas - including the lakes which attract migratory birds near the Algerian border,, visiting nomad encampments to take tea with women who'll welcome you into their tented homes (along with the goats and the children!). Lunch will be Berber-style in a palmy oasis with time to relax, before continuing to eventually meet our camel team with whom you'll journey to the next tented encampment.
The day is full and wondrous!
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HOTEL : luxury tented Berber camp (1/1 night)
MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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Day 7
18 May 2025
FINALLY FES
Arabesques, mosaics, scintillating souks
Whether it's you first time or a subsequent visit, Fes never fails to amaze - literally ... for within its medieval walls - enclosing the most complete walled medieval city in the world - you'll find a universe of ancient artisan crafts still being practiced, handed down from father to son through countless generations - fine leatherwork, exquisite tooled and cut metal made into lamps that twinkle wit individuality, embroidery and cuisine for which the city is famed throughout the Maghreb. This is Fes!
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You will stay within this old city in authentic riads, restored to their former glory by attentive owners whose personal style is imparted onto the historic walls.
You will arrive in Fes late in the afternoon after a big day of travel from the Sahara desert, passing over mountain ranges, travelling along rivers fed by cold mountain waters, their edges fringed by verdant palm groves. beyond, huddled int stoney hillsides reside Berber families who have fought for, and protected these ancestral lands for millennia.
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A day of extremes, and one that brings you into the rich world of Arabic culture, the city which lays claim to having the oldest university in the world, the city that hosted the scholar Maiomedes, and so, so much more.
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If you are staying on for the Art Retreat with Este MacLeod then you have a week ahead to discover this with us, and you will stay in one or other of the two 'Retreat Riads' tonight. If you are NOT staying on for the Art Retreat , then, because we have very limited accommodation in the two retreat riads, your tour will close on arrival in Fes and we will make sure that you are safely transferred to your hotel of choice ( I can advise you with this if you wish).
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so , in short : TONIGHT you arrive in FES
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If you are staying on for the Art Retreat, then your accommodation is included in the tour price, and you will stay in the same riads that are being used for the art retreat.
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If you are NOT staying on for the art retreat, then tonight you will stay in a riad of your choice and the tour cost does NOT include tonight's accommodation.
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HOTEL: Fes Riad according to the package you have chosen (1/1) IF you are following on with the art retreat
MEALS: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
THE ITINERARY
START : MARRAKECH (2) - SKOURA (2) - MERZOUGA (2) - FES (1)
FITNESS LEVEL
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7 Nights accommodation - choose the package that suits you best
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7 breakfasts
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6 dinners
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5 lunches
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bottled water provided with all meals
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The services of a national guide in Marrakech
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The services of specialist guides in Merzouga
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jeep safari, camel trekking, oasis guiding,
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All entrances to monuments and museums on the itinerary
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A/C Coach with reclining seats throughout the tour
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taxi transfers where necessary on tour
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(airport transfers not included but can be arranged)
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ALL TIPS and GRAUTUITIES
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ALL PORTERAGE
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What's Included?
If you are staying on for the Art Retreat with Este MacLeod then you have a week ahead to discover this with us, and you will stay in one or other of the two 'Retreat Riads' tonight.
So , in short : on the 7th (final) night you arrive in FES
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If you are staying on for the Art Retreat, then your accommodation is included in the tour price, and you will stay in the same riads that are being used for the art retreat.
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If you are NOT staying on for the art retreat, then tonight you will stay in a riad of your choice and the tour cost does NOT include tonight's accommodation.
A good average level of fitness is required for this tour, as we spend most of our time exploring the medinas - the original walled cities.​
Each day has guided elements, and we share lunch or dinner together each day, but our city hotels (Marrakech and Fes) are located so that you can take time out to explore on your own, should you wish.
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Mobility issues will make full participation on this tour difficult, so please take this into consideration when planning this trip.
all photos by Anna Kwiecinska. copyright asserted
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