MARRAKECH to MARRAKECH (9 days) Moroccan Circuit
MARRAKECH to MARRAKECH (9 days) Moroccan Circuit
MARRAKECH to MARRAKECH (9 days) Moroccan Circuit
9 Days Starting and ending in 31.625031,-7.992960
Visiting: Morocco
Tour operator:
Tour code:
520
Recommended For:
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
1 - 16
Age range:
5-85
Special diets catered:
Please advise requests.
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Tour Overview
This 9-day Morocco small-group tour uncovers both ancient cities, impressive ruins and busy medinas in the north of the country, and then crosses the Atlas mountains to discover the sand dunes of the Sahara desert. As such we get a real taste for everything that North Africa's most beutiful country has to offer.
The tour starts and finishes in Marrakech, perhaps Morocco's most famous and beguiling city. You'll have plenty of time here to explore the medina and see more of this enchanting city. Next you take in three more of Morocco's great Imperial Cities, visiting the capital Rabat, the walled city of Meknes, and the ancient city of Fes with its huge medina, tanneries and dye pits. Other stops in the north of the country include Casablanca on the Atlantic coast, and the extensive UNESCO listed Roman ruins at Volubilis.
After a full day in Fes you then head up into and across the Atlas mountains for a scenic drive to the small town of Merzouga, which sits on the edge of the Sahara Desert. Here youi board camels and take a trek into the spectacular Erg Chebbi sand dunes before spending the night in an authentic Berber desert camp on the edge of the desert. Time in the deep Todra Gorge follows, with the opportunity for a short hike through the canyon and Palmerie area, or to try some rock climbing. Then you follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs to Ouarzazate and the Ksar of Ait Benhaddou, which you may find familiar as it has appeared in several movies, some of which were also partially filmed in the nearby Atlas studios which you'll also have the opportunity to visit.
The tour then ends by crossing North Africa's highest mountain pass, the Tizi n'Tichka, before descending back into Marrakech to finish the tour. Accommodation is in comfortable mid-range hotels and the desert camp, and the tour can also be extended by adding extra nights in Marrakech at either end if you wish. The tour can also be arranged privately if you would rather not join a small group, or if our group dates do not work for you. Please contact us for details.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive In Marrakech: Transfer To Hotel
Accommodation Name: Marrakech hotel
Meals Included: Dinner
Welcome to Morocco! We will meet you on your arrival in Marrakech airport and transfer you to the hotel. Your time is then free to relax by the hotel pool, or explore Marrakech a little independently if you arrive early. We will then have a welcome meeting with the tour guide at 6.00pm where you will meet your fellow travellers. If you arrive late and miss this meeting then we will make the introductions again tomorrow morning. Dinner is included in the hotel tonight.
Day 2: To Casablanca: Optional Hassan Ii Mosque Visit
Accommodation Name: Casablanca hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
We will leave Marrakech this morning and drive to Casablanca, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean (approx. 3.5hrs). After arriving and having lunch, there is an optional visit to the Hassan II Mosque. This is the largest mosque in Morocco, with the world's tallest minaret (210 metres), and is also the only mosque we know of in Morocco that allows non-muslims to visit. Combined with its spectacular location with the sea waves lapping up against it, this is a highly recommended visit. (Note - visits into the mosque are not allowed during Ramadan). You'll then have some free time to explore the city centre on your own before we have a meeting at 6pm for dinner and to meet fellow travellers joining this tour in Casablanca.
Day 3: Rabat: Meknes & Volubilis
Accommodation Name: Fes hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Our first stop today is the capital of Morocco, Rabat. Strategically located on the Atlantic coast, Rabat was formed way back in the third century BC and we'll visit the Oudaia Kasbah in the oldest part of the city today. We'll alsobe able to see Rabat's most famous landmark, the Hassan's Tower, as well as the Royal Palace.
Next stop is the Berber walled Imperial City of Meknes, a former capital of Morocco. The ramparts rise up to 40m tall, and inside them are many beautiful gardens and intricate gateways. Our final visit of the day is then the UNESCO listed Roman site of Volubilis, which dates back to AD40. This is the largest ancient site in Morocco and has many impressive ruins. We finish our day by making the short drive on to Fes.
Day 4: Full Day Exploring Fes
Accommodation Name: Fes hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Considered the largest and oldest medieval city in the world by many, Fes is over 1,200 years old and is famous for its busy Medina. Home to 400,000 inhabitants this is packed with narrow winding streets, mosques, souks and is a heady mix of sights, smells and sounds. We'll spend plenty of time exploring the Medina, seeing various palaces and mosques (which non-Muslims will not be able to enter), and many different crafts on sale. ounds. Our guided otur will also include the Fes's famous dye-pits and tanneries, as well as a traditional Moroccan pharmacy and pottery. Finally we'll return to our hotel to relax after a long day of walking and exploring. This evening there is the option for a traditional meal inside the city with live Moroccan entertainment including music, belly dancing and magicians.
Day 5: Atlas Mountains & Sahara Desert Camp
Accommodation Name: Berber camp
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Today is a long driving day, but packed with spectacular scenery as we cross the Atlas Mountains and head towards the mighty Erg Chebbi sand dunes on the edge of the Sahara Desert. During the summer months we'll aim to find a spot for a relaxing swim on the way. After descending out of the hills and arriving at Merzouga, we will transfer to camels and take a trek in to the vast Sahara Desert dunes in time for the sunset. We'll then return to an authentic Berber camp on the edge of the desert and spend the evening enjoying some local food, music before settling in for a hopefully clear night under the Saharan stars.
Day 6: Todra Gorge
Accommodation Name: Todra Gorge hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
We'll leave the desert sands reluctantly this morning and travel on to the impressive Todra Gorge. With 1,000ft high vertical cliffs surrounding the base of the canyon, the gorge is popular with rock climbers and there is an option to try this during some free time here this afternoon. You can also walk through the Palmerie area or take a hike through the Gorge, enjoying the changing colours of the cliffs as the sun moves across the sky. We will also visit a favourite Berber co-operative today where you can see and buy authentic locally made Berber hand-made rugs, kilims and carpets.
Day 7: Ouarzazate & Ait Benhaddou
Accommodation Name: Ait Benhaddou hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
We leave the gorge this morning and follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs as we make our way past Ouarzazate to Ait Benhaddou. There are several options available today, including a quad biking trip on the desert sands with the Atlas Mountains in the distance, or an optional tour of the world famous film studios just outside Ouarzazate. These have helped create hundreds of famous movies and TV series, inclduing Lawrence of Arabi, The Living Daylights, The Last Temptation of Christ, The Man who would be King, The Mummy, Gladiator, Asterix & Obelisk, Kingdom of Heaven, Kundun, Legionnaire, Hanna, and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, as well as part of the TV series Game of Throne.
The main highlight today though is our guided tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Benhaddou. Sitting on a hill next to the Ouarzazate river, Ait Benhaddou is a fortified city or ksar (a group of earthen buildings surrounded by high walls), with clay built houses and some great examples of traditional Kasbahs crowding together on the hillside protected by the defensive walls. We'll wind our way up through the winding streets to the fortified granary at the top of the hill which affords great views over the surrounding valley and to the high mountains we'll be crossing tomorrow.
Day 8: Cross The Atlas Mountains To Marrakech
Accommodation Name: Marrakech hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
It is another beautiful morning drive today as we head up and across the High Atlas mountains , en-route stopping at the Tizi N'tichka col, which at 2,260m is the highest pass in North Africa. Snow caps the surrounding peaks for several months of the year, making for spectacular views.
After arriving in Marrakech, your afternoon is free or you can book an optional guided tour of the city with our guide. The tour will feature Marrakech's pride and main landmark, the Koutoubia Tower. A companion tower to the Giralda Tower in Seville and the Tower of Hassan in Rabat, it is said that the sultan who built them had the eyes of his architect cut out to prevent him from ever building a more beautiful tower elsewhere. Our tour of course will also take in Marrakech's UNESCO listed medina, which is packed with stalls packed with spices, crafts, and seemingly everything else under the sun. We'll finish at the Djemaa-el-Fna, which is Marrakech's famous large open square. This really comes to life at night with masses of street food stalls, entertainers and local people packing it for the evening. The rest of the afternoon is free to relax by the hotel pool, explore the markets further, or do some souvenir shopping, before we meet up for a final group evening meal. You may then wish to head back to the square for a final exciting taste of Moroccan life.
Day 9: Tour Ends In Marrakech
Meals Included: Breakfast
Your Moroccan tour with us ends after breakfast today and your time is free until you depart. Our guide or the hotel will help you arrange a taxi for the short drive to the airport, or you can add extra days to explore Marrakech further if you wish.
What's Included
What's Not Included
More Info
This 9-day Morocco small-group tour uncovers both ancient cities, impressive ruins and busy medinas in the north of the country, and then crosses the Atlas mountains to discover the sand dunes of the Sahara desert. As such we get a real taste for everything that North Africa's most beutiful country has to offer. The tour starts and finishes in Marrakech, perhaps Morocco's most famous and beguiling city. You'll have plenty of time here to explore the medina and see more of this enchanting city. Next you take in three more of Morocco's great Imperial Cities, visiting the capital Rabat, the walled city of Meknes, and the ancient city of Fes with its huge medina, tanneries and dye pits. Other stops in the north of the country include Casablanca on the Atlantic coast, and the extensive UNESCO listed Roman ruins at Volubilis. After a full day in Fes you then head up into and across the Atlas mountains for a scenic drive to the small town of Merzouga, which sits on the edge of the Sahara Desert. Here youi board camels and take a trek into the spectacular Erg Chebbi sand dunes before spending the night in an authentic Berber desert camp on the edge of the desert. Time in the deep Todra Gorge follows, with the opportunity for a short hike through the canyon and Palmerie area, or to try some rock climbing. Then you follow the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs to Ouarzazate and the Ksar of Ait Benhaddou, which you may find familiar as it has appeared in several movies, some of which were also partially filmed in the nearby Atlas studios which you'll also have the opportunity to visit. The tour then ends by crossing North Africa's highest mountain pass, the Tizi n'Tichka, before descending back into Marrakech to finish the tour. Accommodation is in comfortable mid-range hotels and the desert camp, and the tour can also be extended by adding extra nights in Marrakech at either end if you wish. The tour can also be arranged privately if you would rather not join a small group, or if our group dates do not work for you. Please contact us for details.
Check out our Q&As
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Is there any free time to explore places during the tour?
As detailed in an Itinerary.
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What is the fitness level required to do this tour?
Low.
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Are airport transfers included in this tour?
Yes.
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Are children permitted to take part in the tour?
Yes.
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Are the local guides on the tour English speaking?
Yes.
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What is the maximum group size?
16.
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Is travel insurance compulsory?
Yes! Travel insurance is compulsory on all of our tours and needs to cover personal accident & liability, medical expenses and repatriation, travel delay & abandonment. We also strongly recommend that you take out cover against cancellation and lost/stolen baggage. Personal medical insurance does not normally provide sufficient cover and is generally not suitable for travel on our tours. You will not be able to join your tour if you have not provided us with details of your insurance or if you arrive without cover in place (no refunds will be due in this event).
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What happens if I need to change my holiday date once I’ve booked?
You are always able to change your travel date. However, some charges may apply depending on how long before your departure you make the change. Our flexible booking conditions and reduced charges will apply if you are changing date because of a Covid-19 reason or because your government is advising against travel to your destination. Please check our detailed booking conditions for full details.
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When is my balance payment due?
60 days prior to departure
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
On most of our group tours, solo travellers may choose to form a temporary 'tour bubble' and share a room with another traveller of the same sex in the group. If a room share is not available then a single room supplement may be payable, with the costs for these kept as low as possible. We have also removed compulsory single supplements from many of our tours, and are reducing the cost by 50% on s
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Can I transfer my booking to someone else?
Customers may transfer their booking or any Credit on File to another person who satisfies all the relevant conditions to the tour, provided that we are notified not less than 7 days before departure, and the transferee agrees to these booking conditions and all other terms of the contract between us. The Client and new booker are jointly and severally responsible for any outstanding payments and a transfer administration fee of GBP50 / USD75 / CAD100 / AUD100 / NZD100 / EUR75 / ZAR1000 / INR5000 or GBP100 / USD150 / CAD200 / AUD200 / NZD200 / EUR150 / ZAR2000 / INR10,000 if the transfer is made less than 60 days before departure. Important Note: Certain arrangements may not be amended or transferred after they have been confirmed (for example flight tickets, Gorilla Permits) and any alteration could incur a cancellation and rebooking charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements.
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Transfer as credit to Future Tours
Encounters Travel allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform encounters travel, 60 days before departure.
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Low Deposit
Encounters Travel requires a minimum deposit of 150 GBP per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 60 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of encounters travel charges.
Up to 61 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 60 days before tour starts: Forfeit 35% of booking price.
At 41 days before tour starts: Forfeit 70% of booking price.
At 27 days before tour starts: Forfeit 90% of booking price.
At 14 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.