The Best of Morocco

Your Moroccan adventure begins in Casablanca, the country’s economic powerhouse, where a private shuttle will be waiting to transport you to your boutique hotel to freshen up. Early arrivals might choose to visit the mighty Hassan II Mosque (optional, but highly recommended) before getting to know the rest of your group over a cold beer and Mediterranean dinner. It’s the perfect chance to sip sundowners and enjoy your first experience of warm Moroccan hospitality.

Today you’ll travel cross-country to one of Morocco’s prettiest towns: Chefchaouen. It’s a full morning drive but you’re in for a treat when you arrive. Tucked into a fold of the rugged Rif Mountains, the bright blue-washed buildings with their red-tiled roofs and Andalusian-style courtyards are impossibly photogenic. Keep your camera to hand as you follow your guide through the steep cobbled alleys of the medina packed with artisans selling traditional Berber wares. You’ll have free time this evening to go out for dinner, trek up to the waterfall spring for breathtaking views or simply relax at your riad.

Enjoy a relaxed morning exploring Chefchaouen at your own pace. You might enter the red-walled kasbah with its medieval fortress and dungeon, visit the Ethnographic Museum or simply wander the streets soaking up local life. The laidback town is also a good place for some hassle-free shopping, with artisan workshops brim-full of leather bags, colourful Berber blankets, lanterns and jewellery. This afternoon, you’ll continue your journey south through fertile fields to the Middle Atlas mountains. Arriving in Fes, you’ll be invited into the home of a local family. As well as being treated to truly traditional dinner, you’ll gain a fascinating insight into life within the walls of the medina.

Waking up in your riad, you’ll know you’re in Morocco. On your doorstep are 10,000 labyrinthine alleys boasting a bewildering array of leather and carpet stalls, apothecaries and metalworkers, spice merchants and goods-laden donkeys. You’ll spend the morning immersed in the medina’s old-world atmosphere, visiting the famous tanneries, observing weavers at their loom and discovering hidden workshops where generations of artisans adapt their centuries-old techniques to a modern market. Later, you’ll visit the gates of the Royal Palace and explore the Jewish cemetery, before stopping off at the fascinating pottery quarter where the city’s distinctive blue and white ceramics are made. As the sun sets, listen to the call of the muezzins radiating out from a sea of minarets and echoing across the city – a quintessential Moroccan experience.

After breakfast, it’s time to begin your long journey towards the Sahara Desert. Winding your way through the Middle Atlas, you’ll enjoy dramatic views of soaring peaks and deep valleys against a cerulean sky. En route, you’ll stop off to take a hike through the native cedar forests where you might spot Barbary apes high up in the tree tops. The mountain lakes in this region are renowned for their Atlas trout and today’s restaurant lunch stop will have fresh fish on the menu. Continuing south through the mountains, the landscape opens out onto a rocky plain and you’ll feel an irresistible sense of wonder as you first glimpse the spectacular Ziz Gorges: a dense canopy of deep-green palms wedged between striated cliffs. You’ll have a chance to explore this ancient river valley before spending the night in Errachidia, the gateway to the desert.

Following the old trading routes, through a vast wilderness punctuated by crumbling mud-brick villages and long valleys of date palm oases, you’ll feel a sense of growing anticipation. After seeing the immense dunes of Merzouga appear out of nowhere – your first glimpse of the Sahara – you’ll explore the desert, meet a family of musicians and visit the great marble factories which process fossilized desert stone. Lunch today will be a chance to try a local pizza called merfouna. And waiting for you at the end of the road? Your transport to your luxury desert camp: a train of camels. With the shadows growing long in the late afternoon, you can’t help but feel intrepid as you saddle up and trek out across the vast empty swathes of sand. Tonight, you’ll have the chance to sandboard, bake bread in the sand or simply huddle up on carpets and cushions around a welcoming campfire, to dine under a blanket of stars.

It’s time to leave your desert camp behind and say goodbye to your camels. After trekking back to your minibus, you’ll set off westwards towards the spectacular towering rock walls of the Todra Gorge. Traveling across this remote region, punctuated by bright oases and remote villages, you’ll see few other tourists and get a sense of the real Morocco. You’ll take a hike through the lush palm groves and fields that fill the snaking valley before finding a spot for a picnic lunch alongside the crystal-clear river. Unsurprisingly, it’s a popular place for climbing and attracts adrenaline junkies from around the world. You’ll spend tonight in a boutique hotel close to the gorge.

Today is all about free time and relaxing – the day is yours to do as you please. You’ll have the chance to head out on an optional walk with your group, venturing further into the gorge where the rock facades reach 300 metres, and on to the end of the valley. The gorge provides great opportunities for beginners to get harnessed up and give it a go. Or you might choose to enjoy your hotel’s facilities instead. With a backdrop of mountains and gently swaying palms, it’s the perfect spot for soaking up the Moroccan sun while you recover from yesterday’s hike.

Continuing west along the ‘Route of a Thousand Kasbahs’, you’ll travel onwards to Ait Benhaddou – one of the best preserved kasbahs in the Atlas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The red earthen clay houses crowded together within defensive walls have been the setting of many famous films including Gladiator and Game of Thrones. Here, you’ll enjoy lunch with a local family before exploring the town. As the red hues begin to deepen with the changing light, climb to the granary for uninterrupted views of the Atlas mountains.

There’s time this morning to visit an artist’s gallery before setting off on your journey over the high Atlas mountains on the highest road in the country. You’ll stop off at the historic village of Telouet to stretch your legs and explore the abandoned palace of the Pacha of Marrakech. The red exterior walls may have been left to crumble but the rooms within are lavishly adorned with colorful tiles and intricate Moorish decor. Then it’s over the mountains and down into the sun-drenched Marrakech valley. Before plunging into the heady mayhem of Morocco’s most vibrant city, you’ll have the chance to settle into your stylish urban hotel where you’ll be spending the next three nights. As evening falls, you’ll set off down secret alleys on a private backstreet food tour. From lamb kefta to harira soup, you’ll get the chance to sample specialities that many visitors miss and deepen your understanding of Moroccan culture.

With its intoxicating mix of Moorish palaces, exotic gardens and densely packed streets, Marrakech is an assault on the senses. Founded as a trading hub nearly a thousand years ago, a shopaholic could spend a lifetime here bartering through the city’s souks. Today, you’ll have the chance to explore it as you wish and your Pack Leader will be on hand to help you choose some activities. Maybe you’d like to learn to make perfume, treat yourself to a hammam or learn to cook a local meal. Or perhaps you’d prefer to lose yourself in the labyrinthine medina, visit the architecturally astounding Palais Bahia and weave your way to the bustling Jemaa-el-Fna Square, where a melee of BBQ stalls, date vendors, snake charmers and storytellers all vie for your attention.

Your final day is rather special. This morning you’ll recreate the spirit of expeditions from the early 1900s on a vintage sidecar experience. Setting off in style, you’ll venture away from the city and into the rocky plains of the Agafay Desert where you’ll view the lunar landscapes from your unique sidecar viewpoint. Taking it in turns with a fellow Flash Pack traveller to ride on the back of the motorbike or in the sidecar, you’ll navigate the rugged terrain as you make your way up to the Kik Plateau, over 1,000 metres above sea level. Here, you’ll be treated to an exclusive picnic with panoramic views in all directions. Later, you’ll return to Marrakech for your final night in the city. Your Pack Leader can advise on the best spots for a final dinner with rooftop drinks – the perfect way to toast the end of your adventure.

Today you’ll be checking out and transferring to Marrakech Airport for your flight home. You’ve done it: a 13-day epic journey across Morocco’s vast and changing landscapes. There’s no doubt you’ll leave with stories to last a lifetime as well as some new friendships, too.