8-Day Grand Expedition: Imperial Cities & Sahara Stars

Begin beside the Atlantic swells at Casablanca's Hassan II Mosque, its marble esplanade stretching over the sea. Follow the coastline to regal Rabat for a quick circuit of the jasmine‑scented Oudaias Kasbah and the red sandstone Hassan Tower. Turning inland, roam the triumphal arches and mosaic villas of Volubilis, then sail through fertile hills to your riad tucked inside Fes' ancient walls.

A full day inside the world's largest mediaeval medina:

• Greet the gleaming Royal Palace Gates and stroll the 15ᵗʰ‑century Jewish Mellah to the restored Ibn Danan Synagogue.
• Slip into a kaleidoscope of souks, watching weavers, potters and the 1 000‑year‑old Chouara Tannery at work.
• Pause for calligraphy and carved cedar in the 14ᵗʰ‑century Bou Inania Madrasa.
• Let your guide decode the hidden symbols, stories and spices that make Fes the heartbeat of Moroccan craftsmanship.

Taste your way through the medina on a morning food walk—pastilla fresh from the oven, saffron‑scented harira, plump medjool dates. Later:

• Browse the Batha Museum and its fragrant Andalusian courtyard.
• Wander the ornate salons of Palais Mokri, once home to a Grand Vizier.
• Exhale in 18ᵗʰ‑century Jnane Sbil Gardens, fountains burbling among citrus groves.

Evening at leisure or indulge in a steamy hammam ritual.

Rise toward cedar‑clad peaks: alpine‑style Ifrane, macaque‑filled forests near Azrou, and lunch in mineral‑rich Midelt. Descend the palm‑lined Ziz Valley to desert town Erfoud, famed for Devonian fossils, then ride camel‑back at sunset across the apricot dunes of Erg Chebbi. A lantern‑lit dinner and Berber drumming await in your luxury Sahara camp.

Catch dawn igniting the dunes, then roll through:

• Rissani, cradle of the Alaouite dynasty and souk of saffron‑robed traders.
• Remote Aït Ouzzine village for warm bread from earthen ovens and stories of nomad ancestry.
• The vast date‑palm ribbon of the Drâa Valley.

Reach leafy Skoura, where mud‑brick kasbahs rise among rustling fronds; settle into your oasis lodge.

Trace the "Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs" to cinematic Aït Ben Haddou. After climbing its watchtowers, visit a women's argan‑oil cooperative for a taste of nutty amlou. Switchbacks over the Tizi n'Tichka Pass (2 260 m) deliver snow‑peaked vistas before you glide into Marrakech's ochre maze just in time for the first call to prayer.

Unpack the Red City:

• Jade pools and cobalt pavilions of Majorelle Garden.
• The soaring Koutoubia Minaret, beacon of Almohad geometry.
• Mosaic courtyards of Bahia Palace and the marble‑inlaid Saadian Tombs.

By dusk, Jemaa el‑Fna erupts with storytellers and sizzling grills—perfect for an evening street‑food safari.

Enjoy a slow breakfast, barter for a last leather keepsake, then depart by road to Casablanca airport, pockets full of spices and memories of dunes, kasbahs and crimson sunsets.