Arrive in Casablanca in the afternoon on suggested Emirates flights and transfer to the hotel (transfer included in tour price). Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including travel insurance (a condition of travel) and accommodation before or after the tour.

Tonight, join your tour leader Alex McKay and fellow travellers for a welcome briefing at the hotel followed by dinner.

(D)

This morning, explore Casablanca, a city steeped in romantic mystique and intrigue, where the dramatic whitewashed Hispano-Moorish homes lie scattered amid Art Deco jewels. Its ancient Arab quarter and new medina with an undeniable French influence mark the passage from past to present. Visit the Hassan II Mosque, Mohamed V Square, built in 1916 under the French protectorate, the Marché Central and drive along Casablanca’s Boulevard de la Corniche.

After lunch, travel south into the Moroccan hinterland to the mesmerising city of Marrakesh. Founded in 1062 by the Almoravid Sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin, Marrakesh was to become one of the Islamic world’s most important artistic and cultural centres.

(BLD)

Following a talk by Alex, enjoy a full day exploring Marrakesh, the most famous of Morocco’s historic capital cities, and namesake of the country itself. Begin with El Badi Palace, built in the late 16th century by the Saadian sultan Ahmad al-Mansur, before visiting Ben Youssef Madrasa, a peaceful and meditative theological school established in 1565.

Later, visit the 19th century Bahia Palace, then stroll through the city’s bustling Jemaa el-Fnaa, where fortune tellers, snake charmers, poets and storytellers come to entertain the crowds.

This evening, enjoy a home-cooked dinner in a Moroccan family’s house.

(BD)

Today, enjoy a full-day trip to the coastal city of Essaouira. A safe anchorage shielded by a series of offshore islets known as the Îles Purpuraires, Essaouira has been inhabited since the Palaeolithic Era. Visited by the Carthaginians in the 5th century BC, it was the site of a purple dye factory during the Roman Era. It was Morocco’s Sultan Mohammed III who gave the city its modern impetus in the 18th century, establishing it as the primary port for Marrakesh in the hinterland. Employing French and English architects as well as local craftsmen, Mohammed III turned Essaouira into the primary port of his sultanate, and even today the narrow alleyways of its old town represent an evocative meeting place for traders and travellers from Africa, the Arab world and Europe.

Upon return to Marrakesh, the evening is at leisure.

(B)

Begin the day with a visit to the enchanting Majorelle Garden, once owned by Yves Saint Laurent. The beautifully landscaped garden is filled with exotic plants set against a backdrop of cobalt blue Moorish architecture. Then visit the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, dedicated to the life and work of the couturier.

The remainder of the day is free to further explore the city, or alternatively visit the Marrakesh Museum, housed in the beautifully restored 19th century Dar Menebhi Palace, with an extensive collection of traditional and modern Moroccan art, including pottery, coins, embroidery, ornate inlaid daggers and historical books bound in Moroccan leather.

(B)

Journey across the spectacular Tizi n’Tichka Pass to the magnificent Aït Benhaddou. A striking example of the desert architecture of southern Morocco, this ‘fortified city’, or ksar, lies along the former caravan route between Marrakesh and the Sahara. Apart from a handful of families which still live there, the town is largely deserted, and its emptiness, along with its setting in the whispering tranquillity of the desert, gives it a special ambience.

After lunch, continue to the Taourirt Kasbah in the centre of Ouarzazate, the erstwhile residence of the el Glaoui family, the Berber tribe who were the titular rulers of Morocco during the French protectorate while the sultan of today’s ruling Alaouite dynasty was in exile. Tonight, enjoy a talk with Alex before dinner.

(BLD)

Set off early in the direction of the rising sun and travel along the Dades Valley, also known as the ‘Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs’, via Tinghir. Typical of Saharan Morocco, the Berber kasbahs (fortresses) are a stunning sight to behold in the midst of the stark desert landscape, some beautifully restored, others slowly receding back into the sands from which they were raised.

Continue to the Todra Gorge via Kelaat M’Gouna, famous for its harvest of roses and its production of rose water. Arrive in Erfoud in the late afternoon and enjoy dinner at the hotel.

(BLD)

This morning, travel north from Erfoud to Fez via the agricultural town of Midelt, a market centre for apples, walnuts, plums, apricots and pomegranates. Before arriving in Fez, visit Ifrane, a hill station built during the French protectorate era and dubbed the ‘Geneva of Morocco’, where alpine chalets grace the Middle Atlas Mountains.

In the late afternoon, arrive in Fez, the holiest city in the Islamic world after Mecca and Medina. Founded in the late 8th century by Sultan Idris I (the first ruler of independent Morocco), this ‘Athens of Africa’ has been one of the world’s great centres of government, philosophy, medicine and, most notably, religion ever since.

(BLD)

Following a morning talk, enjoy a full day in Fas el-Bali (Old Fez), centred on the UNESCO World Heritage-listed medina. The old city is an enticing maze of winding alleys filled with mosques, madrasas (schools), restaurants, inns and bustling souks (markets). Start with a visit to the Madrasa Bou Inania, said to be the finest of the theological colleges of Fez, and built by the Marinid dynasty Sultan Faris ibn Ali abu Inan between 1350 and 1357. Continue to the Royal Palace for a view of the exterior of this prominent historic building and administrative complex, adorned by intricate design and vibrant tiles.

After lunch, wander through the souk with a local guide and be immersed in the vibrant tapestry of sights, sounds and aromas that define this bustling marketplace.

(BLD)

Today, visit the ancient city of Volubilis, one of the Roman Empire’s most remote outposts, renowned for its remarkably preserved mosaics. Continue to Meknes, the 17th century capital of Sultan Ismail ibn Sharif. Enjoy some free time for lunch and a chance to explore the medina of Meknes before heading back to Fez via the famous Bab el-Mansour, the great, green-tiled gate that was once the main entrance to Sultan Ismail’s imperial city.

Return to Fez in the late afternoon and enjoy the evening at leisure.

(B)

After breakfast, depart Fez bound for the enchanting town of Chefchaouen, nestled in the Rif Mountains of Northern Morocco. Rising up the hillside, the flat-roofed houses of Chefchaouen, some powder blue, others lime-washed with blue doors, lend the town an air of Jodhpur or Santorini. Enjoy an orientation walking tour of this calm, spiritual town which is home to more than 20 mosques and sanctuaries.

The afternoon is at leisure to relax or explore Chefchaouen at your own pace, followed by dinner at a local restaurant.

(BD)

This morning, depart Chefchaouen for Tétouan. Settled by 15th century Andalusian refugees expelled during the Spanish Reconquista, the Moorish culture of Tétouan is clearly identifiable in the streets of its medina, a conglomeration of whitewashed and tiled buildings set against the brooding Rif Mountains. Visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed medina, largely unchanged since the 17th century and one of the best-preserved old town centres in all Morocco.

Take a guided tour of Tétouan’s artisanal school, where boys study the intricate art of bronze work and plaster-carving, before continuing to the port city of Tangier in the afternoon.

(BD)

Following a morning talk, begin your exploration of Tangier in the footsteps of Matisse, with morning tea at the Grand Hotel Villa de France, one of the artist’s well-known haunts. Continue with a visit to Cape Spartel, a promontory 300 metres above sea level watching over the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar.

In the afternoon, be immersed in the uniquely international flavour of Tangier with a tour of the fortified kasbah, the Archaeological Museum, the historic walled medina, Mendoubia Gardens and the Berber markets, before continuing to the European-built Ville Nouvelle with its broad boulevards and residential palaces and villas.

(BD)

Depart Tangier and travel down Morocco’s Atlantic Coast to Rabat, once the den of the feared Barbary corsairs and now the proud capital of modern Morocco.

After lunch, visit the necropolis of Chellah, Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, completed in 1971 and a beautiful exemplar of modern Alaouite Dynasty architecture. Explore the Mohamed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the first large-scale museum built in Morocco since independence from France in 1956. It houses works of 200 Moroccan artists, including Hassan Hajjaj and Ahmed Yacoubi.

This evening, enjoy a special farewell dinner with Alex and fellow travellers.

(BLD)

Tour arrangements conclude with an included group transfer to Casablanca airport for suggested mid-afternoon flights to Australia or New Zealand on Emirates via Dubai. For those travelling on other itineraries, taxis and other transport can be arranged by the hotel concierge.

Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour and travel insurance (a condition of travel).

(B)