Magical Morocco: From Casbahs to Camels

The Trip

Morocco -- exotic, magical, transcendent. Most first-time travelers to this genuinely magical place discover all they’ve heard about this land’s heart and soul to be true.

Known to the Arabs as “the farthest land of the setting sun,” Morocco stands at the western edge of the Muslim world. Separated from Europe by just nine miles at the Strait of Gibraltar, it is a crossroads of past and present, a land of amazing contrasts where medieval minarets tower over exotic souks and soaring mountains give way to sensuous deserts.

This comprehensive itinerary is a tour of the majority of Morocco’s most enchanting sites and covers much of the geography of the country, from the Atlantic coast to the High Atlas mountains and the Sahara desert. Starting our trip in Casablanca, we travel to the “imperial cities” of Rabat, Meknes, and Fes, which exhibit stunning traditional Moroccan architecture that includes blue-tiled facades and elaborately carved woodwork. Exploring the labyrinths of the cities’ souks, we admire the rich colors of the many crafts that use ancient techniques, and we savor the scent of spices, sizzling kabobs, and sweet honey cakes. We cross the Middle Atlas Mountains to Erfoud, where we reach the pink sands of the Sahara and witness the sunrise and sunset over the dunes. Here we experience a touch of nomadic Berber life as we ride dromedaries with the local tribesmen into the majestic solitude of the Sahara desert. We enjoy a night in Berber tents with a traditional feast and Berber folklore.

Traveling back toward the west, we pass through the Todra Gorge, a striking natural wonder with 1,000-foot walls. We continue through the Dades Valley and on to Ouarzazate along the “Road of a Thousand Kasbahs." Our next destination, the village of Imlil, at 5,600 feet, is the gateway to the High Atlas Mountains. It is located at the foot of Mt. Toubkal, the highest mountain in Morocco and North Africa, at 13,356 feet. During our time in Imlil we enjoy two hikes in the High Atlas Mountains and through villages nearby with a local guide.

Continuing on to Marrakech, we tour this fascinating city, blending the old and contemporary aspects of Morocco. Our final destination before returning to Casablanca for our last night is the lovely walled town and UNESCO site of Essaouira, on the Atlantic coast. In this artists’ haven of whitewashed houses with blue shutters, we will explore the medina, the fisherman’s market, and the harbor, where wooden fishing boats continue to be built. 

Our immersive tour of Morocco includes visits to several facilities and shops where artisans create the colorful handicrafts seen throughout the country, including the intricate tilework and ornate woodwork, as well as rugs, pottery, herbal remedies, and the not-to-be-missed nearly 1,000-year-old leather tannery of Fes with its incredible stone dyeing vessels. While certainly not the primary mission of our trip, there are plenty of opportunities for purchasing traditional Moroccan crafts.

Note: The leader will make every reasonable effort to meet the goals outlined in the itinerary. Please keep in mind that weather or other conditions beyond our control may cause us to modify the itinerary in order to ensure the safety and well-being of the group. 

Day 1: Casablanca Everyone will need to arrive in Casablanca on or before this day, and only accommodations at our hotel will be provided for this night. Since participants may be arriving throughout the day, no activities or meals are included on this day. Our first meeting will take place the following morning.

Day 2: Casablanca - Rabat Our Morocco adventure begins at 8 a.m. after breakfast at our hotel in Casablanca. Following an orientation meeting, we visit the modern Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest in the world. We continue one hour to Rabat, Morocco’s capital, for lunch and a tour of some of the most famous sites, including the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, Hassan Tower, and Oudaia Kasbah. We enjoy getting to know each other over our first dinner together. Overnight in Rabat.

Day 3: Rabat - Meknes - Fes In the morning we drive to Meknes, a 17th-century city founded by Moulay Ismail. UNESCO has classified the medina as a World Heritage site. Our visit includes the Sultan’s Stables, Moulay Ismail’s Mausoleum, the majestic Bab Mansour, and El-Hdim Square. Following lunch, we visit the 1,700-year-old site of Volubilis, another World Heritage site, where we walk in the footsteps of ancient Romans whose elaborate mosaics and ruins remain today. We then take a scenic drive to Fes and overnight there.

Day 4: Fes Today we spend time in Fes, the spiritual and intellectual capital of ancient Morocco and also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Fes was the first Imperial City, founded in the 9th century. Our tour will include the impressive medina with its various gates, mosques, famous tanneries and El-Attarine Madrasa, built in the early 1300s. After lunch in a typical Moroccan restaurant, we visit the Jewish Quarter (Mellah), and we see the King’s palace from the outside and the ornate Bab Boujloud city gate. A highlight of the day is a guided stroll through the sprawling souk (market) with its tangle of alleyways, appreciating the frenetic energy of Fes and admiring its many handicrafts. Overnight in Fes.

Day 5: Fes - Midelt - Erfoud We drive to Ifrane, an alpine city known for its beautiful park. We should see some of the legendary Barbary apes along the road this morning, as we continue on via Midelt, a town located between the Middle Atlas and High Atlas Mountains. After lunch, our drive takes us through the beautiful fertile valleys of Ziz and Tafilalt to Erfoud for dinner and overnight. This is one of our two longest days of driving, as we head southeast to reach our Sahara camel trek. Total drive time is approximately 6.5 hours, exclusive of stops.

Day 6: Erfoud - Rissani - Merzouga This morning we learn a little about the geology of the area as we discover how fossils are extracted from sites surrounding Erfoud. Then we make our way toward the Sahara Desert, stopping to visit Ksar Oulad Abdelhalim, a fortified adobe Berber village. After lunch we travel to Merzouga, the gateway to the Sahara, and from there we go by dromedary to our overnight camp, viewing the sunset over the Sahara dunes. We have dinner at our encampment. Overnight in a comfortable nomadic tent with private bathroom under the amazing Saharan night sky.

Day 7: Merzouga - Erfoud - Tinerhir/Tinghir Leaving our encampment in 4x4s we transfer back to our van to drive to Todra Gorge, a canyon in the eastern part of the High Atlas Mountains, near the town of Tinerhir, with its limestone cliffs and fig orchards. This gorge lies at the end of a lush valley filled with mud-brick villages and enormous palm groves. Hemmed in by barren, craggy mountains, it is one of Morocco’s most magnificent natural sights. The walls surrounding it are 1,000 feet high, and a river runs through the gorge bottom that narrows to a width of 30 feet. We may hike in the gorge after lunch at a local restaurant. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Tinerhir.

Day 8: Tinehir - Dades - Ouarzazate We continue west, driving through the Dades Valley, a spectacularly beautiful area of contrasting colors and terrains, also known as the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs. We stop at the Rose Valley, and then continue through to Ouarzazate, where we have dinner and overnight at a nearby hotel.

Day 9: Ouarzazate - Ait Benhaddou - Imlil Today we visit the legendary Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, an exceptionally well-preserved site, which was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1987. The location was used in the filming of "Lawrence of Arabia", "Gladiators," "The Last Temptation of Christ," and a number of other movies. We drive over Tichka pass before lunch, which, at 7,400 feet, is the highest road in Morocco, and then we continue our journey through the Telouat Valley to our riad in Imlil in the High Atlas Mountains, at an altitude of 5,600 feet. Total drive time today is approximately 6 hours, exclusive of stops.

Day 10: Imlil We meet our local guide and set out for our trek in the mid elevations of Mount Toubkal to the Berber village of Armed. We enjoy a picnic lunch before setting off down to the other side of the valley back to Imlil. The hike is approximately 6-7 miles, and we will climb 2,000 feet from our starting point to approximately 7,600 feet. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Imlil.

Day 11: Imlil - Marrakech In the morning we hike along some of the many pathways found outside the town of Imlil and enjoy lunch in the home of a Berber family. Following lunch we travel to Marrakech, and if time allows, we’ll visit Jemaa El Fna Square, a World Heritage site. Dinner and overnight in Marrakech.

Day 12: Marrakech - Essaouira After breakfast we begin our tour of the city known as the Red Pearl of Morocco. Among the sites we may visit are the Koutoubia Mosque, Bahia Palace, and Majorelle gardens. After lunch we depart for the picturesque coastal town of Essaouira, a UNESCO World Heritage site located on the Atlantic Ocean. On the way, we stop at a women’s argan oil cooperative to learn about the making of the oil that is used in cosmetics and cooking as well as the environmental and economic importance of argan trees to the area. Dinner and overnight in Essaouira.

Day 13: Essaouira Essaouira is a quaint, historic walled town filled with interesting streets, a colorful harbor, a comparatively small souk, Portuguese ramparts and fortifications, as well as miles of beaches. It also offers some of the best seafood in all of Morocco. In the morning we take a walking tour of the medina and souk with its colorful array of wares, and the port with its blue, wooden boat fishing fleet, and Skalla ramparts. After lunch at a seafood restaurant, the afternoon is free to explore the souk, enjoy the beach or hotel pool, or to treat yourself to an optional spa treatment (not included in trip price). We enjoy dinner in the medina and overnight again in Essaouira.

Day 14: Essaouira - Casablanca After breakfast we depart for our return to Casablanca where we have lunch and check into our hotel. Our farewell dinner will be at a special restaurant, and will be the last of our group activities together.

Day 15: Casablanca You're welcome to depart at your leisure today. Please note that transfers to the airport are not included.

Getting There

This trip begins and ends in Casablanca. Book your flight into Casablanca, Morocco (CMN airport}. It is recommended you arrive at least one day before our first night together in our hotel. Transfers to and from the airport are not included; however, the leader can provide guidance on how to arrange them. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

We will be staying in good quality hotels -- some with beautiful Moroccan architectural features, swimming pools, fitness centers, and opportunities for spa treatments, including hammams or Turkish baths. We spend one night at a fixed Berber camp among the sand dunes of the Sahara. Each goat-hair tent has two beds, a shower, and a bathroom. All rooms are double-occupancy. If you come alone you’ll be sharing with another person of the same gender; this includes the first night in Casablanca. Since we cover a lot of ground during our circuit of Morocco, we often spend one night in a hotel; or two nights a few times. Traveling light will make it easier to manage the daily transfers of your luggage and there is somewhat limited space on the van.

Moroccan food is fresh and delicious, locally grown, and homemade. The cuisine is a blend of Mediterranean, Arabic, Jewish, Persian, West African, and Berber influences. We will sample traditional meals, including the famous couscous and tagines of Morocco. All lunches and some dinners will be at local restaurants; while all breakfasts and some dinners will be in our hotels, generally at a large continental buffet which provides opportunity for individual choices and variation from traditional Moroccan meals. Vegetarians will be accommodated and any other food limitation or allergies should be shared with the leader as soon as possible.

Trip Difficulty

To fully appreciate this outing you should be in good physical condition and enjoy moderately strenuous hikes, but also be comfortable with anywhere from one to up to seven hours of riding in a van to reach our destinations. Our days in the cities will be spent touring historical and cultural sites on foot for many hours; some with old pavements that can be in disrepair. We will take short one- to two-hour walks on two days in the canyons and the desert as we travel to the Atlas Mountains. During our two days of hiking in the High Atlas Mountains, we hike four or five hours per day. Our highest point will be about 2,000 feet from our departure location in Imlil, where we start out at 5,600 feet elevation and climb to 7,600 feet. Our first day in the Atlas Mountains will be a hike of approximately 7 miles, and our second day will be approximately 4 hours. The trails are generally in good shape; however, there are rocky parts on the trails.

Equipment and Clothing

A detailed packing list will be shared with registered participants as part of the pre-trip communication. The Saharan campsite is furnished with beds and blankets. Hiking poles are strongly recommended for the mountain terrain during our trek. The weather is typically warm; though the night in the Sahara camp can be either warm or cold, and the days in the High Atlas are typically cooler than the rest of the trip. This trip is particularly good for amateur photography; however, it is not a “photography” trip. Camera phones and small cameras are welcome, though the people of Morocco tend to be private and often do not want to be photographed.

References

Books:

• Abouzeid, Leila, The Year of the Elephant.
• Ben Jelloun, Tahaar, The Sacred Night.
• Bergier, Patrick and Fedora, A Birdwatcher’s Guide to Morocco.
• Bowles, Paul, The Sheltering Sky.
• Clarke, Suzanna, A House in Fez: Building a Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco.
• El Koudia, Jilali, Moroccan Folk Tales.
• Lonely Planet, Morocco.
• Mernissi, Fatima, Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood.
• Shah, Tahir, In Arabian Nights: In Search of Morocco Through Its Stories and Storytellers.
• Shah, Tahir, The Caliph’s House: A Year in Casablanca.

​Website:

• www.visitmorocco.com

Conservation

The Moroccan government has a firm commitment to the protection of its biodiversity and has set up a protected area network comprising three national parks (Souss-Massa, Toubkal and Tazekka), four proposed national and natural parks, and 146 existing or proposed nature reserves.

Morocco is party to a number of international treaties, including biodiversity, climate change, desertification, endangered species, hazardous wastes, marine dumping, ozone layer protection, ship pollution, and wetlands.

However, there are significant environmental issues currently, including land degradation and desertification with soil erosion resulting from farming of marginal areas, overgrazing and the destruction of vegetation, water supplies contaminated by raw sewage, silting of reservoirs, and the oil pollution of coastal waters.

Evacuation and Travel Insurance

The Sierra Club provides evacuation insurance to all participants on international trips. Since this coverage does not include any trip cancellation or interruption insurance, we suggest you purchase another policy separately to provide coverage for your trip and other travel costs. This policy also does not cover pre-trip and post-trip travel. Please note the evacuation insurance provided does not cover claims resulting from any pre-existing condition that occurs within 60 days of the trip departure. If you have specific questions about this exclusion, please review the insurance brochure. For information on purchasing a separate policy, please see our travel insurance page.