Around Morocco from Tangier

Today will be a day to cross from Europe to Africa by ferry. Once you cross to the other continent you will find your driver/tour guide welcoming you to Tangier, the gateway between Europe and Africa. Lying on the Maghreb coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, Tangier offers a unique blend of cultures and influences that have for centuries shaped the city, attracting artists, spies, and eccentric foreigners. While the port city was once dismissed as being a not-so-hot place to visit, Tangier today has undergone a makeover and gleams with pride.

We start this tour from the gateway of Europe to Africa, Tangier named for the goddess Tinge, and the lover of Hercules, who legendarily pulled Europe apart from Africa to form the Strait Gibraltar. A dramatic drive takes you through La Montagne over a pine-covered headland to the Cap Spartel Lighhouse that lies just 14km west of Tangier. 5km further you’ll get to Grottes d’Hercule where you’ll have much-photographed view from within the mythical dwelling cave of Hercules that resembles a map of Africa. Back to the Medina where you’ll spend a few hours Meandering down the alleyways, within its 15th century Portuguese fortress walls to visit the Kasbah Museum of Mediterranean Culture. Wander up St Andrew’s Church for a spot of gravestone reading, then take in the latest art exhibition at Centre Culturel Ibn Khaldoun.

Leaving the famously decadent Tangier, with its Europe-facing Medina and head to the blue-hued city of Chefchaouen in the Rif Mountains. Enjoy the scenic route. Chefchaoen offers endless winding narrow streets and picturesque buildings. Find Plaza Outa el Hammam for a restaurant or café and enjoy a meal as you people watch. Though non-muslims are not permitted to enter, the Grand Mosque is still worth a visit. From there, explore the nearby kasbah (old fortification) and tour the garden, museum, and some of the old prison cells. Follow a path outside of the city walls to Hotel Atlas and climb to the rooftop to enjoy a panoramic view of the Blue City. For the slightly more athletic, follow the street east to pass over the Ras el Ma Spring and ascend the path (20-30 minutes) until you reach the abandoned white Spanish Mosque. Enjoy one last view over Chefchaouen as the sun sets behind the mountains.

Rise early to snap photos of the people-less streets before leaving for Fes. Stop along the way at dam to have a fresh juice. Continue on to Fes, with its impressively large (and somewhat confusing) old medina, Fes is a city worth getting lost in. Before venturing into the medina, take the time to visit the Pottery Cooperative located just south of the city and enjoy the all-hand-made crafts of historic Fes and the surrounding area. Descend the hill and return to your riad (a traditional Moroccan house with an interior garden) for the evening.

Fes is the oldest of the imperial cities in Morocco (Meknes, Marrakech, and Rabat are the others) and perhaps the most interesting to explore. A UNESCO-protected site, the city hasn’t undergone much colonial development, leaving you to experience its medieval charm. Fes consists of two old medina quarters, Fes el Bali (where you will spend most of your time) and Fes el Jdid (a slightly newer part of the city), and the early 20th-century French designed Ville Nouvelle. Meet your guide to help you navigate the narrow and maze-like ancient streets of the medinas, starting in Fes el Bali (789 CE). Note the Spanish and Tunisian influenced architecture as you pass the variety of souks (markets) offering spices, leather goods, and pewter. Known for its tanneries and the acrid smell associated with them, visit the popular Chouara Tannery and climb to the roof of a nearby shop for a better view of the goings-on. Visit the 14th-century Al Attarine Madrasa and admire the zellij tilework before checking out one of the oldest, still operating universities in the world, Al-Qarawiyyin University (859 CE). Find the mellah (old Jewish quarter) in Fes el Jdid for another encompassing view of the city.

Continue your journey south, over the Col du Zad pass (7,146 feet or 2,178 m) and through the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas mountains. You will see families of Barbary macaque monkeys in the trees and by the side of the road as you head to Midelt (the “apple city”) for lunch. Appreciate the scenery: the Moulouya River and the apple orchards. Next, travel over the Tizi n’Talremt pass and into the Ziz Valley dotted with oases and palm tree clusters. Notice the many ksars, fortified houses merchants built to protect their wares (gold, salt, and spices). Nearing Erfoud, you will start to see the early signs of the Sahara sand dunes. Never stationary, the dunes travel as the winds shift. If you’re lucky, you may come across a nomadic Berber family and have the chance to drink tea together. Visit Erfoud and discover how the fossil-rich rock of its mines is transformed into decorative and practical objects. Continue on to the extensive sea of sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. Covering 13.5 square miles (35 square km), some dunes rise to over 656.2 feet (200 m), their color changing with the moving sun.

Wake early to catch a desert sunrise, before trying your skill at climbing sand dunes. You will also have the option of exercising some yoga. Leave all these behind and let have a berber traditional Pizza or « Madfouna» for lunch. this is more of a stuffed flatbread that’s similar to calzone or stromboli. The flatbread dough is stuffed with beef or lamb, diced onions, and various spices, and it’s then baked in a fire pit until done, while many restaurants and local Berbers cook it in a mud oven. visit nearby Khemliya, a typical Saharan village (its people are originally from Mali), and enjoy traditional drumming music and dancing before taking a short walk around the settlement. Near Merzouga, you can take a short break. You can store any baggage while packing an overnight bag to bring along. You’ll have the chance to accompanied by a camel and blue-turban-robed guide into the sandy seas. After hour-long camel ride you will be among the luckiest to watch the sun set over the Sahara dunes and stay in a Bedouin style tent.

Leave the dunes behind and Head to Rissani, entering through its impressive gate. Known for its livestock auction it’s worth your time finding the ‘donkey parking lot’ to delight your senses. Continue on to Tinerhir. This desert town offers awesome views of neighboring towns hugging the length of the extensive river oasis (30 miles or 48 km of palm trees). Stop at today’s final destination, the Todra Gorge. 984 feet (300 m) high and carved by the Todra River through red limestone, here you can enjoy a leisurely walk in and around the gorge and relax in the cool waters of the shallow river below. After visiting the women coopertaive of rugs & Carpets we head straight to Dades gorges to spend a night there before driving to Marrakech. Settle into your accommodation in the gorge, before wandering the near small family farmes and the valley in the late afternoon. Long after the day crowds have left, enjoy a quiet dinner overlooking the valley.

Travel along the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs to Morocco’s most famous kasbah, Aït Benhaddou. Pass through the Rose Valley and stop in Kelâat M’Gouna to admire the rose bushes bordering plots of farmland. Visit a rose collective to see the process of converting rose petals into rose water and oil. Continue west to stop in Ouarzazate and discover how its nearby regions have been featured in movies, including Game of thrones, Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, and Black Hawk Down. Travel to nearby Aït Benhaddou. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the old mud-beark ksar dates from the 11th century when it held an important position along the trans-Saharan trade route. After lunch, Leave Aït Benhaddou behind to begin the ascent over the High Atlas mountains. Spot Mount Toubkal, the mountain range’s highest peak, at 13,671 feet (4,167 m). Near the top, stretch your legs for a great panoramic view of the mountains. As you descend the High Atlas, you will notice a dramatic change in the climate and landscape. Soon you will be a part of the noise and clamor of Marrakech.

Nicknamed the “Red City” for its 1000-year-old red sandstone city walls and buildings, Marrakech has always been a thriving city dating back to the Berber Empire (1062 ACE). Meet your guide for a half-day tour, starting with browsing the stalls of Souk el Attarin (spices), Souk Haddadine (blacksmiths), and Souk Smata (slippers). Visit Souk des Teinturiers (the dyers’ souk) and visit the Koutoubia Mosque, along the way note the open spaces that extend off of some alleys. These fondouks were once medieval inns that provided travelers and merchants with shelter for themselves and their animals. The hard-to-miss Mosque’s 253 feet (77 m) minaret is the tallest tower built in Marrakech. Relax in the adjoining gardens, before carrying on to Ben Youssef Madrasa. Built in the 16th century, this madrasa once housed students of the nearby mosque. Admire the Moroccan artisanship: carved cedar, stucco plaster, and zellij tiling. Visit the Marrakech Museum or the Museum of Moroccan Arts for more examples of traditional art and woodwork. South of Jemaa el-Fna is the Kasbah area with several worthwhile sights: the Saadian Tombs, El Badi Palace, Bahia Palace, and the Jewish Mellah and cemetery.

Say goodbye to the Red City, and travel to Morocco’s west coast following a route that takes you over vast rolling plains. Along the way, pass through an argan tree forest, endemic to this part of the world. You may even see goats dining on the argan fruit, up in the tree branches. Visit an Argan Cooperative to learn how argan oil is extracted from the tree and what it’s used for in the food and cosmetic industries. Arrive in the port city of laid-back Essaouira, a nice contrast to frenetic Marrakech, and spend the rest of the day as you choose. Walk the Skala de la Kasbah (the 18th-century seafront ramparts) along the coast. Designed by European engineers, old brass cannons line the walls and offer viewing access over the Atlantic. Explore the UNESCO-protected medina before making your way to the windswept beach. Jimi Hendrix fans may want to take a short ride to Diabat at the end of Essaouira’s beach where he reportedly spent some time. Walk back to Essaouira and enjoy a meal of freshly caught seafood.