Highlights of Morocco

Check into your hotel. Later, meet your Tour Director and travel companions.

Skirt the Atlantic coast to Rabat, once a lair of the corsairs and now the country's capital. The highlights of the included sightseeing tour are the Royal Palace, Mausoleum of Mohammed V, Hassan Tower, and the Kasbah of Oudayas. Visit the Chellah Gardens. Continue to Meknes and see its monumental gates, mosque, palace, and miles of protective walls during your guided tour. Travel east towards Fez, Morocco's most enchanting city. Today's Distance: 186 mi/ 300 km (B/D)

Spend the day at leisure in ancient Fez, which occupies a position of outstanding scenic beauty. Envision a magic carpet ride in Fez with an optional sightseeing tour to visit the exotic ancient UNESCO World Heritage site of Medina and walk through a maze of narrow, bustling streets and alleys that are home to brilliantly hued souks. (B)

Travel today into the very heart of Morocco. Stop in the quiet, French-built alpine mountain resort of Ifrane. Verdant cedar forests give way to volcanic mountains and windswept plains as you travel across the Middle Atlas range. Pass fortified mud-and-straw villages and descend into the spectacular Ziz gorges. The landscape becomes progressively more arid as you enter a stony desert. Approaching Erfoud, encounter an unexpected and breathtaking surprise: the peaceful oasis of the Ziz Valley. Today's Distance: 255 mi/ 410 km (B/D)

The best choice today is an included excursion to Rissani. See the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Sharif, the first ruler of the Alaouite Dynasty, and get a feel for daily life in a Berber town. This evening, why not join an optional excursion to experience an oasis mirage while witnessing a magical sunset over the windswept Sahara Desert dunes. (B/D)

Upon leaving Erfoud, we learn about the Khettaras, ancient underground irrigation systems. Enjoy the drive through the eastern slopes of the Atlas Mountains and arrive at the Tinghir oasis with its green valley of palms and local villages. On to the impressive Todra Gorge, then along the Dades Valley. Arrive in the film capital of Morocco, Ouarzazate, where you'll visit the Kasbah de Taourirt, the intricate and fascinating residence of Pasha Thami el Glaoui. Today's Distance: 217 mi/ 350 km (B/D)

Travel to Aït Benhaddou, an ancient, fortified city, famous as a film location for “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Gladiator.” Pass through picturesque villages surrounded by craggy mountains towards 7,414-foot-high Tizi-n-Tichka Pass in the heart of the High Atlas Mountains. Each new twist in the road leads to a different, more dramatic landscape. Leaving the pass behind, see the landscape gradually change to a tapestry of red ochre. Enter the gates of the red-hued imperial city of Marrakesh, justly considered the most fascinating of all Moroccan cities.

Tonight, experience the vibrant culture and cuisine of the original inhabitants of North Africa with an optional exotic floor show and dinner in traditional Berber style. Today's Distance: 127 mi/ 205 km (B)

Get to know this fascinating city on an included city sightseeing with a Local Guide, featuring Majorelle Gardens, created by the French Orientalist artist Jacques Majorelle over almost 40 years, starting in 1923, and purchased in 1980 by French fashion designers Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Bergé; Bahia Palace, built in the 19th century and intended to capture the essence of the Islamic and Moroccan style, and former royal residence, and a walk through the ancient quarters to the fascinating Jemaa-el-Fna square and its exotic bazaar. You'll feel as if you've stopped the march of time. (B/D)

Leave Morocco's magical city of Marrakesh for the journey back to Casablanca. On arrival, see the main sights and visit the majestic Hassan II Mosque in the company of a Local Guide. Today's Distance: 155 mi/ 250 km (B)

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)