Ten Day Southern Morocco Tour With Stylish Hotels

Meet your group and Tour Leader in Marrakech. Depending on the schedule of your flights, you may be able to start exploring the "Red City" independently with its bustling souks and vibrant main square.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel in Riad Aladdin

Like many North African towns, Marrakech is divided into two distinct parts, the Gueliz (the modern French-built city) and the Medina (the Old City). For generations it has been a meeting place for the mountain Berbers and the desert peoples of the south, who come to trade and barter amongst the colourful souks, turning the centre of the old city into a rich cacophony of noise and colour. We’ll take traditional caleshes (horse drawn carriages) to the main square then journey out into this vibrant city on foot, to enjoy a tour of some of its most enthralling sites with a local guide. You can wander past vendors selling doughnuts and fried grasshoppers, meander through native markets where Muslim women, their hands and feet dyed with henna, call out to sell their wares, and enjoy the sounds and the smells of the exotic. After our tour there will be the option to stay in town and make your own way back to the hotel, taking time to enjoy more of the remarkable Medina, perhaps haggling for a bargain or two, or simply sitting at one of the local cafés and watching the street tableaux unfold before you. The city’s beating heart is the spectacular Djemma-el-Fna, a site not to be missed and a scene straight out of the pages of the Arabian Nights. You will find the square alive with storytellers and musicians, jugglers and acrobats, snake charmers and clowns. Marrakech is a city like no other and a walk through its bustling streets will fill the senses and fire the imagination. The city boasts a staggering array of spectacular architecture and wonderful facades, but do remember that many of the mosques will be forbidden to non-Muslims and be careful of photographing women, however photogenic they look, as the Moroccans are very sensitive about such things. If you are unsure, it is always best to ask.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel in Riad Aladdin Included meals: Breakfast

Leaving the city behind, we drive south today, towards the craggy peaks and plunging valleys of the Toubkal Massif. Crossing the Haouz Plain we pass through the tiny town of Asni, from where our road begins to climb towards the foothills of the Massif. Below us the valley of the Oued Rhirhaia stretches out into the distance and small villages cling to the sides of the steep hills as we meander our way towards the village of Imlil. The towering peaks of the High Atlas are North Africa’s greatest range of mountains, a wild region, culturally removed from the rest of Morocco, and a barrier between the northern plains and the pre-Sahara. This is the land of the fiercely independent Berbers, the “Lords of the Atlas”, whose traditions and ways still hold sway up here in their mountain strongholds far away from the cities below. The Berbers present us with a unique view of a way of life lost to the rest of North Africa, where music and dance, even language and religion, are far removed from their Arab neighbours. From Imlil we walk to the village of Aremd, at once transporting ourselves into another world where mule tracks follow the contours of the mountains, past precariously balanced villages and across a landscape of remarkable flora and fauna. Following the course of the Mizane River, we traverse the meandering slopes of the valley to a network of terraced fields, where barley, potatoes and fruit cling to the valley walls. Aremd is built above a massive moraine spur and on arrival we will head for the house of a local Berber family for lunch, before returning back to Imlil to rejoin our vehicle for the drive to Ouirgane. Providing mules are not being used by the locals to carry loads from village to village, there may be the option to hire mules for those not wishing to walk the route between Imlil and Aremd, allowing your trusty steeds to follow the same mountain tracks that their ancestors have for centuries.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel in La Bergérie Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ouirgane presents the perfect spot to relax and enjoy the magnificent scenery of this superb part of North Africa. Today has been left free to enjoy something of its abundant charms at your own pace, with a number of optional activities available to make the most of your time here. Walking in the valley offers some wonderful ways to spend the day. There are also opportunities for swimming or visiting a Berber village to learn something more of the unique lifestyles of these most remarkable and hospitable of people.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel in La Bergérie Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Heading south today, we will first visit the Tin Mal Mosque. Built in 1156, it is one of the only mosques open to non-Muslims. After our visit we take a dramatic drive through the spectacular Tizi n’ Test pass and down into the region of the High Atlas. At 2092m the views from the pass can be quite spectacular, with views back across to the Toubkal Massif and down into the Souss Valley presenting us with some magnificent photo opportunities. Our descent is something of an exhilarating ride, dropping an incredible 1600 metres in just 30 km. The views, as you can imagine, are incredible, with mountain peaks and tiny villages nestling amongst the valley slopes laid out before us. Finally we reach Taroudant.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel in Riad Dar Zitoune Included meals: Breakfast

Taroudant has lain at the centre of political life of the Souss Valley for generations. Lying before the imposing backdrop of the Anti- Atlas Mountains, amidst a landscape of olive groves and orange orchards, the town lies behind an impressive bastion of fortified towers and some of the best-preserved walls in the country. Strategically important and site of the region’s most important market, Taroudant once commanded a network of major trading routes and even today its bustling market lies at the centre of life. Today has been left free for you to explore or simply relax in the pleasant surroundings of this hidden corner of Morocco. We recommend a tour of the city walls, perhaps by calesh. You can climb up the gate to enjoy great views of the surrounding gardens and olive groves which adjoin the walls and over to the countryside beyond. A visit to the local souks is also recommended and jewellery here is particularly good. For the more energetic there may be the possibility to take an optional hike in the surrounding area.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel in Riad Dar Zitoune Included meals: Breakfast

Joining the coast road at Amesnaz, we head for the resort town of Essaouria today, a mecca for water sports enthusiasts from all over the region. If time allows we may stop off en route at the wide, sandy beaches close to Agadir. Situated within the confines of its 15th century Portuguese fortifications, Essaouira has a lively yet relaxed feel to it, where whitewashed houses and traditional fishing boats present a perfect backdrop for our stay. The town has a rich and somewhat colourful history and its importance as a trading port during the 18th and 19th centuries saw it prosper, attracting British, French, Arab and Jewish merchants and sailors to its shores. These influences are still reflected in the architecture and layout of the town. An interesting, and it has to be said wholly suspect, legend claims the town’s patron saint to be a Scotsman by the name of McDougal, who was believed to have been washed up onto these shores after a storm in the 14th century. Another interesting footnote is that much of Orson Welles’s version of Othello was filmed here, its ramparts and coastline providing a rich and original setting for Shakespeare’s Moorish tragedy.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel in Dar L'ouissa Included meals: Breakfast

Your time here today is free to indulge as you wish. We suggest a stroll around the old town or along the fine sandy beach from the harbour. Not to be missed is a visit to the Medina, but be warned, after passing through the narrow, highly decorated arched entrance, it may be hard to resist snapping up some of the locally made rustic leather belts, gleaming gold and silver jewellery and wooden boxes exquisitely inlaid with mother of pearl. The town abounds with galleries and workshops, cafes and souks, making it a pleasurable way to pass the day. For the more active amongst you, you may prefer to take to the beaches for some opportunities to enjoy some walks along the coast. Swimming is possible but please take local advice before entering the water as the surf off these beaches can prove to be too much for less able swimmers.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel in Dar L'ouissa Included meals: Breakfast

With some extra free time this morning to enjoy the last of Essaouira’s laid back ambience, or perhaps grab a last minute bargain, we then head back once more to the eclectic delights of the ‘Red City’ of Marrakech where, on arrival, there may be some time to explore something more of this wholly captivating city before our final evening.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel in Riad Aladdin Included meals: Breakfast

The tour ends in Marrakech after breakfast. Depending on the schedule of your flights, you may wish to spend some additional time exploring Marrakech independently or buying your last souvenirs before departure.

Included meals: Breakfast