10 Days from Agadir: Sahara and imperial cities

We pick you up at your hotel or riad in Agadir in the morning and drive east through the Souss valley to Taroudant, the "little Marrakech", for a walk along its red ramparts. We continue across the Anti-Atlas to Taliouine, land of saffron, and reach Ouarzazate, the gateway to the desert, in the evening. Dinner and night at a hotel or riad.

In the morning we drive to the ksar of Aït Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and walk up to the old granary for the view. Back through Ouarzazate we take the road of the thousand kasbahs: the palm grove of Skoura, the Valley of Roses at Kelaat M'Gouna and finally the Dades Gorges. Dinner and night at a hotel in the gorges.

After breakfast we drive to Tinghir and walk between the 300-metre walls of the Todra Gorge. We continue through Tinejdad and Erfoud to Merzouga. In the late afternoon the camels take us into the dunes of Erg Chebbi to watch the sunset and reach our desert camp. Dinner, Berber music around the campfire and night in the camp under the stars.

After the sunrise and breakfast we drive north through Erfoud and the long palm groves of the Ziz Valley, then climb into the Middle Atlas to Midelt. We cross the cedar forests of Azrou, where Barbary macaques live, and Ifrane, the "Switzerland of Morocco", before arriving in Fes in the evening. Dinner and night at a riad in Fes.

A full day in Fes el-Bali, the largest medieval medina in the world, with a local guide (optional): the Bab Bou Jeloud gate, the Al-Attarine and Bou Inania madrasas, the Al-Qarawiyyin, the Chouara tanneries and the craftsmen's souks. In the afternoon, a panoramic view of the city from the Merinid tombs. Dinner and night at the riad.

We leave Fes for Volubilis, the best preserved Roman city in Morocco, with its mosaics and the Arch of Caracalla. Then Meknes, the imperial city of Moulay Ismail, with the monumental Bab Mansour gate. In the afternoon we reach Rabat, the capital, on the Atlantic coast. Dinner and night at a hotel or riad.

Morning visit of Rabat: the Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the blue and white Kasbah of the Udayas above the ocean. We continue along the coast to Casablanca to see the Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest in the world, built over the sea. In the afternoon we drive south to Marrakech. Dinner and night at a riad.

A day to discover Marrakech with a local guide (optional): the Koutoubia mosque, the Bahia Palace, the Saadian Tombs, the souks of the medina and the Majorelle Garden. In the evening, the Jemaa el-Fnaa square comes alive with storytellers, musicians and food stalls. Night at the riad.

We cross the plains of the Haouz and the argan forest, where you may see goats climbing the trees and visit a women's argan oil cooperative, to Essaouira on the Atlantic. Afternoon free in the white and blue medina, the ramparts of the Skala and the fishing port. Dinner and night at a riad.

Morning in Essaouira, then we drive south along the coast road with views over the ocean, the beaches of Imsouane and the surf village of Taghazout. Arrival in Agadir in the afternoon. Drop-off at your hotel or Agadir airport and end of our services.