12 Days from Agadir: Sahara, Fes and Chefchaouen

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.

Sunrise over the dunes and breakfast in the camp. Today we discover the desert around Erg Chebbi by 4×4: a nomad family, the village of Khamlia and its Gnawa music, the old mines and the Sunday-Tuesday-Thursday market of Rissani. In the afternoon there is time for sandboarding or to relax by the dunes. Dinner and night at a hotel in Merzouga or in the camp.

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 drive north through the green hills of the Rif to Chefchaouen, the blue pearl of Morocco. In the afternoon, free time to get lost in the blue alleys of the medina, visit the Kasbah on the Outa el-Hammam square and walk up to the Spanish Mosque for the sunset. Dinner and night at a riad.

A quiet day in Chefchaouen. You can walk at your own pace in the medina, or we can drive to the Akchour waterfalls and the "God's Bridge" in the Talassemtane National Park for a walk in nature. Back in the blue town in the afternoon. Dinner and night at the riad.

We leave the Rif for Volubilis, the Roman city with its mosaics and the Arch of Caracalla, and continue to Meknes, the imperial city of Moulay Ismail, with the Bab Mansour gate and the Lahdim square. In the evening we arrive in 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 leave Marrakech through the argan forest to Essaouira for a walk in its white and blue medina, the ramparts of the Skala and the fishing port. In the afternoon we follow the coast road south via Taghazout to Agadir. Drop-off at your hotel or Agadir airport and end of our services.