Arriving into Marrakesh I will meet you. We will transfer to our riad where you will have time to relax after your long flight. Overnight Marrakech 3 nights. Relaxed start to the day, roof top riad breakfast where you absorb the sounds of Marrakech life. This morning we have a local to guide us on a no shopping -get your bearings walk through souks & the medina, taking time to really see, enjoy & photograph the best that Marrakech has to offer as we travel on foot down the medieval alleyways & along some of the oldest & most famous streets. Afternoon & evening is free for you to enjoy. Plenty of options, a long delicious lunch or attend a cooking class preparing your own feast, a short taxi ride & stroll the peaceful Menara Gardens dating back to 12th century today has olive trees dating back 700 years or take in the Museum of Photography & Visual Arts, try an invigorating hammam experience & of course shopping, finding that fabulous carpet you want to take home. Later sit back & enjoy the sunset, Winston Churchill claimed Marrakech is the most beautiful place in the world at sunset. People watching in Jamma el Fna medina- followed by dinner at one of the many personally recommended restaurants. Overnight Marrakech. This morning we make our way for breakfast at Marrakech s landmark hotel La Mamounia, renowned for a prestigious past & its Arabic-Andalusian culture. Since 1923 La Mamounia s history stretches as far back as the 12th century, when it stood protected behind the medieval ramparts of Marrakech. Mid morning we visit Jardin Majorelle a twelve-acre botanical landscaped garden designed by French artist Jacques Majorelle in 1920 s. In 1980 the garden was owned by Yves Saint Laurent, 2008 his ashes were scattered in the gardens, now owned by Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation. It also contains the Islamic Art Museum whose collection includes North African textiles from Saint-Laurent s must see personal collection as well ceramics, jewelry & paintings by Majorelle.

Overnight Marrakech. Riad roof top breakfast then we are off to the Atlantic coast. Our 3 hour drive west takes us through the Souss Plain, the only place in the world where Argan trees grow. We visit a women s Argan Oil Co-Operative to see the positive empowering impact the co-operative has created, great to see that the women who work so hard to produce the argan oil are the ones who benefit. Essouria, the present city was built in the 18th century known as the Wind City of Africa. Free time this afternoon & evening here for you to wander through the spice-scented lanes & palm-lined avenues of the fortified medina. Take your camera & go walking to watch fishing nets being mended alongside traditional boats being constructed in the atmospheric port. Our Riad restaurant comprises of small intimate salons & niches offering creative & delicious cuisine with Souiri specialties made with local produce where fish & argan oil meet in perfect harmony. Overnight Essaouira. Early breakfast & farewell to Essouria. We travel south east approx 4 hours into Tahanaout Valley stopping at a weekly Berber market on our journey. Sir Richard Branson s Moroccan kasbah get away in the Atlas Mountains is our destination perched at the top of a valley. Our time here is free, as you feel. A great way to experience the local culture, take a two & a half hour trek in the Toubkal National Park, where it will take you on a climb up the mountain opposite the kasbah. Discover the stunning surrounding countryside & be prepared to be blown away by the panoramic views from the top. Asounfou, the Berber word for relaxation, describes the kasbah s beauty treatment rooms perfectly. Try a true Moroccan experience, a hammam, where the skin is deeply cleansed, purified & softened with the traditional Moroccan cleansing ritual. Overnight Tahanaout Valley. Relaxed morning, breakfast of freshly sourced produce from the kasbah. This morning an option, a one hour trek to a local village passing the eucalyptus & olive groves you will make a gentle ascent into a nearby village with its traditional Berber homes. Late morning, we depart to travel south east onto Draa Valley, through & over the barren rocky pass Tizi-n-Tinififft. By end of day we reach Agdz, we enjoy 2 nights in the valley. This evening join me as my guest for a Morocco Full Moon Experience feast served for us up on our roof terrace under the full moon glow. Meals B D. Overnight Draa Valley 2 nights.

Sun rise stretch salute to the sun- for those who wish. This flourishing valley, Draa famous as the date basket of Morocco, growing more than 18 varieties. Today is a free day, free to wander through the valley oasis awash with autumn colour, sounds of nature, orchards, wonder through gardens of almond, fig, date palms, poplar & walnut trees. irrigated by Morocco s longest river Draa River that begins in the snow covered High Altas Mountains. The valley inhabitants practice subsistence farming on small plots of land, primarily growing wheat, alfalfa for livestock, fruit trees & birch trees that are used for timber. Overnight Draa Valley. Relaxed breakfast, travelling today east. On our journey, we view kasbah s dotted through the landscape, in the past Berbers built these kasbahs in vicinity of gorges with defence purposes, providing a high vantage point to watch for approaching & unwanted guests. Generally, they look like mud castles, coming in many shapes & sizes, with walls made of layered dirt & stones. Late afternoon we arrive in Mergouza a Berber village in the Sahara Desert, camera s poised to take in a spectacular sunset. Evening free. Meals B D. Overnight Merzouga 2 nights. Relaxed hotel breakfast. Today, keep those cameras ready, we visit the oasis of Merzouga, villages in the area & onto the desert lake Sirji. Continuing our day, meeting Bedouin families in nearby villages & enjoy tea in their tents at Kem Kem. Afternoon we mount camels to reach our Berber tents, we cross the dunes & discover the secrets of the sea of sand. There you can appreciate the silence of the desert & its natural beauty, a masterpiece as the sun sinks. Tonight, the full moon & a delicious desert feast, be prepared this setting is unique! Meals B D. Overnight Merzouga. This morning waking to dawn rays over the Sahara dunes we relish breakfast in our Bedouin tents, remount the camels crossing the dunes once more on our return journey to our hotel, refresh here for the day ahead. Our drive today finishes in the Rose Valley, free to make stops on the way. We take 4 4 vehicles through the Dades Gorge brimming with flourishing nature, beautiful scenes of orchards, gardens of almond, fig, date palms, poplar & walnut trees. On the other side of the oued river -ruins of an ancient kasbah, a landscape steeped in mystery & melancholy. We enjoy the night at one of my favourite places, with a view that never fails in natural beauty. Enjoying Moroccan mint tea, sit back & take it in. This valley oasis, irrigated by the Asif M Goun oued begins in the snow covered mountain range nearby, whose summit Ighil M Goun Mountain is fourth highest mountain in Morocco standing at 4,071 m. Rose Valley inhabitants practice subsistence farming along the river on small plots of land, primarily growing wheat, alfalfa for livestock, fruit trees & birch trees that are used for timber. Meals B D. Overnight Rose Valley.

Sun rise stretch salute to the sun- for those who wish above the flourishing valley beneath an ochre canyon. After breakfast, we are on a travelling day today, free to make stops, moving north west we take a walk to view the world-renown Kasbah Aït Ben Haddou, fabulous ancient landscape used in films, just a few Game of Thrones, Gladiator, Babel & Laurence of Arabia. From Quarzazate we take the famous Tizi n Tichka pass, reaching the summit at 2,260 m altitude. This is where we farewell the Sahara climate, from here on protected from desert winds by the High Atlas Mountains you welcome the Atlantic influenced air coming across the Great Marrakesh plains, the contrast is striking. We reach Marrakech mid afternoon leaving you time to do shopping for the must have s! Evening free. Overnight Marrakech Breakfast on your final day, free to fill the hours before your departure. We are off on ADD ON 7 Days North Experience beginning in Marrakesh & ending in Cassablanca. DAY 11 After a relaxed breakfast travellers will depart Marrakesh today for Morocco's cultural capital Fes. We travel by morning train in first class compartment seating moving our way north for 7 hours. On reaching Fes we are lead through ancient seemingly blind alleys, to squares with exquisite fountains & along streets bursting with aromatic food stands, stooped doorways that revel workshops of local artisans to reach our riad. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Fes 3 nights DAY 12 Our riad rooftop unveils a sea of minarets, enjoy a relaxed breakfast & morning taking in the panorama of 'the lost city'.today we enjoy Fabulous Fes, this morning we go on a guided walking tour no shopping get your bearings. After our walk options abound, explore the medina, market places, mosques or Chouara Tannery built in the 11th century. Leather goods have been produced there using the exact same method for more than a thousand years, leather is the top item to shop for in Fes, jackets, shoes, luggage & bags of all shapes & sizes. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Fes. DAY 13 Roof top riad breakfast then the whole day free for you to do as you please. Option of cooking & then feasting with a local family in their home or blend in with the 70,000 people who choose to live in the maelstrom of this medina, it remains the world's largest car-free urban area. Donkeys cart goods down the warren of alleyways as they have done since medieval times, in place now is a government drive to restore Fès el-bali to its former glory is spurring changes. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Fes.

DAY 14 Relaxed breakfast with time for last minute shopping in the medina. We depart fabulous Fes & head north. On our drive to Chefchaouen we pass thousands of acres of wheat fields, Morocco is a top producer in Africa meeting the continents increasing needs. The beauty of Chefchaouen s mountainous surroundings are enhanced by the contrast of the bright blue painted medina. It is this beauty & the relaxed atmosphere of the town that welcomes visitors. The main square in the medina is lined with cafes, filled to the brim with locals & tourists mingling easily. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Chefchaouen 2 nights DAY 15 Today is a free day for you to enjoy as you like. Options of enjoying a local hammam, photography, walking above the old town to the Spanish mosque touching on the history of Spanish Morocco - 1912 to 1956. This town has many stories & hidden finds, a few hours with a tour guide can be a fun, you will learn about the majestic walls & gates of the town that has seen Spanish administration, see signs of early 15th century life here through the flour mill, enjoy the company of locals around the medina s beautiful natural water spring. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Chefchaouen. DAY 16 Early breakfast, on the road south to view Voloublis, a partly excavated Roman city, Roman Empire's most southern outpost. Built in a fertile agricultural area, it developed from the 3rd century BC. Its prosperity, derived principally from olive growing, prompted the construction of many fine town-houses with large mosaic floors, now unearthed for us to view. We arrive into the city of Meknes to enjoy a free afternoon. The option of relaxing over a long lunch, taking a guided walk around the area or journey 22 klms south of Meknes to tour Morocco's wine region. In recent years French have assisted in developing Meknès into a successful wine region. Today 30,000 acres of land in Morocco contribute to wine production, selling over 40 million bottles within Morocco & abroad. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Meknes. DAY 17 Relaxed breakfast & onto Casablanca on the Altantic coast. Arriving mid afternoon giving you free time or we can take a taxi to view the majestic modern Hassan 11 Mosque, largest mosque in Morocco standing on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic Ocean has the world's tallest minaret reaching 60 stories high. Here in Casablanca 'lets do drinks' at Rick's Cafe to close our Morocco Experience. Lunch & dinner your expense. Overnight Casablanca. DEPARTURE DAY Breakfast for those on your final day, free to fill the hours before your departure.