Morocco: Imperial Cities and the Sahara

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This itinerary covers the deepest essence of Morocco in ten days. It begins in Casablanca with the imposing Hassan II Mosque, the second largest in the world with its 690-ft minaret rising over the Atlantic. From there it climbs to Rabat, the administrative capital, where the Hassan Tower and the Mausoleum of Mohammed V stand as guardians of Alaouite history. The trip continues north to discover Chefchaouen, the blue city anchored in the Rif mountains, where every alleyway is a postcard. In Fes, the largest medina in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the traveler gets lost among centuries-old tanneries, madrasas of impossible mosaics and the oldest university in the world. The route crosses the Middle Atlas to the desert: the Erg Chebbi dunes at Merzouga, camels at sunset and a night in a Berber tent. The Todra Gorges offer a breath of shade and verticality before arriving at Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou, the fortified ksar that has served as a set for Gladiator and Game of Thrones. The journey culminates in Marrakech, with the hypnotic chaos of Jemaa el-Fna, the Majorelle gardens and the Bahia Palace. A route that spans two thousand years of history in ten days.