6-Day Tour Package from Casablanca to Ait Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate and Tinghir

After a morning pickup from your Casablanca hotel or airport, you begin at the Hassan II Mosque, its walls rising straight out of the Atlantic and one of the largest mosques in the world. The road runs north along the coastal highway to Rabat, Morocco's royal capital, for a stop at the Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, and the blue and white Kasbah of the Udayas above the Bouregreg river.

From there the road continues east to Meknes, the imperial city of Sultan Moulay Ismail, with a stop at the monumental Bab Mansour gate, one of the most beautiful in Morocco. Just outside the city, you walk through the UNESCO-listed Roman ruins of Volubilis, their mosaics, basilica, and triumphal arch still well preserved.

You reach Fez in the late afternoon and check into your traditional riad inside the ancient medina.

A licensed local guide leads you through Fez el-Bali for the full day, the largest car-free urban area in the world. You walk the labyrinthine alleys of the UNESCO-listed medina to the Bou Inania Madrasa, its stucco and zellige tilework worked in fine detail, and the Karaouine mosque, founded in 859 AD and considered the oldest continuously operating university on earth.

The Chouara tanneries are the highlight, where leather has been dyed by hand using the same techniques for a thousand years. You view the colourful pits from a leather shop balcony, mint sprigs on hand to mask the smell.

The afternoon is free for lunch and shopping in the souks of artisans, brassworkers, and dyers, with the evening left free at your riad.

Leaving Fez, the road heads south through the Middle Atlas, with a first stop in Ifrane, often called the Switzerland of Morocco for its pitched-roof chalets and cool, pine-scented air. A short walk follows in the cedar forest of Azrou, where you may spot wild Barbary macaques.

After a lunch stop in Midelt, the road descends the Ziz Valley, its palm groves lining a deep gorge toward the pre-Saharan landscape. You reach Tinghir by late afternoon to walk the dramatic Todra Gorges, where 300 metre cliffs rise straight up above a clear river.

You overnight in a kasbah hotel with views over the gorges or the surrounding palm grove.

After breakfast, the drive heads west along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs through the Dades Valley, where wind and water have carved the rock into the shapes known as the Monkey Fingers. There's a stop at the rose-scented Valley of Roses near Kalaat Mgouna, at its best in May during the rose festival.

From there the road continues to Ouarzazate, Morocco's film capital and home to Atlas Studios, where Gladiator, Game of Thrones, Kingdom of Heaven, and dozens of other productions were shot. An optional visit to the studios is available, entry not included.

You arrive at Aït Ben Haddou in the late afternoon, the most spectacular UNESCO-listed earthen ksar in the country, and walk through the fortified village across the river. From the top, the sunset light turns the kasbah walls gold.

The morning starts at Aït Ben Haddou, with time for photos at the famous ksar entrance, before the spectacular crossing of the High Atlas begins over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, 2,260 metres up. It's one of Morocco's most scenic drives: the road switches back through Berber villages, with mountain views opening at every turn and a stop for mint tea over the valleys.

You reach Marrakech by mid-afternoon and check into your traditional riad inside the medina, with free time to settle in.

In the evening, walk to Jemaa el-Fnaa and watch it turn at sunset into Morocco's largest open-air theatre: storytellers, musicians, snake charmers, henna artists, and food stalls serving everything from grilled brochettes to harira soup.

A licensed local guide leads a morning walking tour of Marrakech: the 12th century Koutoubia Mosque, the city's defining landmark, the Bahia Palace with its painted cedar ceilings and tiled courtyards, the Saadian Tombs, and the souks of the medina, from spice to leather to carpet.

In the afternoon you can add an optional visit to the Majorelle Garden and Yves Saint Laurent Museum, entry not included, or simply relax at your riad.

Transfer to Marrakech Menara airport is at your agreed time, or drop-off at your onward accommodation.