Salaam Aleikum! 

Welcome to Morocco. Aromatic tajines, red-earthed landscapes and limitless generosity define this friendly, vibrant and flavorful Berber-Arab-Spanish-Portuguese-French melting pot. Modelled after Marseille in France, the bustling port city of Casablanca has a curious architectural style – famous for its art deco French-colonial buildings, an old medina, and the modern-day masterpiece of the Hassan II Mosque. On arrival at Casablanca Airport, you will be met by your In-Country Guide and you will be transferred to your hotel.  Your gourmet adventure starts at our welcome meeting with dinner.

After breakfast take a turn around the characterful Central Market, where fresh meat, fish, fruit and vegetable sellers call out their prices and local women bargain for their daily ingredients. Here you’ll discover an array of produce that makes up the building blocks of Moroccan cuisine – the grains, herbs and, of course, the spices. Look out for dishes like msmen (layered, grilled bread), khlea (a type of Moroccan preserved meat), bessara soup, or a variety of other options found amongst the stalls.

Continue on to the sight that dominates the city – the vast Hassan II Mosque. Opened in 1993, and second only in size to the great mosque at Mecca, the huge building is part on land and part on sea, and in one area water can be seen through a glass floor. 

Leave Casablanca and travel north. Stop at the seaside city of Kenitra for lunch, then stretch your legs in the delightful fishing village of Asilah. Enclosed by Portuguese fortifications, white-and-blue washed houses give

the town a very Mediterranean feel. Continue to Chefchaouen, arriving by early evening.

Set against a wide valley and nestled between two peaks in the stunning Rif Mountains, the isolated town of Chefchaouen is a surprising delight. Much of Chefchaouen was recreated by Andalusian refugees escaping the Reconquistia, so its striking blue and whitewashed houses, red-tiled roofs and artistic doorways give it the feel of the Spanish hills. 

Spend your morning exploring the sights, sounds, and smells of the medina, the shops in the square selling woven goods and small sweets, and, most importantly, enjoy a taste of the town’s famous goat’s cheese. Herds of goats wander the sparse hillsides that surround Chefchaouen, and their cheese is sold in great fresh rounds in the street markets. The afternoon is free to relax or explore more of the town. 

Within the plaza is the walled fortress of the Kasbah – you can wander through the tranquil gardens inside, visit the ethnographic museum, and soak in wonderful views from the rooftop. Alternatively, you might prefer to get out of town and enjoy a short hike in the surrounding hills. This evening you’ll get a real insight into Moroccan food with a home-cooked dinner prepared with seasonal ingredients – bursting with flavor and made with love.

Descend from the hills and travel south through the center of the peninsula towards the sacred pilgrimage town of Moulay Idriss.

From here it’s a short journey out to the World Heritage site of Volubilis. The remains of this Roman city make an undeniably impressive sight as they come into view on the edge of a long, high plateau. Take a tour around the arches, basilicas, and superb mosaics along the Decumanus Maximus, many of which remain intact. The reward for walking in the sun lies in a memorable lunch of traditional Roman recipes in the shadow of the ancient ruins. Recline on Moroccan Kilims and dine on locally-sourced ingredients, much like the Romans did a thousand years ago. Once forbidden to non-Muslims, your next stop at ancient Moulay Idriss offers a great insight into traditional Moroccan life. 

Here the faithful gather to pay homage at the tomb of Moulay Idriss I – the great-grandson of Mohammed and the man who brought Islam to Morocco. Perhaps sampling the famous nougat candy sold at street-side stalls and stop at an olive press and see how this golden unctuous liquid is extracted from the olives which grow in abundance around this region. Continue on to Fes, arriving by evening, the spiritual heart of Morocco. Perhaps seek out some Fassi specialties for dinner or enjoy a rooftop drink at your Riad. Watching the sun set over the medina while a dozen prayer calls vie for attention is an experience you'll likely remember.

The old city of Fes el Bali is home to perhaps the greatest of all medinas. Descending into its labyrinthine alleyways is like stepping back to the Middle Ages. Donkeys wander the streets and the smell of spices fills the air. With a local guide, navigate narrow streets alive with craftsmen, markets, tanneries, mosques and colorful local characters. Explore the different specialty sections of the Medina that are known for specific types of food – from natural butters and fats, to pastries, to crepes and soups to dried and fresh produce. Taste your way through dried meats, milawi, harsha, briwats, spicy sardines, spicy potato cakes, soups and olives. Move on to the honey souk, where you’ll discover the importance of this liquid gold to Moroccan cooking. 

Get a closer insight into the culinary traditions of the city by visiting a 400-year-old communal oven and bakery. In the late afternoon, complete the gourmet day with a cooking demonstration, learning to create one of the city's signature dishes – pastilla (or b’stilla) – a salty and sweet pastry parcel.

Today, leave the intensity of the city behind for the simplicity of the High Atlas Mountains. Drive south, inland through a variety of spectacular scenery – fertile valleys, cedar and pine forests and barren, rocky landscapes – to the small town of Midelt.  

Midelt is a market town nestled in the high plains surrounding the Moulouya River, between the Middle and High Atlas mountain ranges. Join some local Berber women for an insight into the preparation of hand-rolled

couscous. Find out how much more delicious it tastes after all that effort. After lunch, stretch your legs for a few hours on an easy hike in the nearby hills. Be prepared for some astonishing views of the Atlas Mountains, with snowy peaks almost touching the sky. Wander through plantations of apple trees on the way back to your accommodation for a relaxing evening.

This morning there's time to haggle in the markets before driving through shifting scenery on the journey to Merzouga. With a backdrop of the orange-coloured Erg Chebbi sand dunes, this charming Saharan village feels wonderfully isolated, like the

modern world has left it behind. Erg Chebbi’s dunes are the most stunning in the country, towering up to 150 metres in height. They’re easily an essential part of any visit to Morocco. Located at the end of a sealed road and just 20 kilometres from the

Algerian border - this truly feels like frontier country. You will leave your gear at a simple auberge and then ride camels into the edge of the Sahara Desert, enjoying a spectacular sunset along the way. The dunes are stunning, especially as the evening light plays across them and sets off the colours. Tonight you will camp out in traditional style, where you will be be treated to a demonstration of medfouna (also called Berber pizza). Stay late after the dinner, enjoying lively music, drumming, Bedouin stories and dancing under the stars.

Continue your journey inland for tonight’s destination, M’goun. Your accommodation for the next two nights is at a charming family-run guest-house in an area known as the Valley of Roses. In the spring-time, this region is covered in flowers and forms a centre of Moroccan rose-water production. Dinner this evening will be a feast of mechoui - slowcooked lamb on the spit - lovingly prepared by our hosts.