Journey to Morocco’s four imperial cities—Rabat, Meknes, Fez, and Marrakech, experiencing the country’s rich culture, stunning geographical diversity, and six World Heritage sites as you travel from the Atlantic coast to the Sahara desert and through the High Atlas mountains.

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Starting at: $7,079 * Price includes special offer * Includes airfare, taxes & all fees Make a Reservation Ask Us A Question or Call 855-330-1542

Sand dunes of Morocco

Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca

Colorful architecture in Rabat

Traditional tile decoration in Morocco

Roman ruins of Volubilis

Roman mosaics at Volubilis

Traditional architectural design in Fez

Entrance to the Royal Palace, Fez

Smithsonian travelers relax on the sand dunes. Credit: Amy Kotkin

Riding camels in the Sahara

Berber village in the Atlas Mountains

Ait Ben Haddou

Koutoubia Mosque, Marrakech

Djemaa El Fna Square and Koutoubia Mosque, Marrakech

Traditional spices of Morocco

Traditional mint tea

Splendors of Morocco

From Imperial Cities to the Sahara

14 days from $7,079 | includes airfare, taxes and all fees

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Tour Details

TOUR BROCHURE

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WHAT OUR TRAVELERS SAY

This was an amazing trip to an exotic land. The Sahara alone is worth the trip, but to see Fez and the mountains on the same trip, in the same country is amazing. Truly a sublime experience that I will always treasure.

- Melanie P.

HiOur trip wasn't a "trip" rather, it was an experience! Every logistical detail was attended to with complete professionalism. The quality of our accommodation, travel, and restaurants as well as entertainment and education was unrivaled. I have told all my friends how impressed I was with this experience!

- Kristina P.

JOURNEYS DISPATCHES

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Accommodations

* Click on hotel name to visit hotel web-site.

La Tour Hassan

Rabat, Morocco

Dating to 1914, the 140-room La Tour Hassan represents Rabat's last surviving hotel to be constructed using traditional Moorish-Andalusian design. The citadel-style hotel stands inside a fortress wall at the center of the city and features three restaurants, three bars, fitness center with Jacuzzi, sauna, solarium, and outdoor pool. Air-conditioned rooms have private bath with hair dryer, in-room safe, mini-bar, Internet access, TV, and phone.

Hotel Sahrai

Fez, Morocco

Opened in 2014, Hotel Sahrai is a contemporary hotel located on the southern hills overlooking the Fez medina, and a short drive from this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Designed to resemble the architectural layout of the medina, the 50-room boutique hotel features a restaurant and bar, fitness center, Jacuzzi, spa with massage treatments, sauna, steam room, outdoor pool, tennis court, terrace, and laundry and dry cleaning services. Air-conditioned guest rooms offer private bath with hair dryer, complimentary Wi-Fi Internet access, mini-bar, in-room safe, TV, and phone.

Dar Lys (October 13, 2024 departure only)

Fez, Morocco

The elegant, 18-room Dar Lys sits in the heart of Fez and features a lovely interior courtyard (riad), offering a tranquil retreat from Moroccan city life. Decorated in the traditional style with detailed archways and tilework, hotel amenities include a restaurant and bar, rooftop swimming pool and terrace overlooking the medina and Atlas Mountains, spa and beauty center (for a fee), dry-cleaning and laundry services (for a fee), and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access. Air-conditioned guest rooms are decorated in a contemporary Moroccan style and have private bath with hairdryer, in-room safe, minibar, coffee- and tea-making facilities, TV, and phone.

Le Palais du Désert Hotel

Erfoud, Morocco

Set on the outskirts of the city of Erfoud, this new 44-room kasbah-style hotel offers a traditional Moroccan desert setting surrounding a courtyard. The hotel features two restaurants and bar, Internet access, laundry/dry cleaning services, full spa, health center, and an outdoor swimming pool. Air-conditioned guest rooms have private bath with hair dryer, mini-bar, tea- and coffee-making facilities, TV, and phone.

Le Berbere Palace

Ouarzazate, Morocco

A traditional Moroccan-style hotel, the Berbere Palace offers guests a host of contemporary amenities including three restaurants, two bars, Fitness Center, swimming pool, sauna, Turkish bath, tennis courts, terraced garden, and library. Air-conditioned guest rooms have private bath with hair dryer, mini-bar, Internet access, TV, and phone.

Sofitel Marrakech

Marrakech, Morocco

Sitting on the edge of the city at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains and within easy reach of the Medina and Djemaa el Fna Square, the Sofitel Marrakech boasts three restaurants and a bar; Internet access; laundry and dry cleaning services; ATM; fitness center with gym, Jacuzzi, sauna, and solarium; Turkish bath; and two outdoor pools. Air-conditioned guestrooms have private bath with hairdryer, terrace or balcony, in-room safe, mini-bar, TV, and phone.

Le Casablanca Hotel

Casablanca, Morocco

Le Casablanca Hotel is located in one of the residential areas of the city of Casablanca, just five minutes from the commercial center, the corniche, and the royal golf course. With an architectural style reminiscent of the beautiful Art Deco period, and an exceptional garden, it combines a cozy elegance with a superb city location. This 68-room hotel also features a restaurant, bar/lounge, terrace, swimming pool, laundry and dry-cleaning services (for a fee), and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access. Guest rooms have private bath with hair dryer, minibar, in-room safe, coffee/tea-maker, TV, and phone.

Activity Level

Expectations: This Classic Land Journey features long touring days, many full-day excursions, and a full and active itinerary with a faster pace and longer distances. This is a comprehensive tour that covers a variety of regions and landscapes in Morocco, from the seaside to the Sahara and the High Atlas Mountains. There are several long travel days, including a full-day drive from Fez to Erfoud that includes several stops along the way. Some days may have activities with higher intensity and more active choices/options. Excursions require standing and walking for extended periods of time, sometimes over difficult terrain (cobblestones, unpaved roads, archaeological sites, desert dunes, city hills, stairs without handrails, limited or no access to elevators, muddy/slippery walking trails with steep ascents/descents), and walking to city centers where coaches are prohibited. The itinerary includes an excursion by horse and carriage and a camel ride in the Sahara. Some days may require early morning departures and later evening returns. There is leisure time on several afternoons and evenings throughout the trip.

Appropriate for: Travelers who are physically fit, lead active lives, are comfortable participating in long days of activities, and expect some physical exertion.

Testimonials

WHAT OUR TRAVELERS SAY

This was an amazing trip to an exotic land. The Sahara alone is worth the trip, but to see Fez and the mountains on the same trip, in the same country is amazing. Truly a sublime experience that I will always treasure.

- Melanie P.

HiOur trip wasn't a "trip" rather, it was an experience! Every logistical detail was attended to with complete professionalism. The quality of our accommodation, travel, and restaurants as well as entertainment and education was unrivaled. I have told all my friends how impressed I was with this experience!

- Kristina P.

Reading List

Highly Recommended

A Year in Marrakesh

By: Peter Mayne

Peter Mayne (1908-1979) is to Morocco what Peter Mayle is to Provence or Lawrence Durrell to Greece. This 1953 classic in a new edition captures the very essence of the people and place. Having already learned to appreciate Muslim life when he was in Pakistan, Mayne bought a house in the labyrinthine back streets of Marrakesh. He wanted to settle there, not as a privileged visitor in a hotel or grand villa, but as one of the inhabitants. He learned their language, made friends, took part in their festivals, and wrote their letters. This is not a travel book in the accepted sense of the word-it is a record of personal experience in a region of foreign life well beyond the tourist's eye. Mayne contrives in a deceptively simple prose to disseminate in the air of an English November the spicy odors of North Africa; he has turned, for an hour, smog to shimmering sunlight, woven a texture of extraordinary charm.

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In Arabian Nights: A Caravan of Moroccan Dreams

By: Tahir Shah

Named one of Time magazine’s Ten Best Books of the Year, Tahir Shah’s The Caliph’s House was hailed by critics and compared to such travel classics as A Year in Provence and Under the Tuscan Sun. Now Shah takes us deeper into the real Casablanca to uncover mysteries hidden for centuries from Western eyes. In this entertaining jewel of a book, Tahir Shah sets off across Morocco on a bold new adventure worthy of the mythical Arabian Nights. As he wends his way through the labyrinthine medinas of Fez and Marrakech, traverses the Sahara sands, and samples the hospitality of ordinary Moroccans, Tahir collects a dazzling treasury of traditional wisdom stories, gleaned from the heritage of A Thousand and One Nights, which open the doors to layers of culture most visitors hardly realize exist. From master masons who labor only at night to Sufi wise men who write for soap operas, In Arabian Nights takes us on an unforgettable, offbeat, and utterly enchanted journey.

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Morocco - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

By: York, Jillian C.

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DK Eyewitness Morocco (Travel Guide)

By: DK Eyewitness

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Also Recommended

Lonely Planet Moroccan Arabic Phrasebook & Dictionary

By: Lonely Planet, Dan Bacon, Bichr Andjar, Abdennabi Benchehda

Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher With Lonely Planet's Moroccan Arabic Phrasebook, let no barriers - language or culture - get in your way. Our phrasebooks give you a comprehensive mix of practical and social words and phrases in more than 120 languages. Chat with the locals and discover their culture - a guaranteed way to enrich your travel experience. Order the right meal with our menu decoder Never get stuck for words with our 3500-word two-way dictionary We make language easy with shortcuts, key phrases & common Q&As; Feel at ease, with essential tips on culture & manners Coverage includes: Moroccan Arabic, Berber, French Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Dan Bacon, Bichr Andjar, and Abdennabi Benchehda. About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in. TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012 and 2013 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' -The New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' -Fairfax Media (Australia)

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A History of Modern Morocco

By: Susan Gilson Miller

Morocco is notable for its stable and durable monarchy, its close ties with the West, its vibrant cultural life, and its centrality to regional politics. This book, by distinguished historian, Susan Gilson Miller, offers a richly documented survey of modern Moroccan history. The author's original and astute interpretations of the events, ideas, and personalities that inform contemporary political life are testimony to her scholarship and long association with the country. Arguing that pragmatism rather than ideology has shaped the monarchy's response to crisis, the book begins with the French invasion of Algeria in 1830 and Morocco's abortive efforts at reform, the duel with colonial powers and the loss of independence in 1912, the burdens and benefits of France's forty-four year dominion, and the stunning success of the nationalist movement leading to independence in 1956. In the post-independence era, the book traces the monarchy's gradual monopolization of power and the resulting political paralysis, ending with the last years of Hassan II's reign, when Moroccan society experienced a sudden and radical opening. A postscript brings events up to 2012, covering topics such as Morocco's "war on terror," the détente between the monarchy and the Islamists, and the impact of the Arab Spring. This concise, readable book will inform and enthrall students coming to the history of North Africa for the first time, and also those in other disciplines searching for the background to present-day events in the region.

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A Traveller's History of North Africa

By: Barnaby Rogerson

Provides a history of Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Libya, from their earliest beginnings through the twentieth century.

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Beyond the Veil, Revised Edition: Male-Female Dynamics in Modern Muslim Society

By: Mernissi, Fatima

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The Food of Morocco

By: Paula Wolfert

Winner of the James Beard Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award“A cookbook by Paula Wolfert is cause for celebration. Ms. Wolfert may be America’s most knowledgeable food person and her books are full of insight, passion and brilliance.”—Anthony Dias Blue, CBS Radio, NY“I think she’s one of the finest and most influential food writers in this country…one of the leading lights in contemporary gastronomy.”—Craig ClaibornePaula Wolfert, the undisputed queen of Mediterranean cooking, provides food lovers with the definitive guide to The Food of Morocco. Lavishly photographed and packed with tantalizing recipes to please the modern palate, The Food of Morocco provides helpful preparation techniques for chefs, home cooks, and any serious student of the culinary arts and culture. This is the perfect companion to Wolfert’s classic, Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco—a 2008 inductee into the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame—and fans of Claudia Roden, Elizabeth David, Martha Rose Schulman, and Poopa Dweck will be delighted by this extraordinary culinary journey across this colorful and exhilarating land.

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How to Read Islamic Carpets (The Metropolitan Museum of Art - How to Read)

By: Walter Denny

Carpets made in the “Rug Belt”―an area that includes Morocco, North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and northern India―have been a source of fascination and collecting since the 13th century. This engaging and accessible book explores the history, design techniques, materials, craftsmanship, and socioeconomic contexts of these works, promoting a better understanding and appreciation of these frequently misunderstood pieces. Fifty-five examples of Islamic carpets are illustrated with new photographs and revealing details. The lively texts guide readers, teaching them “how to read” clues present in the carpets. Walter B. Denny situates these carpets within the cultural and social realm of their production, be it a nomadic encampment, a rural village, or an urban workshop. This is an essential guide for students, collectors, and professionals who want to understand the art of the Islamic carpet.

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Memories of Absence: How Muslims Remember Jews in Morocco

By: Boum, Aomar

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A House in Fez: Building a Life in the Ancient Heart of Morocco

By: Suzanna Clarke

The Medina -- the Old City -- of Fez is the best-preserved, medieval walled city in the world. Inside this vibrant Moroccan community, internet cafes and mobile phones coexist with a maze of donkey-trod alleyways, thousand-year-old sewer systems, and Arab-style houses, gorgeous with intricate, if often shabby, mosaic work. While vacationing in Morocco, Suzanna Clarke and her husband, Sandy, are inspired to buy a dilapidated, centuries-old riad in Fez with the aim of restoring it to its original splendor, using only traditional craftsmen and handmade materials. So begins a remarkable adventure that is bewildering, at times hilarious, and ultimately immensely rewarding. A House in Fez chronicles their meticulous restoration, but it is also a journey into Moroccan customs and lore and a window into the lives of its people as friendships blossom. When the riad is finally returned to its former glory, Suzanna finds she has not just restored an old house, but also her soul.

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Sahara Unveiled: A Journey Across the Desert (Vintage Departures)

By: William Langewiesche

It is as vast as the United States and so arid that most bacteria cannot survive there. Its loneliness is so extreme it is said that migratory birds will land beside travelers, just for the company. William Langewiesche came to the Sahara to see it as its inhabitants do, riding its public transport, braving its natural and human dangers, depending on its sparse sustenance and suspect hospitality. From his journey, which took him across the desert’s hyperarid core from Algiers to Dakar, he has crafted a contemporary classic of travel writing. In a narrative studded with gemlike discourses on subjects that range from the physics of sand dunes to the history of the Tuareg nomads, Langewiesche introduces us to the Sahara’s merchants, smugglers, fixers, and expatriates. Eloquent and precise, Sahara Unveiled blends history and reportage, anthropology and anecdote, into an unforgettable portrait of the world’s most romanticized yet most forbidding desert.

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Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood

By: Fatima Mernissi

”I was born in a harem in 1940 in Fez, Morocco...” So begins Fatima Mernissi in this exotic and rich narrative of a childhood behind the iron gates of a domestic harem. In Dreams of Trespass, Mernissi weaves her own memories with the dreams and memories of the women who surrounded her in the courtyard of her youthwomen who, deprived of access to the world outside, recreated it from sheer imagination. Dreams of Trespass is the provocative story of a girl confronting the mysteries of time and place, gender and sex in the recent Muslim world.

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Spider's House: A Novel

By: Paul Bowles

Set in Fez, Morocco, during that country's 1954 nationalist uprising, The Spider's House is perhaps Paul Bowles's most beautifully subtle novel, richly descriptive of its setting and uncompromising in its characterizations. Exploring once again the dilemma of the outsider in an alien society, and the gap in understanding between cultures—recurrent themes of Paul Bowles's writings—The Spider's House is dramatic, brutally honest, and shockingly relevant to today's political situation in the Middle East and elsewhere.

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Sheltering Sky

By: Paul Bowles

A beautiful 65th anniversary paperback edition of the landmark literary work by acclaimed author Paul Bowles.In this classic work of psychological terror, Paul Bowles examines the ways in which Americans apprehend an alien culture—and the ways in which their incomprehension destroys them. The story of three American travelers adrift in the cities and deserts of North Africa after World War II, The Sheltering Sky is at once merciless and heartbreaking in its compassion. It etches the limits of human reason and intelligence—perhaps even the limits of human life—when they touch the unfathomable emptiness and impassive cruelty of the desert.

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Women Artisans of Morocco: Their Stories, Their Lives

By: Davis, Susan Schaefer

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Arts and Crafts of Morocco (Arts & Crafts)

By: Jereb, James F.

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History of the World Map by Map (DK History Map by Map)

By: DK

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Travel Insurance

For the convenience of our travelers, Smithsonian Journeys includes a basic medical expense and evacuation plan through Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand, at no additional charge. This plan provides post-departure Medical and Dental coverage of $250,000 per person and Emergency Assistance and Transportation coverage of $1,000,000 per person (U.S. Residents Only). Note: For full details regarding these coverages please review the following Plan Documents here.

In addition, we recommend that travelers purchase a travel protection plan to help protect their travel investment from unforeseen events such as cancellation due to illness, flight delays due to adverse weather, baggage loss, and more. For your convenience, Smithsonian Journeys offers an optional Travel Protection Plan administered by Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand. For those interested, optional "Cancel for Any Reason" coverage is available for an additional charge. Note: Certain eligibility requirements apply and Cancel for Any Reason coverage is not available to New York residents. For full details regarding this coverage please review the following Plan Documents here.

To learn more about the Travel Protection Plan, you may visit https://www.generalipartner.com/smithsonianjourneys or call the administrator, Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand at (866) 501-3252.