Morocco for Solo Travelers: Fes, the Sahara & Marrakech

Board your overnight flight to Casablanca today.

Welcome to Morocco! Arrive in Casablanca and transfer to your hotel in Rabat.

This evening, enjoy an included dinner with your Tour Director and fellow solo travelers as you get settled in.

Get to know Morocco’s capital city, Rabat, this morning with a local guide. The city is home to over a half-million people and sits on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Bou Regreg river. After its founding in the 12th century, the city grew to great importance before becoming a haven for Barbary pirates. When Morocco achieved independence in 1955, Rabat became the capital city.

• Enter the white-and-green Mausoleum of Mohammed V, which houses the tombs of the 20th-century king and his two sons
• View Hassan Tower, commissioned by caliph Yaqub al-Mansur and intended to be part of the world’s largest mosque until construction halted in 1199 with his death
• Make a photo stop at the Royal Palace, official residence of the king of Morocco and home of the Royal College, which specializes in the education of princes and princesses of the Alaouite dynasty
• Visit the Chellah necropolis, an ancient port city where you’ll discover the history of the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, and Arabs who once called the area home

After an included welcome lunch in the town of Salé, set off to explore Rabat’s twin city and its undiscovered yet thriving medina.

• Learn how the town developed an infamous reputation thanks to the Salé Rovers, a group of pirates based there in the 17th and 18th centuries
• Visit the Marinid Madrasa, once the country’s most important Islamic school, and view the intricately designed interior
• Stroll along the Bastion des Larmes, an ancient fortified wall along the Atlantic, and see 13th-century cannons that were stolen from Spanish ships
• Return to Rabat and walk through the UNESCO-listed site Kasbah des Oudayas walled fortress. Then enjoy some tea before strolling among the bougainvillea and citrus trees in the adjacent Andalusian Gardens, which were inspired by the Moorish gardens of Spain

En route to Fes, once the country’s capital, make stops at some of the most significant historical sites in Northern Morocco.

• Enjoy an included lunch in the hill town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun—the Idrisid dynasty, who were important to the early Islamization of Morocco, was established here in 788
• Discover the ancient ruins at the UNESCO-recognized archaeological site of Volubilis. First settled in the 3rd century B.C. and later inhabited by the Romans after the fall of Carthage in 146 B.C., Volubilis peaked in the late 2nd century as a substantial Roman provincial town with around 20,000 inhabitants
• See the Roman ruins of the forum, temple, baths, and gates, followed by free time to visit the museum—making sure to view the intricate red-and-yellow mosaics and the picturesque Tingis Gate

Continue to Fes and sit down for an included dinner this evening.

Take a guided tour of Fes, the spiritual and cultural center of Moroccan life. The second-largest city in the nation is home to over 1.1 million people and was founded in the year 789. Today, the city has two medinas and a large, modern urban area founded during the French colonial area.

• See the ornate brass doors of the Royal Palace and visit the Mellah Jewish quarter, established in 1438 and known for its ornate balconies and wrought iron windows
• View the Bab Bou Jeloud, a blue-tiled gate that exemplifies the Moorish architectural style
• Attend a ceramics demonstration, where you’ll learn how the intricate and colorful art pieces are created—including the culturally significant tagine pots used to cook the dish that shares its name
• Explore the UNESCO-listed Medina of Fes on a walking tour through the walled city of more than 300 neighborhoods and 9000 alleyways. Explore the colorful souks, historic tanneries, and countless shops composing the largest medina in the world
• Visit the Mausoleum of Moulay Idriss and a madrasa, a type of local school focused on both secular and religious studies

Enjoy a free evening in Fes or add an excursion.

Make your way to the Sahara town of Erfoud, stopping in Ifrane, a city known for its cedar forests and alpine-style architecture. Then, continue to Midelt, where you’ll enjoy free time to explore and eat lunch. Afterwards, drive through the scenic Ziz Valley and Atlas Mountains to reach Erfoud. Settle into your hotel, where you’ll enjoy an included dinner.

This morning, head out to the Erg Chebbi sand dunes and discover the otherworldly beauty of the Sahara Desert.

• Hop inside a 4x4 Jeep and ride through the desert to visit the town of Merzouga, which has the largest underground body of water in Morocco and was once a transit point for merchants on their way from the coastal cities to Timbuktu
• Visit a Bedouin tent, typical of the nomadic Arab tribes who historically call the remote desert their home, for traditional mint tea and snacks
• Learn about the small village of Khamlia and the Gnawa people, an ethnic group originating from West Africa, who call it home, and see how they celebrate their culture during a musical performance

Head further into the Sahara Desert to your tented camp accomodations, where you’ll spend the night in the desert’s wide expanse. After settling in, take a camel ride over the sand dunes and soak in the incredible landscape. Later, sit down for an included dinner at your camp and enjoy free time to explore.

Make several stops as you travel from the Sahara Desert region to Ouarzazate. Nicknamed “the door of the desert,” this city in South-Central Morocco sits in the middle of a plateau south of the Atlas Mountains with the desert opening up beyond. Throughout history, it has been a rest point for African traders on their way to the northern regions of Morocco and Southern Europe.

• Stop to learn about the ancient Berber khettara, a water supply system characterized by a series of vertical shafts connected by a gently sloping tunnel that taps into underground wells
• Walk through the ancient Jewish quarter of the Tinghir oasis with your Tour Director, where you’ll peruse the many clothing and jewelry stalls on its busy shopping street and see the ongoing restoration of the town’s ancient architecture
• See Todra Gorge and follow your Tour Director on a short walk along the limestone river canyon where walls can reach up to 1,300 feet tall

Continue to Ouarzazate, where you’ll gather with your fellow solo travelers for an included dinner after settling into your hotel.

Spend the morning getting to know Ouarzazate—the town dubbed “Ouarzawood” (that’s Moroccan Hollywood)—on a guided tour of Atlas Studios where movies and shows such as Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, and Game of Thrones were filmed.

Afterwards, transfer to Ait-Ben-Haddou, which sits along the old caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech. The village is a wonderful example of Moroccan earthen clay architecture and has been a World Heritage Site for nearly four decades. Located on a hill next to the Ounila River, the village’s buildings are tightly grouped together and decorated with geometric motifs.

• Take a guided walking tour of the UNESCO-listed ksar to see the fortified complex made up of defensive walls and towers
• Sit down for an included lunch at a local restaurant

Continue on through the scenic High Atlas Mountains to Marrakech and enjoy a free evening.

Get a feel for the history of Marrakech, one of Morocco’s imperial cities, on this morning’s guided tour. Inhabited since the Neolithic Age, the city of Marrakech was founded in 1070 as the capital of the Almoravid dynasty. Its sandstone walls have given it the nickname of the “Red City.”

• Pass through the sophisticated Gueliz district—home to upscale restaurants and mainstream fashion storefronts
• Marvel at the massive Koutoubia Mosque, which features a minaret that reaches nearly 200 feet high and dominates the city’s skyline
• Enter the UNESCO-listed Medina of Marrakech—the city’s original fortified center and home to traditional Moroccan baths, markets, and mosques—to see the 19th century Bahia Palace, constructed by the grand vizier of sultan Muhammad IV which is still used by the king of Morocco to receive foreign dignitaries
• Step inside the evocative Saadian Tombs, the mausoleum of the 16th-century ruling princes

Return to your hotel and spend some time relaxing before experiencing Marrakech’s market culture on this afternoon’s guided tour.

• Visit Djemaa el-Fna, a festive, open-air market where musicians, snake charmers, and clowns perform during the evenings
• Walk through the city’s vibrant souks to see the many products being sold by local vendors—including shoes, leather, jewelry, pottery, and, our personal favorite, spices (grab some saffron, turmeric and cumin for easy souvenirs!)

Tonight, attend a farewell dinner with your fellow solo travelers.

Transfer to the airport for your flight home or extend your trip to explore Essaouira.