Atlantic Coast to Sahara Grand Journey

Your private driver meets you at Mohammed V airport and takes you to your hotel. Time to rest, then a guided visit to the Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest working mosques in the world, built out over the ocean, and a gentle drive along the Corniche.

After breakfast, north along the coast to Rabat. The UNESCO-listed heart of the city: the Hassan Tower, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the cliffside Kasbah of the Udayas above the Atlantic, then the gardens and ruins of Chellah as the light softens.

The scenic Atlantic road north, with a stop in Asilah for its whitewashed ramparts and painted walls. Arrive in Tangier by late afternoon for Cap Spartel, where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, the Caves of Hercules and the wide view over the Strait of Gibraltar.

A morning in Tangier: the Kasbah Museum, the old medina and the Grand Socco. In the afternoon a beautiful drive through the green peaks of the Rif to the Blue Pearl, arriving in Chefchaouen for the evening.

A full, peaceful day in the blue-washed town: the famous alleyways and doorways, artisan leather and woven blankets, Outa el-Hammam Square, the kasbah fortress, and a short walk up to the Spanish Mosque for sunset over the valley.

Out of the Rif toward Fes, with the Roman ruins of Volubilis and their exceptional floor mosaics, the holy hillside town of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, and a stop in imperial Meknes at the great Bab al-Mansour gate before arriving in Fes.

A full guided day in Fes el-Bali, a UNESCO site and the largest car-free urban area in the world: spice markets, the artisan quarters, the Chouara Tannery, the Bou Inania Madrasa and Al-Qarawiyyin, the oldest working university on earth, with the Royal Palace gates on the way.

An early start south through the Middle Atlas: alpine Ifrane, the cedar forests of Azrou with their wild Barbary macaques, and the palm-filled Ziz Valley. By late afternoon, the golden dunes of Erg Chebbi — a camel trek or a 4x4 dune drive into your luxury camp, dinner, music by the fire and the Saharan stars.

Wake early for sunrise over the dunes. After breakfast, the village of Khamlia and its Gnawa musicians, then west to the Todra Gorges, where limestone walls rise a thousand feet — a walk along the riverbed — and on along the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs to the Dades Valley.

Through the Valley of the Roses to Ouarzazate, the Hollywood of Africa: the Kasbah Taourirt and the Atlas Film Studios. Then the UNESCO-listed ksar of Ait Benhaddou, the red-earth fortified village behind Gladiator and Lawrence of Arabia, best seen in the late afternoon light.

Over the High Atlas by the Tizi n'Tichka pass, 7,415 feet, with sweeping valley views, Amazigh villages on the slopes and a stop at an argan oil cooperative before the descent into the Red City.

A full day with your local guide: the nineteenth-century Bahia Palace, the fourteenth-century Ben Youssef Madrasa and the quiet of Le Jardin Secret. In the afternoon, the souks, finishing at Jemaa el-Fnaa as the musicians, acrobats and food stalls take over the square at dusk.

West through the argan groves to the Atlantic, about two and a half hours. In Essaouira: the eighteenth-century Skala de la Ville ramparts, the car-free UNESCO medina, the fishing harbor and fresh seafood at the water's edge.

A slow morning by the sea — a beach walk, thuya wood workshops, coffee on Moulay Hassan Square — then a comfortable private drive up the coastal highway to Casablanca and a celebratory farewell dinner.

Breakfast at your hotel, then a private transfer to Mohammed V airport in good time for your flight home.