This 14-day North African vacation takes you across Morocco to see Casablanca, Fez, and Marrakech before visiting Tunisia from Tunis to Carthage to Matmata. It features first-class accommodations and private tours.
Your journey begins in Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco and a name made famous by the old Hollywood movie. Upon arrival, you’ll do a bit of sightseeing to get your bearings in the metropolis. Head to the old French quarter of Habous to see the beaches along the green-blue waters of the Atlantic and to the outside of Hassan II Grand Mosque, the city’s definitive religious landmark. Hit the road and head to Rabat, the Moroccan capital, where you’ll learn about the country’s Moorish past and see landmarks, including Hassan Tower and Oudaya Kashab, located on a bluff over the ocean. Connect onwards to Fez, a city that transports you back to the Middle Ages with its preserved medina. Explore some of the 9,000 lanes, alleys, and souks of Fez El Bali (Old Fez), dating back to the 8th century, before heading into Fez El Jedid (New Fez) from the 13th century to see the Royal Palace and the Jewish Quarter. Cap off your tour in the medina, which seems to keep the traditions of the Middle Ages alive in its tightly-packed corridors.
Outside Fez, you’ll explore the well-preserved stone arches, mosaics, and ruins of Volubilis, an ancient Roman city, and see the white-washed avenues of Moulay Idriss in the mountains before you reach Meknes, the imperial city that’s home to the Moroccan sultan. Continue into the mountains and through cedar and oak forests, spotting Barbary macaques in the largest cedar forest in the world, before reaching Ifrane, an alpine resort that makes you feel like you’re in the Swiss Alps. Enjoy the resort atmosphere before connecting to Marrakech, the city that perhaps defines imperial Morocco more than any other. Explore the thousand-year-old medina and see Koutoubia minaret and Bahia Palace before learning about North African arts and crafts in the Tiskiwin Museum. Close out the tour in Djemaa el-Fna, the main square, where musicians, street performers, and snake charmers keep the intoxicating atmosphere alive at all hours of the day. You’ll have another day at leisure in Marrakech before connecting back to Casablanca and flying into Tunisia.
Touch down in Tunis, the Tunisian capital, and explore the city’s medina and markets and the Bardo Museum, known for its Roman mosaics, before heading to the Roman ruins of Carthage to see its ancient villas and bathhouses. Continue to the Moorish village of Sidi Bou Said before connecting back to Tunis and heading on to Kairouan to see the Grand Mosque and Berber Mausoleum. Tour a 250ac palm grove in Tozeur before seeing the city’s medina and learning about its culture of art and handcrafts at the Eden Palm. Head onwards, stopping off at Tamerza Canyon Waterfall and the salt desert of Chott el Jerid before reaching Douz, the “Gateway to the Sahara.”
On your final few days in Tunisia, you’ll visit Matmata, famous for its inclusion as Luke Skywalker’s Tatooine home in several Star Wars films. Explore the Berber troglodyte homes and meet a local Berber family to learn about their cultural traditions before connecting to Djerba on the coast and seeing the handicraft village of Guellala. Continue back up the Mediterranean Coast and visit the spice markets of Gabes before reaching Sfax and connecting to the ruins of the Roman amphitheatre in El Jem, considered one of the best-preserved amphitheatres in the entire world. Then connect back to Tunis by way of Monastir.
After a final night in Tunis, connect to the airport for onward travels.