Ryad Salama

Marrakesh, Mountains & Ocean

Classic Beach + 1 more + 2 more

A classic Moroccan trio: Marrakesh, the Atlas Mountains & Essaouira.

11 days

from £2,455 pp

Go Local in Morocco

Go Local Off-the-beaten-track + 2 more + 3 more

Experience the real Morocco with 11 days of authentic experiences.

11 days

from £3,470 pp

Journey to the Sahara

Off-the-beaten-track Adventure

Luxury desert camps, Berber culture, and endless landscapes.

10 days

from £3,550 pp

Morocco Express

A fast track adventure around Morocco's highlights

8 days

Express Beach

from £2,230 pp

Romantic Morocco Winter Break

Romantic Classic + 2 more + 3 more

Quieter sights, snowy peaks, and cosy riads.

9 days

from £2,560 pp

Morocco Summer Sun

Family Classic + 2 more + 3 more

Our perfect Morocco escape for the summer months.

11 days

from £2,460 pp

Quirky excursions

View all excursions in Morocco

Fez el-Bali

Fez was established in the 9th Century and Fez El-Bali (“Old” Fez) sits in the footprint of those original walls (although the current walls date from 12th Century). The city was built by Idriss II and his zawiya (shrine) is at the heart of the city, alongside the Kairaouine Mosque built by refugees from Tunisia, some of the original inhabitants of the city. The mosque has an associated university with a claim to be the oldest in the world and it’s these institutions that have been at the heart of intellectual and religious life throughout Morocco, and indeed North Africa and Moorish Spain, ever since. It’s hard to get a sense of the scale of these religious monuments as non-Muslims can’t enter; however other incredible religious buildings are explored on this walking tour of the (car-free) medina, notably the Attarine Medersa. This is a beautiful example of the traditional Koranic schools, with delicate tile work, a cooling fountain and intricate wood-carvings. Intricate wood working is something Fez is famous for, and the Nejjarine Museum showcases some of the best from Fez’s history; and the building itself is a stunningly restored merchant’s inn. As you walk the streets of the dense, bustling medina you’ll see plenty of woodwork shops as well as all manner of other traditional arts and crafts.

Day in the Life of a Local Family

This morning you will be met at your riad guided across the labyrinthine streets of the old Medina and provided with a list of Arabic phrases to help you communicate with the local family you're about to spend the day with. After reaching the local home and being introduced to the family, you will start your experience with traditional bread-making which will be baked at the communal oven. You will then walk together to the nearby food market to buy fresh ingredients for an authentic lunch, a great opportunity to practice some simple Arabic words and phrases. Back at the house your hosts will teach you how to prepare the traditional Moroccan Tagine (Fez-style), seasonal salads, preserved lemon and the special basic sauce for marinating. Discover the secrets of Fez cuisine and how it differs from other regions. After lunch you can relax with the family, and learn more about their lives over a cup of Moroccan mint tea.

Azrou Market Visit

Azrou in the Middle Atlas is one of the highlights of taking the inland route south from Fez, and particularly on a Tuesday when it hosts its weekly market. This maelstrom of Berber life – where locals sell fruit and vegetables as well as meat and livestock, plus an assortment of electrical goods and contraptions – is a truly local experience, and its likely you will be some of the only foreigners here. Not many of the vendors speak much English, but you can get by on some French if you have it, or a variety of hand signals will do! We recommend this as a stopover on one of your transfers or a half-day tour from Fez, and there is enough to see here to wander around for an hour or two. There are also dining tents so you can snack on meat fresh from the BBQ in flatbreads alongside a glass of mint tea while you take in your surroundings. It doesn't get more authentic than this!

Ifrane & The Middle Atlas

Moroccans love the Middle Atlas and it’s hard to understand why it’s not as popular with foreign visitors. The contrast with the rest of Morocco is marked: gently rolling green foothills are dotted with attractive lakes, verdant woodlands and picturesque walking trails. The university town of Ifrane was built by the French in the early 20th Century to deliberately emulate an Alpine resort, and the neat chalets and ordered parks seem incongruous after the intensity of somewhere like Fez! Slightly further into the Middle Atlas is the town of Azrou, a Berber town which still has a slightly Alpine feel , and if you visit on a Tuesday you’ll catch one of the largest weekly markets in the area, notable for its carpets.

Fez Food Tasting Tour

This is a fun, foodie experience which will take you to different food markets in the old city of Fez, accompanied by an English-speaking guide who will be helping you to discover and taste the different Fez delicacies whilst interacting with the locals. During the first half you will wander around the market stalls near the Blue Gate, and can sample Moroccan crepes, different types of traditional breads in a public bakery, dates and olives, preserved meats, and many kinds of honey, You will see the butchers specialising in preparing and selling camel meat, and the ladies making the phyllo used for the preparation of the Pastilla, a famous Moroccan recipe of Andalusian origins. There will also be a short presentation of the different spices used in Moroccan cooking. Continue exploring to find a whole quarter of eateries where you will be invited to sit in one of the tiny stores serving the broad bean puree cooked with garlic and served with olive oil and tasty warm homemade bread. The guide will also make a selection of the best of each stall, such as the Makouda which are little deep fried potato balls and spicy fried sardines. You will visit a traditional mint tea café to see the tea making and taste this Moroccan traditional hot drink, followed by a quick stop in the colourful quarter specialising in local pastries with almonds, honey and orange blossom water. Finally, you'll end up on the outskirts of the old city, where you can find ladies making a special crepe called Trid which the local people eat for breakfast, as well as the popular stalls selling snails with lots of herbs and garlic.