Best of Morocco Family Holiday

Salaam alaikum! Welcome to Morocco. Your adventure will begin in thriving Marrakech with a welcome meeting at 5 pm. After, join your leader and fellow travellers to Djemaa el-Fnaa in the Old City for a local street food experience as the sun descends. This is the largest public square in the world, and the kids are sure to love the chaos! Street performers vie to entertain and delicious smells waft by as food stalls cook up their local delicacies – you’ll no doubt want to try as much as you can for dinner tonight! You'll also be able to buy some snacks for the train journey tomorrow.

After breakfast, make your way to the station and board the train to Tangier, enjoying a relaxed journey across Morocco as the landscapes gradually change from the heart of the country to the northern coast. When you arrive in Tangier, transfer to your accommodation and settle in. The rest of the day is free to relax or begin soaking up the atmosphere of this historic port city at your own pace.

Today, you’ll take a half day tour of Tangier with a local guide, discovering the city’s highlights and rich blend of cultures. After, head on to Chefchaouen, the picturesque blue mountain town. When you arrive, join your leader for a short orientation walk through the alleyways and staircases bathed in shades of blue, before a free evening to wander at your own pace – maybe find a great local restaurant or just soak up the atmosphere.

You’ll have some free time this morning to explore more of Chefchaouen – if you want the best chance of getting family photos, head out just after sunrise when the streets are quiet. After, head to Fes – the spiritual and cultural heart of Morocco. Vibrant, noisy and a feast for the senses, Fes feels medieval, with a huge, well‑preserved Old Town that’s the mother of all medinas. The afternoon is free to explore the winding streets and lively atmosphere of this incredible city –ask your local leader for tips and be careful of getting lost in the old medina (it’s said that only the locals know their way out of the maze!).

After breakfast, take a guided walk through the Old City, known locally as Fes el Bali. Step back into the Middle Ages as you explore the medina’s labyrinth, which buzzes with craftspeople, markets, tanneries and mosques. After passing donkeys navigating the car-free streets, you’ll stop to watch some traditional potters at work in a ceramics studio. Then, head to a pottery workshop to make something of your own with the local artisans. A skilled craftsman will teach you all about their craft and the kids will love getting their hands dirty as you watch your ideas come to life using the traditional methods of sculpting and modelling. After, explore the speciality sections of the souq and see the dye pits at the Chauwara Tannery. Tonight, you’re free to get together with the other families and enjoy a local feast of harira (chickpea soup) and chicken-stuffed pastilla with couscous.

It’s time to leave the city behind and head for the beauty of the Middle Atlas Mountains. Take a private transfer through fertile valleys, pine forests and barren, rocky landscapes. Tell the kids to look out for wandering nomadic shepherds as they tend to their flocks – you might even catch a glimpse of barbary apes, North Africa’s only monkey. Midelt is a market town originally built as a base for mining and surrounded by farms and orchards, and when you arrive, you’ll take a walk through one of the nearby villages to soak up the spectacular scenery. Your local leader will also give an insight into local farming life before you all settle in for a peaceful evening.

This morning after breakfast, drive into the mighty Sahara, stopping to take in the views of kasbahs and palmeries (lush valleys with date palms, fields and orchards) along the way. As you pass through Erfoud and Rissani, you’ll see the scenery change between barren mountainsides and fertile valleys until you reach the small Saharan village of Merzouga. When you arrive, leave your baggage, pack a daypack and saddle up for a 1-hour camel ride into the desert at the Erg Chebbi dunes – huge, windswept dunes just 20 km (12.5 mi) from the Algerian border. Ride your camels into the edge of the Sahara at sunset – this is a core memory waiting to happen! The dunes are truly breathtaking as the evening light sets off the deep colours of the desert. Tonight, you’ll camp out in traditional style under the North African stars.