Northern Gems — Chefchaouen to Essaouira 5-Day Tour

Your journey through the gems of northern and coastal Morocco begins in Chefchaouen — one of the most iconic and photographed cities in the world, nestled in the folds of the Rif Mountains at over 600 meters above sea level. Your dedicated local driver and tour companion will meet you at your hotel or riad and guide you into the heart of this extraordinary blue city.

The medina of Chefchaouen is unlike anything else in Morocco — a labyrinth of blue-washed alleyways, flower-filled squares and carved doorways that seem to glow with an otherworldly light at every hour of the day. Founded in 1471 by Moorish and Jewish exiles from the Iberian Peninsula, the city carries its extraordinary history in every painted wall and cobblestone street.

Your companion will guide you through the medina — past the central Plaza Uta el-Hammam, through the covered textile and craft souks, into the quieter residential quarters where the blue is at its most beautiful — before giving you free time to explore, photograph and soak up the remarkable atmosphere of this city at your own pace.

You stay overnight in Chefchaouen. Dinner is included this evening

After breakfast your companion drives you south and west from the Rif Mountains toward the Atlantic coast — approximately 3 hours to Rabat, Morocco's capital city and one of its four imperial cities, a place of elegant boulevards, ancient ramparts and royal grandeur that most visitors to Morocco never fully explore.

Your companion will guide you through the highlights of this remarkable and often underestimated city — the Hassan Tower and the unfinished 12th-century mosque that was to be the largest in the world, the magnificent Mausoleum of Mohammed V with its extraordinary Moroccan craftsmanship, the ancient Kasbah of the Udayas perched above the Atlantic where the Bou Regreg river meets the sea with its beautiful Andalusian gardens and whitewashed alleyways, and the relaxed and atmospheric medina so different in character from Fes or Marrakech.

Rabat rewards those who take the time to know it — and your companion will make sure you do. You stay overnight in Rabat. Dinner is included this evening.

After breakfast your companion takes you south along the Atlantic coast — first to Casablanca, approximately 1 hour from Rabat, for a morning introduction to Morocco's largest and most cosmopolitan city. You will see the extraordinary Hassan II Mosque — one of the largest mosques in the world, built dramatically over the Atlantic Ocean with its 210-meter minaret visible for miles. Your companion will share the history and architectural story of this breathtaking monument as you explore the grounds.

From Casablanca your companion continues south along the Atlantic coast to El Jadida — a small and perfectly preserved Portuguese colonial city that is one of the great hidden gems of the Moroccan coast and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Portuguese Cistern of El Jadida — an underground vaulted water reservoir with a single opening in its ceiling that throws a column of light onto the still water below — is one of the most atmospheric and beautiful spaces in all of Morocco. Your companion will guide you through the old Portuguese city, the ramparts above the sea and this extraordinary subterranean wonder.

You stay overnight in El Jadida or continue to Oualidia — a small lagoon village on the Atlantic coast famous for its oyster beds and extraordinary natural beauty. Dinner is included this evening.

After breakfast your companion drives you south along one of the most beautiful stretches of the Moroccan Atlantic coast — through the argan tree forests of the Souss-Massa region, the only place in the world where wild argan trees grow, and past the dramatic cliffs and beaches of the Haha coast.

Along the way your companion will stop at a women's argan cooperative where you can see the traditional oil-pressing process up close and learn about the remarkable social enterprise that has transformed the lives of Berber women in this region.

You arrive in Essaouira — a UNESCO World Heritage coastal medina that is unlike anywhere else in Morocco. Where Marrakech is warm, intense and landlocked, Essaouira is cool, open and windswept — a city of whitewashed walls, blue shutters, crashing Atlantic waves and the constant cry of seagulls. Founded as a trading port in the 18th century, it has long attracted artists, musicians and travellers from around the world — Jimi Hendrix famously visited and the city has never lost its creative, free-spirited energy.

Your companion will guide you through the medina — along the ancient sea ramparts, through the artisan souks of thuya wood, spice and silver jewellery, past the blue and white harbour where the fishing fleet has worked these waters for centuries. You will have free time to explore, browse the craft workshops and walk the wild Atlantic beach.

You stay overnight in Essaouira. Dinner is included this evening.

After breakfast your companion drives you east from Essaouira back to Marrakech — approximately 2.5 hours through the argan forests and the Haouz Plain, with the rose-red walls of Marrakech appearing on the horizon as you approach the city.

Your companion will make a stop along the way if time and interest allow — perhaps at a roadside argan stall, a viewpoint over the plain or a quiet village off the main road — before delivering you to your hotel or riad in Marrakech in the late morning or early afternoon, bringing five extraordinary days through the gems of northern and coastal Morocco to a close.

If your accommodation is inside the medina and vehicles cannot access it, we will drop you at the nearest accessible point, just a short walk away.