private tour from Fes to Chefchaouen – Morocco is one of the very few destinations that one can visit for a short period of time and make the best of it, exploring all possible sites without having to spend long time driving. This itinerary is provided by Mint Tea Tours as a 3-day private tour, where you will visit four of the main and most attractive destinations in Morocco.
Our first stop on the tour will take us toward the north, through the high Rif Mountains until we reach the blue town of Chefchaouen. The road connecting Fes and Chefchaouen is rich with beautiful landscapes that will please your eyes. The drive is approximately 4 hours including the potential of making some stops on road for a short sightseeing break or maybe for a drink.
Chefchaouen is a small city located in the heart of the Rif Mountains. It is often considered a village by tourist for its small size, which makes it an easy place to discover. However, despite its small size, Chefchaouen is rich with sightseeing and beautiful landscapes, which makes the small town the real gem of Morocco. Interestingly enough, Chefchaouen is well known among locals for its calm and clean air and fresh, natural water, because the city contains no factories. On the other hand, Chefchaouen is famous amongst tourist for its fifty shades of blue.
The “blue heaven” or the “blue pearl” are nicknames this little town acquired for being thoroughly painted in blue. There are many theories why Chefchaouen is blue; some theories tell stories about the advent of Jews in the 15th century who had blue as a divine color, and hence being closer to God. Other theories claim that blue keeps mosquitoes away. However, the only way to uncover this interesting mystery is via interacting with the friendly locals and learn from them the real reason.
The overall medina of Chefchaouen is beautiful and charming, and every single street you pass is more beautiful and more breathtaking than the previous. Walking through all those blue-washed Andalusian alleyways, noticing local crafts hung in every store’s typical door, and being greeted by the friendly merchants and little kids of the city, brings joy to your soul and makes one feel really alive. Enjoy your evening strolling around and discovering the area around the main square called “Outa El Hammam”, which is the heart of the city, and its surrounding neat and well decorated markets.
Your day in Chefchaouen should be a “chill” day. Indeed, Chefchaouen has plenty of stunning places to explore, but its small size makes it easy to do and in no rush. Start by reaching for the main square, “Place Outa Al Hammam”, through the beautiful Andalusian blue alleys where you will most likely be inspired to take dozens of photos. In the middle of Outa Al Hammam stands the main entrance to the reddish kasbah with its magnificent garden, museum, prison and towers. Later, visit Ras El Maa River, the main source of water in the city which supplies the entire city with fresh, natural and drinkable water. Have a walk down by the cool river, and along the way, discover water-mills with which locals relied to grind their wheat, which used to be their number one activity for living.
At the bottom of the river is the Portuguese bridge, built by Portuguese prisoners who tried to invade the city. Finally, visitors of Chefchaouen should not miss watching the sunset from near the Spanish mosque up on Bouzafar Hill. The spectacle is, to say the least, breathtaking. Make sure you watch the whole process of the sun peacefully sinking beyond the mountains in front of you, while listening to the melodic adhan (call to prayer) coming up from all the mosques together for a moment of spirituality and peace.
Today is rather eventful, because we will discover two of the main touristic destinations in Morocco, Volubilis and Meknes. The drive from Chefchaouen to Volubilis is approximately 3 hours, so it will be a good idea to start early. Make sure to keep your eyes open if you can, for the landscape is absolutely stunning along the way.
Volubilis is an UNESCO World Heritage site and the former capital of the Roman province. Currently it is the most extensive and impressive Roman ruins in Morocco. Apart from just its significant history, photography lovers should not miss taking creative pictures of those ancient walls and pillars.
About 30 kilometers from Volubilis, we’ll visit Meknes, the city where Jews settled before the advent of Islam. Discover the old mellah, known for its historic Jewish street names, as well as the new mellah where up to eleven synagogues exist. Right next to the old mellah lies the old Jewish cemetery where several saints’ tombs are found, including Haim Messas, David Boussidan, and Raphael Berdugo. Meknes also offers numerous of historical sites to visit and discover during the day, among which are the Royal Stables and Agdal Reservoir, the Dar Jamaï Museum, Bou Inania Medersa (not to be confused with the medersa of the same name located in Fes), Bab El-Khemis and the 17th century kasbah.
Finally, reach Fes in the evening, where our tour comes to an end.
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1 Review
We have fallen in love with Morocco during our private tour with Mint Tea Tours! We know one day very soon we will be back to visit Morocco again, and we will definitely ask to travel with the same private driver, Abdullah.
He was never just our driver but a good friend! We will always remember his funny sense of humor and all of his jokes ha ha. He taught us so much about the culture of Morocco, religion and way of life but made it fun. Abdullah was very professional. He went out of his way to make sure we were happy and had the best experience traveling in Morocco! We loved all the great places he took us for photos and we were surprised at what a good photographer he was.
A big thanks for taking us to feed the monkeys in Azrou! That was just one of the highlights of the trip for me.
Cory & Jess, NJ, USA