Itinerary

This itinerary is subject to change due to weather, local conditions, and other factors.

March 5, 2025: Casablanca arrivals. Greet and assist by GLYPH team at airport, transfer to Hotel Barcelo for rest or you can strike out on your own for some street photography. Many local restaurants in the area within walking distance. Money exchange also nearby. Afternoon orientation in hotel, then group dinner.

March 6, 2025: After breakfast in hotel we’ll go for a walking tour and photography of the historic Habous district, returning after a street lunch to hotel for afternoon rest. Dinner. Daily photo review and overnight in Casablanca.

March 7, 2025: Casablanca to Chefchaouen. After breakfast in hotel, morning visit to local fish market then head to Chefchaouen with lunch en route. Check in to Hotel Al Khalifa, evening walk among the unique blue buildings that the city is known for, then dinner at a local restaurant; daily photo review and overnight in Chefchaouen.

March 8, 2025: Chefchaouen to Fes. After breakfast in hotel, free time to revisit and shoot the enchanting Blue City of Chefchaouen or do an early morning hike up to the old Spanish mosque in the hills above the city for sweeping vistas of the Blue City and the Rif Mountain region at sunrise. Photo ops a plenty here and a great opportunity to shop for Moroccan souvenirs. Late morning drive to the city of Fes, Morocco’s oldest city, with a late lunch in the charming mountain town of Moulay Idriss before visiting the sprawling Roman city of Volubilis. Check in to Riad Fes Authentic Palace. Dinner (if you’re not stuffed), daily photo review, and overnight in Fes.

March 9, 2025: Fes again today. After breakfast in the Riad, we’ll take a city tour with a local guide (sites include Qarawiyyin library and leather tannery, among others, all part of the old medina, itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site); lunch in medina on tour. Afternoon return to our Riad. Daily photo review and dinner in Riad. Overnight in Fes.

March 10, 2025: Lazy morning, breakfast in the Riad, walk around the medina on your own, then late morning transfer to cross the Atlas Mountains to town of Midelt on the edge of the Sahara (while crossing the Atlas Mountains we’ll be on the lookout for macaques, also known as Barbary apes); lunch en route at a roadside restaurant. Check in to Casbah Al Asmaa; daily photo review and dinner in hotel restaurant. Overnight in Casbah Al Asmaa, Midelt.

March 11 2025: Midelt to Merzouga. After breakfast in the hotel, drive from Midelt to Merzouga, in the sands of the Sahara. Lunch en route with a couple of scenic stops along the way. Upon arrival in Merzouga we’ll transfer to 4x4 vehicles to visit an oasis, a nomadic Berber camp, and a fossil mine, then meet up with camels for a ride into the dunes and a chance to shoot the sunset in the Sahara. (You may choose to walk through the sand and shoot the caravan and its colorful leaders as we make our way to a high dune for sunset. Any bags you might want to leave in the van are perfectly safe). Continue by camel to Luxury Camp (or walk, your choice). Each of us will have individual tents with private bathrooms inside each tent. This is glamping, y’all. Dinner and daily photo review in camp. Overnight in Luxury Camp, Merzouga.

March 12 2025: Merzouga to Tinghir. Sunrise photography with camels and cameleers then breakfast in camp; collect luggage for 4x4 to return our things to Merzouga and our van and we take an hour-ish camel ride (or walk, your choice) back and we drive to town of Tinghir. After check-in at Hotel Tomboctou we’ll walk through farm fields to the old casbah ruins of Tinghir, visit a Berber carpet shop, return to Hotel Tomboctou for midday photo review, then head to dinner with a local Berber family. We will be the special guest at this family’s breaking of the day long fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Overnight in Hotel Tomboctou.

March 13 2025: Tinghir to Ouarzazate. After breakfast (and checkout) we’ll visit nearby Todra Gorge natural area, after which we’ll drive from Tinghir to Ouarzazate, visiting scenic Dades Gorge en route along with numerous Casbahs. After checking into Riad Ouarzazate we’ll visit nearby Casbah Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Returning to Ouarzazate, we’ll again break the daily fast with a local family of artists/musicians. Daily photo review and overnight in Riad Ouarzazate.

March 14, 2025: Ouarzazate to Marrakech. After breakfast we head across the Atlas Mountains to Marrakech. Check in to Riad Zahri then free time in bazaar (walking distance from our riad) and enjoy a casual dinner of street food and night photography in the big square of Jemaa Al Afna; overnight at Riad Zahri.

March 15, 2025: After breakfast fashion shoot with local model in our riad followed by midday street photography/free time; afternoon fashion shoot in the bazaar, then casual dinner of street food and night photography in the Bazaar. Overnight in Riad Zahri.

March 16, 2025: Marrakech to Essaouira. After breakfast in Riad Zahri and checkout, drive through villages of Ourika, Oukimden, Sidi Fatima, and Imlil in the Atlas Mountains. Explore the true Berber culture in this region famous for its rugged beauty, stream-side cafes (where we’ll have lunch), and terrace farming that will remind you of China/Tibet in places. Back down the mountains through Marrakech and on to Essaouira on the Atlantic for check in at Hotel. Daily photo review in hotel and dinner in hotel restaurant.

March 17, 2025: Essaouira to Casablanca. Relaxing morning in Essaouira. After breakfast enjoy free time on beach, in your room, or by the poolside; maybe enjoy the short walk to the funky old port of Essaouira (great photo ops here with blue boats and the historical Portuguese fort in the background; sometimes you’ll find West African street performers here, too). Midday check out, lunch on the road then head back to Casablanca. Late afternoon check in to Hotel Barcelo, repack (you just bought a bunch of cool stuff!), clean up; final group dinner and final photo review in, Casablanca.

March 18, 2025: Breakfast in hotel, checkout, then head to airport for return flights to the US.