Game of Thrones Private tours Game of Thrones, Morocco Legends, Tribes and History
Unusual deluxe tour Sophia’s Travel has brought to you other tours in the past associated with Band of Brother’s, Harry Potter, and the Fabled Grimm Brothers stories and rhymes on locations associated with the books and movies.
Our fifth installment is on location in Morocco.
Morocco is known to be an attractive cinema spot. Its landscapes had served as a back drop of very famous and budget films such Gladiator, Alexander, or Lawrence of Arabia. This tour offers the occasion to visit some high places where Game of Thrones series has chosen for scenes taking place in Essos, part of the imaginary world of George RR Martin, in which we follow especially Daenerys Targaryen queen. Morocco’s images appear on the first episode of the series. Indeed, the scene where the viewer discovers Daenerys Targaryen was shot in Ouarzazate, which is supposed to represent Pentos. Game of Thrones filming teams returned to Morocco for the third season of the series. In the second episode of this season we can clearly see the walls of the city of Essaouira which represents the city of Astapor where the slaves market is established. After having released Astapor of slavery, Daenerys Targaryen is heading Yunkai. The scenes set in the city were shot around the Ksar of Ait Benhaddou. A part from Game of thrones high places in Morocco, this tour will be the occasion to meet people especially berber people in the southern Morocco, to meet also their culture and way of life. A melting pot of cultures and civilizations that will give you many experiences and possibilities to discover how important is the capacity of cohabitation in Moroccan between different ethnic groups and roots (Arabs, Jews, Berber…)
Day 1: Arrival to Casablanca – Marrakech
Arrival to Casablanca. Depending on your arrival time. Tour of Casablanca, including Hassan II mosque and the downtown with typical art deco buildings. Transfer later to Marrakech. Arrival to your hotel after 2h30 drive in the highway with a comfort stop. Dinner and overnight at you hotel Sofitel.
Day 2: Marrakech– Tizi Ntichka – Telouet
Breakfast and meet with your guide for a tour of Marrakech one of the four imperial cities of Morocco. A cultural melting pot in which different tribes and legends are alive. Morocco name during decades was Marrakech, which means in legend (Pass and go) in a land dominated by conflicts and warlike tribes.
The history of Marrakech begins with the Almoravides dynasty that made it a capital of the Kingdom of Morocco during centuries. The power of this dynasty followed of that one of the Almohades, covered Andalusia, North Africa and the former Soudan (Mauritania, Mali and the kingdom of Timbuktu). During the sightseeing you will discover the hidden parts of this history, the power of the Jewish families, the beautiful palaces and luxurious houses. The visit will begin in Majorelle Garden privately owned and maintained by Yves St. Laurent, and its collection of Islamic art. You will later go inside the Medina with its narrow streets to visit the Bahia Palace and the Mederssa Ben Youssef, one of the oldest universities in Morocco.
Lunch at your hotel and departure to Telouet, a village situated some kilometres before Ait Ben Haddou (Yunkai in Game of thrones). The road will take you to the gate of desert (Ouarzazate).
The climate and the scenery are different in the southern side of the High Atlas. The influences of the Sahara are felt in all the south of Morocco.
From Tizi pass, one of the unique passes of the High Atlas we will continue to your riad in the road to Ait Ben Haddou Village.
Dinner and overnight at your riad Ksar Igdenda
Day 3: Telouet – Ait Ben Haddou (Yunkai) – Ouarzazate – Fint Oasis (Pentos) – Dades
Breakfast at your riad and drive to Yunkai (Aït ben Haddou). In the fictional world of Essos in Game of Thrones, Ait-Ben-Haddou is turned into Yunkai, the smallest of the three cities in Slaver’s Bay, and Pentos, the biggest of the Free Cities. However, Ait-Ben-Haddou is far from being a new film location. Since the 1960s it was a nice spot for many Hollywood films and TV series, such as Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth, The Mummy, Gladiator, Alexander, Babel, Star wars and Prince of Persia to just name a few.
We continue late to Ouarzazate the capital of this district. Possibilities to visit the studios before continue to visit Kasbah Taourirt and the Oasis of Fint (Pentos). Some parts of Game of thrones where shot in this beautiful palm grove.
Lunch and continue to Dades valley through the palm groves of Skoura.
We follow the line of the High Atlas Mountain and the road of 1000 Kasbah to reach one of the spectacular geologic areas in southern Morocco. Arrival to Dades village after the rose’s valley of Kelaa Mgouna.
Check-in and overnight in a beautiful Kasbah overlooking the oasis and the valley. (Possibility to spend the night in cave-rooms). Dinner in the Kasbah.
Overnight Kazbah Tizzerouine
Day 4: Dades – Todgha gorges – desert dunes of Merzouga
Breakfast in your Kasbah overlooking the valley and departure to the eastern Morocco. The scenery is just fantastic and will take you along the Dades river to discover the continue of the road of 1000 Kasbahs and the fantastic Cathedral of Rocks (the Todgha Gorges) a deep Canyon in the Oriental High Atlas.
Lunch in a local restaurant in the canyon.
We drive to Erfoud and then to Merzouga. On the road we will discover the famous ancestral irrigation system of Fouggaras. From the palm grove of Erfoud we will drive 4WD for an authentic safari in southern Moroccan dunes and later on we will continue by camel to join the nomad camp.
Dinner with special entertainment of the Black confederation of Gnawa descendent of black emigrant coming from deep Africa.
Overnight Deluxe tent in Berber camp.
Day 5: Merzouga – Rissani – Erfoud
If you’re early waking up, you can have the possibility to admire the beauty of the sunrise over the sand dunes of Erg Chebbi. The colours are just fantastic. Breakfast in our tented Berber camp before departure to Rissani for a field trip in the weekly market of the medieval city.
Rissani was called during the middle age “Sijilmassa”; it was the capital of different dynasties of Berbers. A big city on the caravan road which importance had influenced the history of Europe and the east. The visit continues in a Ksar, a community building of the desert which architecture is in phase with the local weather.
Continue to Erfoud, Lunch in your hotel and half day at leisure to rest.
Dinner and overnight at your hotel Kazbah Chergui.
Day 6: Erfoud – Nkob – Agdz – Ouarzazate
Breakfast at your hotel and departure for a new day of discovery. Today you will traverse a long dry plateau of the desert called (Reg). The greenery and the population are just rare in that part of Morocco. Some oasis, nomads with their camels could be seen (depending on the periods). The acacia forest reveals a land where life is conditioned by the existence of water and the movement of nomads during their transhumance.
Lunch in a Kasbah in Nkob village on the Draa River (dry a big part of the year even if it’s the longest river in Morocco).
We continue in the green part of Draa valley. Along that river, a beautiful palm grove, Berber villages and fields like a draught board. You pass the Agdz village and traverse the Anti-Atlas to reach Ouarzazate.
Arrival to your hotel 5* Berbere Palace.
Dinner and overnight
Day 7: Ouarzazate – Tazenakht – Taliouine – Taroudant
Breakfast and departure to Taroudant in Souss region. During this day you will have the opportunity to meet women in a woman cooperative of carpet weavers in Tazenakht. Known to be the city of handmade Berber carpets, Tazenakht is a berber village in the Anti-atlas which survives especially from that handcraft. You continue later to Taliouine, the city of Safran. Lunch in Taliouine before continue to Taroudant.
This beautiful city is called the little Marrakech a walled city. Hidden by magnificent red-mud walls, and with the snowcapped peaks of the High Atlas beckoning beyond, Taroudant’s souqs and squares have a healthy sprinkling of Maghrebi mystique.
Yet it is also a practical place, a market town where Berbers trade the produce of the rich and fertile Oued Souss plain.
Dinner at your hotel La Gazelle d’Or in Taroudant and overnight
Day 8: Taroudant – Agadir – Essaouira (Aspator)
Breakfast at you hotel and departure to Essaouira. Along the fertile lands of Souss you will join Agadir, the Moroccan beach resort.
A beautiful city of the berber region of Souss. The panoramic view from Agadir Oufela (high Agadir) gives you an overview of this young city, rebuilt after the earthquake of 1960. The trip to Essaouira will follow the Atlantic coast where berber fisherman village and beautiful wild beaches with the Argan forest will accompany you till Essaouira.
Lunch on route in a local restaurant.
Arrival to Essaouira late afternoon.
Arrival to your hotel Sofitel Essaouira.
Dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Essaouira – El Jadida – Casablanca
Breakfast and visit of Essaouira. From its first name Mogador, this little town was an important Portuguese port. It features as the city on Slaver’s Bay. Astapor is best known for its ‘unsullied’ inhabitants who Daenerys Targaryen releases.
It features prominently in the Season 3 finale, with Essaouira’s dramatic cliff wall providing the perfect backdrop for the drama that unfolded there. This visit of Essaouira will include the port, the Sqala, the Medina and Bab Doukala.
Lunch and departure to Casablanca.
You will continue the trip along the Atlantic Ocean passing by Safi and El Jadida another Portuguese port before arriving to Casablanca.
Dinner at Rick’s café and overnight at your hotel. Sofitel La Tour Blanche.
Day 10: Departure Breakfast and transfer to Mohamed V airport depending on flight departure.
This is a sample itinerary customized for each client.
Inquire for prices and reservation.