Morocco
Morocco
with Bri Lee
17 – 26 May 2025 (10 days)
Secure your place with a $1,500 deposit.
By paying a deposit you agree to our Terms & Conditions.
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Highlights
- Welcome dinner at iconic Casablanca institution, Rick's Cafe
- Walking tours through the town of literary legend: Tangier
- Taste the goat cheese in famous ‘blue city’ Chefchaouen
- Get up close to the ancient ruins of Volubilis
- Learn to make your own tagine at a proper cooking school
- Hot air balloon ride over the Agafay Desert at dawn
- Yves Saint Laurent’s museum, Jardin Majorelle, and Berber Museum in Marrakesh
- 3 book clubs and 3 prompted writing sessions with Bri Lee
I am so excited to return to Morocco — a country that completely captured me when I first visited in 2022. This travelling book club is a grand adventure covering five different cities plus the Agafay desert. If you’ve never been before but have longed for a meaningful adventure, this is the trip for you. Together we’re going to learn about the rich history and culture of the place, from the Berber/Amazighs, to the Roman ruins, and to the modern-day independent nation post-French occupation. We’ll eat with local families and learn to cook their phenomenal cuisine. And by finishing in gorgeous Marrakesh, with a visit to the YSL museum and Jardin Majorelle, I guarantee you’ll be inspired. I’ve got your reading list planned — see you in May! Bri Lee
DATES
Saturday 17 May — Monday 26 May (10 days)
TOUR LEADER
Bri Lee
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The Blue City, Chefchaouen
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Classic mosaic in Marrakesh
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The rooftops of Marrakesh,
taken by Bri Lee in 2022
Itinerary
Day 1: Saturday 17 May | Arrive Casablanca
We’re meeting in Casablanca and heading straight out on a guided walking tour of the medina, complete with an introduction to some local delicacies that guarantee to banish the memory of airplane food. Freshen up at the hotel, then we’ll have dinner together at the glorious Rick’s Cafe for a cinematic start.
Day 2: Sunday 18 May | Casablanca – Tangier – Chefchaouen
Wake up and head out to a guided tour of Hassan II Mosque, a legendary example of Moroccan architecture and extraordinary in scale and beauty. Then we get on the fantastically fast train to Tangier, where we’ll walk around the (in)famous literary city and enjoy the epic view overlooking the Gibraltar. Late in the afternoon our bus will take us onwards to Chefchaouen — nestled between two peaks in the stunning Rif Mountains.
Day 3: Monday 19 May | Chefchaouen
A local guide will take us through the winding alleyways of the cobbled streets of this beautiful blue city. We’ll sample the local fresh produce, learn about the history of the area, and take in the sunset from a rooftop with Moroccan tea. In the evening we’ll be welcomed to a local woman’s dining room for an authentic, home-cooked meal.
Day 4: Tuesday 20 May | Chefchaouen – Fes
The drive through the countryside to get to the sacred village of Moulay Idriss is special, and a local-led walk through the town will stretch your legs again. From there, we see one of the highlights of this trip: the ancient ruins of Volubilis. Lunch en route is included too, and by the evening we will arrive in Fes.
Day 5: Wednesday 21 May | Fes
Our guided tour of the medinas, famous tanneries, and mosques of Fes will make you feel like you’ve stepped back through time — especially when we get to the beautifully restored 18th-century inn. But the delicious food we snack on as we go along will definitely keep you firmly in the present!
Day 6: Thursday 22 May | Fes –Marrakesh
Today is a long driving day. Have a rest and recharge, listen to Bri reading out loud to the bus, and watch as the landscape changes on the road to the fantastic city of Marrakesh.
Day 7: Friday 23 May | Marrakesh
Get dressed, we’re going to the Musée Yves Saint Laurent, Jardin Majorelle, and Berber Museum. Straight afterwards, a tour of the old medina in Marrakesh. Dinner is with another local family.
Day 8: Saturday 24 May | Marrakesh – Agafay Desert
It’s an early start today, but for the best possible reason: our hot air balloon ride! Once we’re back down on earth, we’ll head out to the Agafay Desert where we’ll be spending the night amongst the dunes, feasting on more traditional Moroccan cuisine.
Day 9: Sunday 25 May | Agafay Desert – Marrakesh
After breakfast in the desert we’ll head back to Marrakesh for our cooking lesson, to make sure you can learn the recipes for yourself and take them home. In the evening we’ll gather for our final dinner at woman-run local restaurant.
Day 10: Monday 26 May | Depart Marrakesh
After breakfast and a special, final-morning group activity with Bri, our official time together ends.
Pricing
Per person, twin share
Per person, private room
Pay the non-refundable $1,500 deposit to secure your place.
We will then send you a link to pay the remaining amount in full or in three instalments.
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The view from the famous Hotel Continental in Tangier, taken by Bri Lee in 2022
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The Blue City, Chefchaouen
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A mosaic from the ancient ruins of Volubilis,
taken by Bri Lee in 2022
More Details
Inclusions
- All accommodation
- Airport transfers for those arriving on Day 1 or the day before
- Airport transfers for those departing on Day 10 or the day after
- 9 Breakfasts (Days 2 -10), 2 lunches (Day 4, and Day 9), and 5 dinners (Day 1, Day 3, Day 7, Day 8, and Day 9)
- Entry tickets to all the attractions listed in the itinerary, including: Volubilis, the hot air balloon ride, the Musée Yves Saint Laurent and Jardin Majorelle
- Your two required readings for the trip book clubs (selected by your host) will be posted out to you in the months before you depart
- Tips for our Local Guide, driver, and a tipping kitty — see our FAQs for our generous tipping policy
Exclusions
- International flights
- Airport transfers for travellers arriving or departing on alternative days - contact us to arrange alternative transfers
- Comprehensive travel insurance (required for travel as per our Terms & Conditions)
- Visas and international taxes
- Vaccines
- Items of a personal nature (eg. laundry, minibar)
- Services or activities not mentioned in the itinerary (eg. early check-ins or late check-outs, other sites and experiences not listed in the itinerary)
- All the included meals, drinks are extras for individuals to purchase
- Meals not listed above in ‘inclusions’
Group Size
Minimum 10 and maximum 16. We will be in touch as soon as we receive the minimum number of bookings for the trip to proceed.
Accommodation
We will provide a more detailed list of specific hotels in the months before departure once we know specific numbers of people in twin-share and private rooms. The Bibliocarta priorities for accommodation are always: cleanliness and character. Examples of the standard you can expect include Dar Echchaouen in Chefchaouen, Riad Salam in Fes, and Riad La Cle d’Or in Marrakesh. In the Agafay desert we will be in ‘glamping’ style luxury tents. The two different prices of the trip are for twin share (regular price) or private rooms (higher price).
Fitness Level
Travellers for this specific trip will need to be able to: walk on uneven ground through city tours and historical sites, sit on one particularly long (5 hours with breaks) bus ride, and manage their own suitcases. We recommend some sensible sneakers, but you certainly won’t need hiking boots. If you have any questions about mobility, please get in touch and we’re delighted to help.
Book Clubs & Prompted Writing Sessions
The final itinerary includes allocated times for three book club sessions and three prompted writing sessions, all run by your host for the trip, Bri Lee.
There are two ‘required readings’, and you’ll receive a copy of both these books with enough time to read them before you depart in May 2025.
Don’t be nervous if you don’t consider yourself some kind of ‘serious’ writer; the guided writing sessions are designed to stimulate you creatively, and can simply be for your own travel diaries if you don’t feel like sharing.
Payment Process & Payment Plan Options
Travellers must make their non-refundable deposit to secure their spot on the trip because places are limited.
Once the minimum threshold (ten travellers) is reached, you will then receive an email with a link to the full payment portal. At this time you may choose to either pay the amount in full (no later than 2 March 2025) or sign up for the payment plan of three installments (to be paid on 1 January 2025, 1 February 2025, and 1 March 2025).
Please read our Terms & Conditions page for further details.
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Oranges for sale at the markets in Tangier,
taken by Bri Lee in 2022 -
Mint tea inside the famous Hotel Continental in Tangier, taken by Bri Lee in 2022
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Jardin Majorelle
