10 Luxury Experiences During AFCON 2025 Morocco
13 days to kickoff
AFCON 2025 runs from December 21 to January 18. That's nearly a month of football across six Moroccan cities. Your team will play at least three group stage matches, with several days between each. If they advance, the gaps continue through the knockout rounds.
Most supporters focus on tickets, visas, and stadium logistics. Understandable. But here's what separates a trip from an experience: what happens between matches.
Morocco offers more to discerning travelers during those in-between days than most countries offer in a dedicated vacation. These are ten experiences worth planning around your match schedule.
Plan Around Your Matches
Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Over the Atlas Foothills
Location: Agafay Desert, 45 minutes from Marrakech Duration: 4-5 hours (including transfers) Best timing: Morning of a rest day, returning with the whole day ahead
The Agafay is not the Sahara. It's a rocky desert plateau at the foot of the Atlas Mountains, close enough to Marrakech for a sunrise departure and morning return. Hot air balloon operators here have flown for over 30 years, with exceptional safety records under Morocco's civil aviation authority.
The experience begins in darkness. Hotel pickup around 5:30am, tea and pastries as the balloon inflates against the first light. The flight itself lasts about an hour, climbing to 3,000 feet as the sun rises over the Atlas range. Below: Berber villages, palm groves, the desert stretching toward mountains whose peaks catch the first gold of morning.
After landing, a traditional Berber breakfast awaits in a tented camp: fresh bread, honey, Moroccan pancakes, eggs, olives, and mint tea. You're back in Marrakech by mid-morning, the rest of the day open.
Private Sahara Glamping for the Mid-Tournament Break
Location: Erg Chebbi dunes near Merzouga Duration: 2-3 nights Best timing: December 28 - January 2 (gap between group stage and knockouts)
The gap between the final group stage matches (December 30-31) and the Round of 16 (January 4) creates an opportunity for the journey most visitors never take: the Sahara.
Merzouga lies roughly seven hours from Marrakech by road, passing through the High Atlas via Tizi n'Tichka, the ancient Kasbah of Ait Benhaddou, the Draa Valley, and finally the orange dunes of Erg Chebbi. The drive itself is an experience.
Luxury desert camps here operate at a level far removed from basic tents. Private accommodation with king beds, en-suite bathrooms, heating for cold desert nights. Sunset camel treks to the dunes. Candlelit dinners under stars unpolluted by light. Traditional Berber drumming around the fire. Sunrise from the highest dune.
Mid-Tournament Window
The gap between December 30-31 (final group matches) and January 4 (Round of 16) offers the only window long enough for the Sahara without missing matches.
For supporters whose teams advance, it's a reset before knockout pressure begins.
New Year's Eve at La Mamounia or Royal Mansour
Location: Marrakech Duration: One extraordinary evening Best timing: December 31, 2025
AFCON 2025 spans New Year's Eve. For those in Morocco on December 31, the country's two most celebrated hotels offer celebrations worth traveling for.
La Mamounia transforms for the occasion. Multiple restaurants offer festive menus ranging from 4,500 to 7,000 MAD per person. Live music fills the bars from December 27 through January 1, with The Phly Boyz performing nightly. The countdown happens amid gardens that have hosted royalty for a century, with champagne and dancing into the early hours.
Royal Mansour approaches the evening with characteristic refinement. Hélène Darroze's La Grande Brasserie and Massimiliano Alajmo's Sesamo offer exceptional menus. At midnight, the Patio Bleu hosts live bands and celebrations. On January 1, a French-style New Year's brunch extends the festivities.
Both require advance booking. These are not walk-in evenings.
Private Cooking Class in a Marrakech Riad
Location: Marrakech medina Duration: Half-day (4-5 hours) or full day Best timing: Any rest day between matches
Moroccan cuisine requires time and technique that restaurants compress for service. A private cooking class offers both the skills and the context: why tagines are shaped as they are, how spice combinations evolved over centuries, the difference between preserved lemons made for months and those hurried for tourists.
The best classes begin at the market. Your chef-instructor guides you through the stalls of the medina, selecting vegetables, meats, spices based on season and quality. Then to a riad kitchen, often beautifully tiled and opening to a courtyard, where the cooking begins.
Expect to prepare multiple dishes: perhaps a chicken tagine with preserved lemon and olives, vegetable couscous, Moroccan salads (zaalouk, taktouka), and pastries like briouats or chebakia. The meal you've made becomes lunch, served formally in the riad.
For groups traveling together, private classes scale well and create shared experiences beyond the stadium.
Exclusive Hammam Experiences
Location: Marrakech (also available in other cities) Duration: 2-4 hours Best timing: Day after a match, for recovery
The hammam is Morocco's answer to the spa, but with a ritual structure dating back centuries. The traditional sequence: steam room to open pores, black soap (savon noir) applied and left to absorb, vigorous exfoliation with a kessa mitt, rhassoul clay mask, rinse, and rest with mint tea.
For luxury travelers, two venues stand apart:
Spa Royal Mansour occupies 27,000 square feet across three floors, centered on an elaborately carved atrium resembling ornate birdcages. The Private Custom Hammam uses personalized ingredients: rose petals from the Kalaat M'gouna Valley, Atlas Mountain clay, Taliouine saffron. During the mask absorption, a traditional musician plays in the chamber.
La Mamounia Spa extends over 2,500 square meters, featuring two traditional hammams plus a private hammam with Jacuzzi. The décor combines pale marble with precious mosaics, zellige tilework, and wooden paneling. Valmont and marocMaroc treatments elevate the experience.
Both require reservations, especially during AFCON when demand will be high.
Atlas Mountain Day Escape
Location: High Atlas, departing from Marrakech Duration: Full day (8-10 hours) Best timing: Rest day with good weather
The High Atlas begins less than an hour from Marrakech. What opens is a different Morocco: Berber villages clinging to mountainsides, terraced agriculture in the Ourika Valley, rivers running from snowmelt, peaks reaching above 4,000 meters.
A well-designed day includes multiple elements: the drive through ascending terrain, a guided walk through a village (not just past it), lunch at a local house or mountain restaurant with Atlas views, optional shorter hikes to waterfalls or viewpoints, and return to Marrakech by evening.
For those wanting more depth, overnight options exist. Mountain lodges like Kasbah du Toubkal (at the base of North Africa's highest peak) or Kasbah Bab Ourika offer a night in the mountains with guided hiking, returning the next day.
December weather in the Atlas is cold but usually clear. Snow on the peaks, sunshine during the day, jacket needed at altitude.
Essaouira Coastal Retreat
Location: Atlantic coast, 2.5-3 hours from Marrakech Duration: Full day or overnight Best timing: Any rest day; better as overnight if schedule allows
Essaouira is Marrakech's opposite: an Atlantic port town where wind replaces heat, blue and white replace ochre, and the pace slows deliberately. The medina is UNESCO-listed, compact and navigable without guides, filled with art galleries and artisan workshops rather than tourist traps.
The town's Portuguese fortifications line the waterfront. Seagulls circle the fishing port where the catch comes in each morning. Restaurants serve that catch grilled simply, within hours of landing. The ramparts offer views of the Ile de Mogador, where Orson Welles filmed parts of Othello.
As a day trip from Marrakech, you'll have 4-5 hours in town: enough for the medina, lunch, and a walk along the beach. For those with more time, an overnight allows dinner at sunset, morning coffee on the ramparts before the crowds, and a more relaxed return.
Private Medina Shopping Tour
Location: Marrakech, Fes, or other medina cities Duration: Half-day (3-4 hours) Best timing: Morning or late afternoon
The souks of Morocco's medinas are overwhelming by design. Narrow lanes, sensory bombardment, vendors calling, unclear pricing. For luxury travelers, the experience can tip from exciting to exhausting quickly.
A private shopping tour with a knowledgeable local guide changes the dynamic entirely. Your guide knows which workshops produce genuine craft rather than imported goods, which dealers offer fair prices, which hidden ateliers most visitors never find. They translate not just language but context: the history of a technique, the appropriate negotiation style, when to walk away.
The outcome: better purchases at fairer prices, without the stress of navigating alone. You return with pieces of genuine quality and the stories behind them.
Desert Dinner in Agafay
Location: Agafay Desert, 45 minutes from Marrakech Duration: Evening (4-5 hours including transfers) Best timing: Evening of a rest day
The Agafay desert offers Sahara atmosphere within reach of Marrakech. For those without days for the full Sahara journey, an evening here captures much of the magic.
Luxury camps in Agafay have transformed over the past decade. Properties like Inara Camp, Agafay Luxury Camp, and The White Camel offer experiences far beyond basic tourism: infinity pools overlooking the desert, elegant tented accommodations, and exceptional cuisine.
A dinner experience typically begins with late afternoon arrival. Camel ride across the rocky terrain as the light softens. Traditional Berber dress available for those who want it. Sunset from the dunes with refreshments. Then dinner: a multi-course Moroccan meal served in a private tent or under the stars, accompanied by traditional musicians. The Atlas Mountains darken as the first stars appear.
Sunset Sailing from Tangier
Location: Tangier Bay and Strait of Gibraltar Duration: 2-3 hours Best timing: Late afternoon/evening on a rest day
Tangier hosts AFCON's largest stadium and Senegal's entire group stage. For supporters based here, the city's unique position offers an experience unavailable elsewhere in Morocco: sailing where two continents and two bodies of water meet.
The Strait of Gibraltar separates Africa from Europe by just 14 kilometers. The Atlantic meets the Mediterranean here, with currents and conditions that have challenged sailors for millennia. From a yacht, you can see Spain's coastline clearly, the Rock of Gibraltar on the horizon, and the African coast receding behind.
A sunset cruise typically departs late afternoon, sails the bay and approaches the strait, and returns as the sun sets behind Cape Spartel, the northwestern tip of Africa.
Planning Your AFCON Experience
These experiences share a common thread: they require advance planning. During AFCON, demand for Morocco's best offerings will be high. Hot air balloon slots fill. Luxury camps book out. Restaurant reservations at La Mamounia and Royal Mansour become scarce.
We recommend identifying which experiences align with your match schedule, then booking early. If your team plays evening matches, mornings are free: balloon flights, cooking classes, Atlas excursions. If matches fall in the afternoon, evenings open: desert dinners, sunset sails, hammam recovery.
For supporters following teams into the knockout rounds, flexibility matters. We build itineraries that adapt as the tournament progresses, with contingency plans for advancement or early exit.
Experience Planning Guide
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Yalla Visit Morocco designs private travel experiences for visitors who want more than a surface-level tour. We specialize in luxury, cultural depth, and logistical precision. For AFCON 2025, that means building around your match schedule while ensuring you experience Morocco at its best.