GRAND TOUR OF MOROCCO 10 DAYS – 9 NIGHTS

Day 1: Casablanca: Upon your arrival in Morocco you will be met by your driver in the arrivals area just outside baggage claim/customs.  After arrival you have a city tour of Casablanca, the business capital of Morocco. You will have time to visit the new Hassan II Mosque on the ocean, the next largest Mosque only to Mecca and only Mosque in Morocco available to non-Moslems. You can visit its exterior and depending upon your arrival day an interior tour is available for an optional 120MAD (days and hours vary). This site is a magnificent example of true Moroccan architecture and hand crafted opulence.  Dinner and overnight in your hotel in Casablanca.

Day 4: Breakfast. Midelt, Errachidia and Erfoud, the Sand Dunes of Merzouga. (421km, 8 hrs) An early morning start through Midelt with its dramatic views of the peaks of the High Atlas, continuing on through the town of Errachidia to Erfoud.  A night Bedouin style at the Sand Dunes of Merzouga. You are met in Erfoud by your 4x4 and continue 1 hour to the desert. You have your own private bivouac site and staff. Here you have a short camel trek around the dunes to experience the desert sunset. Your tent is equipped with mattress, blankets and carpets. A restaurant tent is decorated entirely in desert camp style where your cooks prepare your meals and local musicians will delight you as you sit on cushions and dine Bedouin style. Your campsite has complete personal facilities.  Tonight you have a specially prepared Berber dinner and overnight under a tent in the desert.

Day 5: Breakfast. Dades Valley, Todra Gorges, Skoura Kasbah and Ouarzazate (310km, 6 hrs.)  Start your day with a picturesque drive along the Route of 1000 Kasbahs.  Pass by palm grove oases and Kasbah dwellings; through Dades Valley; along the Gorges of Todra where you will marvel at the cliffs of these gorges high above where you stand; through the Skoura Kasbah area. You continue on to Ouarzazate, a film industry center where many American and European films have been made. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Ouarzazate.

Day 6: Breakfast. Ait Ben Haddou and Marrakech  (235km, 4 ½ hrs) Morning visit to the impressive Ait Ben Haddou, an 11th century structure declared by UNESCO as an historical treasure, a photographer’s wonderland. We continue up the High Atlas Mountains at Tiz N'Tichka Pass, then through the fertile Haouz Plain to the "pink city" of Marrakech.  You check into your hotel for 4 nights in this fascinating and intriguing Moroccan city. This is one of Morocco’s Imperial Cities that will leave you with the fondest memories imaginable. Breakfast and dinner in your hotel.

Day 7: Breakfast. Marrakech. Today you have a full day guided tour of this famous city: tour the Menara Gardens, its Saadian Pavilion and olive groves. We visit the "old medina" and its wondrous old world exotic charm with your guide taking you on a fascinating wander through its labyrinths; with a stop at the foot of the famous Katoubia Minaret. Continuing on you visit the Saadian Tombs and Bahia Palace with its lush Moorish style garden. After lunch (not included), walk discovery of the most colorful souks of the medina and finally stroll the famous Jemaa El Fna Square, an ancient meeting place of North African tradesmen, entertainers, musicians, snake charmers and storytellers. Your guide will show you so many fascinating sites in this famous Imperial city. Dinner and overnight in your hotel.

Day 8: Breakfast. After breakfast, leave to Essaouira via Chechaoua and Ounara. Arrive Essaouira at noon, then start your guided tour of this famous fishing village and its medina renowned for generations for its production of “Murex” a small shellfish used to make the purple dye for Roman togas, Essaouira is now a very active fishing harbour still showing traces of having been occupied by the Portuguese in the XVIth century.

Later on Sultan Mohamed Ben Abdellah used it as a base for its corsairs! Today, protected from the sea and the wind behind its commanding fortified walls, Essaouira shelters a flourishing craftsmanship in marquetry, working citron-and-lime wood with ebony, mother of pearl and silver thread to make tables, chess-boards, caskets and bracelets. Dinner on your own (B).

Day 9: Breakfast than the morning is at leisure. At your convenience, leave in the afternoon to Marrakech. Dinner & overnight at your hotel.

Day 10: Transfer and assistance with departure formalities at the Marrakech Airport for your return flight with the fondest of memories.

Included:

• 9 nights accommodations with breakfast and dinners as selected
• Hotel taxes and service charges
• English speaking driver acting as a guide throughout.
• 9 days touring + departure transfer on day 10 using deluxe A/C car or Van.
• 4x4 transport to the dunes of Merzouga for the camping.
• Camel trek and overnight in deluxe private tent area at the Dunes of Erg Chebbi including dinner/breakfast
• All tours and entrance fees.
• Tour days include stop for optional lunch/refreshment/relaxation.

Not Included:

• Airfare
• Drinks with meals
• Tips
• Personal expenses & Items of a personal nature: room service; phone; laundry.. etc

Suggested hotels depending on availability at time of booking: 

Imperial Cities of Morocco A 7 Days 6 nights Odyssey Tour

Day 1: Arrive Casablanca: Upon your arrival in Morocco you will be met by your driver in the arrivals area just outside baggage claim/customs. Transfer to your hotel for check in. Dinner and overnight in your hotel in Casablanca.

Day 2: After breakfast you will have a city tour of Casablanca, the business capital of Morocco. You will have time to visit the new Hassan II Mosque on the ocean, the next largest Mosque only to Mecca and only Mosque in Morocco available to non-Moslems. You can visit its exterior and depending upon your arrival day an interior tour is available for an optional 120MAD (days and hours vary). This site is a magnificent example of true Moroccan architecture and hand crafted opulence. Then you have a short drive to Rabat, Morocco's capitol. You have a tour of Rabat visiting the Kasbah of Oudaya, Hassan Tower and Chellah built in the 12th century. A stop at the mausoleum of Mohammed V, the present king’s father and a pass by the king’s palace and other government buildings. Dinner and overnight in your hotel in Rabat.

Day 3: breakfast then continue to Meknes, Volubilis and Fes (200km, 3 hrs.) you will travel to Fez via Meknes, where you will have a drive tour of this former Imperial city of Morocco. You will see the old ramparts; the Agdoul Basin, which was used to water the royal gardens and amuse the favorite concubines; the Moulay Ismail royal stables, granaries and House of Water (Dar el Ma) which were built in the 17th and 18th centuries to house, feed and water the sultan's twelve thousand horses, Bab el Mansour, one of the most beautiful gates in Morocco; the Moulay Ismail mausoleum, one of the few holy sites in Morocco which may be visited by non-Moslems; and the intrigue of the Meknes landscape. Continuing on your route you will visit Volubilis, the Roman capitol of Northwestern Africa with its impressive and well-preserved Roman ruins, including approximately 30 mosaic floors dating back to 25BC. You arrive in Fes, dinner and overnight in your hotel.

Day 4:  Breakfast.  Full day tour of Fes. Today you have a guided sightseeing tour of this famous Imperial City, highlighting the old and new medinas. Fez has been the religious capitol of Morocco. You will visit the 14th century religious schools (medersas) of Bou Inania and Attarine. You will wander the impressive labyrinths of the souks, which have been declared by UNESCO to be one of the world’s cultural treasures. You will have a wonderful photo opportunity at the imposing gate of Bab Boujloud, the splendid fountains at Palais Nejjarine, the ancient ramparts and the beautiful front entrance of the royal palace. Tonight you will enjoy a multi-course Moroccan dinner in the old medina at a beautifully preserved palace, overnight in your hotel.

Day 5:  Azrou, Khenifra, Beni Mellal and Marrakech. (495km, 8 hrs) Breakfast. You have a morning departure to Marrakech, via Azrou across the Middle Atlas Mountains, with visits to Berber villages, scenic views and classic markets. Today will give you a wonderful opportunity to experience the mountains and the lifestyle of the country mountain culture. Your daytime drive concludes as you enter the famous and intriguing “pink city” of Marrakech. You check in at your hotel where you will enjoy a relaxing dinner. The next three nights in Marrakech.

Day 6: Marrakech. Breakfast. Today a guided historic visit of Marrakech will include the Menara; a magnificent pool surrounded by flowerbeds, reflecting the image of a beautiful Moorish construction built in 1866 for the dignitaries to enjoy glorious sunsets with the snow capped Atlas Mountains as a backdrop.  The pool is also a unique and functional irrigation system to the surrounding areas that belongs to an ancient architecture adapted to the desert life. The tour will cover several impressive sights: The Koutoubia Minaret (the twin tower of la Giralda in Sevilla, Spain), the Saadian tombs demonstrating Moorish architecture in its perfection. The tombs, consisting of splendid mausoleums built in the sixteenth century, were walled for some time, not to be discovered until 1917. Other sites also include (time permitting), the museum of Dar Si Said with the best display of Berber arts and crafts to be found; the remains of the Badii Palace, a historical monument chosen to host the Annual National Festival of Popular Art, beginning the second Friday in June. The Bahia Palace, the apogee of Moorish splendor still host’s dignitaries in the heart of the Mellah (Jewish quarter). Time at leisure for lunch (not included), then a walk through of the colorful souks of Marrakech in the afternoon. Conclude the day with a sunset drink overlooking the exciting Jamaa El Fna Square. Dinner & overnight at your hotel.

Day 7: Breakfast. Departure. Morning transfer to Marrakech Airport with the fondest of memories that will last you a lifetime.

Package Includes:

• 6 nights accommodations with breakfast & dinner daily
• Meals as indicated
• Transfers as per itinerary with A/C car or Sedan.
• English speaking driver/guide throughout.
• English speaking local guides for the visits in the main cities: Rabat, Meknes, Volubilis, Fes & Marrakech.
• Entrance fees to monuments and museums as per itinerary.
• Hotel taxes and service charges

Not Included:

• Air fare
• Tips
• Anything not mentioned
• Items of a personal nature: room service; phone; laundry.. etc

Suggested hotels depending on availability at time of booking: 

SAHARA ADVENTURE 6 NIGHTS / 7 DAYS

Day 1: Upon arrival in Marrakech, you will be met by your driver in the arrivals area just outside baggage claim/customs.  Transfer to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 2:  Marrakech. Breakfast. Today a guided historic visit of Marrakech will include the Menara; a magnificent pool surrounded by flowerbeds, reflecting the image of a beautiful Moorish construction built in 1866 for the dignitaries to enjoy glorious sunsets with the snow capped Atlas Mountains as a backdrop.  The pool is also a unique and functional irrigation system to the surrounding areas that belongs to an ancient architecture adapted to the desert life. The tour will cover several impressive sights: The Koutoubia Minaret (the twin tower of la Giralda in Sevilla, Spain), the Saadian tombs demonstrating Moorish architecture in its perfection. The tombs, consisting of splendid mausoleums built in the sixteenth century, were walled for some time, not to be discovered until 1917. Other sites also include (time permitting), the museum of Dar Si Said with the best display of Berber arts and crafts to be found; The Bahia Palace, the apogee of Moorish splendor still host’s dignitaries in the heart of the Mellah (Jewish quarter). Lunch in a nice local restaurant, then a walk through of the colorful souks of Marrakech in the afternoon. Conclude the day with a sunset drink overlooking the exciting Jamaa El Fna Square. Overnight at your hotel.

Day 3: Ouarzazate. After breakfast, departure to Ouarzazate through the fertile Haouz Plain and the Atlas Mountains till the Tichka pass. Stop at the impressive Ait Ben Haddou, an 11th century structure declared by UNESCO as an historical treasure, a photographer’s wonderland. Continue to Ouarzazate. Check in, dinner and overnight at your hotel.

In Skoura, the Palm trees are replaced by orchards and irrigated gardens. Roses for making perfume are the specialty of El Kelaa des Mgouna. PARIS the famous perfume by Yves Saint Laurent is made from the extract of these roses. You will find some nice shopping here for rose products such as rose water, body milk, dried petals etc... Continue to Erfoud, situated amongst the impressive sand dunes of the Sahara Desert, is one of the largest oases in Morocco.   From Erfoud, travel approximately 1 ½ hours by 4x4 to Merzouga and from Merzouga, a short camel ride will take you to your Berber camp on the edge of the Sahara Dunes.
After settling in to your bivouac tent, you will have the opportunity to explore the area further.  Experience Berber life firsthand as you pass the night under the vast Saharan sky.  Dinner and overnight at your camp.
Day 5: Boumalen. After a Bedouin breakfast in the desert, drive to Rissani the cradle of the Alaouite dynasty now reigning in Morocco and visit (from outside) of the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif and inside the Kasbah Ouled El Hadim. Then back to Erfoud, a tour of the date’s market and start on the road to Tinejdad and Tinerhi through the beautiful 1,000 Kasbah Valley. Tinghir is a former military outpost built on terraces above a magnificent palm grove and the way into the awesome Todra Gorge, "at the ends of the Earth" between 300 meter cliffs. A little farther on, to the right there is a holy spring said to cure sterility in women. Time free for lunch. Then on to Boumalne du Dades, a large town and local administration centre at the foot of the gorge of the dried-up river followed by a serie of Kasbahs (huge adobe fortified houses). Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Day 6: Marrakech, after breakfast, set off in direction to Ouarzazate, first through El Kelaa de Mgouna Then though the palm grove of Skoura. Continue up the High Atlas Mountains at Tizi N'Tichka Pass, then through the fertile Haouz Plain to the "pink city" of Marrakech.  You check into your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Marrakech. After breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred and assisted with departure formalities at Marrakech Menara airport for your return flight with the fondest of memories.

Package Includes:

• 6 nights accommodations with breakfast & dinner daily
• Meals as indicated
• 5 days touring + transfers airport – hotel – airport, using A/C car or Sedan.
• English speaking driver acting as a guide throughout.
• English speaking local guides for the visits in the main cities: Rabat, Meknes, Volubilis, Fes & Marrakech.
• Entrance fees to monuments and museums mentioned.
• Hotel taxes and service charges

Not Included:

• Airfare
• Tips
• Anything not mentioned
• Items of a personal nature: room service; phone; laundry.. etc

Suggested hotels depending on availability at time of booking: