For
Guests Who Can Afford and Want the Best
A Private 11-Day Moroccan Adventure - Including 2 nights camping in the
Sahara The Dunes & Kasbahs of Morocco
With a stay in the- Sleepy sea-side
town of Essaouira
Compare with the 10 Day without
Essaouira
Click
here for the 8 -day edition
Explore
the historic kasbahs (fortresses) and natural alpine beauty of southern
Morocco's mighty High Atlas Mountains on this 8 day tour to Marrakech,
Ouarzazate, Zagora, Erfoud, and Berber villages at the edge of the Sahara
Desert. This tour starts weekly on Sundays , year round. You may start
on any other day of the week with . A minimum of 2 guests & a s supplement
of $100 per person
Day
1 - MARRAKECH - Private Touring- You choose your travel Dates
Welcome to Marrakech! We escort you to your hotel, superior first class
hotels, as shown in the table "Our Hotels;" all rooms with private
bath. Remainder of the day at leisure.
DAY 2 - MARRAKECH TREKKING (BLD)
After
breakfast in you hotel, leave to Amizmiz, 54 Kilometers from Marrakech.
On the way you will see the Oumnast Kasbah then the Lalla Takerkoust Dam
built between 1929 and 1935 with it man made lake. It will take you about
an hour to reach Amizmiz , a typical Berber village , we tour the Kasbah
and the "Mellah" (Jewish quarter). Every Tuesday an important country
market is held, where all the villagers from the area come for their weekly
shopping and gossiping... You can buy there interesting Regragra potteries.
Your guide will welcome you in his home for a traditional Berber breakfast
then you will start your hiking first through Sidi Hossein valley to reach
Tizi Oughourane. On the way you will see picturesque landscapes of the
Atlas mountains , Berber villages with their houses built in stone and
earth. After a typical lunch accompanied by mint tea, you will come back
to Amizimiz by a different itinerary and be transferred back to busy Marrakech
by late afternoon. Remainder of the day at leisure. In the evening enjoy
a delicious Dinner
& music at a Moroccan restaurant.
DAY
3- OUARZAZATE (BLD)
This morning we take a closer look at Marrakech's most important historic
and architectural wonders: the Koutoubia Mosque, the Saadian
Tombs and the Bahia Palace. In the afternoon we hit the road,
climbing through striking alpine scenery into the High Atlas Mountains,
crossing to the southeastern side of the range via the Tizi N'Tichka
Pass (7415 feet). We descend to the Draa Valley, dotted with
ancient kasbahs (fortified palaces), to the caravan-town of Ouarzazate
at the edge of the mighty Sahara Desert.
DAY
4 - ZAGORA & TAMEGROUTE (BLD)
Starting bright and early, we traverse the Draa Valley with its six palm
forests forming grand ribbons of greenery across the flat valley floor.
Thanks to the proximity of the river, cereals, henna, vegetables, fruit
and date palms are cultivated, either on the floor of the valley or on
stepped terraces. We arrive in Zagora around noontime. After lunch,
we embark on an excursion to Tamegroute to view the illuminated
Korans, with holy verses inscribed on gazelle-skin parchment, the
oldest dating from the 13th century. We'll also visit the Potters'
Yard and huge Tinfou Dune before returning to Zagora, change
our mode of transportation to 4 wheel drive jeeps : on our camp site for
tonight, we enjoy a one hour camel trek before sunset.
Dinner and overnight under the stars ( Camping - Bedouin Tent)
DAY
5 - ERFOUD, RISSANI & MERZOUGA/ Camp (BLD)
Today it's off to Erfoud through a dramatic landscape of "regs"
(rocky tables), small mountains and oases, each with its small Berber
village. In the early afternoon we arrive in Rissani, the cradle
of Morocco's royal Alaouite dynasty, to admire the exterior architecture
of the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif, and to take a tour of the
Abou Aam Ksar (fortified village). In the late afternoon we head
out by camels to our camp sites and the golden dunes of Merzouga. Watch
the sunset over the pastel-colored Saharan dunes, Dinner and overnight
under the stars ( Camping - Bedouin Tent)
DAY
6 - TINERHIR, TODRA GORGE & OUARZAZATE (BLD)
Enjoy a pre sunrise camel ride to the Dunes to watch sunrise , then we
change our mode of transportation and drive through the beautiful Valley
of a Thousand Kasbahs to Tinerhir. A former military outpost
built on terraces above a magnificent palm grove, Tinerhir stands at the
entrance to the Todra Gorge, framed by awesome thousand-foot-high
cliffs which make you think that you're "at the ends of the Earth."
From Tinerhir we proceed past a series of great kasbahs to Boumalne
du Dades, a large town at the foot of the gorge to Skoura.
Beyond Skoura, the desert palms give way to orchards and irrigated gardens.
Roses are the specialty of El Kelaa des Mgouna. The rose
oil is sent to Paris to be made into perfume by Yves Saint-Laurent. Do
some "rose" shopping here--rose water, body milk, dried rose
petals before returning to our hotel in Ouarzazate.
DAY
7- MARRAKECH (BLD)
We drive back to Marrakech over the High Atlas, admiring the majesty of
towering Djebel Toubkal (13,665 feet). In the afternoon, we tour
the city by "caleche,"; the traditional horse-drawn carriage:
a romantic first look at this fabled metropolis, discover Marrakech's
teeming, labyrinthine souks (bazaars) with their hundreds of tiny
little shops, and Djemaa El Fna square with its medieval circus
atmosphere. In the evening we have a special treat: a Moroccan "fantasia"
dinner served in tents, with a traditional folklore show.
DAY
8 ESSAOUIRA (B)
Drive to Essaouira, a a charming fishing harbor. 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 harbor , with
some Portuguese character who settled here in the 16th century. Later
on Sultan Mohamed Ben Abdellah used it as a base for his corsairs.
Today, protected from the sea and the wind behind its commanding fortified
medieval walls, Essaouira shelters a flourishing craftsmanship in marquetry,
working wood with ebony, mother of pearl and silver thread to make tables,
chessboards, caskets and bracelets. Enjoy a seafood lunch, before heading
back to the hotel. Overnight accommodation in a suite at Riad Al Madina.
Luxury
stay & Spa Experience at the new & luxurious Sofitel Essaouira
Day
9 - Essaouira (B)
Full day of relaxation at this sleepy small town by the sea.
Day
10 - Essaouira/Marrakech (B)
We escort you to back to Marrakech and your hotel. Remainder of
the day at leisure,maybe for last minute shopping in the souks of Marrakech
DAY
12 - DEPARTURE (B)
We escort you to Marrakech airport for your homeward flight, Bon Voyage
Rates
per person, In US $
| In Triple
Occupancy |
US$
3770.00 |
| In Double
Occupancy |
US$
3809.00 |
| In Single
Occupancy |
US$
4690.000 |
Your
tour includes:
- Accommodation
in , superior first class hotels, as shown in the table "Our Hotels;"
all rooms with private bath.
- Domestic
air ticket within Morocco .
- ALL
Meals as indicated in the itinerary: Continental (cB)
or full breakfast (B) daily; set-menu lunch (L);
set-menu dinner (D)
- Transportation
throughout by deluxe air-conditioned motorcoach
- Locally
guided sightseeing tours by air conditioned private car/van or motor
coach as indicated in the itinerary, including all entry fees.
- English
speaking private driver escorting you all the way.
- Lonely
Planet guidebook to Morocco, and Moroccan Phrasebook
Not
Included:
Your
Hotels ( or similar)
| Tent |
Deluxe Camp tent |
| Marrakech |
Imperial
Borj or Kenzi Farah |
| Ouarzazate |
Meridien
Berber Palace |
| Essaouira
|
Dar
Al Madina Riad or similar |
| Zagora |
Kasr
Tinsouline or Kasbah Asmaa ( 3 stars) |
| Erfoud |
Kasbah
Tizimi (3 stars) |
Expedition
Notes
Camping
for one night :
ACCOMMODATIONS: Two-person tents equipped with 4-inch (10 cm)-thick
foam mattresses. (Participants at the single rate occupy the tent alone.)
For the one night in the Sahara we suggest list of things to
bring:
Thermal clothing, to use as sleeping wear, for tenting in the desert,
where evenings and early morning can be quite chilly (particularly in
October, April and May) . Polar fleece jacket or woolen sweater for
early morning and late evening. Windbreaker. Long-sleeved shirts to
cover your arms and shoulders from the intense sun.
Sturdy jogging or walking shoes, well broken in (NOT brand new); lighter
tennis or regular shoes; sandals for wear in camp and in your tent
Linen
or straw sunhat, visored cap and/or head scarf
Good sun block cream or lotion
Miscellaneous personal items:
Good
sunglasses with UV protection, in a sturdy case
- spare pair of prescription glasses, if you wear glasses-
pocket flashlight, with spare batteries and bulbs-
insect repellent .
TRAVEL/MEDICAL
INSURANCE:
Travel and medical insurance is not included in the rates. We will send
you the necessary forms and information, upon request.
We highly recommend travel insurance for any trip that includes sailing
, active sport, adventure ad Sahara.
For
the camp : SANITARY FACILITIES:
To ensure your utmost comfort, showers /toilets are available
|
