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From
Marrakech to Casablanca
A 7 - Day Adventure - Including camping in the Sahara
The Dunes & Kasbahs of Morocco. Start in
Marrakech and end in Casablanca
Or start Marrakech and end in Marrakech
Click here
for the 11 Days with a seaside
stay in Essaouira
Explore
the historic kasbahs (fortresses) and natural alpine beauty of southern
Morocco's mighty High Atlas Mountains on this tour to Marrakech, Ouarzazate,
Zagora, Merzouga , Fez Erfoud, and Berber villages at the edge of the
Sahara Desert. Compare with the
daily arrival Version , or with
a one night camping in the Sahara. This
tour starts weekly , year round
Day
1 - MARRAKECH - Sunday - Weekly - Year Round
Welcome to Marrakech! We escort you to your hotel. Remainder of the day
at leisure.
DAY 2 - MARRAKECH TREKKING- Monday (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- Tuesday (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- Wednesday (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- Thursday (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 - MERZOUGA / ERFOUD / MIDELT / FEZ (BLD)
After breakfast we drive back (private 4 X 4 Turbo Land Rover ) to Erfoud
, where we pick up a private Mercedes sedan or air-conditioned motor coach
( depending on the number of guests) .
We drive through Tafilalet region and the Errachidia and the famous "Legionnaires
Pass" ( Talghimat Pass" Lunch is included at the foot of Djebel
Ayachi in Midelt at Kasbah Asmaa. Continue through the Middle Atlas Mountains
in the direction of Fez. Late afternoon arrival in Fez for dinner and
overnight accommodation at hotel. The
city is yours to explore, guidebook in hand. The Lonely Planet guide includes
all the important things to see, and recommendations for restaurants in
all price ranges, so you'll never be at a loss for advice.
DAY
7- Fez - Casablanca (B)
After breakfast , our local rep. will escort you to Fez Airport , or drive
to Casablanca Airport ( at no additional charge), depending on your flight
schedule . Bon
Voyage
Rates
per person, In US $
| Rates
per person, In US $ |
Deluxe
|
First
Class |
| In Triple
Occupancy : |
US$
2490.00 |
US$
2190.00 |
| In Double
Occupancy : |
US$
2589.00 |
US$
2289.00 |
| In Single
Occupancy :
|
US$
3480.00 |
US$
3180.00 |
Your
tour includes:
- Accommodation
in , Moroccan five stars or first class hotels, as shown in the table
"Our Hotels;" all rooms with private bath. As well as Deluxe
Tented camp .
- Domestic
air ticket within Morocco in economy class .
- Pre-set
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.
Your
Moroccan 5 stars Deluxe Rate
( or similar Hotels )
| Tent |
Deluxe
Camp tent |
| Marrakech |
Le
Borj de La Kasbah or similar |
| Ouarzazate |
Berber
palace or similar |
| Zagora |
Kasbah
Tifawet Bivouac Deluxe tent |
| Fes
|
Riad
Perle de la Medina |
| Erfoud |
Kasbah
Xaluca |
Your
First Class Rate
( or similar Hotels )
| Tent |
Deluxe
Camp tent |
| Marrakech |
Imperial
Borj or Kenzi Farah |
| Ouarzazate |
Kenzi
Belere or Club Hanane |
| Zagora |
Kasr
Tinsouline or Kasbah Asmaa ( 3 stars) |
| Erfoud |
Kasbah
Tizimi (3 stars) |
- For
upgrade to Jardin de La Medina boutique hotel in Marrakech or the new
Sofitel with the Atlas Mountain's view , please add : $150 per person
for the full stay in Marrakech.
Not
Included:
What others say about our service in Morocco
April 8, 2007
Lebes (Berber greeting) or sbah ikheer (Arabic for good morning)!
Spring break is about over and it's back to work tomorrow. It will be
a shorter week at CAS for me because on Thursday I'll be leaving for
the Optimal Match Conference (SPED and Technology) in Rabat. Last year
I
attended the conference in Madrid, Spain. I'm eager to see if the teachers
from Rome, Paris, and Barcelona who I met last year will be attending
this year. It is great to network with other teachers and find out about
their programs plus hear about new and innovative strategies. The presenters
are from the US.
Paul is currently enroute between Casablanca and Amsterdam with arrival
due in the US at about 5:30 tonight and then back to work for him tomorrow.
We had a fantastic week of touring and seeing more of
Morocco - a truly remarkable country with beaches, mountains, deserts,
and everything in between in a relatively small area. Paul will send
from his email account a number of pictures which might give you an
idea of
our experiences this past week.
Trekking in the Amizimiz area while seeing the Atlas Mountains with
its picturesque landscapes and Berber villages was quite remarkable.
Our guide Said served us Moroccan tea and a lamb tagine for lunch in
his
home. As you can see from the photo they also decided to dress us up
in the typical Berber attire for lunch.
We continued on with the drive through the High Atlas Mountains crossing
through the Tizi N' Tichka Pass and descended down through the Draa
Valley stopping to see ancient Kasbahs (fortified palaces) and to the
caravan-town of Ouarzazate (movie site of The Mummy, Black Hawk Down,
Babel, Syriana, Lawrence of Arabia, etc.). Enroute we stopped to hike
up Ait Benhaddou and up the sandstone hill which has been the site for
a variety of movies including Gladiator. People still live in this UNESCO
World Heritage village including Uemna and her husband. She invited
us in to see her cave dwelling in the side of the hill and shared delicious
home-grown almonds.
Our next two nights were spent in the desert. The first night was at
Zagora and in the middle of a sandstorm. Paul thinks that I probably
have never been so grouchy upon awaking in the morning after a night
spent trying to breathe while attempting to sleep in our nomad Berber
tent amongst a haze of blowing sand. I think that the sand is all out
of our ears by now. The next night after some fun camel riding we enjoyed
a night on the Merzouga Desert in a deluxe tent under the stars.
Both nights we had our own private concert with talented musicians and
dancers entertaining us with traditional Gnaouan music and delicious
Moroccan cuisine.
It was interesting to study the information displayed on Paul's GPS
in the mountains, deserts, etc. In the photo you can see our Moroccan
friend and Paul discussing the merits of such equipment. We read in
one
of the tour books that it is difficult for tourists to locate their
reserved auberges (lodging accommodations) or tent sites and that they
are encouraged to call ahead for the GPS coordinates in order to locate
the correct place in the Sahara Desert.
Riding out into the golden dunes near Merzouga on camels to see the
sunset was so much fun while watching four-wheel-drive vehicles zipping
up and down the sand dunes (some in preparation for the Dakar Rally).
All too soon it was time to start the travel back to Casablanca via
Fez.
On one of our stops we fed peanuts to the Barbary apes near Ifrane.
Staying in the Riad Dar Al Andalous was an experience of seeing more
of the history and culture of Fez. Here we had one more example of the
challenges of communication in a foreign country. Paul asked if he should
pay for a Coca Cola and before he knew it he was being enthusiastically
escorted into the kitchen to meet the 'cook' (Coke).
Living and visiting in an international setting is truly
an exciting and stimulating experience.
A week after leaving Casablanca via train we arrived back in Casa with
our very informative and helpful driver Hamid. Now, we have the memories
and the pictures (and a few souvenirs) to enjoy of this
adventure in another area of incredible Morocco.
Our time in Morocco is fast approaching an end with one last trip
before returning home to Minnesota. At this point we are thinking of
exploring more of Spain and the Moroccan coast of the Mediterranean.
M'a ssalama (goodbye - Arabic)
Paul and Dixie
Henna
party ( For ladies only ) :
One of the "insiders" excursions into Moroccan culture, a chance to
attend a henna party, the painting of hands and body r with this natural
red dye is a symbol of joy at weddings and regarded as a way to enhance
one's beauty , if interested in attending a Henna party , please let's
know in advance.
Luxury
stay & Spa Experience at the new & luxurious Sofitel Essaouira
For
the camp :
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.
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Linen or straw sunhat, visored cap and/or head scarf
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
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