This special seven-day program is about affording you , a rare entree into the lives of Moroccan females. Your guide will use her contacts to bring you into local homes, to share in the daily tasks , and to learn of changing roles in a traditional society. To achieve our goals, participants will leave some of the usual tourist amenities behind, fetching water on muleback. Enjoy home hosted meals.
The experience is indelible. This tour operates weekly on Saturdays, year round

DAY 1 - DEPARTURE FROM NEW YORK Saturday
We take off from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, bound for Morocco. Add Malaga or Madrid for an additional $200 , subject to availability on board Royal Air Maroc.

DAY 2 - MARRAKECH Sunday (D)
You'll land at the airport of fabled Casablanca, clear customs and immigration formalities, and board your connecting flight to Marrakech. Our local staff will greet you and usher you directly to your accommodations, where you can relax with a mint tea, and later take dinner. Welcome to Marrakech!

DAY 3 - MARRAKECH, OURIKA VALLEY, THE POTTERS VILLAGE OF TAFZA Monday (BLD)
This morning, we'll head 30 kilometers outside of Marrakech to the lush valley of the Ourika River, which winds down from the peaks of the High Atlas, through clusters of mud-walled houses.

Our visit coincides with one of the regular market days, and we'll walk among the stands of fruit, nuts , dried dates and vegetable-sellers, merchants of cereals and olive oil, itinerant blacksmiths and sellers of patent medicines and herbal remedies. A barber sets up shop with nothing more than a scissors, hand clipper, and stiff wooden chair, an open-air eatery offers hot food freshly prepared on a brazier.

We'll continue to Tafza to see how vases and lamp bases are made in home workshops, and to view quartz and amethyst and other semiprecious stones of the region.

We'll be warmly received with a traditional tea in the customary.

We'll meet up with local villagers at a well, help to draw water ( You do not have to participate of course) , and join in preparing a Berber meal of soup, tanurt (bread), and tajine (meat and vegetables cooked in a clay pot).

Our hosts are modest but proud local villagers , children will appreciate offerings of useful small items, such as pencils or notebooks, or even small treats, such as candy.

We'll return to Marrakech through the stunning scenery of the valley, subject to availability, and the hotel used, a complimentary hamam session is included , the traditional Moroccan steam bath, with scrubbing and a ritual all its own. Dinner at the hotel.

We'll spend the afternoon in a hammam, the traditional Moroccan steam bath,
with scrubbing and a ritual all its own.

DAY 4 - MARRAKECH, Henna Party, Local family, Moroccan Cuisine Tuesday (BL)
We'll switch gears entirely this morning, and visit a Moroccan fashion workshop, where we'll look in on the work and enjoy a presentation, as well as the hospitality of mint tea and pastries. In the afternoon, we'll meet up with a local family in the Medina, and learn about, and join in, festival activities. There will be henna hand painting, a traditional symbol of joy; fortune telling with cards; and Laabat, song and dance , in which you can join.

A Moroccan dance lesson will and a dance contest, in which everyone earns a caftan, the everyday gown be it for men or women.

One of the special ways of understanding a culture is through its cusines--not only sampling exotic tastes, but experiencing the preparation of dishes, how they figure in ritual and ceremony, and how they have grown out of the earth and traditions.

Late in the afternoon, we'll rendezvous at the Yacout restaurant, this time to see the detailed preparation of bestilla. In this uniquely Moroccan dish, a squab or chicken is prepared in a sauce of lemon, egg, almond and onion, enveloped in a thin dough called warfa, and garnished with cinnamon and sugar. We'll stay to dine, on bestilla, of course.

Welcome Moroccan Mint Tea

DAY 5 - MARRAKECH, CASABLANCA , Family dinner Wednesday (BLD)
This morning we'll take a tour of Marrakech by horse-drawn carriage. We'll see the Koutoubia, the landmark mosque of the city, and perhaps you'll note its similarity to its sister tower, the Giralda of Seville, in Spain. We'll continue to the Bahia palace, built in the nineteenth century, with room after stately oriental room of intricate plasterwork and finely detailed columns, and sedate hidden gardens. On foot, we'll discover always-lively Djemaa El Fna Square, populated by water sellers, magicians, peddlers, politicians, and animal tamers, who carry on an endless flurry of activities straight out of the middle ages. After lunch at your hotel, we'll depart overland for Casablanca. In the evening, we'll call on you and take you to a home in the Habous, the old quarter of Casablanca, where you'll join in a family dinner.

DAY 6 - CASABLANCA, RABAT, MEKNES, FEZ Thursday (BLD)
In the morning, we'll visit the Hassan II Great Mosque, a monument to Moroccan artisanry and architecture. Then we'll continue to Rabat, the capital of the kingdom, where we'll stop at some of the landmarks, including the mausoleum of Mohamed V and the nearby Hassan Tower, followed by lunch. Then we'll continue by way of Meknes the "youngest" of Morocco's four great imperial cities surrounded by towering medieval walls. We visit the monumental gateway of Bab el-Mansour in the city walls and the palace tombs of Moulay Ismail before continuing to Fez to reach Fez in the evening.

DAY 7 - FEZ Friday (BLD)
We'll spend a morning in appreciation of world-renowned Moroccan cuisine at La Maison Bleue, a fine Riad (boutique hotel and inn) that dates back to the nineteenth century. We'll learn how to prepare bastila with coquelets (layers of pastry with chicken morsels, almonds, parsley, eggs, and cinnamon); and couscous, the national dish, exactly as the Moroccans make it. We'll admire the results of our efforts, and consume it all for lunch. Later, we'll put on our walking shoes for a trip in time back to the ninth century, as we explore the old city of Fez. Its Medina and its labyrinth of souks have been declared a world cultural treasure. Our farewell dinner will be at the Medina Palace, with a show that provides a fascinating view into Moroccan life, including a traditional wedding ceremony, Arabo-Andaluisan music, and a performance by a belly dancer.

DAY 8 - DEPARTURE FROM FEZ Saturday (B)
You'll be escorted to Fez Saiss airport, where you'll board your Royal Air Maroc flight for Casablanca, and onward travel to arrive in New York the same day.

Departure dates: Weekly on Saturdays, year round . Please note that because outdoor activities are included, we request that participants provide proof of travel insurance coverage.

RATES per person in double occupancy in US from New York:

Special promotion with Sheraton hotels in Marrakech, Casablanca and Fez. Accommodation is available at Riads (boutique hotel-inns) for the same rate in Marrakech (Riad Malika) and Fez (Dar El Ghalia),or similar . There is no Riad in Casablanca. Bon Voyage.

Rates are per person in USD$
For Dec 24 - Jan 4 : Please add 20 % supplement

	Deluxe hotels	First class hotels
Triple	US$ 4260 . 00	US$ 3920 . 00
Double	US$ 4350 . 00	US$ 4070 . 00
Single	US$ 5158. 00	US$ 4820 . 00

Sample : Deluxe 5-star hotels or similar

Marrakech : Les Jardins de la Koutoubia in Marrakech, patio side room .
Casablanca Meridien Royal Mansour .
Fez : Palais Jamai
All according to availability

For a private tour, based on two participants, starting on any day, please add $350 per person to the above rates.

For departures from most west coast cities, as well as Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston or Atlanta in conjunction with travel on British Airways, please add $250 to the above rates.

For June/July/August, please note that a $250 airfare supplement is added to the above rates.

Your tour includes:

• Accommodation as indicated , with taxes , all rooms with private bath.
  
  
• Airfare from New York to Casablanca and return, as well as domestic air ticket within Morocco .

• 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 private car, van, or minibus as appropriate
  
• Half-day horse-drawn carriage tour in Marrakech.
  
• Complimentary Hammam session in Marrakech, for those interested.

• Escorted guided sightseeing tours by air conditioned private motor coach as indicated in the itinerary, including all entry fees

• Services of a fully-licensed English-speaking guide throughout

• Lonely Planet guidebook to Morocco

Not included:

• Drinks /bevergaes.
• Personal expenses
• Gratuities for local personnel
• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance (please see our insurance brochure) .