North Africa in 10 Days

Egypt & Morocco

Start your tour in Marrakech on Mondays

This 10-day adventure to Marrakech, Casablanca, Cairo & Luxor allows you to tour Marrakech, meet the local villagers of Tafza, trek for a day in the High Atlas, and enjoy a meal with a Moroccan family.

We'll send you a copy of the Lonely Planet guide to Morocco, and Egypt so you can read up on this romantic destination, and also the Lonely Planet Moroccan & Egyptian Phrasebooks, so you can learn some useful phrases to ease your way.

International airfare from /to the USA is not included in the rates, so feel free to use frequent flyer tickets, or ask us about our special fares. Yet for your convenience we have included the air fare between Morocco & Egypt. Add Andalucia Costa Del Sol and Toledo

SUGGESTED ITINERARY

DAY 1 - MARRAKECH Monday
You arrive in the Kingdom of Morocco, landing at Marrakech, our staff greets you at the airport and escorts you to your hotel. Then, take your first plunge into this wonderful, exotic city.

DAY 2 - MARRAKECH Tuesday (B)
There is much to see in this great city which Winston Churchill called "the most beautiful place in the world at sunset." Grab your guidebook and explore! Today your tour includes: The top sights include the stately Koutoubia Minaret, the hidden tombs of the Saadian dynasty, the Menara pavilion and gardens, the ruins of sprawling Badi Palace, the Bahia Palace Museum, the Ben Yousef Medersa, and the Koubba (chapel) of el-Ba'adiyn. Return to the hotel late afternoon, remainder of the day at leisure.

DAY 3 - MARRAKECH Wednesday (BLD)
After breakfast we enjoy a horse drawn carriage ride before we dive into Marrakech's fabulous medieval souk (bazaar)? Penetrating the labyrinthine souk, you'll see some of the age-old guilds at work -- and bring your camera--for famous Djemaa el-Fna square with its circus atmosphere of itinerant dancers, jugglers, acrobats, storytellers, soothsayers, snake charmers, medicine men and public scribes. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Return to hotel for the siesta . Later, we'll call on you to take you for your sunset camel ride, in the 13,000 acres of palm groves around Marrakech. You'll finish the day with a memorable experience of Moroccan hospitality, dinner in the home of a Marrakech family in the old Medina.

DAY 4- OURIKA VALLEY, THE POTTERS VILLAGE OF TAFZA Thursday (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 butchers 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 minerals of the region. We'll be received for tea in the customary local manner. We'll meet up with local villagers at a well, help to draw water, 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 local persons who 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. Dinner at the hotel.

DAY 5- Trek in the High Atlas Friday (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 enjoy a delicious dinner at the hotel.

DAY 6-BY TRAIN TO CASABLANCA Saturday (BLD)
"Getting there is half the fun!" We board the train for our return to Casablanca, cruising through the lovely countryside past green fields, fruit-laden orchards, traditional villages and modern towns, with the lofty Atlas Mountains soaring in the distance. Our tour escort points out interesting features, and fills us in on Moroccan life and culture. After arriving in Casablanca, we visit the majestic new Grand Mosque of King Hassan II, second only to the Great Mosque at Mecca in size. We continue on a panoramic tour of the city and its souks. After dinner, we drive to the airport for our Royal Air Maroc night flight across North Africa to Egypt.

Day 7 - CAIRO Sunday (aBL)
We arrive in Cairo with the dawn,Complimentary visa issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport, valid only for American & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for 6 month at least at time of arrival.

We drive through the awakening city to our hotel for breakfast and a bracing cup of coffee or tea. Refreshed, we visit the world-famous Egyptian Museum, which holds the treasures of Tutankhamon, is our first stop today, after which we wander the narrow streets of , the Citadel of Saladin and its Alabaster Mosque, enjoying spectacular views of the city below. We descend from the Citadel into Khan el-Khalili, the bazaar district, in search of Egyptian treasures. The rest of the day is yours. Lunch is included at a local restaurant.

DAY 8 - CAIRO Monday (aBLD)
Today we visit Cairo's most famous monuments: the awesome pyramids of Giza, the Valley Temple and the timeless Sphinx. After lunch we drive to Dahshour, the newly opened pyramid field south of Cairo, where we visit several ancient structures, including the great pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops. In the evening, we board our first-class sleeper train for the journey to Luxor. Dinner is served in our private compartments as we speed southward along the banks of the Nile.

DAY 9 - LUXOR Tuesday (aBLD)
We leave our train for breakfast in a luxury hotel, after which we cross the Nile to visit the Valley of the Kings and the Colossi of Memnon. After lunch in Luxor, we tour the stupendous Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and visit the Sacred Lake and red granite quarry with its huge unfinished obelisk. We take a quick look at the great temple of Amon Ra at Luxor on our way to the airport for our flight back to Cairo. In the evening, we enjoy a farewell dinner and a folklore show .

DAY 10 - DEPARTURE Wednesday - (aB)
After breakfast, our staff escorts you to the airport

DEPARTURE DATES :
On Mondays in Marrakech.
Private touring is with an additional supplement of $250 Per person.

Your tour includes:

• Hotel accommodation at a carefully selected hotel in the class of your choice (Deluxe, or special category "RIADS are available only in Morocco) ," First Class, Tourist Class), including tax and service charge.
  
  
• Air fare Casablanca/Cairo, ticket issued & delivered in Morocco.
  
  
• Domestic air fare within Egypt as well as the sleeper train within Egypt ( private compartment)
  
  
• All transfers in Morocco & Egypt
  
  
• Breakfast daily , plus preset menu meals as listed ( BLD) = Breakfast/lunch/dinner.
  
  
• Lonely Planet guidebooks to Morocco & Egypt , and Phrasebooks.
  
  
• Entrance fees, camel rides, transportation all as per itinerary.
  
  
• Guided sightseeing as per itinerary ( please specify the language of your preference).
  
  
• US and Japanese passport holders need a visa to enter Egypt. You will obtain a visa at the airport upon arrival in Cairo With our compliments, as long as you have an American or Japanese passport that is valid for at least 6 month . Visas are not required of US and Canadian passport holders for entry into Morocco.
  
  
• VERY IMPORTANT NOTE ON LUGGAGE: When flying from JFK on Royal Air Maroc all the way , then 2 pieces of luggage are allowed to be checked. For West cost customers, who may fly British Airways into Casablanca, they will be allowed one piece of luggage to be checked in on board the ROYAL AIR MAROC flight between Casablanca & Cairo.

What's not included:

• International airfare from/ to your home country.
• Domestic air fare if needed within Morocco.
• Tips.
• Any sort of travel insurance, we'll be glad to mail you the flyer upon request

RATES per person in USD:
For Dec 12- Jan 5, please add : 15% supplement

Ultra Luxury: Riad Dar Ayniwen, Marrakech (Supplement apply)
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