Destination- Marrakech

A 7 day tour with a brief stop in Casablanca and a Trek in the High Atlas

Start in Marrakech on Mondays - Meet the locals: Home hosted meal
Click here for the 5 day edition . Add Fez

Marrakech with Golf ? Comapre with the Photograoher Dream Tour

What's in a name-Marrakech ?

Romance , adventure, and sumptuous royal hospitality. Our destination is this great Moroccan city, where we accommodate you in Moroccan Mansions ( boutique hotels/Riads) , or palatial hotels, host you with fine cuisine, provide a full array of activities , and give you many opportunities to see the surrounding countryside.

This five-day/four night adventure to Marrakech allows you to tour Marrakech, meet the local villagers of Tafza, and enjoy a meal with a Moroccan family.

We'll send you a copy of the Lonely Planet guide to Morocco, so you can read up on this romantic destination.

Marrakech ! Once the goal of camel caravans, Berber tribesmen and intrepid adventurers, Marrakech is now the destination of choice for many Europeans and other discerning travelers. What they seek is sun, beautiful country, traditional Moroccan cityscapes, excellent dining and lots to do, including golf, horseback riding, swimming, visit to nearby Berber villages. The great walled city of Marrakech provides days of fascination.

We even include a train ride to fabled Casablanca to savor its fine cuisine and the Grand Mosque of King Hassan.

Come with us on a memorable journey to exotic sights, culinary pleasures and luxurious entertainment - Destination Marrakech

International airfare is not included in the rates, so feel free to use frequent flyer tickets, or ask us about our special fares.

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- Home Hosted Meal- 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. ( if you prefer to to enjoy a quiet dinner at the hotel, please let's know in advance).

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 your hotel.

DAY 7 - DEPARTURE Wednesday - (aB)
After breakfast, our staff escorts you to Casablanca airport Bon Voyage.

DEPARTURE DATES :
Start in Marrakech Weekly
Private touring is with an additional supplement of $150 Per person.

If you plan to take advantage of Royal Air Maroc's nonstop flights from New York to Casablanca, you should plan to depart New York on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday, and begin your tour in Marrakech on the following day (DAY 1 in the Sample Itinerary, above).

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.
  
  
• First Class train ride Marrakech / Casablanca, ticket issued & delivered in Morocco.
  
  
• All transfers in Morocco
  
  
• Breakfast daily , plus preset menu meals as listed ( BLD) = Breakfast/lunch/dinner, as per itinerary.
  
  
• Lonely Planet guidebooks to Morocco, and Phrase books.
  
  
• Entrance fees, camel rides, transportation all as per itinerary.
  
  
• Guided sightseeing as per itinerary ( please specify the language of your preference).

What's not included:

• International airfare from/ to your home country.
• Domestic air fare if needed within Morocco.
• Tips.
• Any sort of travel insurance

Rates per person

	Deluxe	First Class	Tourist Class
Triple	US$1920	US$1751	US$1560
Double	US$ 2050	US$1870	US$1640
Single	US$ 3140	US$ 2920	US$ 2605
For Dec 12- Jan 5, please add : 15% supplement

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