Morocco: From the Desert to the Sea

ITINERARY

Breakfast=(B), Lunch=(L), Dinner=(D)

Saturday, April 20, 2024: Depart home
Depart home for Casablanca, Morocco.

Sunday, April 21: Arrive Casablanca, Morocco | Transfer to hotel | Introductory lecture
Arrive today at Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) where you will be met for individual transfers to our hotel. For those arriving in the morning, this afternoon you may choose to join a short bus tour of the Ville Nouvelle and see the area’s colonial planning and architecture plus the Hassan II Mosque, or spend the afternoon at leisure. Late this afternoon we will gather at the hotel for an orientation and introductory lecture. Dinner is on your own this evening. Overnight at the 5-star Le Casablanca Hotel.

Monday, April 22: Rabat walking tour – part one, Archaeological Museum | Welcome dinner
This morning we drive from Casablanca to the stately capital city of Rabat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After lunch we visit the country’s sole archaeological museum, renowned for its prehistoric and Roman collections. This evening we gather for a welcome dinner in a private home. Overnight at the 5-star Hôtel la Tour Hassan Palace for two nights. (B,L,D)

Tuesday, April 23: Rabat walking tour – part two | Salé | Rabat
This morning we visit the Royal Palace squares and gardens as well as the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMVI), whose permanent displays include works by Moroccan artists from the 1950s to today. Then take a leisurely walk through Rabat’s whitewashed Oudaïa casbah (North African citadel) and Oudaïa Gate, an example of Almohad Dynasty architecture. After lunch at the marina we cross the Bou Regreg River from Rabat to Salé, an old walled city, where we visit the restored, 14th-century medersa (religious college), a gem overlooked by mass tourism. We then return to Rabat and visit the Bank Al-Maghrib Museum, with a numismatic collection that traces the history of currency in Morocco from ancient times to the modern day, and an art collection that features works both of foreign artists (e.g., 19^th-century Orientalists) who painted Morocco and of great Moroccan painters; and end the day with a stop at the 12^th-century Hassan Tower. Dinner is on your own this evening. (B,L)

Wednesday, April 24: Volubilis | Meknes | Fes
Depart Rabat for the ruins of Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was Rome’s commercial hub for northwestern Africa until the 3rd century A.D., with well-preserved mosaics that are still in situ. After lunch we explore the Imperial City of Meknes, which 17th-century Sultan Moulay Ismaïl built as his capital. Today Meknes is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the classically-decorated, 14^th-century Bou Inania Medersa; and the Dar Jamaï Museum, housed in a 19^th-century palace, which focuses on traditional Moroccan music. Continue on to the intellectual and spiritual capital (and UNESCO World Heritage Site) of Fes. Check-in to deluxe rooms at our boutique hotel, comprised of three vast, former homes (now connected and converted) in the old city. Freshen up and then gather for dinner at the hotel, which has one of the finest traditional restaurants in northern Morocco. Overnight at the 4-star Le Riad Maison Bleue for three nights. (B,L,D)

Thursday, April 25: Fes walking tour – part one
Take a morning walking tour through 9^th-century Fes el-Bali (“Old Fes”), considered by scholars to be the best example of a typical medieval Arab city. Begin the day at the ruins of the Merenid tombs for a panoramic view over Fes. Walk to the 14^th-century Medersa Bou Inania; the mausoleum to city founder Idriss II; the area of the world’s oldest functioning university, the Qaraouine; the 17^th-century Nejjarine caravansary, now an exquisite Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts; and the 14^th-century El Attarine Medersa. After lunch in Old Fes, visit the Seffarine (coppersmiths’ quarter), Sabbaghin (dyers’ quarter), and Dabbaghin (tanners’ quarter) before taking a driving tour of the ramparts. This evening, dinner is at the city’s finest French restaurant. (B,L,D)

Friday, April 26: Fes walking tour – part two
This morning we drive to the lush Jnan Sbil (Bou Jeloud Gardens) and see its medieval irrigation system. We then visit Fes el Jedid (“New Fes”), with its Alouite Palace Gate, and stroll through the walled Jewish quarter (“Mellah”), where we visit the restored, 17^th-century Danan Synagogue and the cemetery. After lunch, visit a zillij tile workshop. Dinner is on your own this evening. (B,L)

Saturday, April 27: Atlas Mountains | Arfoud
Depart Fes this morning for a long day of driving through fascinating, ever-changing landscapes as we cross the Atlas ranges all the way to the edge of the Sahara. We begin with the Middle Atlas and its last forests of giant Mediterranean cedars, passing mountain station Ifrane, site of Africa’s most esteemed international university, and stopping in the heart of the forest to look for the indigenous Barbary macaques (of Gibraltar fame). After a break for lunch in the Berber enclave of Midelt, we cross the wild, multi-hued expanses of the Eastern High Atlas, down the dramatic Ziz Valley, to the administrative center of Arfoud. Gather for dinner at our hotel this evening. Overnight at the 5-star Hôtel Palais du Désert. (B,L,D)

Sunday, April 28: Sijilmassa | Ksar Oulad Abd al Halim | Erg Chebbi Dunes | Merzouga
Today we explore the Tafilalet Oasis, Morocco’s largest, and its ruins of Sijilmassa, Africa’s once-immense “City of Gold.” Continue on to visit the ruined 18^th-century walled compound of Ksar Oulad Abd al Halim, where early Alaouite rulers kept their families, and visit the mausoleum of Moulay Ali Sharif. After a picnic lunch of local Saharan specialties, visit Achour Fossils Erfoud, a factory that produces all manner of decorative fossil marble items. Late this afternoon we will take four-wheel-drive vehicles out to the great Erg Chebbi Dunes, rising 600 feet above the desert floor. Scramble (or take a camel, if you prefer) up the dunes to witness the sun set over the Sahara, and then gather for dinner and an overnight in deluxe tents at the Desert Luxury Camp Morocco. (B,L,D)

Monday, April 29: Todgha River Gorge | Tinghir | Ouarzazate
Departing Merzouga this morning, we drive west along desert hills to the narrow, 1,000-foot-deep Todgha River Gorge, and then walk through the 16^th-century adobe casbah of Tinghir. After lunch we drive to the international filming center of Ouarzazate, whose exotic surroundings were first used in the film Lawrence of Arabia. Upon arrival we visit the partially-restored Taourirt Kasbah (the former palace of the el Glaoui clan, built in the 19th century) and then check-in to our hotel, where we have dinner. Overnight at the 5-star Le Berbere Palace. (B,L,D)

Tuesday, April 30: Casbah of Aït ben Haddou | Marrakech
At 7:00 am we depart Ouarzazate and drive to the Aït ben Haddou casbah, a World Heritage Site and oft-used film backdrop (e.g., Gladiator). Continue driving north (about 4.5 hours), over the spectacular Tizi-n-Tichka Pass, with views over deep verdant vales and their adobe hamlets. Arrive in legendary Marrakech in time for lunch at our hotel, one of the city’s finest boutique properties, located just inside the medina of Marrakech (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Afterward, we explore a couple of the city’s highlights: the Bahia Palace of vizier Ba Ahmed, a prime example of Moorish-Andalusian art that is spread over 20 acres; and the recently-opened Dar el Bacha Museum, located in a historically important building. Gather this evening for a superb Moroccan dinner in the heart of the medina. Overnight at the 5-star La Maison Arabe for four nights. (B,L,D)

Wednesday, May 1: Marrakech walking tour
After seeing the 12^th-century Koutoubia minaret, a masterpiece of Almohad Dynasty architecture, this morning is dedicated to exploring Marrakech’s vast, reed-covered bazaars, where all types of crafts are still fashioned by hand. Two sites of special interest are the Souk des Teinturiers (wool-dyers), also known as Souk Sebbaghine; and the courtyard of the fascinating Zawiya (shrine) of holy man Sidi Bel-Abbes, patron saint of the blind. After a Continental lunch in the medina, take a stroll in the Jardin Majorelle, the exotic, 12-acre garden created in the 1930s and restored by the late Yves St. Laurent, and visit its exquisite Museum of Berber Culture. Dinner is on your own this evening, for a chance to sample the city’s array of excellent eateries. (B,L)

Thursday, May 2: Marrakech | Aghmat | Marrakech | Farewell dinner
Begin the day with a visit to the imposing Bab Agnaou, one of Marrakech’s 19 original gates. Continue on to the Saadian Dynasty’s ruined El Badi Palace and the necropolis of the Saadians, the last window into the splendor of early 17^th-century Moroccan interior art, with its finely sculpted plaster, cedar panels, and Carrera marble. After a short stroll in the Jewish Mellah, including a visit to its synagogue, and lunch, we drive to the site of Aghmat, the first capital of the Almoravid Dynasty, which was only recently uncovered and is still closed to the public while excavation continues. Gather this evening for a farewell dinner. (B,L,D)

Friday, May 3: Marrakech: Full day at leisure Or AM at leisure & optional PM culinary tour
Today is at leisure in Marrakech for independent pursuits. Some options at our hotel (at additional cost) include pampering yourself at the spa, which offers traditional and contemporary treatments; and/or taking a cooking class to learn some secrets of Moroccan gastronomy. These options may be booked and paid for prior to the tour to ensure availability. Alternatively, your tour manager can arrange for a guide to take you back to the souq in the morning for independent shopping. There is also an optional, late afternoon excursion that you may choose (at additional cost; details will be sent to participants with a sign-up form): a tour of local food markets in the old town of Marrakech to learn about history of the markets, spices, and traditional foods before sampling some local specialties in the main square of Jemaa el-Fna. Lunch and dinner are on your own today. (B)

Saturday, May 4: Marrakech | Fly home
Transfer as a group or individually this morning to Marrakech Menara Airport (RAK) for flights homeward. (B)