Morocco Trekking Across Imperial Cities and Sahara (10 Days)
Itinerary
Morocco offers the ultimate quest for those in search of new horizons. To travel there is to take a journey that will forever change one’s perspectives and perceptions. With its ever-changing natural beauty and intricate, rich history, Morocco is the ideal catalyst for the curious and open-minded. Camping in Morocco is an adventure to treasure for a lifetime. Walk explore and discover Morocco very much like a Moroccan. You will be emerged in the Moroccan culture to forget that you are just visiting. Rabat , Meknes, Fez and Marrakech are marvelous historic cities but the Atlas Mountains villages and the Sahara oases and Kasbahs are beyond imagination. You will fall in love with Morocco. Experience the exotic and little known Kingdom of Morocco with its' rich culture and stunning landscapes on a Moroccan Overland tour. Travellers will learn about the country's unique history, explore bustling market places and come across fantastic art and architecture. A Morocco tour is the ideal African starting point for travelers wanting to travel somewhere different. This crossroad between East and West has been a boiling pot for thousands of years and today Morocco has a fascinating mix of Moorish, African, and Berber cultures with a touch of France thrown in.
Trekking in Morocco: Itinerary
Day 1: Washington DC – Madrid - Casablanca
You will begin your exotic journey on an Iberia carrier. With exceptional service and hospitality, you will enjoy beverages, a delicious dinner, and a complimentary movie on your flight.
Upon your arrival at the Mohamed V Airport in Casablanca, you will meet your guide, who will take you immediately to Rabat Campground. In the morning, you will depart for Rabat, the capital of Morocco. Styled in a spaciously elegant European grid, yet slightly aware of its modernity, Rabat has an ancient legacy that spans hundreds of generations. Each civilization that has inhabited the city has left its mark, resulting in a wide variety of architectural styles including those from the Phoenician and Roman eras. We will spend the day discovering the delights that Rabat has to offer, ending with dinner and other accommodations at camp.
We will travel to Meknes on an excursion that embodies a large part of Morocco’s early history. First, we will travel through Volubilis, Morocco’s Roman provincial capital, and then through Moulay Idris, a creation of the country’s premier Arab dynasty. We will then continue onward to Fez, where you will be provided with dinner and accommodations at Camp.
Undeniably fascinating, Fez stimulates the senses with its haunting yet beautiful sounds, visual splendor, and evocative smells. The most ancient of imperial capitals and the most complete medieval city of the Islamic world, Fez is reminiscent of a city suspended in time, unfazed by the constantly evolving world outsides its walls, owing nothing to the Western world save electricity. Time spent in Fez will reveal much about the sophistication of the Moroccan artisan, providing an unparalleled learning experience to those who cross its path. Our morning will be spent visiting the Medina. We'll break for lunch at a typical Moroccan restaurant and then continue to explore and shop for the remainder of the day. Dinner and entertainment are in a Moroccan restaurant in the Medina, after which, we'll return to Camp for the night.
Day 5: Fez – Azrou – Midelt – Erfoud
We will spend the day discovering the rural environs of the Atlas Mountains’ Berbers. Covered with evergreen pines, tall cedar trees, and poplars, and laced with flowing streams, your first view of the Middle Atlases will appear oddly un-Moroccan. We will soon come across the first real town of the Middle Atlases, Azrou, an important market center for the region’s Berber tribes that is located at a major junction of mountain routes. At Midelt, the Middle Atlases give way to the High Atlas Mountains, whose peaks are visible through the haze, soaring to over 12,000 feet. We will stop in Midelt for lunch, enjoying the dramatic sight. We will then continue to Erfoud, one of the most delightful southern regions consisting of a dry, red belt of desert with a sudden drop into the lush valley of Ziz, with copious date palm groves and flowing streams. We'll conclude the day with dinner and drumming with the Berbers over the dunes of Merzouga.
Day 6: Merzouga Dunes – Rissani – Erfoud – Tinghir
With its indescribable beauty, watching the sun as it rises over the spectacular Merzouga dunes is an experience that should not be missed! Afterward, we will eat breakfast with the Toaregs before continuing onward, transported in Land Rovers, to explore the ancient, holy oasis of Rissani. There, we will visit the ruins of Sijilmassa, remnants of the first Arab and Islamic city of Morocco, and the prehistoric fossils present throughout the desert. We'll travel to Tinghir for a night at the Todra Gorges. Only 15 kilometers from Tinghir, we will find the Todras, the highest, narrowest gorges in the region. Dinner and accommodations are at Auberge Todra.
Day 7: Tinghir – Ouarzazate – Marrakech
We will travel through the Dadès valley, where in the spring, thousands of Persian roses bloom in hedgerows, filling the air with their heavenly perfume. We will also see the thousands of Kasbahs scattered along the Dadès River, majestic sandcastles with a visually appealing, timeless beauty. We'll explore the Dades Valley, traveling through El Kelaâ De Mgouna and Boumalne to view the inimitable natural vistas and unusual rock formations. We will then continue onward to Ouarzazate, where one large oasis intercepts the flow of water between the Dadès, the Drâa valleys, and the majestic High Atlas Mountains. We will spend most of the day en route to Marrakesh, exploring the legendary Kasbah of Aït-Benhaddou, a renowned architectural marvel, and stopping in Taddart and Tizi Tishka pass, at an altitude of 11,000 feet. The pass divides the mountains into two distinct facets: the harsh, stark side acting as a shield that protects the hinterland from the harsh, dry expansion of the Sahara, and a lush side, soft and evergreen, which collects the moisture from the Gherbi winds of the Atlantic Ocean. We will arrive in Marrakech, a city of pleasure for both visitors and locals, where southern tribesmen and Berber villagers bring their goods to market and find a variety of entertainment. To tourists, the city is a feast for the imagination, full of incomparable beauty, situated before the towering mountains that provide a thrilling backdrop. After a visit to the bustling Jemaa El Fna square, we will conclude the day with dinner and other accommodations at the hotel.
We'll devote the morning to the exploration of Marrakech’s many historical sites, including the Menara, a magnificent pool surrounded by flowerbeds. The pool reflects the image of an exquisite Moorish edifice, constructed in 1866 for the dignitaries, who enjoyed glorious sunsets with the ethereal Atlas Mountains as a backdrop; the pool also functions as an innovative irrigation system that is adapted to life in the desert. The tour will cover many impressive sites, including the Koutoubia Minaret (which is identical to la Giralda, a tower found in Sevilla, Spain), and the Saadien tombs, which demonstrate Moorish architecture at its best. The tombs consist of sixteenth-century mausoleums, which lay walled-in and undiscovered until 1917. Dinner is at Jamaa El Fna Square. We will then return to the hotel for the night.
We will begin the day by traveling to Essaouira (Mogador), a picturesque city with a rich history. With a fascinating antiquity, Essaouira was occupied by the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, who supplied essential purple dyes to the Romans, absorbed the sophisticated Jewish arts of silversmithing, and spent centuries as a Portuguese enclave. Despite the obvious influence of these civilizations, Essaouira has managed to remain a small, authentic Berber town. Alive with the breath of fresh air provided by the Atlantic, Essaouira is a jewel nestled in the ragged coast, with a vast expanse of empty sands trailing back along the promontory towards the South. We will conclude the day with dinner at Camp.
Today will at leisure.
We will travel to Casablanca, stopping at El Oualidia for a seafood lunch. We will continue onward to El Jadida, where we will visit the citadel, evidence of the 11th century Portuguese occupation. Finally, we will arrive in Casablanca, having completed a journey that has led you through immeasurable antiquity. We will conclude the day with a farewell dinner at the Port of El Jadida and spend the night at camp.
Day 12: Casablanca – Madrid – Washington DC
In the morning, you will travel to the Mohamed V Airport for your transatlantic return flight to New York.
What is included:
- 10 Nights accommodation Camping hotels
- Breakfast and dinner daily
- Land transportation in an air-conditioned, chauffeured vehicle
- Services of English-speaking guides and tour leaders
- Entrance fees to monuments and museums
- Hotel tax and service charges
Accommodations:
- Rabat: 1 night, Camp
- Fez: 2 nights, Camp
- Erfoud: 1 night, Camp
- Tinghir: 1 night, Camp
- Marrakesh: 2 nights, Hotel Foucauld
- Essaouira: 2 nights, Camp
- El Jadida: 1 night, Camp
Maximum 18 participants
Package Cost per Person: $885
Single Supplement: $65