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Day 1: New York – Casablanca – Marrakech
You will depart from New York on a Royal Air Maroc overnight
flight to Casablanca, where you will board a plane to Marrakech. Dinner will be served on board, and a movie
will be available for your entertainment during the flight.
Upon your arrival at the Menara Airport in Marrakech, you
will find your guide waiting to take you to your hotel for check-in. This unique city is located where the desert
and mountains meet. Known is the “Pearl
of the South,” it was established in the 11th century by the
Almoravide Dynasty. You will spend your
day visiting sights including the Saadian Tombs, the Dar Si Said
Museum, the
Menara Gardens, and the city’s focal point: the 12th century
Koutoubia Minaret. After lunch, you will
have an opportunity to visit the souks, a plethora of alleyways with
multicolored shops, and the Djemaa El Fna Square, where snake charmers,
acrobats, and fortune-tellers put on a never-ending show.
You will conclude your day with dinner and
accommodations at your hotel.
Following breakfast, you will start your journey southward
to Tinghir via Taddert and the Tizin Tichka Pass, located in the heart
of the
Atlas mountain chain. Additionally, you
will visit the Berber village of Ait Ben Haddou and stop in Ouarzazate
for
lunch. Afterward, you will follow the
route of a thousand Kasbahs through the Dades Valley to the village of
Tinghir,
where you will visit Kalaa des Mogouna, the Persian roses haven. You will end your day with dinner and other
accommodations at your hotel.
Your morning will consist of a visit to the Todra gorges,
after which you will continueto Erfoud, where you will explore the Ziz
valley. One of the most aesthetically
pleasing of all southern routes, Erfoud is a dry, red belt of desert
with a
sudden drop into a valley filled with date palm groves; it is a land
lost in
antiquity. Dinner and accommodations
will be provided at your hotel.
Land Rovers will take you across the desert to the
magnificent dunes of Erg Chebbi. To
watch the sun rise over the spectacular Merzouga dunes in the Sahara is
a breathtaking
encounter worth experiencing. Afterward,
you will eat breakfast with the Tuaregs, and saddled camels will be
offered as
an option for those who would like to explore the area.
You will then continue your travels,
exploring the ancient holy city of Rissani and the desert until you
reach
Zagora, where dinner and accommodations will be available at your hotel.
You will spend your day on an excursion that will take you
to the real gateway of the Moroccan Saharan Desert.
You will drive through the lowlands and along
the mountain passes to Tamegroute, a humble village where deep
knowledge is
transmitted in the most simplistic way.
There you will visit the famous Moorish Koranic Library. Full of rare books and documents, the library
includes 13th century writings made on gazelle hide. Afterward, you will return to Zagora for the
night.
Following breakfast, you will leave for your return trip to
Marrakech, stopping in Ouarzazate, where women still weave the
Ouazguita
carpets famous for their natural colors and geometric and symbolic
designs. Here, life is concentrated in
the oases and Kasbahs, contrasting with the vast and stark desert
plateaux that
surround the city. Finally, you will
return to Marrakech for a farewell dinner, where you will experience a
typical
Moroccan meal under a caidal Berber tent along with a spectacle of the
Fantasia.
You will depart from the Marrakech airport for your
transatlantic flight, connecting via Casablanca on your way to New York.
Package Includes:
Cost per Person based on double
occupancy: Call for information
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