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Saturday: New York / Casablanca
Evening departure from JFK-Casablanca (6-1/2 hr flight).
Sunday: Casablanca
7:10 AM arrival at Mohamed V airport in Casablanca, where you will be greeted by your guide. Check in and refresh at your hotel. Visit recently-completed Mosque Hassan II - largest in world outside Mecca. Tour of French-built Quartier Habous, Law Courts, and the Gates of the Royal Palace. See the Island of the Marabout Sidi Abderrahman (at low tide). Dinner at your hotel Riad Salam.
Monday: Casablanca / Rabat / Fez
Breakfast at hotel and drive to Rabat (1 º hours). Visit Hassan Tower, the Chellah Necropolis, and the Kasbah des Oudaias overlooking the Atlantic ocean. Visit the Mausoleum of Mohamed V. It was Mohamed V - Grand Father of the ruling King Mohamed VI who achieved independence for Morocco in 1961. Revered by both Muslim and Jew alike, his bravery in the face of the occupying Vichy regime during WW2 that saved Moroccan Jews from the fate of their European brethren. Excursion to a just-opened private museum outside Rabat. Among the finest collections of Moroccan crafts and relics in the world, opened by a third-generation craftsman and collector responsible for restoring the 27 domes of the mosque at Medina. This gentleman is the recipient of the 1991 Prix díOr from His Majesty King Hassan II. His collection includes a number of items of Jewish interest. Tea and sweets at the museum. Continue east (2 hours) to Moulay Idriss: the holiest Muslim site in Morocco. For those without the means to make the pilgrimage, the hajj, to Mecca, five trips to Moulay Idriss is of equal merit. Visit Roman ruins at nearby Volubulis: among the most extensive in the world. Evening arrival in Fes and check-in at your hotel in the Ville Nouvelle. Dinner at your hotel in Fez.
Tuesday: Fez
Explore Fes J'did and the mellah (Jewish district). Visit synagogues - unmarked on their exteriors - dating from the 17th century: among the most unique in the world. The mellah of Fes once had 40 synagogues. See the vast and picturesque whitewashed Jewish cemetery adjacent to the gates to the Royal Palace and the nascent Jewish Museum at the Em HaBanim synagogue.Tour Fes el-Bali: Visit the medressa (koranic university) Bou Inania, the Fondouk Nejjarine, the Zaouia (mausoleum) of Moulay Idriss II, the Medressa Attarine, the famous tanneries, the famous tanneries, and countless other sites, including the House of Maimonedes with its mysterious water clock. The narrow and cobbled streets of Fes are filled with ancient mosques, towering minarets, crumbling fondouks (inns for medieval travelers and their animals) and narrow openings into the private world beyond: an architecture of carved cedar portals, brilliantly colored mosaic tiles, delicately carved stucco ornament, and green glazed roofs. In Fes, veiled women still hurry through the streets, donkeys - laden with their wares - take their time, and craftsmen forge objects much as they did centuries ago. Special arrangements to visit interior of a spectacular privately-owned 18th century Riad - traditional Islamic courtyard house- once one of the wealthiest mansions in Fes.
Wednesday: Fez / Meknes
Morning excursion to Imperial Meknes: its famous City Gates and the Tomb of Moulay Ismail - magnificent examples of Islamic architecture in North Africa. See Imperial Quarters of Moulay Ismail, including the renowned Imperial Stables. Return to Fez for dinner and accommodation..
Thursday: Fez / Khenifra / Marrakech
Depart Fes for the scenic Middle Atlas mountains and Ifrane for your drive to Marrakech. Visit the Cascade of Ouzoud. Late afternoon arrival in Marrakech. Check-in at your hotel. Spend early evening at Djemaa el Fnaa, when the square comes alive with storytellers, snake charmers, magicians, and street performers: a unique spectacle. Dinner at your hotel.
Friday: Marrakech
Breakfast at your hotel. Morning visit to Mellah (Jewish district): synagogues and cemetery.
Explore exotic Marrakech: the towering Koutoubia minaret, the Saadien Tombs, the Menara Gardens, the Medersa ben Youssef, the domed Koubba, and the Dar Si Said Museum. Visit the Maison Tiskiwin, the Bahia Palace, and the Majorelle Gardens of Yves St. Laurent. Lunch at hotel. Visit the colorful souks of Marrakech - spices, carpets, jewelry, artisantry produced in some cases the same way it was made hundreds of years ago. Optional services. Shabat dinner. Overnight in Marrakech.
Saturday: Marrakech / Eurika Valley / Seti Fadama / Marrakech
Breakfast at your hotel. (Optional services). Optional morning excursion to the scenic Ourika Valley of the High Atlas mountains. Walk through earthen adobe villages decorated with bas-relief indigenous patterns, a culture with millennium Jewish heritage. Return to Marrakech. Lunch at hotel. Afternoon free for continued sightseeing or at leisure. Optional dinner at Yacout - Moroccoís finest restaurant.
Sunday: Marrakech / Essaouira
Breakfast at your hotel. Morning at leisure. Early afternoon transfer to nearby Essaouira and check-in at your hotel. Explore this charming whitewashed town and former Portuguese colony. This small town was once 33% Jewish and had over thirty synagogues. An 18th century synagogue may still be visited. Visit the tomb of Rabbi Chaim Pinto in the vast Jewish cemetery built adjacent to the Atlantic ocean. Rabbi Pinto is the object of an annual pilgrimage in the week preceding Rosh Hashana. Explore the town, its ramparts, and its lovely street of thuya craftsman. Dinner at hotel.
Monday: Essaouira / Taroudant
Breakfast at your hotel. In the morning, continue to explore picturesque and romantic Essaouira.
In the afternoon, drive to Taroudant and check-in at your hotel: a former palace built against the city ramparts where peacocks roam through the colorful and scented gardens. Dinner at the hotel in Taroudant.
Tuesday: Taroudant / Arazan / Taroudant
Breakfast at hotel. Excursion to the nearby village of Arazan. Visit the newly-restored adobe-synagogue: believed to be the only adobe synagogue in the world. Hebrew prayers are painted on its earthen walls; this little gem is one of the best-kept secrets in Morocco. Explore this village and visit a private home - a rare opportunity to see a real Berber house in a typical earthen village. Afternoon to explore Taroudant or at leisure by hotel pools and gardens. Dinner at hotel. Overnight: Taroudant.
Wednesday: Taroudant / Tafrout / Ameln Valley / Ait Baha / Taroudant
Morning excursion to Tafraoute and the beautiful Vallee des Ameln. Witness a weekly souk (Wednesdays) in the village of Ait Baha - one of the mainstay institutions of the economy in rural Morocco. Explore the village of Tafraoute and walk to "Les Pierres Bleues" - a 1984 project by Belgian artist Jean Verame who used over 18 tons of paint in this landscape. Afternoon at leisure. Return to the hotel for dinner and accommodation.
Thursday: Taroudant / Agadir / Casablanca / New York
Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to Agadir airport (1 hour) for your departure to Casablanca, where you will change plans for your 10:00 AM return home.
- What is Included:
- 11 nights accommodation (double occupancy).
- Breakfasts daily.
- Five-star deluxe packages include Buffet or American
- Special Shabat dinner (with drinks).
- Transportation in deluxe chauffeured vehicle
- English speaking driver/guide at your disposal.
- Special local guides at Volubulis, Fes, and Marrakech medinas.
- Airport transfers and assistance.
- Admission fees.
- Hotel gratuities, taxes and service charges.
- Special touches, such as flowers and Moroccan pastery upon arrival.
- Cities and Hotels used:
- Casablanca - Royal Mansour
- Fes - Riad Dar Masmoudi
- Marrakech - Hotel Samiramis
- Essaouira - Riad Zahra
- Taroudant - Palais Salam - Riad II.
- Cost per person based on double occupancy: $2625.00
- Single occupancy: $485.00
- Return to Adventure
Telephone: 1-800-267-0036 or 703-619-0777 Fax: 703-619-9399 Address:Old Mill Rd Alexandria, VA 22309 E-mail: hamid1a@erols.com
