Day 1 - Saturday
USA / Casablanca
Depart on a regularly scheduled flight from U.S.A.
Day 2 - Sunday (L, D)
Casablanca / Rabat
Morning arrival in Casablanca. You will be assisted through customs by our local representative and transferred to your motorcoach for the scenic drive along the coast to Rabat. Lunch at a local restaurant. Rest of day at leisure.
Hotel Golden Tulip Farah
Day 3 - Monday (B, L, D)
Rabat
You will visit the offices of the Association Rabat Al Fath and hear a lecture on "Moroccan Traditions and Islam." Your tour of Rabat will enable you to view its many attractions: museums, monuments, and mosques, including the Royal Palace, the Kasbah of the Oudayas and the exquisite gold and marble Mausoleum of Mohammed V.
Hotel Golden Tulip Farah
"We enjoyed the opportunities we had to meet and talk with Moroccans. The
discussion by Dr. Bentahila and meeting and having lunch with his family.
Having tea and almonds with the elderly woman, her daughter and
granddaughter at Ait Benhaddeu. Small number of participants. Excellent driver.Variety of places visited, and having some free time to explore on
own."
Morocco - E. & M. Tiberg, VA
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Day 4 - Tuesday (B, L, D)
Rabat / Volubilis
Drive through enchanting bark oak and cork forests to Meknes, the Moroccan Versailles. Meknes was created in the 17th century by Moulay Ismail, the first great Alaouit Sovereign. Here you will admire the Bab-El-Mansour and Bab-Berdaine, two of the striking gates built into the 25 miles of wall surrounding the ancient city, and visit the mosque housing the tomb of Moulay Ismail. You will see the incredible stables built by Moulay Ismail to accommodate 12,000 horses, and the granaries of cathedral-like proportions, where 20,000 prisoners and slaves could be held at one time. Tour the ruins of Volubilis, an ancient Roman city that covers an area of over 100 acres. Until the late third century, Volubilis was the Roman Empire's most remote base. A magnificent Triumphal Arch and several well-preserved and still colorful mosaics are among the city's most impressive vestiges.
Hotel Zaki
Day 5 - Wednesday (B, L, D)
Volubilis / Fez
Take a short drive to the town of Moulay Idriss, named for the grandson of the prophet Mohammed who arrived there in the year 787. Lunch will be at a local restaurant. After a short tour of Moulay Idriss, the rest of the afternoon will be at leisure. Continue to the imperial city of Fez.
Hotel les Merinides
Day 6 - Thursday (B, L, D)
Fez
Early morning you might hear the Mouazane calling the faithful to prayers from one of the 320 mosques in Fez. You will begin your sightseeing day in the Medina (ancient city). Here you will see the Karaouine Mosque, capable of accommodating 22,000 people for worship, and the 14th-century El Attarin Medersa, an Islamic religious university, built around a beautiful courtyard with walls of carved plaster and cedar. Lunch will be at a local restaurant. Hotel De Fez, followed by a tour of Fez Jedid (or New Fez) for an introduction to the city's contemporary side. In the evening, dine at your hotel, perhaps sampling some of the excellent Moroccan cuisine and local wines.
Hotel les Merinides
Day 7 - Friday (B, L, D)
Fez
A lecture/seminar by a Moroccan university professor of sociolinguistics will provide you with an understanding of "Fez: City of Contrasts." After the lecture, lunch will be arranged in the home of an ordinary Moroccan family. This will give you a unique insight into the everyday life of Moroccans, allowing you to taste some genuine home cooking (a far remove from most hotel fare) and to have a look around a real Moroccan home - experiences regular tourists would never have! After taking mint tea with the family, you will take a stroll through the maze of alleyways in the medina, experiencing the excitement and mystery of the souks (markets) while observing local artisans at work - wood carvers, copper engravers, rug weavers, and the famous tanners and dyers of fine Moroccan leather.
Hotel les Merinides
Day 8 - Saturday (B, L, D)
Fez / Midelt / Erfoud
Departure to Midelt through the wooded Middle Atlas region. On the way you will visit Azrou, an important handicraft center specializing in cedar wood-working. After the Zad pass, arrive in Midelt, an important mining center. After lunch, you will continue your trip to Erfoud. Cross the River Ziz, shimmering between two rows of high palm trees, and pass through a series of fortress villages whose architecture heralds that of the pre-Saharan castles. Arrival in Erfoud, situated at the foot of the djebel Erfoud, near the right bank of the Ziz River.
Hotel El Ati
Day 9 - Sunday (B, L, D)
Erfoud / Rissani / Tineghir
Departure to Tineghir via Rissani, the Holy City where the ancestor of the Alaouite Dynasty is buried in Moulay Al Sherif Mausoleum. Rissani is the capital of Tafilalt, located in the confines of the desert and the immense Hamada de Guir. You may also visit a 17th-century Kasbah, as well as the imposing ruins of Ksar Abbar. After lunch at Erfoud, continue to Tineghir by taking the Tinejdad road. Tineghir is situated in a magnificent palm grove, at the mouth of the Todrha Gorge. Todrha Gorge is an extremely wild region from which dark rocky masses and peaks emerge from a backdrop of tints and hues of light that have to be seen to be believed. Arrival in Tineghir.
Hotel Kenzi Bougafer or Hotel Sargho
Day 10 - Monday (B, L, D)
Tineghir / Kelaa / Ouarzazate
Visit the Todrha Gorge en route to El Kelaa. Visit the Kasbah in Kelaa des Mgouna, which stands out in massive silhouette on a crag overlooking a cool oasis in which there are fruit, almond, and apricot trees, and hedges of small strongly scented roses used in the manufacture of perfume essences. Enormous partially ruined earth villages overhang the river. Lunch at the famous Dades Gorges. Travel on to Ouarzazate, a fairy land of mud castles and green oasis.
Hotel Azghor
"I would recommend TraveLearn to anybody who truly wishes to understand and
get to know a country. It was an adventure! The excellent escort and
in-country guide were open, friendly, personable, humorous, and
knowledgeable. The variety of activities: never a boring day. Sunrise in the
Sahara...Visiting Old Fez...Length of the trip was perfect!"
Morocco - W. Seelbinder, MO
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Day 11 - Tuesday (B, L, D)
Ouarzazate / Marrakesh
Enjoy a short tour of Ouarzazate and then travel over the High Atlas to Marrakesh, set against the background of the snow-covered Atlas Mountains. After lunch in Marrakesh enjoy some free time to relax at the hotel or explore the city on your own.
Hotel Kenzi Farah
Day 12 - Wednesday (B, L, D)
Marrakesh
You will begin your tour of Marrakesh, the second-oldest of the imperial cities founded in the 11th century, which spreads out in a huge palm grove at the foot of the snow-capped High Atlas Mountains. Visit the venerable monument of Koutoubia, known as a masterpiece of Almouhad art; the richly decorated rooms of the Saadian Tombs; the remains of the 16th-century El Badi Palace; the Bahia Palace; and the Dar Si Said Palace, now converted into the exquisite Museum of Moroccan Art. After lunch you will be given a lecture on the art of Morocco with an exhibit of textiles, paintings, and jewelry.
Hotel Kenzi Farah
Day 13 - Thursday (B, L, D)
Marrakesh
You will have the morning at leisure. Lunch at the hotel. In the early evening, visit the enormous Djemaa el Fna Square which abounds with storytellers, snake charmers, fire-eaters, acrobats, and fortune tellers, with local people sitting around the ever-present tea kettles producing the fragrance of fresh mint tea. Dinner and special floor show at the Restaurant Chez Ali.
Hotel Kenzi Farah
Day 14 - Friday (B, L, D)
Marrakesh / Casablanca
Depart for Casablanca, Morocco's largest city and commercial capital. After lunch, take a short tour of the city, stopping at the newly completed Mosque Hassan II. The Mosque is the world's second largest, and was built with donations from Moroccans of all faiths.
Royal Mansour Hotel
Day 15 - Saturday (B)
Casablanca / USA
Transfer with assistance to Mohammed V Airport for your flight to the U.S.A.
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