Travel to Morocco: Morocco Adventure

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Morocco Adventure

			DAYS: 13 GRADE: II, Hiking, some rustic accommodations define PRICE: From $3525 per person HIGHLIGHTS: Fez Marrakech Volubilis Saharan Desert encampment Berber homestay High Atlas hiking Ait Benhaddou ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels/Lodges Homestay Wilderness Camp MEALS: As noted  [B-Breakfast, L-Lunch,   D-Dinner] Prices, Departure Dates and Included Services Send to a Friend Print this Itinerary

Walking the pistes and ancient caravan routes of the High Atlas Mountains, this active adventure provides a hands-on exploration of the stunning landscapes, rich history and the Arab and Berber cultures of the Magreb. (Magreb means 'west' in Arabic, and has become a much-used term for Morocco). We explore the almost biblical passageways of the medina in the northern historic city of Fez, gaining a glimpse of a Kasbah life style unchanged for centuries. We encounter local Magrebi farmers, herders and nomads, each community steeped in its distinctive traditions and each sharing the deep hospitality so characteristic of Islamic cultures. We Hike through quiet villages with ochre walls richly red at sunset and seemingly organic to their mountain setting, and stay with a highland Berber family. We even camp with Touareg nomads and ride camels to watch in awe as the dawn vanquishes the Saharan night. Finally, in the bustling main square of Djemna el-Fna, we weave amidst snake charmers, basket weavers, soothsayers and musicians in the great southern Imperial capital of Marrakech.

	The Mausoleum of Mohammed V. Modern and magestic.

DAY 1 :  CASABLANCA TO RABAT

On arrival in Casablanca, we are met by our guide and driver and transferred to our Rabat hotel. En route, we visit Casablanca's magnificent Mosque of Hassan II, heralded as the second largest mosque in the world. Morocco's modern capital of Rabat is the first of our 'Imperial Cities', and the official residence of King Mohammed VI. A visit to the Mohammed V Mausoleum and the remains of the Hassan Tower built in 1196 ACE provide an excellent introduction to Moroccan history, and we enjoy our first glimpse of Moroccan culture during a short walk through the narrow passageways of the Kasbah of the Oudayas, admiring the decorative doors and immersing ourselves in the sights and sounds of daily life. Dinner and overnight Farah Hotel or similar. [LD]

DAY 2 :  MEKNES-VOLUBILIS-MOULAY IDRSS

This morning we drive east (1hr) to our second 'Imperial City', Meknes, with its famous gate of Bab El Mansour. At the impressive Dar Jamai Palace we visit the Royal Stables and the tomb of Moulay Ismail, the dreaded sultan of Morocco whose paranoia resulted in some of Morocco's finest historical fortifications. Next we visit Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Morocco's largest and best preserved Roman ruin. We walk the cobbled streets of the holy city of Moulay Idriss, named after the sainted fourth generation descendant of the prophet Mohamed, and both the founder of Islam in Morocco and the founder of the city of Fez, our next Imperial City and today's final destination (1hr). Overnight at Riad Mabrouka or similar Moroccan-style guest house. [BLD]

DAY 3 :  FEZ

The mesmerizing call to dawn prayer begins slowly and builds to a crescendo as each of a hundred minarets join the chorus; a sound integral to Fez and a sound which has echoed each morning through this exquisite walled city for over 1400 years. The former capital of Morocco and considered the first of the 'Imperial Cities', Fez remains Morocco's leading intellectual and religious center as well as a fascinating cultural hub. A walking tour of the bustling medina with visits to a tannery, wool souk (market), spice shops, and stalls loaded with dates and olives offers a thorough immersion in Moroccan mercantile life. We meet shop keepers and craftsmen whose skills have been passed from generation to generation, and begin to understand the fine web of tradition that makes Moroccan culture so enduring and rich. Walking through the maze of narrow passageways we visit the Qaraouine University, the Madrassa (Quranic school), and the Moulay Idriss II memorial. We end the day with a unique experience; the warmth and traditional hospitality of a local plains Arab family, and a home cooked dinner, perhaps a tagine or couscous, or even harira, the traditional soup that ends each Ramadan day. Overnight Riad Mabrouka or similar. [BLD]

A slower pace of life.

DAY 4 :  BERBER ATLAS HIKING AND BERBER HOMESTAY
We pass fields using a system of gravitational irrigation established well before the Romans came. Stopping to picnic amidst the lentils, turnips and fava beans, or to shelter from the sun in the sweet shade of an apple or cherry orchard, we witness a lifestyle still organic, still in tune with the seasons, still natural and refreshingly far from the myriad demands of urban modernity. It seems the fate of human-kind is to always desire more but to always lament what we have lost. The tragedy is that we never equate what we lose with our desire to have more, until it is too late. Thoughts such as these are the insights of travel. We explore the village of Zaouia D'Ifrane and hike to a nearby waterfall before meeting our Berber hosts. As guests of a Berber family, we have a unique opportunity to experience a calmer, more relaxed way of life and to sample home cooked Berber cuisine. Beds are Berber-style mattresses on the floor above carpets, with linens and blankets. There is a shared bathroom in the home with a flush toilet. Overnight Berber home stay. [BLD]

DAY 5 :  ATLAS MOUNTAINS TO THE SAHARA DESERT

We settle back in our seats and watch the dramatic changes in landscape as our vehicle switch-backs over the Atlas Mountains and descends to the mighty Saharan Desert. The terrain on this full day drive (7hr) is varied and includes forests of giant cedar, high arid mountains with breathtaking views over tortuous mountain passes and, as we drop through the flattening foothills of scrub, the vast Saharan desert, stretches before us for a thousand miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. Following a centuries-old caravan route, we pass through the Beni Mguild Berber capital of Midelt, an important center for local carpet making. We begin to see ksars (fortified strongholds) along the way to Errachidia, where we pause to stretch our legs and eat a tasty tagine before continuing on to Erfoud. Overnight at Xaluca Hotel or similar. [BLD]

"The desert is clean." (T.E. Lawrence)

DAY 6 :  SAHARA DESERT ADVENTURE

This morning we have some options; a refreshing dip in the hotel pool or an excursion to the Holy City of Rissani to visit the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Sherife, the Ksour of Abdel Hamid, and the Abdel Malik Kasbah. Our guide is on hand to offer advise. In the afternoon we depart Erfoud in our 4x4 vehicle, stopping at a quarry to view rock excavations and fossils. At last we reach the vast Sahara, where the paved road ends (1hr). As the day cools, desert colors intensify. We mount camels and, accompanied by indigenous Touareg nomads in their famous blue-dyed turbans, we ride the Erg Chebbi, a vast expanse of huge, drifting sand dunes. Touregs are truly masters of their domain. Centuries ago, Touregs turned the deadly Saharan sands into an ocean on which their ships of the desert (camels) traded goods as varied as dates and gold bullion from the Atlantic coast to Lake Chad. The sunset changes and deepens the hues of this mystical landscape as our surefooted dromedaries bring us to our desert camp. After a cold drink and a delicious dinner we retire under a vast star-lit desert sky to ponder the imponderable, and to marvel at the comfort of our private tents, mattresses, linens, pillows and Berber rugs. There is a shared bathroom facility. (Those not wishing to camp in the desert may overnight in an Erfoud hotel.) Overnight Desert Encampment or Xaluca Hotel. [BLD]

DAY 7 :  TODRA GORGE-TINEGHIR-OUARZAZATE

We awaken before dawn when the moon still reflects from the millions of microscopic silicon chips in the sand. In darkness, we mount our saddled camels for a short ride to watch the sun creep over the desert horizon. Sunrise in the desert is not a thing of words. The true solitude and beauty of the Sahara shows itself only in such moments. Back at camp for breakfast we re-board our vehicle and drive to Todra Gorge (3hrs) first heading towards the mountains then turning south, hugging the Atlas through a stark landscape dotted with fertile oases and dramatic volcanic and limestone peaks. Turning off the main road to the impressive Todra Gorge, if interest and time permits, we embark on an optional (1-2hr) walk through the gorge, exquisitely river-carved over millennium. After lunch in Tineghir, we continue (2 hrs) through the Dra Valley the Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs, to picturesque Ouarzazate. Overnight at Club Hanane Hotel or similar. [BLD]

DAY 8 :  FINT OASIS-AIT BENHADDOU

A short drive in our 4x4 vehicle takes us off the well-beaten-track to Fint Oasis, a hidden fertile valley between two craggy ridges. Sparsely populated, this is a spectacular hiking region: black volcanic rock jutting from the hillsides, ancient Kasbahs amidst dusty palm trees, verdant green stepped fields and blue-water lakes. Our three hour hike winds along an ancient caravan route and includes a picnic lunch on the banks of the River Douchene. We drive back past Ouarzazate and on to the much photographed Ait Benhaddou. Once a fortified ksar, Ait Benhaddou is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, photo stop for tourist groups, and the setting for many desert films, including Lawrence of Arabia in the 1960s and more recently, Gladiator with Russell Crow. Ait Benhaddou is currently home to about ten families. Overnight Club Hanane Hotel or similar. [BLD]

	Berber houses appear organic to the mountains.

DAY 9 :  OUIRKA VALLEY-IMLIL

Leaving the stark desert landscape of southern Morocco, we drive north from Ouarzazate into the High Atlas Mountains (4hrs), and grind up a looping road over the Tizi-n-Tickka Pass (7,417 ft) the highest pass in Morocco. This route offers spectacular views. As we ascend, the landscape turns green with oaks, walnut groves and oleander bushes. We turn from the main road at Ait Ourir and pause for 'ateh' (mint tea) in the Ouirka Valley and take a short hike in the cooler mountain air. Isolated villages and stepped cultivation cling to hillsides along the river. Continuing to Imlil, we leave our vehicle, transfer our bags to pack-donkeys, and walk to our douar, a typical traditional stone and rammed-earth Berber dwelling, our home for the next two nights. Committed to sustainable tourism, our douar owner helps provide work for the men of the village and gives an opportunity for the Berber women to hone their artisan skills and sell traditional crafts to tourist. Our douar is the perfect base from which to explore the Toubkal Massif. Overnight at Kasbah Samra. [BLD]

DAY 10 :  HIGH ATLAS HIKING

The fresh mountain air is exhilarating. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and marvelous views, there is a myriad of hiking opportunities from which to chose in this truly dramatic setting. Local hiking guides lead a variety of excursions; everything from half-day hikes along sandstone ridges to pastel and ochre colored villages that appear organic to the lush-green terraced valleys; to multi-day treks scaling some of the nearby mountain peaks. There are more than forty mountain peaks in the area with altitudes of at least 11,500 ft. including Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in Morocco and the fourth highest peak in Africa. Overnight at Kasbah Samra. [BLD]

DAY 11 :  HIGH ATLAS-MARRAKECH
Enjoy a free morning and a slow breakfast and either savor our surroundings or continue exploring the foothills with a short morning hike. Then, in the afternoon, it's off to vibrant Marrakech. (1hr). There is time to explore the narrow streets and engage in the time-honored skill of bartering for crafts and souvenirs with shopkeepers in the many shops. Remember, in Morocco, as in most North African and Middle Eastern cultures, human relations are dominant. Bartering, although important, is only part of a much wider custom of human interaction. You will lose the respect of the locals if you simply accept an asking price without haggling, not because of the price, but because you are unable to interact. This is considered a much more important loss than a bad deal haggling over a trinket. So, settle down to a comfortably long haggle often involving tea and conversation. In fact the haggling is as much an excuse to sit and talk as it is to trade. As dusk begins to fall, the focus is the Djemna el-Fna, the huge square in the Marrakech medina and backdrop for an eclectic array of jugglers, storytellers, snake charmers, musicians and soothsayers. Mouth-watering aromas waft through the medina from the many rows of open-air food stalls. Perhaps we will retreat to a neighboring rooftop restaurant for a drink and the view. Overnight at Riad Daria or Riad Samsara or similar. [BLD]

DAY 12 :  MARRAKECH
Prepare for a full day delving into this distinctly Magrebi city's history. Marrakech has for centuries been Morocco's southern capital, competing with Fez not just metaphorically but militarily and religiously too, during the cyclical evangelical revivals. Moroccan history is a repeating pattern; periods of liberalism followed by corruption and immorality, followed by religious revival and war and destruction. When religion and war exhaust the inhabitants, tolerance and liberalism at last return, and the pattern starts all over again. Marrakech and Fez have been the most common combatants in this repeating cycle of history. Posterity has lost many architectural masterpieces through such conflicts. Of those that remain, we tour the Palais de la Bahaia which housed Bou Ahmed's four wives, 24 concubines and numerous children, and visit the Saadian Tombs, the royal burial ground of the Saadian dynasty. If time and interest allow, we view the extensive Berber collection of clothing, jewelry, textiles, doors, baskets and carpets at the Maison Tiskiwin and take a break to walk through Jardin Majorelle with its extensive international collection of plants. Return to the medina for any last minute shopping before reflecting on your Moroccan adventure at a farewell dinner. Overnight at Riad Daria or Riad Samsara or similar. [BLD]

DAY 13 :  DEPARTURE OR BEGIN TRIP EXTENSION

Today we transfer to the airport for our early flight to Casablanca to connect with our return flights home, or extend your Morocco vacation with a few days along the coast.

Questions? Ask Our Program Directors.

. C o n t a c t Nilu Jenks 1(800)345-4453 C o n t a c t Adrian Chalker 1(800)345-4453