11-Days Adventure - Including 2 nights camping in the Sahara
The Dunes & Kasbahs of Morocco

With a stay in the- Sleepy sea-side town of Essaouira
Compare with the 10 Day without Essaouira

Click here for the 8 -day edition

Explore the historic kasbahs (fortresses) and natural alpine beauty of southern Morocco's mighty High Atlas Mountains on this 8 day tour to Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Zagora, Erfoud, and Berber villages at the edge of the Sahara Desert. This tour starts weekly on Sundays , year round. You may start on any other day of the week with . A minimum of 2 guests & a s supplement of $100 per person

Day 1 - MARRAKECH Sunday
Welcome to Marrakech! We escort you to your hotel, superior first class hotels, as shown in the table "Our Hotels;" all rooms with private bath. Remainder of the day at leisure.

DAY 2 - MARRAKECH TREKKING Monday (BLD)
After breakfast in you hotel, leave to Amizmiz, 54 Kilometers from Marrakech. On the way you will see the Oumnast Kasbah then the Lalla Takerkoust Dam built between 1929 and 1935 with it man made lake. It will take you about an hour to reach Amizmiz , a typical Berber village , we tour the Kasbah and the "Mellah" (Jewish quarter). Every Tuesday an important country market is held, where all the villagers from the area come for their weekly shopping and gossiping... You can buy there interesting Regragra potteries. Your guide will welcome you in his home for a traditional Berber breakfast then you will start your hiking first through Sidi Hossein valley to reach Tizi Oughourane. On the way you will see picturesque landscapes of the Atlas mountains , Berber villages with their houses built in stone and earth. After a typical lunch accompanied by mint tea, you will come back to Amizimiz by a different itinerary and be transferred back to busy Marrakech by late afternoon. Remainder of the day at leisure. In the evening enjoy a delicious Dinner & music at a Moroccan restaurant.

DAY 3- OUARZAZATE Tuesday (BLD)
This morning we take a closer look at Marrakech's most important historic and architectural wonders: the Koutoubia Mosque, the Saadian Tombs and the Bahia Palace. In the afternoon we hit the road, climbing through striking alpine scenery into the High Atlas Mountains, crossing to the southeastern side of the range via the Tizi N'Tichka Pass (7415 feet). We descend to the Draa Valley, dotted with ancient kasbahs (fortified palaces), to the caravan-town of Ouarzazate at the edge of the mighty Sahara Desert.

DAY 4 - ZAGORA & TAMEGROUTE Wednesday (BLD)
Starting bright and early, we traverse the Draa Valley with its six palm forests forming grand ribbons of greenery across the flat valley floor. Thanks to the proximity of the river, cereals, henna, vegetables, fruit and date palms are cultivated, either on the floor of the valley or on stepped terraces. We arrive in Zagora around noontime. After lunch, we embark on an excursion to Tamegroute to view the illuminated Korans, with holy verses inscribed on gazelle-skin parchment, the oldest dating from the 13th century. We'll also visit the Potters' Yard and huge Tinfou Dune before returning to Zagora, change our mode of transportation to 4 wheel drive jeeps : on our camp site for tonight, we enjoy a one hour camel trek before sunset.
Dinner and overnight under the stars ( Camping - Bedouin Tent)

DAY 5 - ERFOUD, RISSANI & MERZOUGA/ Camp- Thursday (BLD)
Today it's off to Erfoud through a dramatic landscape of "regs" (rocky tables), small mountains and oases, each with its small Berber village. In the early afternoon we arrive in Rissani, the cradle of Morocco's royal Alaouite dynasty, to admire the exterior architecture of the Mausoleum of Moulay Ali Cherif, and to take a tour of the Abou Aam Ksar (fortified village). In the late afternoon we head out by camels to our camp sites and the golden dunes of Merzouga. Watch the sunset over the pastel-colored Saharan dunes, Dinner and overnight under the stars ( Camping - Bedouin Tent)

DAY 6 - TINERHIR, TODRA GORGE & OUARZAZATE Friday (BLD)
Enjoy a pre sunrise camel ride to the Dunes to watch sunrise , then we change our mode of transportation and drive through the beautiful Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs to Tinerhir. A former military outpost built on terraces above a magnificent palm grove, Tinerhir stands at the entrance to the Todra Gorge, framed by awesome thousand-foot-high cliffs which make you think that you're "at the ends of the Earth." From Tinerhir we proceed past a series of great kasbahs to Boumalne du Dades, a large town at the foot of the gorge to Skoura. Beyond Skoura, the desert palms give way to orchards and irrigated gardens. Roses are the specialty of El Kelaa des Mgouna. The rose oil is sent to Paris to be made into perfume by Yves Saint-Laurent. Do some "rose" shopping here--rose water, body milk, dried rose petals before returning to our hotel in Ouarzazate.

DAY 7- MARRAKECH Saturday (BLD)
We drive back to Marrakech over the High Atlas, admiring the majesty of towering Djebel Toubkal (13,665 feet). In the afternoon, we tour the city by "caleche,"; the traditional horse-drawn carriage: a romantic first look at this fabled metropolis, discover Marrakech's teeming, labyrinthine souks (bazaars) with their hundreds of tiny little shops, and Djemaa El Fna square with its medieval circus atmosphere. In the evening we have a special treat: a Moroccan "fantasia" dinner served in tents, with a traditional folklore show.

DAY 8 ESSAOUIRA Sunday (B)
Drive to Essaouira, a a charming fishing harbor. Renowned for generations for its production of "Murex", a small shellfish used to make the purple dye for Roman togas, Essaouira is now a very active fishing harbor , with some Portuguese character who settled here in the 16th century. Later on Sultan Mohamed Ben Abdellah used it as a base for his corsairs. Today, protected from the sea and the wind behind its commanding fortified medieval walls, Essaouira shelters a flourishing craftsmanship in marquetry, working wood with ebony, mother of pearl and silver thread to make tables, chessboards, caskets and bracelets. Enjoy a seafood lunch, before heading back to the hotel. Overnight accommodation in a suite at Riad Al Madina.

Day 9 - Essaouira Monday (B)
Full day of relaxation at this sleepy small town by the sea.

Day 10 - Essaouira/Marrakech Tuesday (B)
We escort you to back to Marrakech and your hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure,maybe for last minute shopping in the souks of Marrakech

DAY 12 - DEPARTURE Tuesday (B)
We escort you to Marrakech airport for your homeward flight, Bon Voyage

In Triple Occupancy	US$ 3170.00
In Double Occupancy	US$ 3209.00
In Single Occupancy	US$ 4090.00

• For Oct 1-30 , Christmas/New Year's: Please add : %10 to the rates.
• For upgrade to Jardin de La Medina boutique hotel in Marrakech or the new Sofitel with the Atlas Mountain's view , please add : $250 per person for the full stay in Marrakech.

Your tour includes:

• Accommodation in , superior first class hotels, as shown in the table "Our Hotels;" all rooms with private bath.
  
  
• Domestic air ticket within Morocco .

• ALL Meals as indicated in the itinerary: Continental (cB) or full breakfast (B) daily; set-menu lunch (L); set-menu dinner (D)

• Transportation throughout by deluxe air-conditioned motorcoach

• Locally guided sightseeing tours by air conditioned private car/van or motor coach as indicated in the itinerary, including all entry fees.
• English speaking private driver escorting you all the way.

• Lonely Planet guidebook to Morocco

Not Included:

• Tips.
• Travel Insurance ( Please ask for the flyer)
• International air fare

Your Hotels ( or similar)

Good sunglasses with UV protection, in a sturdy case - spare pair of prescription glasses, if you wear glasses- pocket flashlight, with spare batteries and bulbs- insect repellent .