A Grand 14 Days touring the Dunes and Kasbahs of Morocco
With a foray into Paris

Explore the historic kasbahs (fortresses) and natural alpine beauty of southern Morocco's mighty High Atlas Mountains on this 12 day tour to Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Tamegroute, Zagora, Erfoud, Tinerhir, and Berber villages at the edge of the Sahara Desert. Then stop in Paris for 2 nights before you head home.

DAY 1 - JFK - Sunday - This tour operates weekly on Sundays , year round
Board Air France or Royal Air Maroc non stop at JFK International Airport .Overnight across the Atlantic. Dinner is served on board. For Air France flights Same rate applies from Atlanta, Boston, Newark, Philadelphia, Washington DC (subject to the availability of Air France flights), we keep the right to use any International air carriers).

Day 2 - CASABLANCA Monday (D)
When flying on Air France connection is via Paris, or via London when its British Airways, clear passport & customs formalities, onward to Casablanca . Welcome to Morocco! We escort you to your hotel. Dinner is included & served at your hotel.

Day 3 - MARRAKECH Tuesday (BLD)
This morning we tour the Great Mosque of Hassan II, before we fly south to Marrakech . Lunch at your hotel. Welcome to Marrakech! We escort you to your hotel. In the late afternoon we tour the city by "caleche,"; the traditional horse-drawn carriage: a romantic first look at this fabled metropolis. Dinner & music at a Moroccan restaurant.

DAY 4 - MARRAKECH TREKKING Wednesday (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 enjoy a delicious dinner at the hotel.

DAY 5- OUARZAZATE Thursday (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 6 - ZAGORA & TAMEGROUTE Friday (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 and our hotel.

DAY 7 - ERFOUD, RISSANI & MERZOUGA Saturday (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 chauffeured four-wheel-drive vehicle to watch the sunset over the pastel-colored Saharan dunes, returning to Erfoud for the night.

DAY 8 - TINERHIR, TODRA GORGE & OUARZAZATE Sunday (BLD) We start the day with a 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 for the evening.

DAY 9 - MARRAKECH Monday (BLD)
We drive back to Marrakech over the High Atlas, admiring the majesty of towering Djebel Toubkal (13,665 feet). In the afternoon, 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 10 - Marrakech - Culinary Experience and a home hosted dinner - Tuesday (BLD)

This morning you'll ride through Marrakech in a horse-drawn carriage.
One of the special ways of understanding a culture is through its cuisines--not only sampling exotic tastes, but experiencing the preparation of dishes, how they figure in ritual and ceremony, and how they have grown out of the earth and traditions, we'll proceed to the Ecole Hotelière, Marrakech's own hospitality & Culinary Academy and training school, for a demonstration of the preparation of pastry-style doughs. We'll stay for a lunch of salads, tagine of Maghdour kebab, and refreshing fruits.

Later, we'll call on you to take you for your sunset camel ride, in the 13,000 acres of palm groves around Marrakech. You'll finish the day with a memorable experience of Moroccan hospitality, dinner in the home of a Marrakech family in the old Medina.

Complimentary Dinner is included at a local home:
Meet the locals, you may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family ( T shirt , small souvenirs of your home town):
This evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Marrakech l! You'll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you'll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they're sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you'll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

Day 11-Tuesday PARIS (B)
Breakfast is included at the hotel, then it is off to Marrakech Airport, and your flight to Paris.
Arrival in Paris! our staff will meet you at the airport and escort you to your hotel, centrally located near the Champs-Elysées. Drop your luggage, grab your Lonely Planet guidebook (we'll give you a copy of the Paris guide at no extra charge), and head out into the City of Light. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy as you please: strolling the boulevards, watching boats on the Seine, shopping in the markets and boutiques, or people-watching in a cozy cafe.

DAY 12 - Wednesday PARIS (cB)
Come with us on a half-day panoramic motorcoach tour of the city. We'll stop by the Place de l'Opera, Place de la Concorde, Champs-Elysées, Arch de Triomphe, Trocadero, Eiffel Tower (tickets to the first level), Le Bastille and Notre Dame. Then we'll take a short cruise on the Seine before we let you go to find your own favorite Parisian haunts, led there by your Lonely Planet guidebook.

DAY 13 - Thursday PARIS (B)
Breakfast is always included daily at the hotel. Day at leisure, own activities

DAY 14- DEPARTURE - Friday (B)
We escort you to the airport for your homeward flight.

Rates per person, from JFK
For most West coast cities, ( SEA, PDX, SFO, LAX, SJS, SAN ) , you need not to fly via JFK, you'll fly non-stop to Europe then on to Morocco : please add $ 450 subject to availability ,

For May thru end of Sep please add $ 450 USD, this supplement doesn't apply when you handle your own air fare.

Rates per person, from JFK
Triple	US$ 5250
Double	US$ 5389
Single	US$ 6860

Rates do not include:

• Tips .
  
• Trip Cancellation Insurance.

Your tour includes:

• Accommodation in , first class hotels, as shown in the table "Our Hotels;" all rooms with private bath.
  
  
• Flights between JFK & Casablanca as well as domestic air tickets within Morocco, all in economy class, tax included .

• 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

• Escorted guided sightseeing tours by air conditioned private motor coach as indicated in the itinerary, including all entry fees

• Services of a fully-licensed English-speaking guide throughout

Your Hotels

• For Christmas/New Year's: Please add : %10 to the rates.
• You may deduct $ 600 from the rate, when you handle your air fare.

Back to Morocco Tour List