Morocco – Kingdom of Light Tour

October 30 Day 2: Casablanca – Fes
Set out aJer an early breakfast to discover Casablanca, a port city and commercial center of Morocco facing the Atlan<c Ocean. The French colonial heritage of the city is reflected in the Moorish architecture of the city center, combining Moorish style and European Art Deco. Explore the most emblema<c point of Casablanca: the Hassan II Mosque and museum, the second largest mosque in the world including a minaret 690 feet high, and one of the few mosques open to non-Muslims. Depart via the Atlan<c coast through Rabat, the administra<ve capital of Morocco and another important imperial city of Morocco. Rabat is known for sites that illustrate the Islamic and French colonial heritage. Visit the old town of Rabat, called Oudayas and Kasbah Oudaya, located adjacent to the Rabat medina at the mouth of the Bou Regreg River opposite Sale, a royal fort of the Berber era surrounded by formal Andalusian gardens overlooking the Atlan<c Ocean. Stop for lunch along the way and con<nue through Khemisset, and on to your guesthouse in Fes for the night (mixture of riads in the medina). (B)

October 31 Day 3: Fes – Exploring the Imperial City of Meknes & Voulibilis

Depart after breakfast for Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, Morocco’s holiest town at the base of Mount Zerhoun, and the home of Idriss I, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, the first Moroccan ruler, first to bring the Islam religion to Morocco, and credited with being the founder of Morocco. Visit the Roman ruins of Voulibilis, the partly excavated Berber-Roman city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and an exceptionally well-preserved example of a large Roman colonial town on the fringes of the Empire, and filming location for Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. Spread out across several hectares, the ruins reveal the transformation of the Roman Empire Carthaginian settlement into a typical Roman city devoted to the Roman gods. Continue to the imperial city of Meknes, (known as the Versailles of Morocco), one of the most important imperial cities of Morocco and former capital of Morocco under Sultan Moulay Ismail. Continue through Meknes, known for sites that illustrate both Islamic and French colonial heritage.  Venture on for a relaxing Chef’s Table lunch and wine tasting at the first North African “chateau” and vineyard/olive grove of nearly 2,000 hectares near Meknes. Return to your guesthouse (mixture of riads in the medina). (B, L)

November 1 Day 4: Fes Culture Tour

Spend the day in Fes, the cultural capital and first imperial city of Morocco. Fes, founded in the 8th century by Moulay Idriss II, is known for the fortified medina of Fez El Bali (Old Fes), one of the largest preserved medieval sites in the world, with medieval architecture, lively souks, and an old-fashioned atmosphere.Explore the medina and religious schools Bou Inania and Medersa Nejjarine, one of the most beautiful Koranic schools in Fes, dating back to the 14th century, decorated with carved cedar panels and delicate mosaics. Stop for lunch in the medina and explore picturesque gates, and cultural presentations in traditional Moroccan ceramic/tile (jelliz), textile items, and the city’s distinctive and colorful leather tanneries (mixture of riads in the medina). (B)

November 2 Day 5: Fez to Erfoud

Begin your journey to Erg Chebbi in the Sahara Desert through the Middle Atlas Mountains, the Berber villages of Ifran (the “Switzerland of Morocco”), Immouzar Kandar, and the market town of Azrou. Cross the cedar forests near Ifran and Imouzar with century-old trees and delight in feeding the Barbary macaques of Gibraltar that thrive in the nearby groves of cedar trees. Continue through the beautiful Ziz Valley, wedged between prehistoric, striated cliffs dating back to the Jurassic period and scattered with ancient kasbahs and ksars lining the palmeraies, which are plentiful with dates, pomegranates, figs, and quince farmed there, and the village of Erfoud, the date capital of Morocco. Stop for lunch along the way and continue through Er Rachidia, one of Morocco’s most ancient and famous cities, known as the date capital of Morocco to your guesthouse in Erfoud for a group dinner with a special musical event by local artists (Kasbah Hotel Xaluca).

November 3 Day 6: Sahara Desert Adventure

After relaxing in the morning, discover Erfoud, the “Gateway to the Desert”, a destination for filmmakers for the quality of the natural light, the beauty of the surrounding villages, and desert oasis. Be inspired by a cultural geologic presentation on pre-Cambrian life through the fossils of Morocco. Stop for a lunch along the way and continue through the fortified and historic desert town of Rissani, the birthplace of the Alawite dynasty, located at the crossroads of 2 of the most important trans-Saharan caravan routes hosting hundreds of years of merchants passing through with their wares seeking provisions and shelter for a night. Then on to the stunning reddish-hued sand dunes of Erg Chebbi in the Sahara Desert to meet your cameleers who will guide you to your desert camp for a sundowner over the dunes of Erg Chebbi. Enjoy a desert dinner followed by traditional Saharan music around the campfire (mixture of luxury desert camps).

November 4 Day 7: The Sahara Desert

After watching sunrise over the dunes and a desert breakfast, meet your crew for a guided dune buggy tour in the dunes of Erg Chebbi. Stop for tea with nomads and return to your desert camp for lunch and spend the afternoon touring Merzouga or relaxing at your camp in Erg Chebbi and with yoga, meditation, sandboarding, or a guided trek on foot in the dunes. Desert dinner followed by traditional Saharan music around the campfire (mixture of luxury desert camps).

November 5 Day 8: The Door to the Desert

After a desert breakfast, depart for Ouarzazate, known as the door to the desert, via the Todra Gorge crossing the vast palm oasis of Tafilalet with many ksours. Experience landscapes alternating between huge desert plateaus and oasis, such as those of Goulmima. Take a short hike in the sheer rock walls of the impressive Todra Gorge. Stop for lunch along the way and cross Tamalout, Tourbist, Ait Said, and the home of Morocco’s Rose Festival, El Kelâa M’Gouna (commonly known as Rose Valley). Continue through Skoura, a fertile oasis lined with huge palm groves and along Lake Ouarzazate by the kasbah road to your guesthouse in Ouarzazate for dinner and the night (Le Berbere Palace).

November 6 Day 9: Crossing the High Atlas Mountains

Depart early morning for Marrakech through the majestic High Atlas Mountains and pass of Tizi-n-Tichka along a part of the main caravan route from sub-Saharan Africa to Marrakech. Visit the stunning Ait Ben Haddou Kasbah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stop for lunch and continue over the High Atlas Mountains, arriving at your boutique hotel in Marrakech in the afternoon. Relax before a special dinner out at Al Fassia offered by your host (La Mamounia).

November 7 Day 10: Marrakech Behind the Doors Culture Tour

Begin the day with an early visit to Jardin Marjorelle, built by the painter Jacques Marjorelle, and the former home of Yves Saint Laurent, and its spectacular Berber Museum, and Bahia Palace to learn about Moorish architecture. Set off to explore Koutoubia Mosque and the local culture via a tour of the daily life of Moroccan people through a “behind the doors” culture tour in the medina: a visit to a communal bakery, a walk through a local food market, and a visit to a traditional hammam and fondouk, an historic trading place for merchants from across North Africa. Pause for a traditional lunch of tanjia then have free time to relax or shop the famed Marrakesh souks before returning to your boutique hotel for the night. (La Mamounia).

November 8 Day 11: Marrakech – Essaouira Day Trip

Depart for a day in Essaouira (old Mogador), the pearl of the Atlantic, via the el Haouz plain, Chichaoua, and Sidi Mokhtar. Here you will discover a mix of cultures that reflects the rich history of this beautiful city. Travel through the Argan forest on the way and visit an Argan oil cooperative to see a demonstration of how Argan oil is traditionally made. Arrive in Essaouira and feast on delicious grilled fish, fresh from the sea. Stroll through the former Portuguese port, wander the spice-filled lanes of the medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, art galleries, and beautiful beach. Return to your boutique hotel for the night (La Mamounia).