Grand Morocco Tour - 11 days
Group
Tour / Guaranteed departures min 02 participants
Accommodation in Superior Hotels
• Casablanca (1) • Rabat (1) • Meknes / Fez
(2) • Erfoud (1) • Ouarzazate (1) • Marrakech (2) • Essaouira (1) •
Casablanca (1)
Category:
Escorted group, cultural tour, roundtrip, scenic land journey,
guaranteed departures
Day 1 Saturday: Arrival in Casablanca (D)
Greeting at Mohamed V airport, assistance &
transfer to your hotel in Casablanca. Dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Casablanca Hotel (1 night)
Day 2 Sunday: Casablanca-Rabat (B, D) (95
km)
After breakfast, we will have a half-day
sightseeing tour of Casablanca, the economic capital of Morocco. We will
visit the Mohammad V square, Royal Palace and Habbous district and the
residential area of Anfa. We will have our lunch in one of the famous
fish restaurants located at seafront. After lunch we will follow the
Barbary Coast to the imperial city of Rabat; the administrative capital
city of the Kingdom. We will see Mechouar (ramparts and walls
surrounding the Royal Palace), the fortified Oudaya Kasbah, the
marvelous Mohamed V mausoleum and the Hassan Tower. We will check-in to
our hotel in Rabat for dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Rabat Hotel (1 night)
Day 3 Monday: Rabat-Meknes-Fez (B, D) (220
km)
Morning depart to the second imperial city,
Meknes. We will have our lunch at local restaurant. Then we will start
our tour in Meknes which was the capital city under the reign of Moulay
Ismail (1672-1727). This city is famous for its 40 km long city walls
that preserve the most beautiful gate of Morocco, Bab Al Mansour. We
will also visit the Old Granaries and Royal Stables which housed up to
12,000 horses of Sultan Moulay Ismail. Later we will continue to Fes via
the holy city of Moulay Idriss where the founder of the Islam in Morocco
is buried; this town is famous for its green rooftops and offers one of
the most picturesque views of Moroccan town life. On our way to Fez, we
will also visit the roman city of Volubilis. Volubilis features the best
preserved excavations in this part of northern Africa dating from the
Roman Empire. In 1997 the site was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage
list. Later we will arrive to Fez and check-in to our hotel.
Overnight: Fez Hotel (2 nights)
Day 4 Tuesday: Fez (B, D)
After breakfast, we will begin our full day
sightseeing tour of Fez, the most ancient city of the Imperials, founded
by Idris I (789) and his son Moulay Idris II (810). We will visit the
medieval Medina with its Medersas (religious Islamic universities)
Attarine and Bou Anania, the Nejjarine fountain, the Moulay Idriss
mausoleum, and the Karaouine Mosque. After lunch we will continue to Fez
Jdid (new Fez), see the Jewish quarter Mellah and return to our hotel.
Overnight: Fez Hotel
Day 5 Wednesday: Fez / Midelt / Erfoud /
Merzouga (B, D) (450 km)
After breakfast, we will depart to Erfoud
driving through the gorgeous mountains and cedar woods that give way to
volcanic mountains of Middle Atlas. On our way for lunch in Midelt, we
will pass by Ifrane, the Swiss-style village, and Azrou, an important
handicraft center. After lunch we will drive to Errachidia; on our way
the landscape will change to a stony desert but before we reach Erfoud,
we will see another miracle of the desert life: the serene oasis of Ziz
Valley will surprise us with its stunning scene. Later we will arrive to
our hotel in Erfoud.
Overnight: Merzouga Hotel (1 night)
Day 6: Thursday: Erfoud / Rissani / Tinghir
/ Ouarzazate (B, D) (390 km)
Early morning, excursion to see the sunrise
over the sands-dunes of Merzouga. After breakfast at the Auberge, back
to Efourd by 4x4 and than meet again with bus and continue to Rissani;
the last village on the Ziz River, it is a holy city where Moulay Ali
Cherif, ancestor of the Alaouite dynasty is buried. We will visit the
Kasbah of the 17th century and the Ksar Abbar ruins, which was used as a
place of exile for the wives of dead sultans and unwanted family
members. Our next stop is Tinghir via the Tinjdad road. We will visit
the magnificent Todra Canyon which is situated on the remote east side
of the High Atlas Mountains and famous with its spectacular rocks that
walls up 300 m on each side of the canyon. After having lunch in a
restaurant at the feet of the Canyon we will drive to Dades valley and
then continue to Ouarzazate via the road of the Thousand Kasbahs’.
Overnight: Ouarzazate Hotel (1 night)
Day 7 Friday: Ouarzazate / Marrakech (B, D)
(230 km)
After the breakfast we will visit the
Kasbahs of Taourirt and Ait Benhaddou, the most spectacular fortress in
the south of Morocco. Ait Benhaddou is a village made up of several
small fortresses, kasbahs, each stretching some ten meters into the air.
The effect of this has attracted movie makers from far away, and a film
like Lawrence of Arabia was partly shot around here. We will have our
lunch at the terrace of a restaurant facing the Kasbahs. From here we
will continue on to Marrakech , the red imperial city, via the Tichka
pass offering an impressive landscape in the heart of the Atlas mountain
chain.
Overnight: Marrakech Hotel (2 nights)
Day 8 Saturday: Marrakech (B, D)
After breakfast, we will begin our full day
sightseeing tour of Marrakech, the second largest city in Morocco also
known as the pearl of south. The city was founded by Yusuf ibn Tashfin,
member of the Almoravides dynasty in 1062. Prior to the reign of Moulay
Ismail, Marrakech was the capital of Morocco. After his reign, his
grandson moved the capital back to Marrakech from Meknes. Today we will
visit the Menara garden, the 16th century Saadian Tombs, the Bahia
Palace, and the Koutoubia. Afternoon we will visit the souks and
handicraft quarters displaying a variety of items and the famous place
Djemâa El Fna which by day is a market place but at night is a place of
non-stop entertainment.
Overnight: Marrakech Hotel
Optional: Fantasia Dinner
Day 9 Sunday: Marrakech - Essaouira (B, D)
(160 km)
We have morning at leisure to absorb this
mystical city; at 11.00 am we will depart to Essaouira, formerly known
as Mogador (its old Portuguese name). The Medina of Essaouira is a
UNESCO World Heritage Listed city as an example of a late-18th century
fortified town. This fishermen town is also famous for its woodcarving
handicraft.
Overnight: Essaouira Hotel (1 night)
Day 10 Monday: Essaouira- Safi - El Jadida
- Casablanca (B, D) (270 km)
After the breakfast we will depart to Safi,
main fishing port for the country's sardine industry and famous for its
pottery. We will continue to Oualidia via the coastal road with its
superb view for having our lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon
we will drive to El Jadida, famous with its beaches and resorts. Our
tour includes a visit to the famous citadel, reminder of the Portuguese
occupation of the 16th Century. After the tour we will continue to
Casablanca for overnight.
Overnight: Casablanca Hotel (1night)
Day 11 Tuesday: Casablanca (B)
Transfer to Casablanca airport for flight
back home. Thank you for visiting Morocco!
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