DAY 1: Wed - Departure from USA
- It is the time to forget about your ordinary everyday life and go on a journey to the other part of the world.
- Board your international flight from the USA to reach Morocco in the next day.
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DAY 2: Thu - Arrive to Casablanca (-+0h45min)
- Upon arrival in Casablanca, please proceed through customs and immigration formalities. Please collect your baggage and proceed outside where you are met by our representative and start your sightseeing with an excursion around the port city of Casablanca, Morocco largest metropolis and its industrial hub.
- Highlights include the old French quarter of Habous, beaches lapped by green-blue water. During your tour you visit the Hassan II Grand Mosque (exterior). The mosque is among the largest in the world and can house as many as 25,000 worshipers. The mosques minaret is the tallest religious structure in the world.
- Continue to your hotel for dinner and overnight. - Casablanca visit can be run the day after for late arrivals.
- Meals: Dinner
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DAY 3: Fri - Casablanca, Rabat, Fes (-+3h10min)
- After breakfast, depart towards Rabat, driving along the main highway which links these two major cities. Embark on a brief tour which highlights Rabats cultural influences and the superbly preserved relics of its Moorish past. Rabats most famous site is the 12th-century Hassan Tower (an excellent example of the gorgeous Moroccan style), the incomplete minaret of the great mosque built at the beginning of 12th century. Alongside is the mausoleum dedicated to Mohamed V, the grandfather of the current king.
- You also enjoy a visit of the Kasbah of the Udayas, which was built on a cliff overlooking the city and the Atlantic Ocean. Its gate is one of the most beautiful illustrations of the Moorish architecture. Within its walls, youll discover a wonderful Moroccan garden, with melodious fountains and sweet-smelling orange trees. At the conclusion of your sightseeing,
- continue inland to Fez (3 hour drive) and to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
- Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
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DAY 4: Sat - Fes City Tour
- Today you take a step back in time to the Middle Ages when you visit one of the most imperial, timeless and untouched cities in the world - Fez El Bali (Old Fez) - the cultural heart of Morocco. You explore some of the 9000 narrow lanes, alleys and souks (open air markets) that make-up the labyrinth of the city old quarter, originally founded in the 8th century AD.
- The Imperial capital was a renowned center of medieval learning and at its heart still remains the Karaouine, one of the oldest, still functioning universities in the world. In the neighboring building is the Attarine Mederasa (Koranic college), a jewel of Hispano-Moorish architecture, built in the 14th century.
- The visit also includes the Nejjarine Square, with its beautiful fountain an elaborate tile-work mosaics, the nearby Fondouq (Caravanserai) converted to a museum of carpentry artifacts. You also visit Fez El Jedid (New Fez), built by the Merinide Dynasty in the 13th century. Here you see the Royal Palace, mosques, madrasas (Koranic schools), souks and the city wall. Most notably, Fez El Jedid is home to the mellah (Jewish quarter), which provides an interesting insight into Jewish architecture. The wrought iron decorated windows and splendid carved wood balconies of the old mansions are particularly outstanding. The medieval Medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Return to tour hotel for dinner and overnight
- Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
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DAY 5: Sun - Volubilis, Meknes, Fez
- After breakfast, we drive to the ancient Roman city of Volubilis to explore its stunning ruins. Impressive stone arches and columns, some tumbled down and others still standing tall against the vivid blue sky, invite us to take a step back in time. Only about half of the 40-hectare UNESCO site at Volubilis has been excavated. The better-known monuments are in the northern part of the site, farthest from the entrance in the south: The Capitol, dedicated to the Triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, dates to 218AD the Basilica and 1300 sq. meter Forum are nearby. Here, floors of what were once family dwellings are still covered with decorative tile mosaics depicting mythological beings, such as Orpheus charming animals with his lyre and Hercules performing his legendary 12 labors. That so many of these tiles are still in place and exhibiting their colors after centuries of exposure to the elements, is astonishing.
- Next, we will visit the whitewashed town of Moulay Idriss, about 2 miles from Volubilis. It sits astride two green hills in a cradle of mountains, where Morocco first Arab conquerors settled. Then off to the Imperial city of Meknes, the one-time home of the Moroccan sultanate with its all-winding narrow streets in the medina and grand buildings that warrant it as an imperial city.
- Remnants of three sets of fortifications, ingeniously incorporated into the city road networks, emphasize its past importance & glory. The king tomb sits at the heart of what remains of the original imperial city, flanked by the magnificent Bab elMansour. Drive back to Fes for dinner and overnight at the hotel
- Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
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DAY 6: Mon - Fes, Ifrane, Marrakech (-+6h50min)
- Today we experience the natural wilder landscapes beyond Fez: Drive to the high alpine region of Ifrane, filled with cedar and oak forests, and home to the worlds largest population of Barbary macaques, hundreds of animals and birds and the oldest tree in Moroccos Middle Atlas, the 130-foot Gourauds Cedar. The largest cedar forest in the world is found in this park, and several lakes or Dayats abound in the nearby areas.
- The Lion of Ifrane sits majestically in the city center and is certainly one of the most photographed sites of the region. Ifrane feels more like Switzerland relocated to the Middle Atlas than North Africa, with its clean air, scrubbed streets and leafy outlook. The French built it in 1930, deliberately trying to re-create an alpine-style resort. It is a popular summer day trip for picnickers in the winter, the affluent flock here to ski.
- Stop for lunch (on your own) Continue to Marrakech via the highway for dinner and overnight.
- Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
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DAY 7: Tue - Marrakech City Tour
- After breakfast, enjoy the city tour of Marrakesh, the Red City, a majestic place filled with palaces, gardens, markets, and mosques. Upon arrival, you will first stand by the Koutoubia Mosque with its 282 ft minaret, an architectural landmark dating back to the late 12th century.
- You will continue to the 19th century stunning Bahia palace and discover the intricate work done by the local artisans to decorate this splendid home built by a powerful Vizir for his Harem. The building includes one hundred and fifty rooms, countless courtyards and interior gardens, a veritable labyrinth of corridors, a Koranic school, hammams, a harem, stables. From there we will start exploring artisan quarters and the colorful Souks to interact with the real life of Marrakech people.
- Continue to Dar El Bacha Museum, built in 1910 and was the residence of Thami El Glaoui, named Pasha of Marrakech by Sultan Moulay Youssef in 1912. It is one of the medinas finest examples of Riad architecture, dripping with Moroccan Zellige (colorful geometric tilework), intricate white plasterwork and heavy carved cedar-wood lintels.
- Before sunset we will be strolling in the square of which the city is so famed, Jemaa El Fna, where hundreds of locals and tourists come to spend the end of the day watching jugglers, dancers, fortune tellers, story tellers and traditional musicians. After the tour, head to your hotel to freshen up. When you are ready, transfer to a local restaurant in the medina to enjoy a typical Moroccan dinner with entertainment.
- After the dinner, back to your hotel for overnight.
- Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
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DAY 8: Wed - Marrakech (-+0h50min)
- Refresh and enjoy a lovely morning at leisure, or join to Day Retreat at The Bennounas Farm in Ourika Valley. We start with a pickup from your hotel/riad at 10AM by our English-speaking driver aboard a deluxe car for a 20-min. drive to the Valley of Ourika.
- Upon arrival at the entrance to the trail you will switch to a camel/donkey -depending on availability- for transfer to the Bennouna farm. A welcome drink is served by the Farm host, followed with a tour of the property that is surrounded by a spectacular decor with the Atlas Mountains in the background. Enjoy a 20-min. meditation on the roof or tent of the farmhouse.
- Light lunch will be served. Swimming pool is available for use (if season permits) and fresh drinks are at your disposal (extra charge for alcohol drinks and wine) or you can start off a breathtaking walk in the surroundings. We will begin to prepare for the cooking class at 4PM. First, we pick up vegetables from the garden if season permits, then bring them to the kitchen to begin an immersed experience with the New York Times 3-stars Executive Chef. You will dine on the food you cooked. After dinner, witness the sunset on the terrace of the villa. Moroccan tea or coffee will be served.
- Return to your hotel for overnight.
- Meal: Breakfast, Dinner
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DAY 9: Thu - Marrakech - Casablanca airport (-+3h30min)
- After breakfast we will assist you to the airport for your return flight.
- Meal: Breakfast
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