SPLENDORS OF MOROCCO TOUR - 10 nights/11 days, arrive any day
1 night in Casablanca
2 nights in Chefchaouen
2 nights in Fes
1 night in the Sahara Desert
1 night in
Ait Ben Haddou
3 nights in Marrakech
Priced from $5,895 per person in a double room
This is one of our private Morocco tours. Your private guide and driver will escort you thoughout the tour.
See the highlights of the country, including Fes, Marrakech and Sahara Desert camping, Ourzazate and Ait Ben Haddou, plus time in the "Blue City" of Chefchaouen.
This Morocco tour is guaranteed to operate with a minimum of 2 passengers.
DAY 1 - CASABLANCA Upon arrival in Casablanca, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. DAY 2 - CHEFCHAOUEN After breakfast, meet your guide and start your tour with a drive around Casablanca, including Place Mohammed V, United Nations Square and the Arab League Park. Drive by the impressive Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world.
Continue to the Jewish Museum, the only Jewish museum in the Arab World.
Casablanca is home to the largest Jewish community in Morocco and has numerous congregations. Time permitting, drive by the Mellah (Jewish Quarter) with its synagogues such as Beth-El, Em Habanim and Neve Shalom.
Then drive 1½ hours to Rabat, capital city of Morocco. Your Rabat city tour includes the old medina, the Kasbah of the Oudayas and the Oudaya Gate, the Hassan Tower, and the Mohammed V Mausoleum. Continue to the Mellah, with its narrow lanes and colorful courtyards, now home to just a few Jewish families.
From Rabat, drive to Chefchaouen for dinner and overnight at your riad. DAY 3 - CHEFCHAOUEN After breakfast, start your visit of the city.
Chefchaouen is situated in the Rif Mountains, just inland from Tangier and Tetouan. The town was founded in 1492 by Moorish exiles from Spain. Chaouen, as it is often called by Moroccans, is a popular tourist destination given its proximity to Tangier and the Spanish border. Though there are few modern sights, there is a calm and relaxing atmosphere provided by this mountainous location. Chefchaouen is famous for its blue-rinsed houses and buildings, a tradition that comes from the town's former Jewish population. Your tour of Chaouen includes the Place El Makhzen and the famous square Uta el Hamman and the medina.
Enjoy dinner out at a local restaurant.
Return to your riad for overnight. DAY 4 – FES Drive to Volubilis to visit the impressive remains of this a flourishing Roman trading city. Then continue south to Meknes, aformer Imperial City of Morocco. Drive through the city and visit the Moulay Ismail Mausoleum.
Continue to Fes for dinner and overnight.
DAY 5 – FES Meet your guide for your full day tour in Fes. Start with a walking tour of the medina of Fes (UNESCO World Heritage) with its colorful street of dyers and brass workers at es-Seffarine. Walk through the winding streets of the Great Mosque el-Quarawiyyin and the University. Journey into the past to the magnificent Mosque and Souk el-Attarine, beautiful Medersa el-Atterine, the Kissaria Draz and tanneries on the bank of the Oued Fes.
Continue to the Nejjarine Museum in a wonderfully restored funduq, an ancient inn used by travelling merchants who stored and sold their goods below and took lodgings on the floors above.
In the afternoon, visit the famous pottery kilns and tour around the walls with numerous babs.
Return to your hotel for overnight.
Tonight, enjoy dinner at Maison Blanche restaurant.
DAY 6 – MERZOUGA (Sahara Desert camping) After breakfast set out for the Middle Atlas Mountains through the village of Immouzzer du Kandar and the ski resort of Ifrane. The journey winds through the High Atlas mountains offering picturesque views and high passes. Stop at Midelt for lunch.
Continue through the Ziz Gorge and Er Rachidia to Erfoud, one of the largest oases in Morocco.
From Erfoud, travel approximately 1 ½ hours to Merzouga. From Merzouga, a short drive will take you to your Berber camp for dinner and overnight. See a video at the bottom of this page for an example of our desert camps. DAY 7 – AIT BEN HADDOU End your desert adventure with a camel trek to watch a fantastic sunrise over the dunes. Return to the camp for breakfast.
After breakfast, board your 4x4 to drive back to Erfoud. From Erfoud, drive through Tinejdad, Tineghir and the Todra Pass in the beautiful 1,000 Kasbah Valley to El Kelaa des Mgouna where palm trees are replaced by orchards and irrigated gardens. Roses for making perfume are the specialty of El Kelaa des Mgouna. Paris, the famous perfume by Yves Saint Laurent is made from the extract of these roses. You will find some nice shopping here for rose products such as rose water, body milk, dried petals etc.
Continue to Skoura and then on to Ait Ben Haddou for dinner and overnight. DAY 8 – MARRAKECH After breakfast, meet your guide and drive to explore the 11th-century ksar of Ait Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Recent movies made at Ait Ben Haddou include "Prince of Persia," "Game of Throne," and "Queen of the Desert). Afterwards drive past scenic views of mountains and semi-desert terrain topped by kasbahs and adobe homes.
Continue to Marrakech through the High Atlas Mountains at Tizi N’Tichka Pass (7,415 feet). Proceed across the fertile countryside of the Haouz Plain to the pink city of Marrakech and your hotel for overnight. DAY 9 – MARRAKECH After breakfast, enjoy a full day sightseeing of Marrakech. Tour the Menara Garden with its lovely Saadian Pavilion and olive groves. Next, step into the wondrous old world of the medina. Wander through the labyrinth and stop at the foot of the Koutoubia Minaret, a famous landmark of Marrakech.
Continue to the Bahia Palace with its lush Moorish-style gardens. In the afternoon, visit the Majorelle Botanical Gardens, host of a variety of flora from around the world. Next, discover some of the most colorful souks of the medina.
Enjoy lunch at one of our favorite local restaurants.
Finally, stroll through the exotic Jemaa El Fna Square, ancient meeting place of tradesmen, musicians, snake charmers, and storytellers.
Return to your hotel for overnight. DAY 10 – MARRAKECH You will be picked up from your hotel lobby after breakfast to start your tour to Imlil Valley.
Drive into the Atlas Mountains, the home of the Berbers and Jbel Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa. All of this is just 40 miles from Marrakech. The green landscapes of this valley, the rivers and the adobe Berber villages hanging on the slopes will enchant you.
The tranquility of Berber village life provides the perfect contrast to the hubbub of the city.
From the village of Imlil, footpaths lead through lush, irrigated terraces, apple orchards and walnut groves to other villages, where the way of life has changed little for centuries. Enjoy tea with a local family.
Lunch at Kasbah Toubkal, perched on a great rock outcrop above the main village with a panoramic view of the mountains, valleys and waterfalls.
Back in Marrakech, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.
Return your hotel for overnight.
DAY 11 – You will be transferred to the airport in Marrakech for your departure flight.
Climate
Morocco has a Mediterranean climate, and is warm and sunny for most of the year. On the
coast, the winter is cool with some rain, while the summer is sunny and mild. The mountain
ranges have cold winters and fairly hot, dry summers. Inland, the summers are hotter the further south you go and the winters warmer.
Documentation
A passport, valid for at least six months after date of return to the U.S., is required for entry
into Morocco. An entry visa is not required for American tourists traveling in Morocco for
less than 90 days.
Shots
No immunization is required to visit the main tourist areas of Morocco. Contact health authorities for the latest information.
Language Morocco’s official language is Arabic, with Berber dialects widely spoken in rural areas. French is often the language of business, government and diplomacy and is widely spoken, especially in the larger cities. Spanish is widely spoken in northern cities. English is also widely spoken in the larger cities.
Dress
Morocco is quite conservative with regards to dress, so it is best for both men and women to keep shoulders and legs fairly well covered; when visiting religious sites, this is mandatory. Loose, flowing garments in natural fibers (cotton, linen) are ideal for the summer heat. Shorts are tolerated at tourist sites, but should be knee length. In winter, layering is the best way to transition from mild days to cool nights. Desert nights in any season can be very cold; if your tour includes an overnight in the desert, bring warm, soft clothing
(including a hat and gloves) that can be slept in comfortably.
Currency The currency of Morocco is the Dirham.
Electricity Electrical current in Morocco is 220 volts in most buildings, 110 in some older structures, with 2 pin round plugs. Use of American electrical appliances requires an electrical converter and plug adapter.
• 10 nights of accommodations with daily breakfast.
• 7 dinners and 3 lunches, per the itinerary.
• Private airport transfers.
• 9 days of private touring in a luxurious, private car or van with a licensed, English-speaking guide, as per the itinerary.
• Entrance fees, as per itinerary.
• Short camel trek in the Sahara Desert. • Hotel service fees and taxes.
• Electronic travel documents.
• Travel insurance, highly recommended.
• Airfare.
• Meals other than specified.
• Personal expenses.
• Departure taxes.
• Tips to guides, drivers, hotel porters, etc.
Deposit and Payment Policy: • A deposit of $500 per person, per country
booked is required upon booking the tour.
• Final payment is due sixty days prior to departure.
• If booking within 21 days of travel, an additional
fee of $75 per person will apply.
• A change fee of $50 per person will apply to any
changes made by the traveler after confirmation
has been sent.
Cancellations & Refunds: Transportation, lodging, meals, entertainment
and other services are sold on a partially refundable
basis depending upon the date, in relation
to the departure date, such services are cancelled.
The cancellation fees and calculations are set
forth below:
• 61 days or more prior to departure, a service fee of
$100 per person, per country will apply.
• If a tour is cancelled 60 days or less from departure
date and full payment has not been received in our
office, the deposit will then be forfeited in full.
• Once full payment has been received, any refund
made will be subject to a $75 per person administration
fee.
• 59 to 30 days prior to departure, a cancellation
fee of 50% of the tour cost will apply.
• 29 to 15 days prior to departure, a cancellation
fee of 75% of the tour cost will apply.
• 14 days or less prior to departure, a cancellation
fee of 100% of the tour cost will apply.
• No refund will apply to any unused services including
but not limited to flights, accommodations,
touring, meals and/or transportation.
