Morocco                
CASABLANCA, FES, ERFOUD, MERZOUGA,
QUARZAZATE & MARRAKECH
10 DAYS -January 3 - 13, 2007

ITINERARY

JAN 3 – WED   NEW YORK CITY / PARIS / CASABLANCA (D in-flight)

Depart from New York City (JFK) to Casablanca (via Paris) on international flight at 7:35pm. Enjoy complimentary dinner and movie on overnight flight.

JAN 4 – THU   PARIS / CASABLANCA (B in-flight, L, D)

Arrive in Paris International Airport at 8:50am when you connect to your international flight departing to Casablanca at 9:35am.

Welcome to Casablanca, the financial capital of Morocco!

Upon arrival in Casablanca, at 11:40am, and after clearing customs and immigration, you are met by your guide for your transfer to the LA CORNICHE HOTEL, located in the city business district. Here, your one (1) night stay includes hotel taxes, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

En-route from the airport to the hotel, your guide takes you on a brief Casablanca Panoramic City Tour of this legendary and cosmopolitan city as well as advises you on the meeting time for today’s lunch and dinner, as well as tomorrow’s transfer to Fes. The highlights of this tour are: United Nations Square, Central Market, Habous Quarter, Mechouar of the Royal Palace, Hassan II Mosque, Residential District of Anfa and La Corniche Boulevard.

After some time to freshen up, you are met by your group and guide for a Welcome Lunch at the La Corniche Hotel Restaurant.

Have the balance of the day at leisure and return to the hotel for a group dinner.

JAN 5 – FRI   CASABLANCA / FES (B, D)

This morning, after breakfast and check-out, you are met by your guide for your drive to Fes, heading first to Rabat, the current capital of the Kingdom. Highlights: Hassan Tower, Chellah Necropolis, Kasbah des Oudaias overlooking the Atlantic Ocean as well as the Mausoleum of Mohamed V. It was Mohamed V - father of King Hassan II - who achieved independence for Morocco in 1961. Revered by both Muslim and Jew alike, his bravery in the face of the occupying Vichy regime during WW2 saved Moroccan Jews from the fate of their European brethren. From here continue on to Meknes for lunch and a visit to the El Hdim Square, Bab El Mansour, the massive gate which is the entrance to the Old City, the Jewish Quarter, the Royal Granaries and the city rampart.

From here, continue on to the city of Volubilis, among the most extensive in the world and its Roman ruins, via the village of Moulay Idriss town and an important place of pilgrimage where the founder of Morocco’s first dynasty is buried. Moulay Idriss is the most venerated Muslim site in Morocco. For those without the means to make the pilgrimage, the hajj, to Mecca, five trips to Moulay Idriss is of equal merit.

Proceed to Fes, via Meknes, the imperial city, with its famous City Gates and the Tomb of Moulay Ismail - magnificent examples of Islamic architecture in North Africa. See Imperial Quarters of Moulay Ismail, including the renowned Imperial Stables.

Welcome to Fes, the religious, cultural and culinary capital of Morocco!

Upon arrival, you are transferred to the HOTEL FES INN, located in the new city of Fes, just 10 minutes away from the old Medina, named a cultural heritage by the UNESCO. Here, your two (2) night stay includes hotel taxes, daily breakfast and dinner.

Your guide briefs you on the hotel and neighborhood as well as advises you on the meeting time for this evening’s dinner and tomorrow’s tour.

Tonight you are met by your guide and group for dinner at the Fes Inn Hotel Restaurant.

JAN 6 – SAT   FES (B, L, D)

This morning, after breakfast, you are met by your guide for your Full-day Tour of Fes, the religious, artistic and intellectual center of Morocco, including the New Fes (Fes J'did) and the Old Fes (Medina).

The highlights of this tour include: Medina, Cherratine and El-Attarine Medersas (beautifully decorated building dedicated to religious study), Karaouiyne University and Nejjarine Fountain. The narrow and cobbled streets of Fes are filled with ancient mosques, towering minarets, crumbling fandouks (inns for medieval travelers and their animals) and narrow openings into the private world beyond: architecture of carved cedar portals, brilliantly colored mosaic tiles, delicately carved stucco ornament, and green glazed roofs. In Fes, veiled women still hurry through the streets, donkeys - laden with their wares - take their time, and craftsmen forge objects much as they did centuries ago.

Have lunch at the Medina and then continue on to visit the Bouanania Medersa, built by the Merinides between 1350 and 1357.

This evening, you are met by your guide and group for dinner at the old part of town including music, belly dancers and have an opportunity to join the dancers on the stage!!!

JAN 7 – SUN   FES / MIDELT / ERRACHIDIA / ERFOUD (B, D)

This morning, after breakfast and check-out, you are met by your guide for your drive to Ifrane, a European-style mountain resort town. Start your drive by crossing the Atlas Mountains to Midelt, where you stop for lunch (on your own) at a local restaurant.

Continue then to Errachidia, the gateway to the Sahara. Errachidia lies in the Tafilalet region with the Middle Atlas Mountains to the north and the Sahara desert to the south. It is the administrative capital for the region.

From here proceed to Midelt, an impressive mountain city at 1488 meters of altitude, remarkably situated down the Jbel Ayachi (3737 m), to then continue to Erfoud via the canyon of Ziz and the lake of the retaining reservoir Hassan Addakhil.

Welcome to Erfoud, the city situated at the gates of Tafilalet!

Upon arrival, you are transferred to the SALAM HOTEL, located in the midst of a true oasis within the southern desert of Morocco. Here, your one (1) night stay includes hotel taxes, breakfast and dinner.
Your guide briefs you on the hotel and neighborhood as well as advises you on the meeting time for this evening’s dinner and tomorrow’s drive to Merzouga.

Tonight you are met by your guide and group for dinner at the Salam Hotel Restaurant.

JAN 8 – MON   ERFOUD / MERZOUGA (B, L, D)

This morning, after breakfast and check-out, you are met by your guide for your in 4x4 jeeps to the sand dunes of Merzouga in the Sahara Desert in time to attend one of the most magnificent sunsets in the world. Visit some local villages in the desert and spend an unforgettable evening in nomadic tents.

This evening, enjoy the singing and dancing around the campfire in the evening when you have dinner under the Desert stars. Have your camera with you – you would not want to miss the opportunity of taking a picture of the moon rising over the sand dunes.

JAN 9 – TUE   MERZOUGA / ERFOUD / TINEGHIR / OUARZAZATE(B, L, D)

This morning enjoy the sunrise over the spectacular dunes and a camel ride. After breakfast and check-out, return to Erfoud before continuing to Tineghir. Travel through fertile valleys, rolling hills, long stretches of verdant pasture land and typical Moroccan villages, where you arrive at the Todra Gorge, a spectacular chasm of curious rock formations dramatically lit by shafts of afternoon sunlight. A crystal-clear river runs through the magnificent mountainside dotted with Berber settlements, surrounding a Palmerie. The nomadic blue-robed Tuaregs, who are known as the "Blue People" for the indigo dye of their robes, which sometimes tinges their skin blue, are sometimes seen traveling this route with their camels.

Stop for lunch in Todra Gorge at the Les Roches Restaurant and then continue on to the Dades Valley Ouarzazate. Founded in 1928 as a military garrison, Ouarzazate became the administrative center of the Draa region. Its Kasbahs, once residence of pashas (rulers), now attract film makers and tourists.

Welcome to Ouarzazate, where you find the Valley of the Kasbahs!

Upon arrival, you are transferred to the PALMERAIE HOTEL, with an ideal location. Here, your one (1) night stay includes hotel taxes, breakfast and dinner.

Your guide briefs you on the hotel and neighborhood as well as advises you on the meeting time for this evening’s dinner and tomorrow’s drive to Marrakech.

Tonight you are met by your guide and group for dinner at the Palmeraie Hotel Restaurant.

JAN 10 – WED   OUARZAZATE / MARRAKECH (B, L, D)

This morning, after breakfast and check-out, you are met by your guide for a brief Ouarzazate tour including a visit to school where you meet and interact with local students and the community.

From here you proceed on your drive to Marrakech, stopping first for a visit and lunch at the Village of Ait Ben Haddou. The ancient Kasbah in the small village of Ait Ben Haddou is one of the best preserved examples of a North African Kasbah in the country and is a registered UNESCO heritage site. One of the reasons it has been protected against the ravages of time is its use in a few dozen Hollywood films, most famously in Gladiator, as well as in Lawrence of Arabia and Jesus of Nazareth. Here, you can wander around the old streets at will, and you can climb right to the top, from where the views of the snow-topped Atlas Mountains and stony desert are magnificent, and then continue on to your drive to Marrakech.

Welcome to Marrakech, one of the worlds enchanted places where time becomes suspended and, through its open door, you catch a glimpse of the past so rich and so remote and yet so palpable!

Upon arrival, you are transferred to the AKABAR HOTEL, located in a quiet area close to the sights of both the old and new towns of Marrakech. Here, your three (3) night stay includes hotel taxes, breakfast and dinner.

Your guide briefs you on the hotel and neighborhood as well as advises you on the meeting time for this evening’s dinner and tomorrow’s tour.

Tonight you are met by your guide and group for dinner at the Akabar Hotel Restaurant.

JAN 11 – THU   MARRAKECH (B, L, D)

This morning, after breakfast, you are met by your guide for a Full-day City Tour. Highlights of this tour include: Koutoubia Minaret, Dar Si Said Museum, Saadians Tombs, Medersa Ben Youssef (a Koranic school that dates from the 16th Century) and the Menara Garden.

From here return to freshen-up and have lunch to then continue the tour at the Medina, where you visit the Jamaa (another school where children learn Koran). This is just one small classroom with carpet on the floor and no chairs nor tables. From here continue on to visit the French school "Lycée Victor Hugo", where you interact with students who speak French and English.
 
In the afternoon, continue to Djemaa El Fna Square, and its exciting labyrinths of famous Souks with their numerous tiny little shops bustling with activity and its medieval open air entertainment, story tellers, snake charmers, musicians and magicians create a spectacle to behold. Here you have some time to shop at the amazing Souks (Markets), and stay until the sun sets, where you witness the square transforms itself into a huge collection of outdoor restaurants as people start to arrive and fill all empty spaces - this transition is a sight to behold.

This evening enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.

JAN 12 – FRI   MARRAKECH (B, D)

This morning, after breakfast, you are met by your guide for your Half-day Ourika Valley Tour of the High Atlas Mountains. This tour starts with a walk through earthen adobe villages decorated with bas-relief indigenous patterns.

The High Atlas, a mere 30 km south of Marrakech and the greatest mountain range in North Africa, is undoubtedly the most beautiful and compelling part of this diverse land. It has perpetuated a remoteness which until recent decades was virtually complete. The Ourika Valley is a long and beautiful valley where "locals" breeze out on their mopeds in the summer to escape the city heat to lie beside the streams and waterfalls. Once a year in the spring, Jews of Moroccan descent returns from all over the world to sites like these for a weekend of festivities and celebration. The Muslims in Morocco do the same thing, a tradition inherited; it is believed, from the indigenous pre-Islam Berber traditions.

After lunch at a local restaurant in the Ourika Valley return to the hotel and have the balance of the afternoon at leisure.

This evening, you are met by your guide and group for a Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant.

JAN 13 – SAT   MARRAKECH / NEW YORK CITY (B & L in-flight)

This morning, after breakfast and check-out, you are met by your guide and transferred to the airport in time for your domestic flight to Casablanca (time TBA), where you connect to your international flight to Paris International Airport departing at 12:45pm. Upon arrival, at 4:50pm, connect to your international flight to New York City, departing at 6:50pm. Arrive in New York City (JFK) at 9:00pm and clear custom and immigrations.

Welcome home!

 
INCLUDED FEATURES

 International Airfare New York City/ Paris/ Casablanca – Marrakech/ Casablanca/ Paris/ New York City (Flight schedule estimated)
 Nine (9) nights accommodation:
 One (1) night at Hotel La Corniche in Casablanca
 Two (2) nights at Hotel Fes Inn in Fes
 One (1) night at Salam Hotel in Erfoud
 One (1) night in Desert Tents in Merzouga Desert
 One (1) night at Hotel Palmeraie in Ouarzazate
 Three (3) nights at Hotel Akabar in Marrakech
 Meals:
 Daily breakfasts at hotel
 Nine (9) dinners
 Six (6) lunches
 Tours:
 Nine (9) day tours
 Three (3) evening events
 All hotel taxes and service charges
 All airport transfers and local transportation for tours
 All tours as per itinerary
 Local bilingual guides services throughout

NOT INCLUDED

 International airport taxes – ($295 as of today – subject to change)
 Cost of required valid passport
 No Visa is required for America Citizens (please contact Consulate if you are NOT an American Citizen)
 Tips, items of personal nature and drinks and beverages on meals

NOTE

 No Visa is required for America Citizens (please contact Consulate if you are NOT an American Citizen)

NET COSTS

The NET rates for the above package, with all included features are as follows:

 Based on 20-30 people

 Double accommodations:  $1,689p/p
 Single supplement:  $150p/p

TERMS & CONDITIONS

 Rates are based on a minimum of twenty (20) paid passengers; reduction in group size will result in re-cost of program
 One (1) free Tour Conductor is granted for a minimum of twenty (20) fully paid passengers as follows: international air (airport taxes are NOT included); land services and hotels in single accommodations.