MAJESTIC MOROCCO A FEAST FOR THE SENSES AND THE MIND March 2 – 15, 2012 Featuring: Expert Guide Seddik Assim & Host Alex Ros ITINERARY Friday, March 2, 2012 Depart USA • Depart the U.S. on an overnight flight/s to Casablanca, Morocco Saturday, March 3 Arrive Casablanca, Morocco • Welcome at the airport and transfer to hotel in Casablanca. • Day at leisure. • Evening welcome cocktail at the hotel. HOTEL KENZI TOWER (Superior First Class) Sunday, March 4 CASABLANCA | BEN SLIMANE | RABAT • Morning tour of cosmopolitan Casablanca: • Visit the awe-inspiring Hassan II mosque, the country’s most impressive modern architectural achievement, reflecting the beauty and intricacy of Moroccan traditional arts. • See the city’s attractive 1930’s art deco architecture in the streets and boulevards dating from the French Protectorate. • Explore the rich history of coexisting faiths in Morocco through visits to the main church of Casablanca with its notable stained glass work and to the unique Jewish museum—the only one of its kind in the Arab World. Ø By special arrangement, Jewish Museum curator University of Rabat professor Simon Levy will lead our visit with unique insights on the Jewish heritage of Morocco. • Travel to the rich plains and vast vineyards of Ben Slimane for lunch and a special wine tasting at the Thalvin winery. • Continue to Rabat, Morocco’s capital, for the night. (B, L) | HOTEL LA TOUR HASSAN (Superior First Class) Monday, March 5 RABAT | MEKNES | FEZ • Enjoy a morning tour of royal Rabat: • Stroll through the attractive winding alleys and visit the Moorish Garden of the medieval fort of Oudaya, • Tour the Kasbah of Chellah, a 14th century royal necropolis built over the remains of the Roman city of Sala Colonia, • Explore the richly decorated Mausoleum of King Mohammed the V and the adjacent unfinished 12-century Hassan Tower, • Visit the Museum of Antiquities, with its excellent collections from various pre-historic, Punic, Roman, and Islamic sites in Morocco. • Continue to Meknes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and imperial capital of the infamous sultan Moulay Ismail—and see the impressive Bab El Mansour main gate, the 17th century granaries and imperial stables, and tour the spice market. • After the short drive to Fez, check into the beautiful Palais Jamais Hotel for three nights. (B, L, D) | PALAIS JAMAIS (Luxury Room, Medina View) Tuesday, March 6 FEZ • Visit fascinating Fez today. Founded in the 9th century, Fez was the first capital or Morocco and is said to be the most complete medieval city of the Arab world, still retaining the look and feel of the era. • Tour the ramparts for a generous introduction to the history and the culture of the ancient city. • Take a sense-stimulating guided tour inside Fes el Bali (old Fez) across food and spice markets, handicraft quarters, auction markets and colorful souks. • Visit schools dating from the medieval era and meet with a schoolteacher and her students. • Enter artisan workshops and discover the secrets of their ancestral arts and skills. • Visit the public bakeries and pastry makers in their residential quarters and see their historic fountains, mosques and sanctuaries. • Morning highlights include visiting the 14th century Medersa (theological school) with its exquisitely intricate architecture, and the Karaouine Mosque, founded by a woman in 857 AD and once the oldest university in the world. • In the afternoon, visit the Museum of Traditional Art housed in a royal palace. • Continue to Fez El Jedid (new Fez) for a stroll in the Jewish quarter and visit its 17th century synagogue. • Learn about the production of traditional Moroccan tiles at a local pottery workshop. (B) | PALAIS JAMAIS (Luxury Room, Medina View) Majestic Morocco | March 2-15, 2012 | Page 2 Wednesday, March 7 FEZ | VOLUBULIS • This morning, drive north into the Rif Mountains to discover the haunting ruins of Volubilis, the Roman Empire’s most remote outpost dating back to the third century BC. Take a comprehensive tour of the extensive site, marveling at the Triumphal Arch and excellently preserved beautiful mosaics in many roman homes. Ø By special arrangement, on returning to Fez, Abdelfettah Seffar, a craftsman and cultural entrepreneur recently featured in The New York Times, will give our group a private talk on on traditional Moroccan arts in his sumptuous Riad. We will also have lunch in Mr. Seffar’s Riad. • Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure to explore Fez independently. (B, L) | PALAIS JAMAIS (Luxury Room, Medina View) Thursday, March 8 Fez | IFRANE | MIDELT | MIDDLE ATLAS | Erfoud • Depart Fez on a beautiful journey across the Middle Atlas Mountains today, passing through a remarkable diversity of landscapes. • Begin by driving through a one of the most fertile and well-cultivated valleys in Morocco up to Ifrane, a charming ski resort reminiscent of the Swiss Alps, for a short stop. • Continue for lunch at Midelt, at an altitude of 5,000 ft. • Drive on through magnificent cedar, pine and oak forests, to reach the Saharan plateau before ascending up to the High Atlas for exceptional views of date palm valleys, fortified mud-brick villages, and varied geological formations. • En route, observe lifestyles unchanged for centuries where nomad shepherds live in black tents and move seasonally with their herds of goat and sheep between mountain and desert. • In the last leg of the journey, pass through Tafilalet country, home of the current royal family, and follow the legendary Ziz valley along a deep canyon down to Erfoud, gateway to the Sahara and our home for the night. (B, L, D) | HOTEL CHERGUI (First Class) Friday, March 9 RISSANI | SAHARA DESERT • Enjoy a morning excursion to Rissani, home to the mysterious remains of an old caravan center, stopping en route to admire trilobite and other minerals of the region. • Visit ksar Ouled Abdelhalim and the remains of its 18th century palace, still inhabited by royal descendants. • After lunch, take 4x4 vehicles into the enchanting Sahara Desert at Merzouga for a sunset excursion to its breathtaking dunes. • Engulfed in desert silence, watch the sun set while riding camels across the dunes to our private camp for the night. • Enjoy a traditional dinner by candlelight as local musicians entertain us around a campfire. (B, L, D) | PRIVATE DESERT CAMP Saturday, March 10 SAHARA | TODGHA GORGES | DADES VALLEY | Ouarzazate • Early risers can watch the sun rise over the sand dunes before breakfast. • Return to Erfoud by 4X4 and then continue by bus through a desert of stones and lunar landscapes towards the magnificent Todgha Valley, passing through beautiful green oases inhabited for millennia. • At Todgha take in the spectacular views along a narrow canyon ending in striking gorges and visit its oasis and some of the old fortified villages. • Continue to Dades to explore its spectacular gorges and stunning rock formations. • Pass through the Skoura oasis en route to Ouarzazate, home of the powerful Berber tribe the Glaoua family, where we spend the night. (B, L, D) | HOTEL BERBERE PALACE (First Class) Sunday, March 11 OUARZAZATE | AIT BEN HADDOU | Marrakech • Visit Ouarzazate’s vast Kasbah Taourirt, the 20th century capital of the Gloaua dynasty and where the French foreign legion once had its base. • Continue across a spectacular barren region where many movies have been filmed to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Ben Haddou, one of the most beautiful displays of the Berber architecture. Take a guided tour of the impressive 11th-century Kasbah. • After lunch, drive along the river Imini to Marrakech, through stretches of desert and farmlands, passing picturesque rock formations and remains of historical Kasbahs en route. The road zigzags higher to Tizi N’tichka pass (7500 ft), snow covered in winter, and then descends into cultivated terraces of pine and oak forests as it leads towards Marrakech. (B, L, D) | LES JARDINS DE LA KOUTOUBIA (Patio View) Majestic Morocco | March 2-15, 2012 | Page 3 Monday, March 12 MARRAKECH • Begin your exploration of storied Marrakech with a morning guided tour including: • The Koutoubia minaret, a symbol for the city for over 800 years. • The Bahia Palace with its lovely courtyards and late Moorish architecture. • The private museum of the Dutch historian Birt Flint which traces the old caravan routes across the tribes of the desert. • The remains of the 16th century El Badia palace and the Saadian tombs. • In the afternoon enjoy a horse carriage to the Majorelle Gardens, property of the late Yves St. Laurent, and see some of his works while leisurely exploring his exotic garden. • Arrive at Jemaa El Fna Square at the perfect time—sunset, when the magical square comes alive with snake charmers, jugglers, dancers, fortune tellers, storytellers and traditional musicians. • Dine independently this evening, perhaps at one of the many nice restaurants above the enchanting square. (B, L) | LES JARDINS DE LA KOUTOUBIA (Patio View) Tuesday, March 13 MARRAKECH • Delve deeper into Marrakech today with a special in-depth morning visit of the ancient maze-like Medina. During the tour: • Tour the 16th century Medrassa Ben Youssef, a home and school for students, considered a highlight of Moroccan architecture. • Visit Private Museum of “The Moroccan Art of Living” next to the old “Chroub Ou Chouf” fountain. • See the oldest remains of early Marrakech at the archaeological site of “The Koubba Almoravides.” • Walk through the Museum of Photography and its beautiful collection of old pictures of the city. • Explore the hidden areas of the artisan workshops, and pass through the medieval Fondouks that were once hotels for caravan traders • A sumptuous old government palace that now hosts the Museum Of Marrakech • Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure to further explore Souks for shopping, return to places you have found especially interesting in the city, or simply relax and enjoy the facilities at our hotel.