YOUR O.A.T. ADVENTURE TRAVEL PLANNING GUIDE®

Morocco Sahara Odyssey 2022

Small Groups: 8-16 travelers—guaranteed! (average of 13)

Overseas Adventure Travel ® The Leader in Personalized Small Group Adventures on the Road Less Traveled 1 Dear Traveler,

At last, the world is opening up again for curious travel lovers like you and me. And the O.A.T. Morocco Sahara Odyssey itinerary you’ve expressed interest in will be a wonderful way to resume the discoveries that bring us so much joy. You might soon be enjoying standout moments like these:

There’s something mystical about the whispering sands of the mighty Sahara that beckons to me, daring me to uncover the cultural treasures that lie within the Morocco’s expansive desert, dotted with riads and colorful Andalusian-style courtyards. But what continues to draw me back to Morocco is its people, many of whom descended from the Berbers who controlled the desert for centuries and preserved some of Africa’s richest traditions. You’ll meet some of them and get a firsthand look at their daily lives when you spend A Day in the Life in Asfalou Village, a mountainside town where you’ll meet a local bricklayer and his family. After exploring their farm and sharing a meal together, you’ll also have the opportunity to visit the Imik Smik Women’s Association, supported in part by Grand Circle Foundation, where you’ll learn how they are trying to change their lives and those of the young women in their community.

In this historically patriarchal society, I was saddened to learn how conservative mindsets within the country’s power structure continue to form an obstacle for women in Moroccan culture, but after hearing from a local activist who has worked to reform the country’s laws to help guarantee equality for women, I remain hopeful for the future. You’ll have a chance to meet this activist, too, and learn about how she has spent her life and career fighting for equality and a more intimate understanding of the issues affecting the lives of local women.

The way we see it, you’ve come a long way to experience the true culture—not some fairytale version of it. So we keep our groups small, with only 8-16 travelers (average 13) to ensure that your encounters with local people are as intimate and authentic as possible. It’s also why your O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader will be a resident “insider” who can show you the culture as only a local can.

To ensure that your adventure is truly unique, put your own personal stamp on it. You can arrive early and stay later, add a pre- or post-trip extension, spend time in a Stopover city, or combine two or more trips. Plus, your itinerary offers ample free time so you can pursue your own interests.

So until the day comes when you are off to enjoy your Morocco Sahara Odyssey adventure, I hope you will relish the fun and anticipation that this O.A.T. Adventure Travel Planning Guide® will inspire. Should you have further questions, feel free to call our Regional Adventure Counselors at 1-800-955-1925.

Love and peace,

Harriet R. Lewis Vice Chairman, Overseas Adventure Travel

P.S. For further peace of mind, please know that we are EXTENDING our Risk-Free Booking Policy through 12/31/21. Learn more at www.oattravel.com/risk-free-booking.

USA Today “Best Tours” 10Best Readers’ Presented by Choice Awards Solo Traveler

2 CONTENTS

A Letter from Harriet Lewis ...... 2 The O.A.T. Difference...... 4 The Freedom to Personalize Your Experience ...... 6 Grand Circle Foundation...... 8 The Leader in Solo Travel ...... 9

MOROCCO SAHARA ODYSSEY ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: Your Adventure at a Glance: CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE Where You’re Going, What it Costs, Moroccan Culture ...... 78 and What’s Included ...... 10 Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, Your Detailed Day-To-Day Itinerary ...... 12 Shipping & More ...... 83 Optional Tours ...... 33 Pre-Trip Extensions ...... 35 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY Post-Trip Extensions ...... 44 Morocco ...... 86 Dates & Prices ...... 55 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 86 Morocco: A Brief History ...... 86 ESSENTIAL TRAVEL INFORMATION Spain...... 88 Travel Documents & Entry Requirements. . . 56 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 88 No Visas Required ...... 56 Spain: A Brief History ...... 88 Rigors, Vaccines & General Health ...... 57 Tunisia ...... 90 Vaccines Required ...... 59 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 90 Tunisia: A Brief History ...... 90 Money Matters: Local Currency & Tipping Guidelines...... 62 Air, Optional Tours & Staying in Touch ..... 65 RESOURCES Optional Tours ...... 66 Suggested Reading ...... 93 Communicating with Home from Abroad . . 66 Suggested Film & Video ...... 95 Packing: What to Bring & Luggage Limits . . . 68 Suggested Packing Lists ...... 70 Electricity Abroad ...... 73 Climate & Average Temperatures ...... 75

O.A.T. Health & Safety Measures...... 98 Notes...... 99 Map ...... 103

3 EXPERIENCE THE O.A.T. DIFFERENCE in Morocco

This adventure not only showcases iconic sights, but takes you beyond them to experience the culture through unique activities, engagement with the natural world, and authentic encounters with local people. Since our founding in 1978, O.A.T. has become America’s leader in personalized small group journeys on the road less traveled.

SMALL GROUPS: 8-16 TRAVELERS LOCAL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION (AVERAGE OF 13)—GUARANTEED To see the world like the locals, you should The world feels more intimate and engaging travel like one. Our small group size allows when your experience of it is also personal us to take the roads and waterways that are and genuine. That’s why our groups never less traveled, and we often follow them using exceed 16 travelers. This gives you access to the same unique modes of transportation people and places larger groups simply can’t that the locals use—be it a canoe, a camel or a reach. More authentic interactions. Deeper vintage cab. bonds with your travel mates. Personal service from your Trip Experience Leader. Smoother UNIQUE LODGINGS transitions. And a far more satisfying Our lodgings reflect the local character, experience than any traditional tour offers. from smaller family-run hotels and historic manors to comfy inns. Occasionally, larger THE BEST TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS hotels closer to city centers are used. Wherever Your English-speaking, O.A.T. Trip Experience you stay, you’re assured fine comfort and Leader is a resident of the region you are visiting, hospitality. so you will get a true insider’s perspective that brings each place alive—the stories, food, OUR WORLDWIDE OFFICES customs, hidden treasures and more. With 36 regional offices around the world, we are perfectly poised to leverage our local AUTHENTIC CULTURAL CONNECTIONS relationships to deliver an excellent experience Engage with local people through visits to and value. During this trip, you’ll be supported farms, factories, markets, and artisans’ by our team in Marrakesh. studios; school visits; Home-Hosted meals; and more.

Connect with local people as you explore the Fez Medina Venture into the sandy oasis of the Sahara on camelback

4 THE PILLARS OF DISCOVERY En riching. Inspiring. Unforgettable. These features form the foundation of your Morocco Sahara Odyssey adventure.

GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION (GCF) VISIT the country’s power structure form an ever- GCF was established in 1992 to help change present obstacle to continued progress. people’s lives in the world where we live, work, A DAY IN THE LIFE and travel. To date, we have pledged or donated Do you ever wonder, “What would it be like $200 million worldwide. to live here?” when you visit new lands? Let’s You’ll see GCF’s work in action when we visit find out during your O.A.T. A Day in the Life, an the Imik Smik Women’s Association, an exclusive, immersive experience that places you organization that aims to create workshops in the heart of a community where you’ll meet and programs that teach girls and women various people where they live, work, and play; how to sew, read, cook, develop healthcare visit the neighborhood school; lend a hand with and further education that otherwise daily chores; and break bread with our hosts. would not be available. Sponsored by Grand This adventure includes A Day in the Life of the Circle Foundation, the Imik Smik Women’s mountainside village of Asfalou where we’ll Association currently generates funding by meet a local family and get a firsthand look selling bread, pastries, and couscous to local at everyday life as a Berber in rural Morocco. guesthouses in the village. We’ll explore the property and lend a hand CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS with some of the daily chores, such as crafting Every culture has its joys and achievements, bricks, tending crops, feeding the animals, or and we celebrate them all. But every place preparing a meal, which we’ll enjoy together also has its challenges, and to gloss over them with our hosts. would not do justice to those whose stories HOME-HOSTED EXPERIENCES need to be told—nor to you, as a traveler who Stories shared. Differences solved. Taste buds deserves more than a sugar-coated version of engaged. Good will extended. It’s amazing the things. So our Trip Experience Leaders will things that can happen across a kitchen table, lead frank discussions on controversial issues, so we’ll break into groups of 4-5 to join a local and introduce you to people whose stories will family in their home for a snack or a meal. expand your understanding. This is a rare opportunity to witness family For example, we’ll speak to a Moroccan citizen life, learn local customs, and taste some and a Nigerian refugee to hear two personal home-cooked fare. perspectives of why a growing number of On this adventure, we’ll learn even more about refugees from sub-Saharan Africa have arrived daily life in Fez when we share a meal with in Morocco, and about the strain that such a local family in their home. We’ll get the immigration has placed on the country’s chance to taste authentic regional cuisine as economy. We’ll also meet a local activist who we connect with the family. Perhaps you’ll ask has helped to reform the country’s laws to your hosts about family dynamics, cultural help guarantee equality for women, and hear norms, or their professions. firsthand how conservative mindsets within

5 You're in control with THE FREEDOM TO PERSONALIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE Exclusively with O.A.T. Your Choice. Your Adventure. Your Way.

It’s your adventure, so why not make it exactly what you want it to be? We offer an exclusive variety of options that let you tailor your adventure so it’s completely your own. In fact, O.A.T. is the only travel company to offer this level of flexibility and choice for a truly personalized experience.

PRE- OR POST-TRIP EXTENSIONS 2. Great value: All extensions include Every O.A.T. adventure offers at least one accommodations, daily breakfast, and optional pre-trip and one post-trip extension. airport transfers. Here’s why more than 55% of O.A.T. travelers 3. Continuity and camaraderie: You’ll usually choose to take a pre- or post-trip extension: travel with the same Trip Experience 1. You’ll maximize your discoveries—often Leader who leads your main trip, enjoying in an even smaller group than your main more of his or her insider expertise— adventure (on average, 6 travelers with a and more time to bond with the group. dedicated Trip Experience Leader)—and take advantage of your included airfare.

Optional Extensions offered with your Africa adventure

Northern Morocco: Chefchaouen, NEW! Andalusia & the Costa del Sol: Tangier & the Berbers of the Rif Seville & Malaga 5 nights pre-trip from $1195 5 nights pre-trip from $1795

Chefchaouen, Morocco Mijas Village, Andalusia, Spain

The Atlantic Coast: Artistic Essaouira NEW! Historic Tunisia: Tunis, Kairouan & Casablanca & Ancient Carthage 5 nights post-trip from $795 6 nights post-trip from $1395

Essaouira, Morocco Sidi Bou Sa’d, Tunisia

6 ARRIVE EARLY, STAY LATER • Rome: $895 per person Extending your time abroad—with us or • Paris: $945 per person on your own—is the best way to broaden Other O.A.T. Stopovers are available. If the city your experience. It’s also a practical way to you’re interested in is not offered, our Regional maximize the value of the international airfare Adventure Counselors can arrange your airfare. covered in your main itinerary. COMBINE ADVENTURES Expand Your Discoveries Before You’re already overseas. Why not see more and or After Your Adventure maximize your value by avoiding the cost and Arrive early in the first destination on your length of another international flight? Here’s pre-trip extension or main adventure, or stay why 2,250 O.A.T. travelers combined two or later in the last city on your main adventure or more adventures in 2019: post-trip extension. By coming early, you can • Save a total of $600-$3000 per person when rest after your flight and adjust—with time to you combine two adventures compared to the explore. By staying later, you have extra time to cost of taking each trip separately. relax, pack, or continue exploring. • Apply the 5% or 6% Frequent Traveler Credit This option lets you take advantage of our lower you earn on your first trip to your second trip. group rates, with prices from $50 per person • Sir Edmund Hillary Club members save an per night—including accommodations, private extra $250-$350 per person when booking airport transfer, and daily breakfast. multiple trips in a calendar year. • Arrive early in Rabat for $100 per person, • Our Regional Adventure Counselors make all per night the arrangements for a seamless experience. • Arrive early in Seville for $75 per person, Combine this trip with our Egypt & the Eternal per night Nile by Private, Classic River-Yacht adventure—for • Arrive early on the Northern Morocco a total cost of $7,190-$11,390 per person—and pre-trip extension, or conclude your main save $900-$1300 per person versus taking each trip or Atlantic Coast post-trip extension trip separately. in Casablanca for $75 per person, per night AIR PREFERENCES • Conclude your Tunisia post-trip extension with 54% of our travelers customize their air more time in Tunis for $50 per person, per night itineraries: Accommodations are at the same hotels where • Choose your departure city and airline you begin or end the main trip and optional extensions, so transitions will be seamless. • Depart from one city and return to another • Upgrade to Premium Economy or NEW! Stopover in any major international city Business Class Travelers with O.A.T. airfare have the opportunity to Stopover in popular cities. Your price includes FREEDOM OF CHOICE 3 nights accommodations, daily breakfasts, and DURING YOUR ADVENTURE roundtrip private airport transfers. Here are a few Our itineraries provide a balance of included popular destinations: activities and free time so you always have the flexibility to participate in included activities, • Madrid: $795 per person go off on your own entirely, or do a mix of both. • Cairo: $845 per person

7 GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION Changing people’s lives, one village, one school, one person at a time

ON THIS ADVENTURE … Dear Traveler, Since our inception in 1992, the Grand Circle In 1992 we established Grand Circle Foundation has pledged or donated more Foundation, an entity of the Lewis Family than $200 million to projects around the Foundation, as a means to give back to world. Here are just a few of the ways we have the world that had already given us so partnered with the communities on this trip. much. We’ve pledged or donated more than $200 million worldwide to support Imik Smik Women's Association the education of young people and the Total Donations: $65,668 preservation of international treasures The Imik Simik Women’s Association was started in and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and 2012 by 13 women who came together to support the conservation of natural resources for one another through education and skills training. future generations. With funding from Grand Circle Foundation, the Association has purchased professional-grade Of course, none of this would be possible kitchen equipment, such as a refrigerator and stove; without your help. A portion of the proceeds sponsored professional pastry training, allowing the of every adventure is donated to Grand women to expand production and increase their Circle Foundation—so just as your life will income; created sewing and embroidery workshops; be enriched by the discoveries you’ll make and began construction on a new women’s center. on your journey, you’ll also help to enrich the lives of the people you’ll meet along the Dar et Taleb Education Center way. Thank you for traveling with us, and Total Donations: $31,217 The Dar et Taleb Education Center is a locally for helping to change people’s lives. supported group that provides boarding facilities Love and peace, and educational opportunities for more than 160 young boys who would not be able to travel to school on a daily basis. The Foundation’s support Harriet R. Lewis has helped fund the construction of much-needed Chair, Grand Circle Foundation showers, restroom facilities, a study room complete with computers and a soccer court—so the children can enjoy some well-earned recreation.

SCAN ME See how Grand Circle Foundation is giving back in this video Open the camera feature on your mobile device, and hover the lens over this code to scan it. A pop-up notification will take you directly to the video.

www.grandcirclefoundation.org

8 THE LEADER IN SOLO TRAVEL in Morocco—and Around the World

ON THIS ADVENTURE …

FREE Single Supplements: We don’t charge The leader in solo-friendly a single supplement on this adventure and travel for Americans— optional trip extensions—a savings of $799- by the numbers $1,000 per person compared to other travel companies. But single spaces fill quickly, so early reservations are advised. More than 50% of all O.A.T. travelers are women who travel solo One of our most popular trips for solo travelers. More than 2,980 solo travelers joined us on this adventure in the past two In 2022, we’re offering 30,000 years—either independently or sharing singles spaces across all O.A.T. a room with a mother, daughter, sister, adventures. That’s 86% more than or friend. offered in 2019

High ratings: More than 89% of these solo of our 30,000 single spaces travelers rated their adventure excellent. 92% have FREE Single Supplements. The On average, half of your group will also remaining 8% have the lowest single be traveling independently, so it’s easy supplements in the industry. to forge special bonds as you experience unforgettable moments together. In 2022, we’re offering 25 exclusive women’s departures on some of our You’ll be in good hands, thanks to your most popular itineraries dedicated local Trip Experience Leader (a resident of Morocco), and the expertise of our regional office team in Marrakesh. SCAN ME Increased Single Space: In 2022, we have NEW! 101+ 48% more single spaces than in 2019, Tips for Solo with up to 8 single spaces per departure. Women Travelers See available FREE single space at This complimentary, 96-page www.oattravel.com/mso2022. booklet is a comprehensive collection of savvy tips specifically for seasoned women Exclusive Women’s Departures: We are travelers going solo. Learn about thrilled to offer a women-only departure safety for solos, packing like a pro, of Morocco Sahara Odyssey: September 30, the best travel apps, self-care on 2022. Space is limited so don’t delay. Join the road, and more. Scan this code our traveling sisterhood today! to view an online copy or to request one by mail.

9 Lower prices than last year—a value of $400 per couple

Morocco Sahara Odyssey Small Group Adventure Morocco: Rabat, Fez, Sahara Tented Camp, High Atlas Mountains, Ouarzazate, Marrakesh, Casablanca

Countries: 1 | Cities : 6 | 2 Nights In A Private Tented Camp

Small groups: 8-16 travelers—guaranteed! It’s Included (average of 13)

FROM PER DAY DAYS • Explore in a small group of 8-16 • 35 meals—14 breakfasts, 9 lunches, and travelers (average group size of 13) 12 dinners, including 1 Home-Hosted $ $ Dinner (32 meals—still including 1 3595 225 16 International airfare, airport • Home-Hosted Dinner—if you are taking transfers, government taxes, fees, Including international airfare our optional post-trip extension to and airline fuel surcharges unless Essaouira & Casablanca) you choose to make your own air FREE Single Supplement arrangements • 16 small group activities • Accommodations for 14 nights (13 • Services of a local O.A.T. Trip Maximize Your nights if you are taking our optional Experience Leader post-trip extension to Essaouira & Gratuities for local guides, drivers, camp Discoveries & Value Casablanca) • staff, and luggage porters Optional extensions : • 5% Frequent Traveler Credit toward your Northern Morocco: Chefchaouen, next adventure—an average of $275 Tangier & the Berbers of the Rif • All land transportation 5 nights pre-trip from $1195 SCAN ME Travel from only $239 per night Watch our #1 most popular video New! Andalusia & the Costa del Sol: for this adventure Seville & Malaga 5 nights pre-trip from $1795 Open the camera feature on your mobile device, and hover Travel from only $359 per night the lens over this code to scan it. A pop-up notification will take you directly to the video. The Atlantic Coast: Artistic Essaouira & Casablanca 5 nights post-trip from $795 Travel from only $159 per night New! Historic Tunisia: Tunis, Kairouan & Ancient Carthage 6 nights post-trip from $1395 Travel from only $233 per night PLUS, see Dates & Prices for Stopover city options

Travelers riding camels near Merzouga in the Sahara Desert, Morocco

Morocco Sahara Odyssey

10 SPAIN Itinerary Summary PRE-TRIP EXTENSIONS POST-TRIP EXTENSIONS n Mediterranean a Casablanca e Tangier Sea Mediterranean c O O C Pre-trip extensions: 5 nights in Northern Chefchaouen Sea c Atlantic i t Oualidia C Ocean O n Morocco: Chefchaouen, Tangier & the Berbers a O C Atlantic l t Rabat C R of the Rif OR New! 5 nights in Andalusia O A Marrakesh R Ocean O Casablanca O & the Costa del Sol: Seville & Malaga M Essaouira M Volubilis Meknes vir ui (Optional Tour) (Optional Tour) a lq C e ada artha Cap Bon DAYS DESTINATION Gu FroFrFrorom ge S SPAIN Rabat Fez Seville CaCasabsasabablanllaanncaca n s i a Tunis a a l u e n d Casablanca Ifrane n 1 Fly to Casablanca, Morocco A Antequera a r TUNISIA r

e

Málaga t

i

d

e 2-3 Rabat Mediterranean Midelt Kairouan M To Casablanca Sea MOROCCO 4-6 Fez

Marrakesh El Khorbat To/From U.S. Erfoud 7 Erfoud Internal flight Rissani Land route ALGERIA Merzouga Rail route Aït Benhaddou Ouarzazate 8-9 Sahara Desert 060Miles h a r a S a 10-11 Ouarzazate What to Expect 12-14 Marrakesh

15 Casablanca

Pacing: 7 locations in 15 days with two 1-night stays 16 Return to U.S. Physical requirements: Travel over cobbled streets and sandy, uneven, and bumpy terrain in the Sahara that can be challenging for travelers with leg or back issues; Post-trip extensions: 5 nights in The Atlantic Coast: Artistic Essaouira & agility is also required to participate in the camel ride and to access some vehicles Casablanca OR New! 6 nights in Historic by ladder. Tunisia: Tunis, Kairouan & Ancient Carthage Flight Time: Travel time will be 7-22 hours and will most likely have one to two connections View all physical requirements at www.oattravel.com/mso2022 Arrive Early, Stay Later Prices below include accommodations, Morocco : The O.A.T. Difference daily breakfast, and private airport transfer. Our Best Value in 2 Years: Save up to $200 per person, and travel at the lowest • Arrive early in Rabat for your main trip price and per diems in the industry. for $100 per person, per night • Arrive early in Seville for your Andalusia People-to-People Experiences: Spend A Day in the Life of Asfalou village where pre-trip extension for $75 per person, a local family will share their daily routine and show us how to prepare a per night traditional meal. And, meet members of the Imik Smik Women’s Association • Arrive early on your Northern Morocco for Rural Development—supported by Grand Circle Foundation—near Aït pre-trip extension, or conclude your Benhaddou, where we’ll learn how these local women aim to improve their main trip or Atlantic Coast post-trip quality of life and foster independence in young women. extension in Casablanca for $75 per person, per night O.A.T. Exclusives: Venture off the beaten path to spend 2 nights at a private • Conclude your Tunisia post-trip exten- tented camp in the legendary Sahara Desert. Our camp is located close to sion with more time in Tunis for $50 per a sand dune sea near Merzouga where few foreigners venture, along routes person, per night known only to the camel and goat-herding Tuareg nomads. We’ll also have candid conversations about Controversial Topics such as discrimination against women, poverty, and the influx of sub-Saharan refugees. By speaking More than 87% of travelers to local people directly affected by these complex issues, we’ll gain a deeper rated this trip excellent understanding of day-to-day life in Morocco. Information & Reservations 1-800-955-1925 www.oattravel.com/mso2022

11 Morocco Sahara Odyssey

YOUR DETAILED ITINERARY

BEGIN YOUR ADVENTURE WITH AN OPTIONAL PRE-TRIP EXTENSION 5 nights in Northern Morocco: Chefchaouen, Tangier & the Berbers of the Rif

Day 1 Depart U.S. Day 5 Chefchaouen • Optional Tetouan Cultural Mix tour Day 2 Arrive Casablanca, Morocco • Explore Casablanca Day 6 Overland to Tangier Day 3 Overland to Chefchaouen Day 7 Train ride to Rabat • Begin main trip Day 4 Moroccan cooking demonstration • Home-Hosted Lunch • Explore Chefchaouen

OR 5 nights in Andalusia & the Costa del Sol: Seville & Malaga

Day 1 Depart U.S. Day 5 Transfer to Malaga • Visit Antequera • Home-Hosted Lunch Day 2 Arrive Seville, Spain Day 6 Explore Malaga • Controversial Day 3 Explore Seville Topic: Arab-Spanish relations in Andalusia Day 4 Olive oil farm visit • Guadalquivir Day 7 Fly to Casablanca, Morocco • River cruise & Triana neighborhood • Begin main trip Dinner & flamenco show

Day 1 Depart for Casablanca Day 2 Arrive in Casablanca, Morocco • Overland to Rabat Depart the U.S. today on an overnight flight to Casablanca, Morocco. • Destination: Rabat • Included Meals: Dinner • Accommodations: Le Diwan Hotel or similar

Morning: Depending on your specific flight arrangements, you’ll arrive in Casablanca throughout the morning. An O.A.T.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

12 representative will greet you outside of the Freedom To Explore: During your two days in terminal and escort you to the bus for your Rabat, you have the freedom to explore this 90-minute transfer to Rabat, one of Morocco’s vibrant city on your own during your free time. ancient imperial cities and its capital since 1913. Below are a few recommended options for independent explorations: Lunch: Enjoy your first taste of Moroccan cuisine on our own—your Trip Experience • Explore Morocco’s past and present at the Leader will recommend a local restaurant for Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and you to try. Contemporary Art (MMVI): Opening its doors in 2014, the MMVI is the first large- Afternoon: Around 2pm, you will check in and scale museum built since Morocco gained receive your room assignments at the hotel, its independence from France in 1956. As where we still stay for two nights. Typical you walk through, you’ll take in abstract, rooms feature a range of amenities including figurative, or overtly political contemporary air-conditioning, a minibar, and a private pieces. The museum chronicles the evolution en suite bathroom with a hair dryer. Hotel of Moroccan plastic and visual arts from the amenities include bar, spa, and brasserie. Your early 20th century to present day. Associates afternoon is free to explore Rabat, with about in our regional Marrakesh office recommend 4.5 hours to spend as you choose. Perhaps you’ll getting there in the early morning for the explore the creative side of Morocco at the least crowds, and also spending about an Villa des Arts. This site houses contemporary hour perusing the artwork to get an in-depth art that draws heavily on Moroccan heritage experience. and focuses on themes centered around environmentalism, coexistence, and tolerance. • How to get there: A 10- to 20-minute taxi Or, take a stroll through Rabat’s Botanical ride, about $10 USD one way. Garden to witness over 650 species of • Hours: 10am-6pm, daily. plants, including rare varieties of tropical, • Cost: About $4 USD. sub-tropical, and succulents. • Pay a visit to the Currency Museum of the Bank Al-Maghrib: Along with a massive Later this afternoon, fellow travelers who collection of gold and silver coins, monetary took the optional pre-trip extensions to New! instruments, and banknotes from antiquity Andalusia & the Costa del Sol: Seville & Malaga or to the present day, this modern museum Northern Morocco: Chefchaouen, Tangier & the features an art gallery of some 800 paintings Berbers of the Rif will join the main adventure. depicting aspects of Moroccan culture. There Dinner: We’ll enjoy dinner at our hotel with a are also instructive videos and exhibits on selection of traditional dishes at about 7:30pm. how Moroccan banknotes and coins are pro- duced—and destroyed. This unusual museum Evening: You are free to spend your evening as is a veritable treasure trove for numismatists you wish. Perhaps you’ll retire to your room to and art lovers alike. rest after the long journey, or join travelers at • How to get there: A 15- to 25-minute taxi the hotel to discuss your upcoming discoveries. ride, about $5 to $10 USD one way. • Hours: 9am-5:30pm, Monday-Friday; 9am-12:30pm & 3pm-6pm Saturday; 9am-1pm Sunday; closed Monday. • Cost: About $2 USD.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

13 • Enjoy the local artwork of Villa des Arts: As need to occur). Logistics, safety and emergency you walk through the museum, take in the procedures, and any questions will also be cultural work of the local artists supported discussed. Afterwards, we will delve into the by the ONA Foundation. The organization basics of the Arabic language with our Trip focuses on environmental protection, human Experience Leader. well-being, and other themes related to Leaving the hotel behind us, we set out on becoming “citizens of the world.” On your an orientation walk with our Trip Experience self-guided visit, perhaps you’ll check out Leader around 9:30am to familiarize ourselves the Diwan gallery, which features permanent with the surrounding area. We will stop at La and temporary art exhibitions, or the Forum, Halinka, the oldest coffee shop in the region, where theatrical performances, concerts, to enjoy a traditional nos-nos—a half milk, poetry readings, and more take place. half espresso drink. Opened in the 1970s, this • How to get there: A 10- to 20-minute taxi rustic coffee shop is typically filled with the ride, about $10 one way. smells of coffee, and the loud chatter of retired • Hours: 9:30am-7pm, Tuesday-Sunday. Moroccans, who have come to spend time here • Cost: Free. during the week. We will interact with these Controversial locals and the wait staff, perhaps even the shop Day 3 Explore Rabat • owner, to learn about daily life and the history Topic: Refugees and poverty in Morocco of coffee in the region. Following our visit, we with Asmae and Celia will continue to explore the cobbled streets of • Destination: Rabat Rabat, seeking out opportunities to interact • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with the locals we come across.

• Accommodations: Le Diwan Hotel or similar At around 10:30am, we will drive by private Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today’s discoveries motorcoach for about 30 minutes to visit feature the Controversial Topic of immigration the ruins and wild gardens of the Chellah, a in Morocco. We’ll speak to a Moroccan citizen 14th-century Merinid necropolis. We’ll spend and a Nigerian refugee to hear two personal about an hour exploring this UNESCO World perspectives of why a growing number of Heritage Site, a fascinating blend of ancient refugees from sub-Saharan Africa have arrived Roman and medieval Muslim artifacts, and in Morocco, and about the strain that such then return by private motorcoach to Rabat, immigration has placed on the country’s where we’ll be dropped off in the city center economy. This eye-opening discovery of an around noon to enjoy lunch on our own. uncomfortable truth of modern Moroccan life Lunch: Your Trip Experience Leader can is likely to be a memorable experience—read recommend some of their favorite options more about it below. to enjoy on our own during your free time. Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel Perhaps you’ll sample a local seafood specialty featuring Moroccan dishes beginning at 7am. like mussel tagine, a popular seafood stew cooked in a traditional earthenware pot. Morning: Following breakfast, our Trip Experience Leader will give a Welcome Briefing Afternoon: We will reconvene around 1pm at around 8:30am, during which we will and drive by private motorcoach for about 15 introduce ourselves and review our itinerary in minutes to Kasbah Oudeya, a citadel originally more detail (including any changes that may built in the twelfth-century. Many of the

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

14 winding lanes are fringed with whitewashed university graduate with a degree in literature homes intensely accented with a vibrant hue and human sciences, and dreams of building of blue. As we continue our exploration of the a career out of teaching Arabic to Americans. kasbah, we will make our way to the Andalusian However, the growing unemployment gardens, which offer a shady retreat with its crisis—the jobless rate for youths like her is a varying plant-life, such as oleanders, orange, staggering 33%—has put her plans on hold, lemon and banana trees. Perhaps we will take and she currently lives with her parents while a step away from the bustle of the streets and she seeks work. Asmae will talk to us about the enjoy the view of the Bou Regreg River. day-to-day life of a young woman in Morocco, her struggles with rising unemployment At around 2pm, we’ll board our private and economic insecurity, and to what extent motorcoach and drive for about 10 minutes to she believes the rising tide of immigration is Pietri Square, where we’ll step out and walk responsible. to a local coffee shop run by refugees from sub-Saharan Africa. We’ll arrive at around Then, we’ll get an immigrant’s perspective 2:30pm and join two local women, Asmae Naara when we meet Celia, a refugee and single and Celia Omondiale, for a conversation about a mother who traveled here from Nigeria in 2015. Controversial Topic: The influx of sub-Saharan She’ll share the story of why she left her home refugees into Morocco, and the stress it is country, how she traveled here while pregnant placing on the nation’s already-strained social over a course of three months via bus and on services. foot, and about the challenges she and her son have faced since they arrived. Although Morocco, a nation of about 34 million people, she had originally planned to continue on to is a common destination for refugees fleeing Europe, tightening borders and economic from war, poverty, and strife in sub-Saharan circumstances have left her stranded in African nations. An estimated 700,000 Morocco for the time being, where she lives on immigrants currently live in the country the margins of society, taking small jobs as she seeking to build a better life, planning to either can find them, and asking for money on the stay permanently, or as a midway point on street when she can’t. their journey into Europe. As the number of undocumented immigrants grows, so does We’ll hear her perspective of how she and her the problem of how to accommodate them in fellow immigrants face each day while enduring a nation already struggling with poverty and discrimination from their Moroccan neighbors, unemployment. In 2020, Morocco’s jobless and the threat of arrest and deportation by rate rose to 12.3%—the highest it’s been since local authorities. A 2019 crackdown resulted in 2003—leaving immigrants and citizens alike to the arrest of more than 27,000 undocumented compete for limited resources, and ratcheting immigrants, and as the economic situation in up the tension between the two segments of the Morocco worsens, the threat of such a thing population. happening again is ever-present.

We’ll get a personal perspective of both sides Asmae and Celia will speak to us for about of this controversial issue during our 1.5-hour 20 minutes, and we’ll then have about 40 long conversation. First, we’ll meet Asmae, a minutes to ask questions of our own to broaden woman in her 20s that was born in Morocco our understanding of this difficult subject. and has lived here for her entire life. Asmae is a Poverty and undocumented immigration is an

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15 ugly truth about life in Morocco, and one that be aware of their belongings and surroundings many travel companies choose to gloss over. at all times. If this day falls on a Thursday, However, it’s an important one to discuss to we will instead visit the medina on Day 6 to understand the real issues that everyday people experience it on the weekend when it is at its face in this country, and there’s no better way liveliest. to get to the truth of the matter than to have Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel honest conversations with local people that are featuring Moroccan dishes beginning deeply affected by it. at 6:30am. At around 4pm, we’ll say goodbye to Asmae Morning: Around 9am, we leave the coast and Celia, and then drive back to our hotel via and Rabat behind, and set off for Fez—locally private motorcoach. We’ll then have the rest of referred to as Fes—driving about 1.5 hours to the afternoon to rest or explore independently our first stop. We’ll drive past sweeping fields, before dinner. rolling countryside, and tree-covered slopes, Dinner: Around 6:15pm, we will board some of which may be speckled with poppies, our coach for a 15-minute drive to a local prickly pears, olive trees, or snow, depending restaurant. We’ll enjoy a Welcome Dinner on the time of year. En route around 10:30am, of traditional Moroccan cuisine and a we will stop at the El Khemisset market for glass of wine. about 45 minutes of free time to explore. This market is teeming with local vendors, people, Evening: We arrive back at the hotel at about and livestock—as it has been for hundreds 8:15pm. The evening is on your own—you are of years. As you peruse the narrow lanes of free to return to your room to rest before your vendors, you can hear the pulsating noise explorations tomorrow, or join fellow travelers of animals, locals chattering, and vendors in the main hotel area to discuss the day’s enthusiastically peddling their products. You activities. will have the unique opportunity to see locals in their daily routines at the market. Around Day 4 Overland to Fez • Hammam visit 11:15am, we will board our bus and make the • Destination: Fez remaining 2-hour transfer to Fez. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Once we get to Fez around 1:15pm, we’ll leave • Accommodations: Hotel Riad Salam our bus behind in the modern city, and enter or similar the medina—or old city—on foot. As we enter, Activity Note: Today, our transfer from Rabat let the colors and sounds of boisterous Fez to Fez will involve a 4- to 5-hour bus ride (with envelope you. Vendors fill market stalls with stops along the way) over roads that may be colorful handcrafted goods, and on either side bumpy or uneven at times. Fez’s medina (the of us, donkey carts and motorbikes zip past as old part of the city) can be dusty and crowded, we carefully traverse the narrow, maze-like and you’ll be exposed to local residents and lanes of the ancient walled city. But, as we their various living conditions, including approach our riad, you’ll never believe the poverty and beggars. These interactions peaceful haven awaiting us on the other side may be distressing for some travelers. The of the door. Upon arrival, our Trip Experience crowded, narrow medinas are also a haven for pickpockets, and travelers should stay alert and

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16 Leader will lead us on a brief orientation walk with vendors and purchase any products we around the vicinity of the riad and point out may need for our visit, such as soaps or loofahs. places you can go in your free time. While there, you will be able to interact with locals and gain a deeper understanding of Lunch: Traditional hot and cold dishes served how bath culture is tied to their social and at our riad upon arrival at around 1:15pm. religious lives. Afternoon: Following lunch, we’ll check into We will depart the hammam around 5pm. You our riad—a Moroccan home that has been will have the remainder of your afternoon to refurbished into a guest house—around relax more at the hotel or perhaps explore 2:15pm. With just around 20 rooms, our more of Fez. small group size lends itself perfectly to the intimacy and authenticity of a riad stay, and Dinner: On your own tonight. Perhaps you’ll we’ll get a true sense of local life as we share venture to Café Clock for Western and Moroccan this traditional living space for the next fare. Your Trip Experience Leader will be happy three nights. A typical riad features intricate to provide you with other recommendations. handmade tilework, and is multiple stories Evening: The evening is free to explore on your high, with rooms—each possessing their own. Perhaps you’ll retire to your room or enjoy own distinct character—connected by a a drink with fellow travelers. hallway that overlooks an open-air courtyard. Most riads don’t feature elevators, and with Freedom To Explore: During your three days their open layouts, it’s not uncommon for in Fez, you have the freedom to explore this the sounds of the city outside to make their enchanting city on your own during your free way in to our living space. Depending on the time. Below are a few recommended options for centrally-located riad you stay in, it may be independent explorations: in walking distance to local street markets and shopping areas and feature an onsite • Participate in a Cooking Class: Learn to cook restaurant. Typical rooms include satellite TV a traditional Moroccan meal like salad and and air-conditioning. You’ll have about 2 hours tagine, or stew, which gets its name from the of free time to relax in your room or check out cone-shaped slow cooker traditionally used the local spots your Trip Experience Leader to make this dish. First, class begins with a pointed out on our walk. visit to the bustling souks to purchase fresh ingredients. Then, at our riad, you’ll partici- Around 4pm, we travel by private motorcoach pate in a cooking lesson in the main kitchen, to a traditional Moroccan hammam, a public and finally, you’ll have included time to enjoy steam bath. Popularized by the Roman empire the food you’ve created. The entire experience more than 2,000 years ago, hammams have will take about two hours. been a central part of daily and religious life in • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute walk. Morocco. A Moroccan hammam traditionally • Hours: 11am-noon, daily. consists of a public bath house separated • Cost: About $60 USD. between men and women with multiple steam rooms, and attendants who scrub visitors with • Meet a local chef in her home: More and savon beldi, a black pigmented soap. Should more Moroccan women are running small you choose to partake in the local bathing businesses right from their homes, making culture, we will stop at a market to interact pastries and traditional dishes enjoyed at events like Moroccoan engagement,

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17 childbirth, and circumcision ceremonies. Activity Note: If this day falls on a Friday, we Travelers can enjoy this special opportunity will drive to the panoramic viewpoint this to enter a local home where the chef will give morning instead of walk through the medina. us a lesson in creating a Moroccan pastry. Breakfast: Served at the riad featuring • How to get there: An approximate Moroccan dishes beginning at 6:30am. 10-minute walk from the riad. • Hours: 9am-5pm, daily. Morning: We’ll begin our full-day exploration • Cost: Around $15 USD per person of Fez at about 8:15am this morning by motorcoach, arriving around 8:30am. Led • Witness the efforts of the nonprofit American by our Trip Experience Leader and a local Fondouk: Meet the people who run this city guide, we leave the 21st century and all organization, and see how it’s helping the previous conceptions of urban design behind working people of Fez’s medina by providing as we enter Fez’s medina, often considered the free veterinary care for their donkeys, horses, world’s most well-preserved medieval city, and other animals. As the volunteers take you and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We start by on a tour to see the animals and witness the exploring the traditional Jewish quarter, called inner workings of the organization, you will the mellah. have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have. For the least crowds, we suggest Then we’ll enter the souks (markets) of Fez visiting in the morning. around 9:30am, walking through myriad tiny • How to get there: A 10- to 15-minute taxi lanes. This ancient section of Fez is a maze of ride, about $3 one way. narrow streets, and one of the largest car-free • Hours: 8am-12pm, daily. urban areas in the world. The benefit of being • Cost: Free. in the company of your Trip Experience Leader will become instantly clear, as navigating the Day 5 Explore Fez • Home-Hosted Dinner winding medina is a code only a true local can crack. Every inch of space is filled with bazaars, • Destination: Fez cafés, shops, donkeys, and people. As you stroll • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner the narrow lanes, age-old urban tradition • Accommodations: Hotel Riad Salam will be on vibrant display, and the intensity of or similar daily life will be bursting around every corner. Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: This afternoon The thrill of it must be experienced to be truly we’ll venture into the home of a family in Fez, understood. We’ll depart the market and walk where we’ll enjoy a Home-Hosted Dinner. to our lunch spot. This is a special opportunity afforded to us by Lunch: Around 11:30am at an old Moroccan our small group size and made by possible by home that has been converted into a local the connections of our local Trip Experience restaurant, situated in the heart of the old Leaders. During our shared meal, you’ll learn medina, serving traditional Moroccan fare. more about daily life in the Morocco from these residents, and take part in the customs and Afternoon: After lunch around 1pm, we culinary traditions of the region. Read more continue exploring the medina as we hear the about this experience below. calls of the vendors selling their wares, watch artisans maintain their stalls, listen to shoppers haggle, and browse for gifts to take home. We’ll

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18 board our bus and drive 15 minutes back to our Evening: Free for your own discoveries starting riad, arriving around 2:30pm. Upon arrival, we around 8:30pm. You can take some time for enjoy about 3 hours of free time. yourself, explore the surrounding area, or meet up with fellow travelers to discuss the day. Then, at about 6pm, we’ll split into smaller groups of no more than five travelers and Controversial Topic: board our bus to join local families for a Day 6 Fez • Home-Hosted Dinner. The family you spend Moroccan patriarchy and women’s rights the evening with may live inside the old walls with Fatima Sadiqi • Optional Volubilis & of the medina, or outside the historic center Meknes tour in what is referred to as the “New City.” They • Destination: Fez may have school-aged children or be retirees. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner But all families will live in a private apartment • Accommodations: Hotel Riad Salam and provide a welcoming and congenial or similar atmosphere. Activity Note: If Day 6 falls on a Saturday, the Dinner: Around 6:30pm in your host family’s optional tour will be featured on Day 5 instead. home, you’ll get the chance to taste authentic regional cuisine. Expect to dine on typical Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today’s discoveries Moroccan dishes such as harira, a popular soup feature the Controversial Topic of sexism in made up tomatoes, chickpeas, and lentils; fassi, Morocco. We will meet a local activist who a lamb dish prepared with prunes; and myriad has helped to reform the country’s laws to of Moroccan salads. For the families we visit, help guarantee equality for women, and this is a great chance to practice their limited hear firsthand how conservative mindsets English. And for us, this is a unique opportunity within the country’s power structure form an to learn even more about daily life in this city ever-present obstacle to continued progress. as you personally connect with the family and While the topic may be uncomfortable, it ask your hosts about family dynamics, cultural is certain to be an enlightening cultural norms, professions, and more. You might, experience to broaden your understanding of for example, learn about Moroccan wedding life in Morocco—read more about it below. traditions and have the chance to view a Breakfast: Served at the riad featuring family’s wedding day attire. Or perhaps you will Moroccan dishes beginning at 7am. learn more about the challenges of running a small business in Morocco. Morning: The morning is yours to make your own discoveries in Fez. You may choose to take Whatever the topic of your dinner-table a walk through La Ville Nouvelle, an area whose discussion, your evening will be one to French influence, and modern look and feel, remember. You might even like to share with offer a fascinating contrast to the traditional your hosts a little about what brings you to styles throughout most of Fez. Or, if flora is Morocco. Around 8pm, we will depart the our your forte, maybe you’ll choose to visit the family’s home and drive 30 minutes back to botanical garden just a 20-minute walk from the riad. our riad.

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19 Or, you may join a full-day Optional Tour of two culture on women’s rights, and how modern UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Volubilis and feminists are pushing back against traditional Meknes. We’ll walk back to the modern section social norms today. of Fez to meet our bus around 8am, then set off Morocco has historically been a patriarchal for a 1-hour drive to the site. First we’ll explore society, governed by conservative readings Volubilis, one of the most well-preserved of Islamic sharia law which place women Roman cities in North Africa. Led by a local in a role subservient to men. The result has guide, we’ll wander amongst its historic ruins been a society in which women have fewer and colorful mosaics, and our guide will help opportunities for advancement, and are us envision what life was like in ancient times. subject to abuse and discrimination. The 2011 From this vantage point, we’ll have panoramic Arab Spring ushered in a wave of progressive views of the whitewashed, holy city of Moulay changes, including a reformed constitution Idriss in the distance. Then we’ll set off for a which places women on an equal legal footing 30-minute drive to Meknes, onetime home of with men—however, many of those fighting for the Moroccan sultanate. change fear that conservative societal mindsets Lunch: On your own and your Trip Experience are a persistent threat to women’s rights today. Leader can provide recommendations. We’ll learn about this issue from Professor However, if you have joined our Optional Tour, Sadiqi, a dedicated activist who has been at you will enjoy lunch upon arrival in Meknes the frontline of the battle for women’s rights around 11:15am at a local restaurant serving in Morocco for decades. Her advocacy work traditional Moroccan cuisine. has been responsible for many of the reforms Afternoon: Travelers not on the Optional made in Morocco’s 2011 constitution, as well Tour will continue to enjoy free time and as subsequent legal reforms to guarantee independent explorations early this afternoon. the rights of women to live in peace and If you are on the Optional Tour, we will dignity—such as the 2014 repeal of Article 475, continue our explorations with a tour of the which allowed a rapist to avoid prosecution if Old City in Meknes around 12:30pm, including he married his victim. the immense stables—a massive structure Professor Sadiqi will share her experiences that once held 12,000 horses—and granaries with us for about 20 minutes, and then we’ll that were built for 17th-century sultan Moulay have the remainder of the hour to ask questions Ismail. We will depart around 2pm for our of our own to take advantage of her vast hour-long journey back to the riad to join the experience and expertise to learn about how rest of our small group. the rights of women in Morocco have been At around 4pm, we will walk to the improved, and about the threats that still exist. International Institute for Languages and While the years since the Arab Spring have Cultures, an educational institution focused seen an increased number of legal protections on the study of contemporary history, culture, for women, many women—especially those and gender in North Africa and the Middle in marginalized communities like rural, poor East. Here, we’ll meet one of its co-founders, urban, and Berber areas—find it difficult to the activist and professor Fatima Sadiqui, for a take advantage of them in practice. Equality conversation about a Controversial Topic: The may be the law, but many people—including impact of sharia law and conservative Moroccan those in business, media, and other places

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20 within the country’s power structure—are set Morning: Our Sahara odyssey begins today in the old ways of thinking, in which a woman’s at about 8am when we board our bus to drive place is in the home. across the Middle Atlas mountain range, winding through pine groves and giant Discrimination against women is a difficult cedar forests. The rich purple soil and the aspect of life in Morocco, and one which many tall evergreens are quite a contrast against people choose not to talk about. However, it’s each other. We cross a 6,000-foot pass in a necessary one to examine in order to truly the mountains and head further toward the understand the lives of local people in this Sahara. This long transfer will give our small country. With our small group size, and the group ample opportunity to witness the varied expertise of a woman who has spent her life and geologic and ecological zones we travel through career fighting for equality, we will come away and gain a deeper understanding of the regional with a more intimate understanding of the landscapes. Around 9am, we will briefly issues affecting the lives of local women. stop in the ski resort town of Ifrane for the At around 5pm, we will bid Professor Sadiqi opportunity to take pictures of the quaint town. farewell and have 1.5 hours of free time Afterwards around 9:15am we will continue before dinner. our journey by bus. En route, we will stop to visit a semi-nomadic family (when possible, Dinner: Traditional hot and cold dishes served based on their availability). While here, we will at our riad around 6:30pm. enter into their tent and enjoy a cup of tea while discussing the nomadic way of life. Our small Evening: Free for your own discoveries. group affords us the unique opportunity to Ask your Trip Experience Leader for ask this family questions and understand their recommendations if you’d like to experience daily life. Following our visit, we will board this city at night. our bus and continue our drive through thick cedar forests. Perhaps, you will spot the barbary Day 7 Cross the Middle & High Atlas macaque, a rare monkey species. Mountains • Overland to Erfoud Lunch: At a local restaurant in Midelt around • Destination: Erfoud 12:30pm, featuring typical dishes of the area • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner like trout. This village converted old mining • Accommodations: Kasbah Hotel Chergui grounds to fish farms, and is now famous for or similar their trout farming. Activity Note: Today our transfer from Fez to Afternoon: We continue our drive through the Erfoud will involve a long bus ride, covering High Atlas Mountains around 1:30pm, and in approximately 300 miles through the Middle the late afternoon—at about 5pm—we descend and High Atlas Mountain range, over roads that into Erfoud, a small trading village that is the may be bumpy, uneven, steep, and winding. Our gateway to the vast Sahara Desert. When we total transfer time is up to 9 hours, especially arrive, we check into our hotel and receive in winter when road closures may lead to our room assignments for our one-night stay. unexpected detours. We will break up the long Situated on the outskirts of the Sahara Desert, transfer with stops along the way. the hotel you stay in may feature a restaurant, Breakfast: Served at the riad featuring Moroccan dishes beginning at 7am.

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21 bar, and outdoor swimming pool. Typical At the camp, you’ll stay in a walk-in canvas rooms include air-conditioning, a minibar, a tent, complete with camp bed, mattress, fresh refrigerator, and a private bath. linens, and pillow, and private en suite toilet facilities. There is a separate tent for dining. Dinner: Traditional hot and cold Moroccan dishes served buffet-style at our hotel Lunch: A selection of local and international around 7pm. dishes served in the dining tent upon arrival at the camp around 12:15pm. Evening: Your evening is free to enjoy a night cap with fellow travelers at the hotel bar Afternoon: You may enjoy about four hours or rest before tomorrow’s journey into the of free time, during which you might discover Sahara Desert. more of the desert in a 4x4 vehicle. Or, perhaps you’d like to trek over the sand dunes where Day 8 Off-road Sahara adventure • you can enjoy the dramatic views of the sun Overland to Sahara Desert camp • Meet setting low over the desert stretching out local family around you. Then around 6pm, our local cook will give us a demonstration in preparing • Destination: Sahara Desert Moroccan cuisine. The chef will choose the • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner menu, but it will likely center around couscous, a • Accommodations: Private tented camp nourishing staple of Moroccan diets, along with Activity Note: We will board 4x4 vehicles to other savory discoveries such as harissa, a fiery make our way into the Sahara Desert over sand sauce made from hot red pepper, olive oil, and dunes. Total transfer time is about three hours. garlic; or tajine, a slow-cooked stew named for the pot that it’s cooked in. Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel featuring Moroccan dishes beginning Dinner: Around 7pm at our campsite featuring at 7:30am. local and international dishes.

Morning: At about 10am, we begin our day Evening: The evening is free for you to enjoy boarding 4x4 vehicles for a 20-minute ride to a the starry desert sky, spend time reflecting with local village. Here, we enjoy an O.A.T.-exclusive fellow travelers, or rest. visit with members of a local desert community in their home to experience a traditional side Day 9 Sahara Desert walk • Farm visit • of Moroccan life. Our Trip Experience Leader Meet nomadic families in Khamlia will help us communicate with the local family, • Destination: Sahara Desert and we encourage travelers to interact, ask • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner questions, and learn more about this way of life. • Accommodations: Private tented camp Afterwards around 11:15am, we board our 4x4 vehicles and head into the desert to continue Early morning: Today, we absorb the feeling of our journey to our private tented campsite, our desert environment. If you wish, your Trip located close to a sea of sand dunes near Experience Leader will wake you up early to Merzouga. We arrive shortly after 12pm. During sit in the camp and watch the sunrise over the our 2-night stay, we’ll experience the remote Sahara Desert, casting a golden light across the environment of the Sahara, with no roads, sprawling sand dunes. During the summer, the and the sound of the wind in the dunes as we navigate the sandy tracks.

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22 sun rises around 5am, but in the winter, it rises history behind the Islamic faith. During this closer to 6am. Your Trip Experience Leader will interactive Q&A session, we encourage travelers then guide you on a short walk close to camp. to ask challenging questions. This is a great opportunity to gain a better understanding of Breakfast: Served at the dining tent featuring religion, family dynamics, gender roles, and Moroccan dishes beginning at 8am. to dig deeper into Islam’s portrayal in the U.S. Morning: At about 8:45am, we’ll “saddle media compared to the reality of its practice up” to explore the desert dunes for about 45 in Morocco. minutes the traditional way—on the back Dinner: A selection of local dishes served in the of a camel (weather permitting). Then, our dining tent around 7:30pm. 4x4 vehicle takes us to a local farm at around 9:30am for an exclusive visit to learn about Evening: We’ll spend our last night gazing local produce and vegetation in the Sahara’s at the starry desert sky, where (weather unique climate. permitting) the Milky Way may be clear and bright, and perhaps enjoying music and Once our visit wraps up around 10:30am, we’ll dancing with the camp staff. head to Khamlia, a remote desert village. This region is renowned for the ritual songs of its Gnawa musicians, and we’ll get the Day 10 Overland to Ouarzazate • Visit chance to hear their melodic chants during a Berber museum lively performance. Next, we’ll get another • Destination: Ouarzazate perspective on life in the furthest corners of the • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Sahara when we drive to a nomadic village, an • Accommodations: Le Berbere Palace experience exclusive to O.A.T. travelers. During or similar our visit, we’ll talk to the women of these Activity Note: Our overland transfer to families over a cup of tea to learn about their Ouarzazate will take about eight hours, nomadic lifestyle and how they cook, maintain including stops along the way. their home, educate their children, and more. Around 11:30am, we leave Khamlia via 4x4 Breakfast: Served at the dining tent featuring vehicles to return to camp in time for lunch. Moroccan dishes beginning from 7am-8am.

Lunch: Traditional hot and cold dishes served Morning: This morning around 8:30am, in the dining tent about 1:30pm. we leave the open desert behind and set off for the oasis town of Ouarzazate in our 4x4 Afternoon: You will have about 4 hours of vehicles. Including stops along the way, the free time this afternoon to spend as you wish. entire transfer will take about 8 hours. En Perhaps you’ll hike the dunes or venture by route, we’ll stop to learn about khatarat, an 4x4 vehicle around the desert. At around old underground water system, then continue 6pm, we’ll reconvene at the campsite for on our way to Tinejdad, arriving around an in-depth conversation with your Trip 11:15am. Upon arrival, we’ll visit the Ksar of Experience Leader about the basic tenets of El Khorbat and take a walk inside the ancient Islam. Based around the five main pillars of the fortified ksar (a Berber walled city typically religion—faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and used to keep desert raiders out of Roman pilgrimage to Mecca—our conversation will cities on the coast). We’ll then visit a Berber illuminate the realities, misconceptions, and museum founded by a local Jewish activist.

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23 We’ll have about an hour to learn about the immerse ourselves in a local community and history, architecture, and daily life of Berbers join them where they live and work, and is in this region. While here, we’ll also have likely to be a memorable moment of your a conversation with the founder about his adventure. We’ll also visit the Grand Circle perspective of the museum and its origins. Foundation-sponsored Imik Simik Women’s Following our visit to the museum, we will walk Association for Rural Development, which helps to a local restaurant for lunch. to further the education and skills of women in the area. Read more below. Lunch: At a local restaurant around noon, featuring traditional cuisine. Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel featuring Moroccan dishes beginning at 7am. Afternoon: Around 1pm, we’ll continue via coach for another 4 hours to Ouarzazate, a city Morning: Today, we visit Asfalou village, a built by the French as a garrison outpost in the mountainside town—departing the hotel in our Sahara. We’ll arrive around 5pm to check in to bus around 9am for a 30-minute drive. We’ll our hotel. first stop at a coffee shop in the nearby town of Aït Benhaddou, where we’ll pick up a local For two nights, we’ll stay at a conveniently guide who will help facilitate our conversations located hotel in the center of Ouarzazate, in Asfalou, and to relax before continuing which may have an outdoor pool, as well as our drive. two restaurants, a bar, and health club with a sauna. Typical rooms will be modern with We’ll then arrive at Asfalou at 10am, where we air-conditioning, a satellite TV, minibar, will have the opportunity to experience A Day refrigerator, and private bath. in the Life of several aspects of the community, beginning with meeting a local family. We’ll Dinner: A choice of Moroccan and international step off the motorcoach and greet our hosts in dishes served at the hotel around 7pm. their home to get a firsthand look at a typical Evening: The evening is free to explore on your family’s lifestyle in this region. Our host is a own, take advantage of the hotel amenities, or bricklayer, while his wife and children help out rest in your room. with farm work in the outlying fields, and can share their perspective of everyday life as a Day 11 A Day in the Life of Asfalou village Berber in rural Morocco. • Visit Grand Circle Foundation Site: After a short walk around the fields, we’ll Imik Simik Women’s Association • Explore head back inside their home for some light Ouarzazate refreshment. We’ll sip tea, then enjoy a light snack of bread and olive oil as we converse • Destination: Ouarzazate about life in the village. We’ll learn about the • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner challenges of carving out an agrarian living in • Accommodations: Le Berbere Palace this arid region of Morocco, and about how the or similar close proximity of Aït Benhaddou—a UNESCO Exclusive O.A.T. Activities: Today’s discoveries World Heritage Site where major Hollywood feature A Day in the Life of the mountainside productions are regularly filmed—affects their village of Asfalou. This exclusive O.A.T. lives and the local economy. activity offers an intimate glimpse to the day-to-day lives of everyday people as we

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24 At around 11am we’ll roll up our sleeves and Imik Simik Women’s Association currently help out with some village chores to gain a generates funding by selling bread, pastries, hands-on understanding of the day-to-day and couscous to local guesthouses in the village. tasks that occupy the lives of the locals. Our When we arrive, we’ll meet with Fatima, the host will point us in the direction of the work association’s leader, and receive a tour of the that needs to be done; you might help him craft facilities. As we walk through the kitchen (a bricks, or join his wife and daughters in the former garage) and workshop rooms, we’ll fields, where you’ll tend to the crops and help also meet the many women who work and feed the animals. Some will help prepare the learn here, and find out how they are trying afternoon’s meal in the kitchen, which we’ll to change their lives and those of the young then share together. women in their community, for the better. The Lunch: At around 12pm, we’ll sit down association has faced hardship and obstacles together at the family table for lunch. Our owing to its location in a close-minded hosts will choose the menu, but it will likely community, but as we’ll learn, the women’s feature regional specialties such as couscous or persistence and determination has paid off—in pastries, prepared from farm-fresh ingredients 2018, after two years of negotiation with local grown locally on the premises. We’ll spend leaders, the association won land rights and about an hour dining together, offering more planning permission to build a new women’s opportunities for intimate conversation center. Grand Circle Foundation was thrilled to about what life is like for Berbers in fund the first payment allowing construction modern-day Morocco. to begin.

Afternoon: At around 1pm, we’ll say goodbye We’ll spend a little more than an hour speaking to our hosts, then drive five minutes to visit with these women and learning more about the Grand Circle Foundation-sponsored their lives during a Q&A session complete with Imik Simik Women’s Association for Rural mint tea and cookies. Some of the women may Development, an O.A.T.-exclusive site. be learning English, but your Trip Experience Leader will play a large role in translating Grand Circle Foundation and facilitating the conversation. Afterwards, Imik Simik Women’s Association for Rural if you’d like, you may participate in a henna Development ceremony in which one of the women uses a Total donated: $65,668 traditional, natural dye to give you an intricate Partner since: 2016 and non-permanent tattoo.

The association was established in 2012 by just Shortly before 3pm, we’ll say goodbye to the 15 women and has since grown to include 43 women at Imik Simik and board our bus for women, each hoping to further their education the return drive to our hotel. When we arrive, and opportunities. Located just outside the around 3:30pm, you’ll have about 3.5 hours to village of Aït Benhaddou, in a predominantly explore on our own. You may choose to stroll male-dominated area, the association’s goal through Ouarzazate’s main square, sit down is to create workshops and programs that at one of the nearby cafés, or meander through teach girls and women how to sew, read, cook, the local flea market. We will gather at the hotel develop healthcare and other skills and crafts a little before 7pm to make the 5-minute drive that otherwise would not be available. The by bus to dinner.

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25 Dinner: At a local restaurant around 7pm, Afternoon: We check into our riad after lunch. featuring a selection of international dishes. Our home for the next three nights is located in the heart of Marrakesh, just a short walk Evening: The evening is free to explore on to the old city’s main square. Depending on your own after we return to the hotel. Your the riad you stay in, it may feature a spa and Trip Experience Leader is happy to provide sauna, on-site restaurant, and a rooftop terrace recommendations for the best ways to with views of the Atlas Mountains while typical experience this city at night. guest rooms include air-conditioning, TV, and private bath. Day 12 Cross High Atlas Mountains • Overland to Marrakesh • Explore We’ll enjoy about two hours at leisure, followed Djemaa El Fna by a short orientation walk, then a walk to Djemaa El Fna around 4:30pm. Translating to • Destination: Marrakesh “assembly of the dead”—in commemoration • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch of public executions that occurred there in 1050 • Accommodations: Hotel Riad Bahia Salam AD—Djemaa El Fna has taken on somewhat or similar of a paradoxical nature, having blossomed Activity Note: Our overland transfer today into an area that is as full of life as the Sahara brings us to the highest altitude of the whole is full of sand. A cacophony of sounds fills the trip: more than 7,000 feet. It involves a 5-hour streets as musicians tune their instruments; bus ride over roads that are steep and winding snake charmers dazzle with their fascinating with stops included along the way. Marrakesh mix of danger and exotic ritual; food stalls line and its medina can be crowded. the streets; and a combination of horse-drawn carriages, motorbikes, and cars are relegated to Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel the outskirts of the square as nightly pedestrian featuring Moroccan dishes beginning at 7am. traffic takes center stage. This is a distinct locale for people-watching, and a great place to Morning: Leaving our hotel by bus around 8am, sample some local cuisine. You’ll have about an we travel through the High Atlas Mountains hour free to explore the area on your own. today en route to Marrakesh. During the drive of about five hours, we’ll pause high above Dinner: Tonight, your Trip Experience Leader narrow green valleys to take in sweeping views. will lead you to their favorite food stalls so In fact, we reach our highest altitude of the you can sample local favorites on your own. whole trip during this drive: more than 7,000 Afterwards, you’re free to continue to explore feet. On our journey, we’ll pass by Tizi N’Tichka some of Marrakesh’s local cuisine on your own road, a dramatic, winding road through the in the square. peaks and valleys of the High Atlas Mountains. The road, at times, can appear carved into the Evening: Enjoy the freedom to explore on your mountainside. own this evening or spend a night in to refresh before your days in Marrakesh. Upon our arrival in Marrakesh around 1pm, we’ll head to our riad where we’ll enjoy lunch Freedom To Explore: During your three days after our long drive. in Marrakesh, you have the freedom to explore the “Red City” on your own during your free Lunch: At our riad around 1:15pm, featuring time. Below are a few recommended options for traditional hot and cold dishes. independent explorations:

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26 • Meet with a neggafa: Learn how young await when your fortune teller reads between Moroccan brides prepare for their special the lines to reveal your hidden past and day by meeting a neggafa, a woman who perhaps give you a glimpse into the future. specializes in helping with all the wedding • How to get there: An approximate preparations—from setting expectations and 10-minute walk from the riad. selecting and accessorizing each of the bride’s • Hours: 9am-midnight daily traditional wedding dresses to doing hair and • Cost: Starting at about $10 USD per person. makeup and getting her back to the marital home after the ceremonies. Travelers can also Day 13 Explore Marrakesh • Local try one or two traditional outfits and enjoy an interaction authentic Moroccan make-up tutorial during • Destination: Marrakesh the visit. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner • How to get there: An approximate 15-min- • Accommodations: Hotel Riad Bahia Salam ute walk from the riad. or similar • Hours: 10am-12:30pm & 2:30pm-6pm, daily Breakfast: Served at the riad at 7am featuring • Cost: About $30 USD per person. Moroccan dishes.

• Spend time with a Moroccan dressmaker: Morning: Departing our hotel around 8:45am, Learn about the elaborate embroidery tech- your Trip Experience Leader will lead you on niques used to create traditional Moroccan a 3-hour exploration of the legendary city kaftans, the long flowing robes worn as of Marrakesh on foot. First we’ll stop by the dresses in much of Morocco. Learn why some opulent Bahia Palace. This 19th-century palace take longer to produce when using different houses 150 council rooms with large fireplaces materials like cotton, wool, silk, and velvet; and intricately painted cedar work lining the and discover the patient skills of the maalam, floor and walls. The open air Court of Honor is those tasked with the elaborate emroidery, lined with vibrant tiles and flowing fountains. beadwork, and embellishments that go into producing the most beautiful garments. Our tour continues at Le Jardin Secret, an opulent 400-year-old palatial estate featuring • How to get there: An approximate opulent architecture and immaculately-tended 10-minute walk from the riad. gardens. In ages past, the estate entertained • Hours: 10am-6pm, Saturday-Thursday; Morocco’s most elite and influential political closed Friday. figures—today, you can wander the grounds • Cost: About $10 USD per person. and admire their beauty for yourself. • Visit a Moroccan fortune teller: Why read your horoscope in the paper when you can Next, we’ll visit the Koutoubia minaret, which enjoy a session with an authentic Moroccan houses the largest mosque in Marrakesh fortune teller? See what mystical messages with it’s minaret standing at 70 meters–the tallest structure in the city. In fact, local laws forbid any new structures from exceeding the height of the minaret. We’ll also explore the famous medina of Marrakesh, one of the ancient crossroads of North Africa and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our final stop is at a local bakery

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27 around 11:45am, where we’ll have the chance Day 14 Marrakesh • Controversial to meet with the baker and learn about his Topic: Feminism and youth activism traditional bread-making techniques. with Yassamine, Chaimae, or Oumama • Lunch: On your own around 12:15pm. Your Trip Optional tours Experience Leader can recommend some of • Destination: Marrakesh their favorite options. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Afternoon: After lunch, gather again around • Accommodations: Hotel Riad Bahia Salam 1:15pm for the walk back to the hotel. Upon or similar return, you have about 3 hours to spend Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today’s discoveries as you wish, or join your Trip Experience offer a different perspective about Leader after lunch for an elective visit to see a the Controversial Topic of gender inequality demonstration of Berber weaving. As we watch in Morocco. We will meet one of three young and learn, your local Trip Experience Leader women to get the point of view of a new will explain the significance of the tradition as generation of Moroccan feminist activists. We’ll it relates to local history and culture, adding get an intimate, firsthand view of how young color to the experience. Afterwards around women are challenging their traditional gender 4:45pm, your Trip Experience Leader will lead roles and fighting for a more equal future, no you on a deeper exploration of Marrakesh, but matter who gets in their way—even if it means in a traditional horse-drawn caleche. As we defying their own families. Read more about cruise along the streets and narrow lanes, enjoy this activity below. the sunset and bustling city squares. Early Morning: Early risers are welcome to Our carriage ride wraps up just before 6:30pm join our optional Marrakesh Hot-Air Balloon in front of a local restaurant. Ride this morning. An early wakeup call around 4:30am will be rewarded with the pre-dawn Dinner: At a local restaurant featuring light illuminating the edge of Marrakesh and traditional fare from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. the backdrop of the Atlas Mountains. Departing Evening: After dinner, tonight is yours to around 5:15am, we’ll board our 4x4 vehicles explore Marrakesh and enjoy the city by night. and drive for about 45 minutes before we Your Trip Experience Leader can provide reach the balloon site. Around 6:15am, we’ll recommendations of nighttime activities receive a 10-minute safety briefing from our in the area. pilot, and then we’ll watch an expert team inflate and prepare our balloon. Afterwards, we’ll ascend into the morning sky on a 1-hour hot-air balloon ride, which offers a unique perspective of Morocco. We may be able to see the traditional Berber villages or far off palm groves dotting the desert landscape.

Breakfast: For those taking the optional tour, breakfast will be served following your balloon ride around 8am. Traditional Moroccan food will be served at the balloon site. For those not taking the optional tour,

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28 breakfast will be served buffet-style at from Professor Sadiqi in Fez, and we’ve seen the riad featuring Moroccan and American it for ourselves throughout the country; from dishes beginning at 8am. bustling cities like Rabat, to rural villages like Aït Benhaddou, and the remote communities Morning: Around 8:45am, travelers on the of the Sahara Desert and the High Atlas optional tour will depart the balloon site by Mountains. 4x4 vehicles and drive 45 minutes back to the hotel. Your Trip Experience Leader will Today, we meet a member of Morocco’s young discuss possible options for your free day in generation charged with pushing for a brighter Marrakesh, where past travelers have greatly future, to learn about the values they fight for, enjoyed time for independent exploration. As and the unique challenges of being a young in Fez, there is much to see, do, and buy in progressive in a society heretofore dominated the bustling medina, and your Trip Experience by conservative traditions. With no formal Leader will be able to offer you plenty of right to free speech or separation between suggestions about where to go. church and state, Morocco’s young women are torn between the competing pressures to Or, you can choose to join our optional pursue their dreams and to meet the traditional Marrakesh Museums tour, which departs from expectations of their family and faith. We’ll the hotel around 9am and features visits to meet one of three young women who have the Jardin de Majorelle and Islamic Art Museum; decided to defy gender roles and fight for the Maison de la Photographie and The Museum equality—and about the discord that their of the Water Civilization; and a stroll through activism has caused within their communities Marrakesh’s ancient medina. You’ll have about and families. an hour at each of the museums. We’ll meet one of three young women, each a Lunch: On your own. Ask your Trip Experience Marrakesh local in her 20s, depending on their Leader for their local favorites. If you joined the schedules and availability. We might speak to optional tour, you’ll join some local Moroccans Yassamine Abourida, a medical student who for a roasted lamb lunch in a local restaurant was raised in a traditional religious household at around 12:15pm. There will be vegetarian which adhered to conservative Islamic values. options available for those who do not eat lamb. She spent the early years of her life behind a Afternoon: For those on the optional tour, veil in accordance with Muslim tradition, but you will return to the hotel around 1:30pm. At defied her family by removing it and pursuing around 4pm, we’ll walk to Dar Chabab, a local a university education. Yassamine is a firm youth center used for educational programs believer in the feminist movement, and has and to organize community events, where we’ll even made some progress in bringing her meet a young woman for a conversation about mother on board—with Yassamine’s support, a Controversial Topic: the challenges faced by she has enrolled in vocational classes to leave Morocco’s progressive youths in their fight for her life as a homemaker behind and pursue a a more equal future for women. career with the local government.

Throughout our journey, we’ve learned Or, we might meet Chaimae Benyamna, another about the discrimination and inequality that medical student. The child of two science Moroccan women face in their day-to-day professors, Chaimae pursued an education lives. We learned about the fight for equal rights with the full support of her parents, even

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29 though the liberal views she developed—and Day 15 Marrakesh • Women’s Solidarity her decision to backpack alone in Europe for a Association • Overland to Casablanca & month—became a source of conflict between Hassan II Mosque her and her more conservative family. Her • Destination: Casablanca discord with her family and the patriarchal attitudes of some of her peers has been a source • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch of doubt and tension in the background of • Accommodations: Radisson Blu Hotel her life, but ultimately her life experience has Casablanca or similar emboldened her desire to build a better and Activity Note: If Day 15 of your itinerary falls on more equal future for Morocco’s women. a Sunday, the Women’s Solidarity Association will not be open for visitors, and your included Alternatively, we may speak to Oumama Chikh, lunch will be at a local restaurant. a journalist and translator whose parents believed in the value of education, and always Travelers taking the post-trip extension will pushed her to pursue her dreams and express depart for Essaouira on Day 15 after breakfast. her opinions freely, no matter what society All other travelers will continue to Casablanca might say. Unlike some of her peers, Oumama is on a 3- to 4-hour bus ride over roads that may also devoutly religious—she believes that there be bumpy or uneven. During our visit to the is room for faith in her fight, and Moroccan mosque, both men and women with exposed women can be free to worship without being legs and upper arms will need to cover them. held back by traditional gender roles. You will also need to remove your shoes while visiting the mosque. While these three young women may be from different backgrounds, they are united in a Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the riad common goal: Creating a future for Morocco featuring Moroccan dishes beginning in which women are free to pursue their hopes at 7:30am. and dreams. Our speaker will spend about 20 minutes sharing their experiences and plans for Morning: Following breakfast, any travelers the future, and we’ll then have the remainder taking our optional post-trip extension will of the hour to ask questions of our own to learn depart for an overland transfer to Essaouira, about daily life for young women in Morocco. leaving the main trip a day early, and experiencing Casablanca on Day 5 of the The We’ll say our goodbyes around 5pm and then Atlantic Coast: Artistic Essaouira & Casablanca return to our riad. post-trip extension instead of Day 15 of the main adventure. Those of us who will Dinner: We’ll gather at the hotel around be returning to the U.S. after the main trip 6:45pm for a 15-minute bus ride to a local concludes will check out of our riad and depart restaurant. Around 7pm we’ll enjoy a Farewell for Casablanca by bus around 9am. During our Dinner at a local restaurant and share our 3- to 4-hour drive, we’ll enjoy another look at discoveries over traditional Moroccan cuisine as Morocco’s timeless landscapes. well as international dishes. Lunch: Around noon we’ll arrive at the Evening: Your evening is yours to enjoy a final Women’s Solidarity Association in Casablanca. night in Marrakesh, making final visits to Founded in 1985, this non-profit organization the medina or reminiscing about the trip with provides professional experience to single your fellow travelers over a nightcap. women, mothers, and victims of abuse by

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30 training them to develop the skills needed to Dinner: On your own, around 6:30pm. Your work in restaurants, bakeries, and hammams. Trip Experience Leader will be happy to provide At the restaurant, we’ll be treated to traditional suggestions on where to dine. cuisine prepared by the women of the Evening: Tonight is free to explore Casablanca, association, and have the chance to get to know gather with fellow travelers in the hotel lobby one of the women training there. This is a great for one last drink to toast to the discoveries opportunity to get a true sense of what life is you’ve made together, or retire early before like for women in Morocco, and we encourage your morning flight. travelers to interact, ask questions, and come away with a better understanding of local life. We’ll depart the association around 2pm and Day 16 Casablanca • Return to U.S. drive by bus to our next destination. • Included Meals: Breakfast

Afternoon: At around 2:30pm, we’ll witness Activity Note: Many travelers will have a very the towering Hassan II Mosque. This mosque is early wake-up call around 3am to catch flights the largest in Morocco with the tallest minaret home to the U.S. Travelers who may have in the world. We’ll have about 1.5 hours at arranged later flights may discuss alternate the mosque to admire its marble columns, plans with your Trip Experience Leader. intricately designed dome, and mosaic tiles. Breakfast: A light breakfast will be served at the While here, you may even hear the call to hotel shortly after our 3am wake up. prayer emanating from the towering minaret. We depart the mosque around 4pm for a Early morning: Board our bus with your 30-minute drive to our centrally-located hotel luggage around 3:30am and take about an to check in and receive our room assignments hour drive to the airport for your return flight for the night. Depending on the hotel, it may home. Or, begin your New! Historic Tunisia: feature an onsite restaurant and lounge. Tunis, Kairouan & Ancient Carthage post-trip Typical guestrooms include satellite television, extension. air conditioning, bottled water, coffee- and tea-making facilities, and an en suite bathroom.

END YOUR ADVENTURE WITH AN OPTIONAL POST-TRIP EXTENSION 5 nights in The Atlantic Coast: Artistic Essaouira & Casablanca

Day 1 Overland to Essaouira • Lunch with Day 4 Overland to Casablanca local family Day 5 Explore Casablanca • Day 2 Explore Essaouira Hassan II Mosque Day 3 Essaouira • Optional Hidden Gems Day 6 Casablanca • Return to U.S. of Mogador tour

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31 OR 6 nights in Historic Tunisia: Tunis, Kairouan & Ancient Carthage

Day 1 Fly to Tunis, Tunisia Day 4 Overland to Kairouan • Explore Kairouan’s medina Day 2 Explore Tunis • Controversial Topic: Life before and after the Tunisian Day 5 Explore Kairouan Revolution Day 6 Overland to Tunis • Cap Bon Day 3 Explore ancient Carthage • Visit winery visit North Africa American Cemetery Day 7 Return to U.S.

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32 OPTIONAL TOURS

During your trip you will be able to book optional tours directly with your Trip Experience Leader. He or she will ask you to confirm the payment for these tours by filling out a payment form. Optional tours can only be purchased with a credit or debit card. We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit cards. We also accept Visa and MasterCard debit cards, but it must be a debit card that allows you to sign for purchases.

In order to correctly process these charges, there can be a delay of 2-3 months from the date of your return for the charges to be posted to your account. Therefore we ask that you use a card that will not expire in the 2-3 months following your return.

Please note: Optional tour prices are listed in U.S. dollar estimates determined at the time of publication and are subject to change. Optional tours may vary.

Volubilis & Meknes Please note: If Day 6 of this itinerary falls on a (Day 6 $75 per person) Saturday, this optional tour will be featured on Day 5 instead. On this full-day optional excursion, we’ll explore two eye-opening, ancient sites. Marrakesh Hot Air Balloon Ride First we’ll pass through the rolling countryside (Day 14 $190 per person) until we arrive at Volubilis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; it’s one of the best-preserved An extremely early wakeup call will be Roman cities in North Africa. Led by a local rewarded with the pre-dawn light illuminating guide, we’ll wander amongst its historic ruins, the edge of Marrakesh city and the backdrop where—peppered within the fragments of of the Atlas Mountains. We’ll receive a safety stone from ancient dwellings—we’ll behold a briefing from our pilot, and then we’ll watch variety of striking, well-preserved mosaics, and an expert team inflate and prepare our balloon. our guide can help us envision what life was like Afterwards, we’ll ascend into the morning sky in ancient times. From this vantage point, we’ll on a 1-hour hot-air balloon ride, which offers also be able to look out upon the panoramic, a unique perspective of Morocco. We may be whitewashed vistas of the holy city of Moulay able to see the traditional Berber villages or far Idriss in the distance. off palm groves dotting the desert landscape. A traditional Moroccan breakfast will be served at Then we’ll set off for Meknes, onetime home the balloon site. of the Moroccan sultanate and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After passing through the monumental gates of this walled city, we’ll Marrakesh Museums stop for lunch at a local restaurant. Then we’ll (Day 14 $70 per person) embark upon a tour of the Old City, including the immense stables—a massive structure Begin your day surrounded by flowers and art that once held 12,000 horses—and granaries at the Jardin Majorelle and Islamic Art Museum. that were built for 17th-century sultan, The lovely landscaped gardens were designed Moulay Ismail. by French artist Jacques Majorelle in the 1920s

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33 (and once owned by Yves Saint-Laurent) and feature a variety of exotic plants, flowers, and cacti. The museum’s collections include North African textiles, ceramics, jewelry, and paintings by Majorelle. Then we visit Maison de la Photographie, a museum showcasing powerful photos and old films of Morocco over the years; and the nearby Museum of the Water Civilization, which documents the ingenious engineering solutions that Moroccans have employed over the years to provide clean water for their daily needs. Then we journey behind the eleventh-century ramparts to explore the narrow streets of Marrakesh’s old fortified city, the medina, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your optional tour concludes with a lunch with some Moroccans, who will share the secret of their special local treat—slow roasted leg of lamb.

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34 PRE-TRIP Northern Morocco: Chefchaouen, Tangier & the Berbers of the Rif

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Accommodations for 1 night in Casablanca » 4 small group activities at Radisson Blu Hotel Casablanca or similar, » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip 3 nights in Chefchaouen at Casa Hassan Experience Leader Guesthouse or similar, and 1 night in » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and Tangier at Fredj Hotel & Spa or similar luggage porters » 9 meals—5 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 » All transfers dinners (including 1 Home-Hosted Lunch)

PRE-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Venture to the mountainside city of Chefchaouen to witness its striking scenery and meet the Berbers who dwell amidst the Rif’s 6,000 peaks. Then travel to Tangier on the northern coast to discover a city that has sparked unforgettable Morocco travel moments for centuries—and experience the intoxicating mix of cultures that travelers have left behind throughout the years.

Day 1 Depart U.S. of Casablanca. Your hotel may feature an onsite restaurant and lounge. Typical rooms Depart the U.S. today on an overnight flight to include a satellite television, air conditioning, Casablanca, Morocco. bottled water, and an en suite bathroom. Upon arrival, you will check in and receive your room Day 2 Arrive Casablanca, Morocco • assignments. Pending your arrival time, you Explore Casablanca may choose to join your Trip Experience Leader • Destination: Casablanca for a short orientation walk around noon. • Accommodations: Radisson Blu Hotel Lunch: On your own. Perhaps you’ll try a Casablanca or similar restaurant your Trip Experience Leader pointed Activity Note: If travelers arrive later today, the out during the orientation walk, or seek out Welcome Briefing will be rescheduled for Day 3. fish chermoula—a seafood dish seasoned with a special mix of spices like onion, coriander, Morning: Depending on your specific chilies, or saffron. flight arrangements, you’ll arrive in Casablanca throughout the morning. An Afternoon: Depending on your arrival time, O.A.T. representative will meet you at the you will have up to six hours of free time to airport and escort you to the bus for your begin exploring Casablanca or relax at the 45-minute transfer to your hotel in the heart hotel after your flight. Around 6pm, we gather

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35 for a Welcome Briefing, during which we will Lunch: Around 12:30pm at a local restaurant en introduce ourselves and review our itinerary in route, featuring barbeque dishes. While here, more detail (including any changes that may we will meet with the owner and his family to need to occur). Your Trip Experience Leader will learn more about daily life and their journey of also discuss logistics, safety and emergency moving from the south of the country. procedures, and answer any questions we Afternoon: We’ll continue our drive to the may have. “Blue City” around 1:30pm and arrive around Dinner: On your own this evening. You may 3:30pm to check in to our hotel in the heart of enjoy Mediterranean and international cuisine Chefchaouen’s medina. Depending on where at the hotel restaurant or venture into the city we stay, our riad—a traditional Moroccan for a local specialty. house built around an interior courtyard that has been converted into a comfortable, rustic Evening: You’re free to explore Casablanca by guesthouse—may feature a hammam (Turkish night, enjoy a cocktail with fellow travelers at bath), dining room, and roof terrace with the hotel bar, or retire early to rest up before sweeping views of the city and mountainsides. tomorrow’s discoveries. Typical rooms are colorfully decorated by local artists and include an en suite bath. Day 3 Overland to Chefchaouen Your Trip Experience Leader will then lead • Destination: Chefchaouen a 1-hour orientation walk to introduce us to • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner this vibrant city at about 5pm. During our • Accommodations: Casa Hassan Guesthouse walk, we’ll step into the lives of locals at a or similar coffee shop in the main square: Place Outa Activity Note: Our overland transfer today el Hammam. We’ll enjoy a cup of coffee will take about 6.5 hours, with a stop for lunch and our Trip Experience Leader will lead a on the way. conversation about the smoking habits of this conservative society. We’ll walk back to our Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel hotel around 6pm. beginning at 7am, featuring hot dishes and Mediterranean breakfast staples. Dinner: At our riad around 6:30pm—featuring traditional Moroccan dishes like tagine, Morning: We depart around 9am by coach couscous, and grilled meats. for the city of Chefchaouen. Known for its distinctive blue-washed buildings, Evening: Tonight you are free to explore at your Chefchaouen is perched on the foothills of own pace, browsing the local shops, enjoying the Rif Mountains. Its name comes from a tea in a café, or taking in the Moroccan charm Berber phrase that means “watch the horns,” of our riad. a reference to the Jebel Tisouka and Megou Freedom To Explore: During your three days in mountains that rise dramatically above the city Chefchaouen, you have the freedom to explore like a pair of horns. the “Blue City” on your own during your free time. Below are a few recommended options for independent explorations:

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36 • Explore the Kasbah Museum: This museum Day 4 Moroccan cooking demonstration lies within the walls of a restored fortress • Home-Hosted Lunch • Explore that was built in 1471 by Prince Moulay Ali Chefchaouen Ben Rachid to fend off Iberian forces. Enjoy • Destination: Chefchaouen the garden, ethnographic museum, and small art gallery promoting the work of local artists • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch to learn more about the surrounding city’s • Accommodations: Casa Hassan Guesthouse culture. Associates in our regional Marrakesh or similar office say this is a must-see attraction and to Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the riad allot 30 minutes to fully explore. beginning at 7am, featuring traditional hot and • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute walk. cold dishes. • Hours: 9am-6:30pm, daily. Morning: Around 9am, we’ll drive 45 • Cost: About $7 USD. minutes to Houmar to meet a rural family • Wander the bustling Chefchaouen flea mar- for a hands-on cooking demonstration in the ket: Browse the unique handicrafts like wool countryside, enjoying the striking scenery of garments, woven blankets, and traditional towering mountains and endless pine forests straw hats with colorful pom-poms. Perhaps along the way. Our hosts will tell us about Berber women farmers will be making their farming in Northern Morocco as we select our way down from the mountainside to sell local ingredients from their garden, and then we’ll goods, such as vegetables, eggs, chickens, join them in the kitchen to prepare a regional, flour, and more. Here, bartering is an expect- seasonal specialty, like harira, a traditional ed part of the process—and can be great fun. soup served during the month of Ramadan, or Perhaps you’ll try it out to truly understand tagine, a slow-cooked savory stew. We’ll have what daily life is like in this city. the unique opportunity to observe and try our • How to get there: A 10-minute walk. own hand at crafting these traditional recipes • Hours: 10am-2pm, Monday and Thursday. with fresh, local ingredients. • Cost: Free. Lunch: We’ll savor the fruits of our labor during • Enjoy the outdoors at Ras Elma: Gather with a Home-Hosted Lunch with our gracious hosts locals at this cascading waterfall and river around noon. where mountain water trickles its way into the town and residents enjoy picnics, wash Afternoon: Around 1pm, we’ll drive the 45 their clothes, or sit to chat. Perhaps you’ll minutes back to Chefchaouen, arriving around stroll the walkways flanking both sides of the 1:45pm. Upon arrival, you will have about 2 river and watch as locals hang their colorful, hours of free time. Then, around 4:30pm, we ornate rugs and clothing out to dry. Or, maybe will enjoy an in-depth conversation at the you’ll cool off in the water, and take a rest on riad on Mountain Berber culture with a local the rocks bordering the river. woman to learn about keeping traditions alive in this city. Afterwards around 6pm, we will • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute walk. set off on a 30-minute walking tour with your • Hours: Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Trip Experience Leader of the medina—a feast • Cost: Free. for all of our senses, with its lively vendors, sumptuous scents, and distinctive blue-washed

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37 buildings. Following our walking tour, you will Lunch: If you joined the Optional Tour in have the remainder of the afternoon to explore Tetouan, we’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant on your own. by the seaside around 12:30pm. Otherwise, experience some of the local specialties on your Dinner: On your own around 6:30pm. Ask your own in Chefchaouen. Trip Experience Leader for a recommendation during the walking tour, or discover somewhere Afternoon: Travelers on the Optional Tour new to try. will return to Chefchaouen around 1:30pm by bus. The rest of the day is free to explore on Evening: Head out on your own to take in your own. Chefchaouen by night. Perhaps you’ll sit longer at dinner to enjoy the atmosphere, walk Dinner: On your own—ask for a the medina to shop, or gather in the riad’s recommendation, or try a local restaurant you courtyard with fellow travelers. came across during your free afternoon.

Evening: Enjoy your last night in the “Blue Day 5 Chefchaouen • Optional Tetouan City” as you choose. Perhaps you’ll walk Cultural Mix tour through the new city, return to the medina, or • Destination: Chefchaouen find a spot to simply sit and take in the spirit • Included Meals: Breakfast of the city. • Accommodations: Casa Hassan Guesthouse or similar Day 6 Overland to Tangier

Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the riad • Destination: Tangier beginning at 8am, featuring traditional hot and • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner cold dishes. • Accommodations: Fredj Hotel & Spa or similar Morning: Today, enjoy a free day, and discover Chefchaouen’s hidden corners, bustling Activity Note: Our overland transfer today markets, and mountain views as you walk its will take about 4 hours over roads that may be charming cobbled streets on your own. Perhaps winding, bumpy, or uneven. you’ll view its beautiful Great Mosque or the Breakfast: Served buffet-style at gardens of the kasbah, journey downhill to the riad beginning at 7:30am, featuring explore the new city, or ascend for a brief hike traditional hot and cold dishes. on the mountainside. Morning: Around 8:30am, we travel for 4 hours Or, you may join our Tetouan Cultural Mix by coach on a scenic coastal road to Tangier, Optional Tour led by your expert Trip the beautiful light and multicultural spirit of Experience Leader. We’ll leave the hotel around which have drawn travelers to Morocco for 8:30am and drive for 1.5 hours to explore the centuries. People have been living in Tangier historic medina of Tetouan, including a stop since colonists from Carthage settled there in at the Royal Palace (which the royal family the fifth century BC, and over the years it has still inhabits). We’ll also explore a lively traded hands between several kingdoms and marketplace, then visit an artisan school empires, and served as refuge for countless where craftsman and their apprentices make cultures. traditional artwork like ornamental woodwork, silk clothing, carved plaster, and mosaics.

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38 We arrive around 12:30pm and break for an Day 7 Train ride to Rabat • Begin main trip independent lunch. • Destination: Rabat Lunch: On our own around 12:30pm. Your Trip • Included Meals: Breakfast Experience Leader will be happy to provide Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel some recommendations. beginning at 7:30am, featuring hot and cold Afternoon: Beginning at about 2pm, we’ll breakfast staples. experience the lively modern culture of this Morning: Leaving the hotel around 9am, ancient coastal city during a 2.5-hour guided we’ll venture out for a stroll with your Trip tour led by your Trip Experience Leader that Experience Leader through Tangier’s medina, includes the bustling medina, historic kasbah with its eclectic mix of ancient architecture and (citadel), and Cape Spartel, a scenic promontory modern touches like more recently-planted looking over the sea. We end our tour at around palm trees that line some of the streets. As we 4:30pm and check in to our hotel, which is explore the meandering maze of medina lanes, located near Tangier’s beach and city center a helpful tip to keep in mind is that, when in and offers up-close views of the Strait of doubt, walking uphill (in pretty much any Gibraltar and the Atlantic Ocean. Depending direction) will usually lead you to an exit. on which hotel you stay at, it may feature a restaurant, swimming pool, and bar—and Lunch: On your own around noon. typical rooms include a TV, telephone, wireless Afternoon: Around 1pm, we’ll head to the train Internet, safe, and private bath with hair dryer. station to catch a train that leaves around 2pm. Dinner: Around 7pm at the hotel, which serves The trip to Rabat will take a total of about an a mix of Moroccan and international dishes. hour and a half. Upon arrival around 3:15pm, we drive overland for about a half hour to our Evening: Enjoy the evening free to wander hotel, where we’ll check in, meet our fellow through this port city, taking in its architecture, travelers, and begin our Morocco Sahara Odyssey. winding streets, and local shops.

OPTIONAL TOUR

Tetouan Cultural Mix to the Royal Palace—which is still inhabited (Day 5 $70 per person) by the royal family. Then, we’ll witness the Immerse yourself in Tetouan’s rich mix fusion of cultures that so defines the area on a of cultures and traditions—Roman, visit to a bustling local market, where you’ll see Andalusian, European—and discover why the vendors selling handmade carpets, jewelry, and well-preserved city is designated a UNESCO leather, and savor the aroma of delectable local World Heritage Site. Founded in the 15th dishes wafting from food carts. We’ll also spend century by Andalusian refugees, this labyrinth some time observing the craftsmanship of of squares, souks (markets), and beaches still local artisans, including weaving, embroidery, maintains its old-world charm. We’ll have the metalworking, and woodcarving. Our tour chance to appreciate the city’s extravagant concludes with lunch by the seaside. architecture on a walking tour, including a visit

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39 PRE-TRIP Andalusia & the Costa del Sol: Seville & Malaga

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Accommodations at centrally-located » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip hotels for 3 nights in Seville and 2 Experience Leader nights in Malaga » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and » 10 meals—5 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 2 luggage porters dinners (including 1 Home-Hosted Lunch) » All transfers » 8 small group activities

PRE-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Start your journey early in the Andalusia region of Spain, where European and Moorish influences intermingle to create a cultural tapestry unlike any other destination. Explore stately Seville, where Moorish kings once held court, and follow the trail of iconic whitewashed villages to Malaga on the sun-kissed Costa del Sol, for an unforgettable view of southern Spain.

Day 1 Depart U.S. Dinner: Tonight, enjoy an included dinner at a local restaurant featuring local and Depart the U.S. today on an overnight flight to international dishes. Seville, Spain. Evening: You are free to relax this evening, Day 2 Arrive Seville, Spain retire early after your flight or make use of the hotel’s amenities. • Destination: Seville, Spain • Included Meals: Dinner Day 3 Explore Seville • Accommodations: Hotel in Seville • Destination: Seville Afternoon: Arrive in Seville this afternoon, • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch where an O.A.T. representative will greet you • Accommodations: Hotel in Seville and help you transfer by private motorcoach to our hotel. Upon arrival, enjoy some free time to Breakfast: At the hotel. explore the area after you check in. Morning: Explore Seville this morning on Throughout the day, your Trip Experience a walking tour with a local guide. Seville is Leader will offer orientation walks of the linked to myriad iconic cultural and historical area around your hotel to see where ATMs, elements. It is the birthplace of flamenco and pharmacies, shops, currency exchange, and Don Juan, the legendary home of powerful restaurants are located. Moorish kings, and the final resting place of Christopher Columbus. With this diverse

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40 history, it’s no wonder Seville boasts a of what ancient Romans named “liquid gold,” unique aesthetic, which you’ll discover on and Seville is one of the top producers in the a tour of the city’s highlights, including country. Vendors take care in choosing the best the resplendent Plaza de España, designed oils from local farms around the city and on for the Ibero-American Exhbition of 1929, its outskirts, in which olives are meticulously incorporating elements of Renaissance style picked by hand. infused with a contemporary Spanish flair. The owners of the farm will show us around We’ll also discover the neighborhood of Barrio the property, teaching us about the different de Santa Cruz—originally the medieval city’s varieties of olives, as well as how to properly Jewish quarter—famous for its maze of narrow use the olive oil for cooking. This is a unique streets that wind around whitewashed homes, opportunity to ask our hosts questions and sizable mansions, and airy plazas. And enjoy a learn as much as we can about this regionally glimpse of Alcazar, official Seville residence of important product. Spanish royalty, as well as Seville’s Cathedral, After our tour, we’ll return to Seville. crowned by la giralda, its iconic 300-foot bell tower. Lunch: On your own in Seville. Your Trip Experience Leader can recommend a café or Lunch: Included at a local restaurant. restaurant. Afternoon: The afternoon is free to explore. Afternoon: This afternoon, we’ll see Seville Your Trip Experience Leader can recommend from another perspective during an hour-long options for independent discovery. cruise on the Guadalquivir River, which runs Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience through the city from north to south. We’ll Leader can recommend a restaurant. disembark at the Isabel II Bridge and then enjoy a walking tour of the nearby Triana Evening: On your own to relax or to explore neighborhood. Just across the river from independently. Ask your Trip Experience Leader Seville’s city center, this historic district has for recommendations. its own distinct cultural identity, which we’ll experience as we walk through the old city with Day 4 Olive oil farm visit • Guadalquivir our Trip Experience Leader. River cruise & Triana neighborhood • Dinner & flamenco show The neighborhood is also home to the lively, bustling Triana Market, which features a • Destination: Seville colorful array of local fruits, vegetables, meats, • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner and spices that all contribute to the perfect • Accommodations: Hotel in Seville tapas. Mingle with locals as you make your Breakfast: At the hotel. way through the individual stands, and take note of items you may not recognize—like Morning: We’ll depart by private motorcoach the chirimoya, a sweet green fruit grown to a family-owned olive farm, where we’ll throughout Spain, Portugal, and Brazil. learn firsthand from the family about the production of olive oil and gain a sense of just how important it is to the Mediterranean diet. Spain is, of course, known for its production

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41 Dinner: Included at a local restaurant. As Afternoon: We’ll finish our transfer to Malaga, we dine, we’ll be treated to an authentic arriving at our hotel in the afternoon. After we flamenco performance, giving us a wonderful check in, the rest of the day is yours to spend as opportunity to witness this passionate art form you wish. in the country of its origin. Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience Evening: On your own to relax or to explore Leader will be happy to recommend a independently. Ask your Trip Experience Leader restaurant. for recommendations. Evening: On your own to relax or to explore independently. Ask your Trip Experience Leader Day 5 Transfer to Malaga • Visit Antequera for recommendations. • Home-Hosted Lunch • Destination: Malaga Day 6 Explore Malaga • Controversial • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Topic: Arab-Spanish relations • Accommodations: Hotel in Malaga in Andalusia Breakfast: At the hotel. • Destination: Malaga • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Morning: We’ll board our private motorcoach and begin our overland journey toward Malaga, • Accommodations: Hotel in Malaga following the route of the white villages, the Breakfast: At the hotel. iconic white-walled settlements that lend this region of Andalusia part of its aesthetic charm. Morning: We’ll get to know Malaga today during an included tour. Located in the We’ll stop along the way to get a closer look country’s Andalusia territory, just beyond at this architectural style during an included the Costa del Sol, Malaga has all the charms tour of the city of Antequera, a tightly-packed of a Mediterranean port coupled with historic cluster of white houses and old churches elegance and a burgeoning art and cultural crowned by a hilltop Moorish Alcazaba, or scene that now rivals Madrid. fortification. Antequera is a lesser-known travel destination compared to some of its We’ll take in the highlights of the city more-touristed Andalusian neighbors, allowing during an included walking tour with a local us to get a more authentic view of how local guide. We’ll see relics left behind by some of people in this region live. Malaga’s earliest inhabitants as we discover Roman ruins, including the 2,000-year-old After our tour, we’ll continue our journey Roman theater. toward Malaga. We’ll also learn more about Malaga’s more Lunch: We’ll stop along the way in Malaga’s recent cultural contributions—renowned Salinas neighborhood where we’ll visit a local artist Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, a fact family for a Home-Hosted Lunch. Together, which local residents are very proud of. You will we’ll enjoy authentic home-cooked Spanish notice his influence here as you explore the city cuisine, and lively conversation about daily life and eventually make your way to the Picasso in Spain’s Costa del Sol. Museum. On October 25, 1881, Pablo Picasso was born in the very building of what is today

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42 the museum, which now houses nearly 300 of Morning: Transfer to the airport for your flight his works. Glimpse into his childhood here, as to Casablanca, where you’ll transfer to your well as Malaga’s influence on his artistic style. hotel and begin your Morocco Sahara Odyssey adventure. After our tour, the rest of the day is free to explore Malaga independently.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: We’ll have 3 hours of free time to explore independently, then join back together for a conversation about a Controversial Topic: The tumultuous relationship between Spain and its Muslim neighbors throughout history, and how conflicts between the two groups over the centuries affect Spanish culture today. In 711, the Umayyad Caliphate invaded Spain, taking over most of the Iberian Peninsula from its former Visigoth rulers. Although Muslim rule in Spain ended in 1492 with the conclusion of the Christian Reconquista, it left its mark on the fabric of Spanish culture and society—especially here in Andalusia, the country’s southernmost region. We’ll meet two expert speakers—one, a Spanish native, the other, a Moroccan living in the country—to gain a broader perspective of what relations were like between Spain’s different ethnic groups throughout its history, and what they are like today.

After our conversation the rest of the day is free to spend as you please.

Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience Leader can recommend a restaurant.

Evening: On your own to relax or to explore independently. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations.

Day 7 Fly to Casablanca, Morocco • Begin main trip • Included Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast: At the hotel.

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43 POST-TRIP The Atlantic Coast: Artistic Essaouira & Casablanca

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Accommodations for 3 nights in Essaouira » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip at Atlas Essaouira or similar and 2 nights Experience Leader in Casablanca at Radisson Blu Hotel » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and Casablanca or similar luggage porters » 9 meals—5 breakfasts, 3 lunches, » All transfers and 1 dinner » 1 small group activity

POST-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Known as “the pearl of the kingdom,” Essaouira boasts an exceptionally temperate climate, beautiful whitewashed neighborhoods, ornate architecture, a splendid medina, and a host of artisans’ workshops and colorful markets. Much of Essaouira’s magic comes from its artistic influence—inspired by the city’s tranquility, beauty, and splendid light.

Day 1 Overland to Essaouira • Lunch with ancient Romans who occupied this area used local family the island’s resources for creating a dye that colored their togas purple, thus giving the • Destination: Essaouira islands their name. • Included Meals: Lunch, Dinner • Accommodations: Hotel Atlas Essaouira At around 10:30am, we’ll stop at a local or similar village and visit a women-run cooperative organization, where local women work together Activity Note: After enjoying breakfast in to raise goats and produce cheese. We’ll meet Marrakesh on Day 15 of the main trip, we travel the women who work here, learn about their overland to Essaouira, and our Casablanca production processes, and maybe even get a discoveries will take place on Day 5 of the taste of the finished product. post-trip extension. The transfer today will take about 7.5 hours, including stops Lunch: We’ll have a traditional lunch in the along the way. home of a local family on our way to Essaouira, around 12pm. Morning: Around 8:30am, we’ll drive from Marrakesh to Essaouira, which extends from Afternoon: We will continue driving to the massive historic fortifications of the old Essaouira around 3pm and arrive around 5pm. city to a long beach on the shoreline. Offshore We will stay for three nights in a hotel located in the distance lies Mogador, also known as on the beachfront. Depending on which hotel the Îles Purpuraires (Purple Islands). The you stay at, your hotel may feature a swimming

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44 pool, fitness center, and restaurant. Typical great opportunity to focus on mindfulness rooms include air conditioning, satellite and caring for your body to prepare for your television, minibar, and en suite bathroom. further adventures in Essaouira.

Dinner: We will depart the hotel around • How to get there: An approximate 15-min- 6:45pm for a 10-minute drive to a local ute drive from the hotel. restaurant, where we’ll enjoy Moroccan and • Hours: By appointment. Mediterranean cuisine with our fellow travelers. • Cost: About $50 USD per person. • Explore Moroccan Jewish heritage at Simon Evening: The evening is free for you to explore Attias Synagogue: This restored synagogue, the city, spend time reflecting with fellow originally built in 1882 in former Mogador, travelers, or rest. sits in the heart of Essaouria’s old Mellah Freedom To Explore: During your three (Jewish Quarter). The first two floors house days in Essaouira, you have the freedom the synagogue with large, arched windows, to explore “The Pearl of the Kingdom” on while the third floor is dedicated to the offices your own during your free time. Below are a of Jewish courts. As you wander through the few recommended options for independent patio, prayer room, and halls, you’ll gain a explorations: deeper understanding of Jewish history in Morocco. We suggest about 30 minutes to • Explore the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah explore this synagogue. Museum: Housed in an old riad, this museum • How to get there: A 20-minute walk. has a charming, welcoming atmosphere. The • Hours: 9am-4pm, daily. first floor is accented by intricate tilework • Cost: About $4 USD. and pillared arches. A main staircase, heavily trimmed in blue, leads to the second floor of Day 2 Explore Essaouira the riad. On both floors of this ethnographic museum, historical artifacts, traditional • Destination: Essaouira garments, tapestries, jewelry, and musical • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch instruments are displayed. We suggest about • Accommodations: Hotel Atlas Essaouira 45 minutes to fully explore this museum. or similar • How to get there: A 20-minute walk, or a Breakfast: Served at the hotel starting at short taxi ride, about $10 USD one way. 7:30am, featuring traditional Moroccan cuisine. • Hours: 9am-5pm, daily. Morning: Around 9am, we’ll depart the hotel • Cost: About $7 USD. by bus to begin a guided tour of Essaouira led Take some time to relax between your • by your Trip Experience Leader. We’ll drive discoveries of bustling medinas and markets approximately 10 minutes to our first stop at with a yoga class by the water: Enjoy a the main gate of the city’s medina—a UNESCO 90-minute session, letting the sounds of World Heritage Site full of white-washed the Atlantic’s waves fill your ears. This is a houses with cheerily painted blue doors. Here, we’ll walk along its narrow lanes, artisans’ workshops, and bustling fishing harbor—perhaps catching the pungent scent of freshly caught sardines grilling in the open air and glimpsing dormant cannons standing

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45 guard over the fishing fleets on the wharf. Dinner: On our own—Your Trip Experience As we tour the harbor, our Trip Experience Leader can recommend an interesting, local Leader will introduce us to some of the hardy restaurant for you to try. fishermen who ply their trade here, enjoying Evening: You are free to explore the city by opportunities for people-to-people interaction, night, spend time with your fellow travelers at and an authentic glimpse into the daily lives of the hotel, or retire to your room to relax before the locals. tomorrow’s day of discoveries. At around 10:30am, we’ll shop for local fish to prepare for our lunch later on. Our Trip Day 3 Essaouira • Optional Hidden Gems Experience Leader will help us navigate the of Mogador tour market and shop like the locals do, giving us • Destination: Essaouira firsthand insight into how the people of this seaside city spend their days. • Included Meals: Breakfast • Accommodations: Hotel Atlas Essaouira We’ll spend about a half hour shopping, then or similar at 11am, we’ll stroll through winding, narrow Breakfast: Served at the hotel starting at alleyways that make up the city center and 7:30am, featuring traditional Moroccan cuisine. watch as craftsmen carve ornate trinkets and boxes of lemonwood, briarwood, and mother Morning: Today, you are free to make your of pearl inlay. Essaouira, once home to a large own discoveries in Essaouira. Some travelers Jewish community, still has façades with the find the city to be like a more relaxed version Star of David carved into them. We’ll also visit of Marrakesh. As you stroll along the beaches, a series of commanding forts built along the perhaps you’ll notice some windsurfers who seafront that are a mixture of Portuguese, have earned Essaouira its nickname of “Windy French, and Berber military architecture. City, Africa.” Elsewhere on the coastal side of Following our discoveries, we will walk to a town, you can take in impressive views from the local restaurant for lunch to prepare the fish we seaside bastion of Skala de Ville, a favorite place bought earlier on. for watching the sunset. You might visit the city’s small museum, which displays historic Lunch: Around 1pm, we’ll enjoy fish we jewelry, costumes, weapons, and tapestries, or purchased in the harbor in a nearby restaurant go shopping in the medina. within the medina. Or join us on an Optional Tour to learn about Afternoon: Around 2pm, we will continue our the making of Argan oil. We’ll depart around discoveries of Essaouira by foot as we learn 9am, making our first stop at a nearby village about the melodic chants of Gnawa music and for its colorful Berber market. Depending on the handcrafted goods made from the Thuya what day of the week you attend, vendors can tree, a rare hardwood with a delicious fragrance be seen selling produce or animals. Then, we’ll that can only be found in this part of Morocco. continue on, keeping our eye out for goats We will return to the hotel by bus around 4pm, climbing Argan trees. The process of making and you can explore at your own pace for the Argan oil actually begins with these agile, rest of the afternoon. four-legged creatures. The Argan tree, which is native to Morocco and Algeria, produces a plum-like fruit with a pit or nut in the center.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

46 The goats (which we may or may not observe) Day 4 Overland to Casablanca have adapted to climb the thorny, gnarled • Destination: Casablanca branches of the tree to eat the fruit, but cannot • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch digest the center, and it is from this “nut” that Argan oil is made. Around 10:30am, we’ll make • Accommodations: Radisson Blu Hotel our way to a local women’s cooperative that Casablanca or similar specializes in Argan production. While here, Activity Note: Today, our transfer from we’ll gain a deeper understanding of how these Essaouira to Casablanca will involve an 8-hour women in a remote area are improving their bus ride, including stops along the way, over lives and making a sustainable income. We’ll roads that may be bumpy or uneven at times. have a chance to taste the Argan oil that these women produce and understand the process Breakfast: Served at the hotel starting at more in-depth. 7:30am, featuring traditional Moroccan cuisine.

Lunch: If you have joined our Optional Tour, Morning: Around 8:30am, we’ll travel through we will stop around 12:30pm to enjoy lunch Morocco by a different countryside route at a vineyard where you can taste some of the than the one we took on our way to Essaouira. locally-produced wine and produce. Those who The landscape will shift on this coastal road chose not to go on the Optional Tour are free to between sweeping views of the sea and remote seek out a meal on their own, choosing among fishing villages. Around 11:30am, we’ll stop in many fine restaurants—seafood, in particular, the small fishing village of Oualidia, bordered is a local specialty. by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and a saltwater lagoon on the other. Locally, Oualidia Afternoon: If you are on the Optional Tour, is known for their oyster farms and is referred we’ll depart lunch around 2pm and make the to by many as “Morocco’s oyster capital.” 1.5 hour bus ride back to the hotel, arriving around 3:30pm. Upon arrival, you will enjoy the We’ll visit one of the oyster farms to learn remainder of the day on your own with the rest about their harvesting techniques firsthand. of our small group. While here, we’ll enjoy a tasting of these straight-from-the-sea shellfish. An oyster Dinner: Dinner is on your own. Ask your Trip farmer will walk us through their daily Experience Leader to recommend a local routines, and we encourage travelers to ask restaurant for you to try. any questions you may have. Our small group affords us the opportunity to gain a deeper Evening: Your last evening here is free for you understanding of oyster harvesting and how to wander the streets through this seaside city, this commodity impacts the local community. perhaps in search of live music. Following our discoveries, we’ll drive about 10 minutes to a local restaurant.

Lunch: Around 12:30pm, we will enjoy a traditional lunch featuring seafood specialties at a local restaurant in Oualidia.

Afternoon: Around 2pm, we’ll continue via coach for another 2.5 hours with a quick rest stop along the way around 4pm. We will reach

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

47 our hotel around 5pm, which is located near the some nearby restaurants specialize in camel central market and offers an onsite restaurant minced meat, which you can pair with a and lounge. Each of the modern guestrooms traditional Moroccan tea. includes satellite television, air conditioning, • How to get there: A 15- to 20-minute taxi bottled water, coffee- and tea-making ride, about $5 USD one way. facilities, and an en suite bathroom. Then, • Hours: Markets are open 9:30am-2pm, our Trip Experience Leader will take us on an daily. orientation walk around the area at 5:30pm. • Cost: Free. Dinner: You’re free to explore some of • Explore the only Jewish museum in the Casablanca’s local cuisine on your own tonight. Arabic-speaking world, Moroccan Jewish Consider asking your Trip Experience Leader Museum: Before the founding of Israel in about their favorite spots for dinner during the 1948, Morocco’s Jewish population reached orientation walk. almost 350,000, whereas today the number has dwindled to a few thousand. This Evening: Enjoy the freedom to explore institution preserves and supports the rich Casablanca by night on your own this evening. cultural history and traditions of Moroccan Freedom To Explore: During your two days in Judaism. Through photographs, artifacts, and Casablanca, you have the freedom to explore historical exhibits, learn about the tolerant this vibrant city on your own during your free and harmonious coexistence between the time. Below are a few recommended options for Jewish and Muslim communities in Morocco. independent explorations: We suggest about an hour to fully explore the museum. • Discover the New Medina: Take a walk • How to get there: A 15- to 20-minute taxi through Casablanca’s most atmospheric ride, about $5 USD one way. district, the New Medina—also called • Hours: 10am-5pm Monday-Friday, 11am- Habous—which is characterized by its small 3pm Sunday. tree-lined squares, neat alleyways, and • Cost: About $7 USD. elegant arcades. Small souks line every inch of the narrow laneways with vendors enthu- • Visit L’Eglise du Sacre-Coeur: Admire the siastically selling their products: fragrant impressive architectural blend of art deco, spices, colorful varieties of olives, incense, Moorish, and neo-Gothic styles of the Moroccan handicrafts, traditional garments Casablanca Cathedral, which was built in 1930 and leather goods. As you peruse the stalls, when Morocco was still under French rule. you can hear locals chattering and the bustle The cathedral fell into disuse after Morocco’s of every day life in Casablanca. Our regional independence in 1956 and has served as a cul- Marrakesh office, highly suggests a stop at tural center in more recent years. The build- Pâtisserie Bennis Habous to try traditional ing features ornate stained glass windows, Moroccan pastries, like cornes de gazelle twin towers flanking the entrance—strongly (crescent-shaped cookies with an almond resembling minarets—and small windows paste infused with orange flower water) or akda aux amandes (almond macaroons). Plus, if you’re looking to try more local specialties,

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

48 that echo the style of any mosque. While ornate sandstone arch which was once a walking through the adjoining Arab League gateway in the city walls—before pausing Park, you can view the imposing façade. for lunch.

• How to get there: A 15- to 20-minute taxi Lunch: Your Trip Experience Leader can ride, about $4 USD one way. recommend some of their favorite options for • Hours: 10am-6pm, daily. lunch on your own around 1pm. • Cost: About $2 USD. Afternoon: This afternoon, we will drive by Day 5 Explore Casablanca • private motorcoach to Sidi Abderrahman Hassan II Mosque Island, passing through the upscale coastal neighborhood of Ain Diab along the way. At the • Destination: Casablanca island, which was once the home of a local saint • Included Meals: Breakfast who claimed he could walk on water. Today, • Accommodations: Radisson Blu Hotel the island houses the saint’s mausoleum, and Casablanca or similar is a venue for a host of magicians and fortune Activity Note: During our visit to the mosque, tellers who believe the island’s mystical both men and women will need to remove their properties amplify their arcane abilities. shoes, and cover their legs and arms. Dinner: On your own for your final night Breakfast: Buffet-style at the hotel in Morocco. beginning at 7:30am, featuring local and Evening: The evening is yours to spend as you international dishes. choose—you are free to join fellow travelers in Morning: Around 9:30am, we will stop at the the main hotel area for a last drink, return to famous Hassan II Mosque and spend about an your room to rest before your departure in the hour admiring this towering architectural gem. morning, or enjoy one more night exploring the Our Trip Experience Leader will give us more streets of Casablanca. insight into the complicated history of the mosque, which is the largest in Morocco. Day 6 Casablanca • Return to U.S.

At around 10:30am, we will join our Trip • Included Meals: Breakfast Experience Leader for a 1.5-hour walking tour Early Morning: For those travelers with early of Casablanca’s highlights, including Le Marche departures this morning, there will be a 3am Central—the city’s central market—and the wake up call. Departing the hotel around Hotel Lincoln, Casablanca’s oldest hotel. 3:30am, you will make the 1-hour drive to Built in 1917, the Art Deco hotel was once a the airport. prestigious destination in the city, but has since fallen into a state of disrepair. Although Breakfast: For those with an early departure, a it was designated as part of the country’s light breakfast of coffee and baked goods will be architectural heritage in 2000 by Morocco’s served at the hotel beginning around 3:30am. Ministry of Culture, but restoration efforts If you have a later departure, breakfast will be on the abandoned hotel only began recently served buffet-style at the hotel featuring local in 2019. We will also see Bab Marrakech—an and international dishes.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

49 Morning: Board a bus with your luggage around 8am and take about an hour drive to the Casablanca airport for your return flight home.

OPTIONAL TOUR

Hidden Gems of Mogador (Day 3 $70 per person) Join us on an optional tour to learn about the making of Argan Oil—a process that begins with tree-climbing goats. The Argan tree, which is native to Morocco and Algeria, produces a plum-like fruit with a pit or nut in the center. The goats have adapted to climb the thorny, gnarled branches of the tree to eat the fruit, but cannot digest the center, and it is from this “nut” that Argan Oil is made. We’ll walk through countryside groves of Argan trees with cameras poised, in hopes of possibly capturing a photo of these unusual animals. Then, we’ll stop at the colorful Berber market in a nearby village. Then we’ll visit a local women’s cooperative that specializes in Argan production to learn how this useful oil is made. Then, we’ll sit down to a lunch at a local vineyard. This half-day tour includes lunch.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

50 POST-TRIP Historic Tunisia: Tunis, Kairouan & Ancient Carthage

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Accommodations for 4 nights at the Carlton » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip Hotel or similar in Tunis and 2 nights at a Experience Leader centrally-located hotel in Kairouan » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and » 12 meals—6 breakfasts, 3 lunches, luggage porters and 3 dinners » All transfers » 8 small group activities

POST-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Include another North African country in your adventure and discover Tunisia, a land steeped in history, culture, and spirituality. We’ll explore the cities of Tunis and Kairouan, taking in medinas, mosques, mausoleums, and other sites that mark the long history of these ancient lands. Step back in time at the ruins of Carthage, and pay tribute to the American soldiers who fought and fell here during World War II. Plus, get acquainted with modern Tunisia as we learn about the revolution that inspired the Arab Spring, and taste fine vintages at a winery in the Cap Bon peninsula.

Day 1 Fly to Tunis, Tunisia Day 2 Explore Tunis • Controversial Topic: • Destination: Tunis, Tunisia Life before and after the Tunisian • Included Meals: Dinner Revolution • Accommodations: Carlton Hotel or similar • Destination: Tunis • Included Meals: Breakfast Afternoon: Transfer to the airport for your flight to Tunis. Upon arrival, an O.A.T. • Accommodations: Carlton Hotel or similar representative will greet you and assist you Breakfast: At the hotel. with your transfer to the hotel. After checking in, you’ll have a few hours to relax or explore Morning: Today we’ll explore Tunisia’s independently before joining your Trip bustling capital on an included tour with our Experience Leader on an orientation walk Trip Experience Leader. We’ll begin by driving through the area surrounding your hotel and via private motorcoach to the Bardo Museum, the city’s medina (old town). Tunisia’s national museum of archaeology. Located in an 18th-century royal palace, it Dinner: Included at a local restaurant. displays a collection of ancient Roman mosaics along with sarcophagi and statues from the Evening: On your own to relax or to explore Roman and Carthaginian periods. independently. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

51 We’ll then drive to the city’s medina, a UNESCO Day 3 Explore ancient Carthage • Visit World Heritage Site, where we’ll step out for North Africa American Cemetery a walking tour. Tunis was one of the greatest • Destination: Tunis cities in the world during the reign of the Almohad and Hafsid dynasties from the twelfth • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch to the 16th centuries. We’ll witness the legacy • Accommodations: Carlton Hotel or similar of that era in the hundreds of palaces, mosques, Breakfast: At the hotel. and fountains here in the medina. Morning: We’ll begin the day with a Lunch: On your own. Your Trip Experience motorcoach ride to the site of ancient Carthage, Leader can point you to a café or restaurant in which evokes the romance and tragedy of the city center to suit your appetite. the legendary era of Queen Dido and Aeneas chronicled in Virgil’s Aeneid. Scattered ruins Afternoon: We’ll walk back to our hotel, help us envision where the mighty city of where you’ll have a few hours of free time antiquity once stood, sending its fleets for for independent exploration. Before dinner, trade and warfare across the Mediterranean, we’ll be joined by a local young woman for a including Hannibal’s famous but doomed conversation about a Controversial Topic as we campaign against Rome in the Second Punic learn what life was like in Tunisia before and War. After Carthage was conquered, the after the Tunisian Revolution. Romans destroyed the old city but established In December 2010, a Tunisian merchant named a new one of their own on its site, which lasted Mohamed Bouazizi immolated himself to for almost another 500 years. The remaining protest the draconian laws and poor living ruins have been designated a UNESCO World conditions under the regime of Zine El Abidine Heritage Site. Ben Ali, the country’s president at the time. We’ll then pay our respects to the American Bouazizi’s death sparked a month of protest soldiers who liberated Tunisia during World that ended with Ben Ali’s ouster, and inspired War II with a visit to the North Africa American the Arab Spring, a series of pro-democracy Cemetery and Memorial. This 27-acre demonstrations and uprisings that swept memorial is the final resting place of 2,841 across the Middle East and North Africa for the American military dead and also honors 3,700 following year. We’ll hear from a young woman soldiers whose remains were never found. who lived in Tunisia during Ben Ali’s rule, and hear firsthand what life was like in those days, Lunch: Included at a local restaurant. and about the dramatic era of change that followed in the revolution’s wake. Afternoon: We’ll drive back to our hotel in Tunis after lunch, where the rest of the day is Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience free to explore independently. Leader can recommend a restaurant. Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience Evening: On your own to relax or to explore Leader can recommend a restaurant. independently. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations. Evening: On your own to relax or to explore independently. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

52 Day 4 Overland to Kairouan • Explore founded in the year 670 and shows influences Kairouan’s medina of pre-Islamic, Roman, and Byzantine architecture. • Destination: Kairouan • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Next, we’ll drive by private motorcoach to the • Accommodations: Hotel in Kairouan mausoleum of Abou Zamaa al-Balawi, one of Kairouan’s most revered religious locales. Here Breakfast: At the hotel. lie the remains of Abou Zamaa al-Balawi, one Morning: We’ll transfer by private motorcoach of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, to Kairouan today, arriving later this morning. who died in a battle against the native Berber Kairouan is a city with a spiritual feel whose people of this region, and is said to have been ornate seventh-century Great Mosque is the buried with three hairs from the Prophet’s fourth-holiest site in Islam. It was here that beard. The burial took place prior to the Ibn Khaldun, a great Muslim historian of the founding of the city, and in the 17th century, an 14th century, lived and worked at the height of elaborate mausoleum was constructed over the Islam’s classical period. Once we arrive, we’ll site to honor his life, death, and deeds. We’ll spend about an hour exploring the city’s medina explore the mausoleum on an included tour. before checking in to our hotel. Then, we’ll drive by private motorcoach to the Lunch: Included at a local restaurant. Aghlabid Basins, a cistern constructed in the 9th century by the Aghlabid dynasty to serve as Afternoon: Enjoy the afternoon to explore a source of potable water for the people living Kairouan independently. You might choose to in this arid, drought-prone region. The basins chat with locals going about their business in were an engineering marvel of their day, and the medina, or ask your Trip Experience Leader are still impressive now, as we’ll see during our for recommended activities. included tour.

Dinner: We’ll walk from the hotel to a local Lunch: On our way back to Kairouan, we’ll stop restaurant, where dinner is included. at a local restaurant for an included lunch.

Evening: On your own to relax or to explore Afternoon: We’ll return back to our hotel in independently. Ask your Trip Experience Leader Kairouan this afternoon, where the rest of the for recommendations. day is free to explore independently. Your Trip Experience Leader will be happy to recommend Day 5 Explore Kairouan discovery options.

• Destination: Kairouan Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Leader can recommend a restaurant. • Accommodations: Hotel in Kairouan Evening: On your own to relax or to explore Breakfast: At the hotel. independently. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations. Morning: We’ll discover a few of Kairouan’s most significant sites on an included city tour this morning. First, we’ll walk to the Great Mosque. The oldest Muslim place of worship in Africa, Kairouan’s Great Mosque was

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

53 Day 6 Overland to Tunis • Cap Bon winery visit • Destination: Tunis • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner • Accommodations: Carlton Hotel or similar

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We’ll drive by private motorcoach back to Tunis today, stopping along the way at a winery in Cap Bon, a fertile peninsula at Tunisia’s northeastern tip. The Mediterranean terroir here is ideal for wine production, which we’ll see firsthand during a visit to a local winery in the region. We’ll learn about the wine production process, from grape to final product, and enjoy the opportunity to taste a few of Tunisia’s fine vintages to expand our palate.

Lunch: As we make our way back to Tunis, we’ll stop en route for an opportunity to enjoy lunch on our own.

Afternoon: We arrive back in Tunis early this afternoon, where we’ll check in to our hotel and enjoy a final afternoon at leisure. Your Trip Experience Leader can help you make the most of your last full day in Tunisia.

Dinner: Included at the hotel.

Evening: On your own to relax or to explore independently. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations.

Day 7 Return to U.S. • Included Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: Transfer to the airport today for your return flight home.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

54 Morocco Sahara Odyssey OUR SMALL GROUP ADVENTURE COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY To ensure the safety of all of our travelers, we are requiring that all travelers joining us on one of our Small Group Adventures must be fully vaccinated 2022 Dates & Prices against COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to departure of their adventure— and provide proof of their vaccination on-site. For more details, please visit www.oattravel.com/covid-update.

APRIL; M A R MAY 1-10; M A R 18-31; SEP 16-30; MAY OCT NOVEMBER; DEC 1-12, DEPART FROM J A N U A R Y F E B R U A R Y 1-17 SEP 1-15 OCT 28-31 11-31 AUGUST 1-27 DEC 15-20 24, 27

New York $ 3895 $3995 $4595 $4695 $4895 $4795 $3595 $4995 $4195 $4095

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Miami, $ 3995 $4095 $4695 $4795 $4995 $4895 $3695 $5095 $4295 $4195 Newark Baltimore, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, $ 4095 $4195 $4795 $4895 $5095 $4995 $3795 $5195 $4395 $4295 Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Washington, DC

Denver, Houston $ 4195 $4295 $4895 $4995 $5195 $5095 $3895 $5295 $4495 $4395

Additional departure cities are available. Upgrade to Business Class may be available for the international portion of your flight. Call for details.

M A R APRIL; 18-31; MAY 1-10; M A R MAY 11-31; SEP 16-30; O C T N O V E M B E R ; DEC 1-12, J A N U A R Y F E B R U A R Y 1-17 SEP 1-15 OCT 28-31 AUGUST 1-27 DEC 15-20 24, 27 Without international airfare $ 2895 $ 2995 $ 3595 $ 3695 $ 3895 $ 2495 $ 3995 $ 3195 $ 3095

MSO2022

NEW! STOPOVERS RISK-FREE BOOKING POLICY: RESERVE WITH CONFIDENCE— All O.A.T. Stopovers include 3 nights in a NOW THROUGH 12/31/21 centrally-located hotel, daily breakfasts, and We will waive any change fees if you transfer to another departure date for any roundtrip private airport transfers. reason—up until 24 hours prior to departure. See details at www.oattravel.com/ Madrid: Rome: riskfree-booking. $795 per person $895 per person Cairo: Paris: $845 per person $945 per person Prices are per person. Airfare prices include government taxes, fees, and airline fuel surcharges. Other O.A.T. Stopovers are available. If a city All prices and availability are effective as of the date of this publication, and are subject to you are interested in is not offered, we can change without notice. Standard Terms & Conditions apply, please visit our website: arrange your airfare for that, too. www.oattravel.com/tc. Every effort has been made to produce this information accurately. Call your Regional Adventure Counselor for full We reserve the right to correct errors. details at 1-800-955-1925.

For specific departure dates, current availability, and detailed pricing, visit www.oattravel.com/mso2022 pricing

SAVE UP TO 10% WITH FREE SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS SHARE YOUR LOVE OF TRAVEL OUR GOOD BUY PLAN We offer FREE Single Supplements on all New travelers you refer will instantly save The earlier you reserve your departure of our adventures and pre- and post-trip $100, and you’ll earn increasing rewards— and pay in full, the more you’ll save—up extensions. up to a FREE trip! to 10%—plus, you’ll lock in your price. Each departure has limited solo space For details, visit www.oattravel.com/va For details, visit www.oattravel.com/gbd available—call today to reserve.

Publication Date 5/18/21

Information & Reservations 1-800-955-1925 www.oattravel.com/mso2022

55 TRAVEL DOCUMENTS & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Your Passport • Must be in good condition

• Must be valid for at least 6 months after your scheduled return to the U.S.

• Must have the required number of blank pages (details below)

• The blank pages must be labeled “Visas” at the top. Pages labeled “Amendments and Endorsements” are not acceptable

Need to Renew Your Passport? Contact the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) at 1-877-487-2778, or visit their website at www.travel.state.gov for information on obtaining a new passport or renewing your existing passport. You may also contact our recommended visa service company, PVS International, at 1-800-556-9990 for help with your passport

Recommended Blank Pages Please confirm that your passport has enough blank pages for this adventure.

• Main trip only: If you are taking only the main trip, you will need 2 blank pages

• Pre-trip extension to Spain: You will need an additional blank page, for a total of 3.

• Post-trip extension to Tunisia: You will need an additional blank page, for a total of 3.

• A Morocco pre- and/or post-trip extension: No additional pages needed.

• Both Spain pre-trip and Tunisia post-trip extensions: You will need 2 additional pages, for a total of 4.

• Stopover in Amsterdam, Munich, or Rome: You will need to add 2 additional pages to the applicable total listed above.

• Stopover in Istanbul, London, Madrid, Paris, Cairo, or Dubai: You will need to add an additional page to the applicable total listed above.

No Visas Required We’ll be sending you a detailed Visa Packet with instructions, application forms, and fees about 90 days prior to your departure. All visas information listed is only applicable if you are taking an optional stopover extension to a country with a required visa. In the meantime, we’re providing the information below as a guideline on what to expect. This information is for U.S. citizens only. All visas and fees are subject to change.

56 • Turkey (optional stopover only): Visa required. We suggest you obtain an e-visa in advance through the Turkish government’s website as visas cannot be obtained upon arrival.

• Egypt (optional stopover only): Visa required. U.S. citizens will require a visa to enter Egypt; detailed instructions and information will be included in your Visa Packet, as noted above.

• United Arab Emirates (optional stopover only): Visa required. Currently, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) allows U.S. citizens to get a tourist visa free of charge on arrival in Dubai.

Traveling Without a U.S. Passport? If you are not a U.S. citizen, or if your passport is from any country other than the U.S., it is your responsibility to check with your local consulate, embassy, or a visa services company about visa requirements. We recommend the services of PVS International, a national visa service located in Washington D.C.; they can be reached at 1-800-556-9990 or www.pvsinternational.org.

Traveling With a Minor? Some governments may require certain documentation for minors to enter and depart the country or to obtain a visa (if applicable). For further detail on the required documentation, please contact your local embassy or consulate.

Emergency Photocopies of Key Documents We recommend you carry color photocopies of key documents including the photo page of your passport plus any applicable visas, air itinerary, credit cards (front and back), and an alternative form of ID. Add emergency phone numbers like your credit card company and the number for your travel protection plan. Store copies separate from the originals.

If you plan to email this information to yourself, please keep in mind that email is not always secure; consider using password protection or encryption. Also email is not always available worldwide. As an alternative, you could load these documents onto a flash drive instead, which can do double-duty as a place to backup photos during your trip.

Overseas Taxes & Fees This tour may have taxes and fees that cannot be included in your airline ticket price because you are required to pay them in person onsite. All taxes are subject to change without notice and can be paid in cash (either U.S. or local currency). If applicable, you will receive a list of these fees with your Final Documents.

57 RIGORS, VACCINES & GENERAL HEALTH

Is This Adventure Right for You? Please review the information below prior to departing on this adventure. We reserve the right for our Trip Experience Leaders to modify participation, or in some circumstances send travelers home, if their condition would adversely affect the health, safety, or enjoyment of themselves or of other travelers.

PACING • 7 locations in 15 days with two 1-night stays

• Two 8-9-hour transfers and three transfers of up to 5 hours

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS • Not appropriate for travelers using wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility aids

• You must be able to walk 2-3 miles unassisted; expect 2-4 hours of physical activities on some days

• You will need to access vehicles by ladder without aid, and navigate multi-story accommodations which may have narrow staircases and no elevators

• We reserve the right for Trip Experience Leaders to restrict participation, or in some circumstances send travelers home, if their limitations impact the group’s experience

CLIMATE • Between May and September, daytime temperatures average 90-100°F but can reach 110°F, dropping as low as 50°F at night

• In the Sahara, nights and mornings are quite cold between November and March; it could drop as low as 40°F at night

• The months of December through March bring heavy rain and thunderstorms

TERRAIN & TRANSPORTATION • Travel over cobbled streets and sandy, uneven, and bumpy terrain in the Sahara that can cause problems for travelers with leg or back issues

• We travel via air-conditioned motorcoach (no toilet onboard), 4x4 vehicles, and camel

FLIGHT INFORMATION • Travel time will be 7-22 hours and will most likely have one or two connections of 2-3 hours each

58 ACCOMMODATIONS & FACILITIES • We spend 2 nights in the Sahara in comfortable but basic canvas tents without heat or electricity, with a bathroom inside and shower with tepid water inside of your tent. The main camp is a 3-minute walk away

• Hotels feature a variety of Western-style amenities and personal services. Some stays will be in riads (traditional multi-story Moroccan homes that have been restored and converted into hotels). Riads do not have elevators and will require the use of stairs.

• All hotels feature private baths

Steps to Take Before Your Trip Before you leave on this adventure, we recommend the following:

• Check with the CDC for their recommendations for the countries you’ll be visiting. You can contact them online at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel or by phone at 1-800-232-4636.

• Have a medical checkup with your doctor at least 6 weeks before your trip.

• Pick up any necessary medications, both prescription and over-the-counter.

• Have a dental and/or eye checkup. (Recommended, but less urgent)

Vaccines Required

COVID-19 Overseas Adventure Travel requires that all travelers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are able provide proof of their vaccination upon arrival at their destination. A full vaccination is defined as having been inoculated at least 14 days prior to departure by an approved vaccine. This requirement is not contingent on the countries the tour visits, but a strict company policy due to the nature of the pandemic.

Medication Suggestions • An antibiotic medication for gastrointestinal illness

• Prescription pain medication in the unlikely event of an injury in a remote location

• Something to combat dehydration or heat stroke, such as salt tablets or powered sports drink/electrolytes

Traveling with Medications • Pack medications in your carry-on bag to avoid loss and to have them handy.

• Keep medicines in their original, labeled containers for a quicker security screen at the airport and a better experience if you get stopped by customs while overseas.

59 • Bring copies of your prescriptions, written using the generic drug name rather than a brand name to be prepared for any unforeseen loss of your medications.

We recommend checking with the State Department for medication restrictions by country: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel- Country-Information-Pages.html. (Pick the country and then follow the links to “Local Laws & Special Circumstances”; if you don’t see any medications specifically mentioned, then you can presume major U.S. brands should be OK).

Staying Healthy on Your Trip Jet Lag Tips

• Start your trip well-rested.

• Begin a gradual transition to your new time zone before you leave or switch to your destination time zone when you get on the plane.

• Attempt to sleep and eat according to the new schedule.

• Avoid heavy eating and drinking caffeine or alcoholic beverages right before–and during– your flight.

• Drink plenty of water and/or fruit juice while flying

• Stretch your legs, neck, and back periodically while seated on the plane.

• After arrival, avoid the temptation to nap.

• Don’t push yourself to see a lot on your first day.

• Try to stay awake your first day until after dinner.

Allergies

If you have any serious allergies or dietary restrictions, we advise you to notify us at least 30 days prior to your departure. Please call our Traveler Support team at 1-800-221-0814, and we will communicate them to our regional office. Every effort will be made to accommodate you.

Water • Tap water is not safe to drink.

• Complimentary bottled water is readily available at mealtimes or on the bus.

• You can also buy bottled water from local shops. Inspect each bottle before you buy it to make sure the cap is sealed properly.

• Carry a bottle in your day bag at all times.

• Bottled drinks and juices are safe to drink as are hot drinks that have been boiled.

60 • Carry a bandanna to dry the tops of bottled drinks before and after opening, and for cleaning wet utensils or plates.

• We suggest that you use hand sanitizer after washing your hands in tap water.

Food • We’ve carefully chosen the restaurants for your group meals. Your Trip Experience Leader can suggest restaurants for the meal you take on your own.

• Carry a handkerchief to dry any wet utensils or plates.

• Be very careful with food sold from vendors on the street, and with uncooked fruit and other foods.

• Fruit at included meals that you peel yourself is usually safe—avoid lettuce and other unpeeled produce when eating on your own.

Electricity Supply A constant electricity supply cannot be guaranteed during overnight stays. Travelers dependent on electricity supply for health reasons (as in the case of those with sleep apnea) may want to consider a different O.A.T. adventure.

61 MONEY MATTERS: LOCAL CURRENCY & TIPPING GUIDELINES

Top Three Tips • Carry a mix of different types of payments, such as local currency, an ATM card, and a credit card. Traveler’s checks are not accepted in Morocco.

• You will not be able to pay with U.S. dollars on this trip; you will need local currency instead.

• Break large bills when you can. Smaller bills (like the 10 and 20 dirham bills) make it easier to tip and pay in cash-only situations, like taxis.

Local Currency For current exchange rates, please refer to an online converter tool like www.xe.com/ currencyconverter, your bank, or the financial section of your newspaper.

Morocco The official currency of Morocco is the dirham (DH), which is composed of 100 centimes. Banknotes and coins come in the following denominations:

• Banknotes: 20, 50, 100 and 200 dirham

• Coins: 1, 2, 5, and 10 dirham, plus the less-frequent 5, 10, 20 and 50 centimes.

U.S. dollars are not widely accepted in Morocco; the local currency is preferred.

Tunisia The official currency of Tunisia is the Tunisian dinar (TND), which is composed of 1,000 millimes. Banknotes and coins come in the following denominations:

• Banknotes: 5, 10, 20, 30, and 50 Tunisian dinar

• Coins: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 500 millimes and 1 and 5 Tunisian dinars

Please Note: It is illegal to take Tunisian currency out of the country. If you exchange currency for Tunisian dinar, be sure to keep all of your exchange receipts. Upon leaving Tunisia, you will be allowed to exchange 30% of the original amount back into dollars, up to a maximum of USD $100.

Euro Countries The euro is the official currency in many member countries of the European Union. Unless otherwise listed, the countries you will be visiting will use the euro. Euro banknote and coin denominations are as follows:

• Banknotes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 euros

62 • Coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents; 1 and 2 euros

How to Exchange Money There is no need to obtain local currency before your trip. In fact, your bank may not be able to change dollars in dirham because of the strict trade laws on Moroccan currency.

The easiest way is to withdraw funds from an ATM in Morocco. The ATM will give you local money and your bank at home will convert that into U.S. dollars. You can also change money when you arrive at the airport, or at banks, most hotels, and money exchange offices.

Leftover Moroccan currency cannot be easily exchanged after you have returned to the U.S., so the rule of thumb is spend it or change it back before you leave.

ATMs When using the ATM, keep in mind that it may only accept cards from local banks, and may not allow cash advances on credit cards; you might need to try more than one ATM or more than one card.

Many banks charge a fee of $1-$10 each time you use a foreign ATM. Others may charge you a percentage of the amount you withdraw. We recommend that you check with your bank before you depart.

Lastly, don’t forget to memorize the actual digits of your card’s PIN number (many keypads at foreign ATMs do not include letters on their keys—they only display numbers.)

Morocco: ATMs are common and most accept international cards (check the logos on the machine first). However, they can run out of money during busy periods, like weekends.

Spain: ATMs are widely available throughout Spain, especially in larger cities and towns.

Tunisia: ATMs are typically available in larger cities and towns, but may not be available in more rural areas, such as your tented camp.

Credit & Debit Cards Even if you don’t plan on using a credit card during your trip, we still suggest that you bring one or two as a backup, especially if you are planning a large purchase (artwork, jewelry). We also suggest that you bring more than one brand of card (i.e. Visa, MasterCard, American Express) if possible, because not every shop will take every card. For example, although the Discover card is accepted in some countries outside the U.S., it is not widely adopted, so other brands will work at a much larger range of stores, restaurants, etc.

Morocco: Credit cards are widely accepted in tourist cities and for major purchases, but may incur a surcharge (usually about 5%). Smaller “Mom & Pop” shops or restaurants may be cash only.

Spain: Visa and MasterCard credit cards are fairly common in Spain, but may not be accepted for small purchases or in the markets. American Express is not commonly accepted.

63 Tunisia: Credit cards are accepted in some stores and restaurants, particularly in larger cities. We suggest that you bring alternative options (such as cash) for establishments that do not accept credit cards.

Notify Card Providers of Upcoming Travel Many credit card companies and banks have fraud alert departments that will freeze your card if they see suspicious charges—such as charges or withdrawals from another country. To avoid an accidental security block, it is a good idea to notify your credit card company and/or bank you will be using your cards abroad. You can do this by calling their customer service number a week or two before your departure. Some banks or credit card companies will also let you do this online.

You should also double-check what phone number you could call if you have a problem with a card while you are abroad. Don’t assume you can use the 1-800 number printed on the back of your card—most 1 800 numbers don’t work outside of the U.S.!

Tipping Guidelines Of course, whether you tip, and how much, is always at your own discretion. But for those of you who have asked for tipping suggestions, we offer these guidelines.

• O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader: It is customary to express a personal “thank you” to your Trip Experience Leader at the end of your trip. As a guideline, many travelers give $7-$10 USD (or equivalent in local currency) per person for each day their Trip Experience Leader is with them. Please note that these tips can only be in cash. If you are taking any of the optional extensions, your Trip Experience Leader during the extension(s) may not be the same as the one on your main trip.

• Housekeeping staff at hotels: The equivalent $1-2 per room, per night (about 10- 20 dirhams)

• Attendants in public restrooms: In this part of the world, most public restrooms are manned by a staff that clean and supply toilet paper/paper towels. It is customary to leave a small tip for them of about 1-2 dirhams.

• Restaurants, cafes, and bars: When dining on your own, check your bill to see if a service charge was included (this is more common at high-end or tourist restaurants). If not, it is customary to leave a tip of around 5%-10% in restaurants and 3-5 dirhams for a drink in a cafe or bar.

• Taxis: Most locals will simply round up the fare to the nearest 5 dirham, i.e. if the meter says 11, then give 15.

• Included in Your Trip Price: Gratuities are included for local guides, drivers, camp staff, and luggage porters on your main trip, extensions, and all optional tours.

Please note: For your convenience, tips to O.A.T. staff can be paid in U.S. dollars or local currency. Please do not use personal or traveler’s checks for tips.

64 AIR, OPTIONAL TOURS & STAYING IN TOUCH

Land Only Travelers & Personalized Air Quick Definitions

• Land Only: You will be booking your own international flights. Airport transfers are not included.

• Air-Inclusive: You booked international air with us. Airport transfers are included as long as you didn’t customize your trip’s dates (see next bullet).

• Personalized Air: You booked international air with us, and have customized it in some way. If you have customized your trip’s dates to arrive early, stay longer, or stop on your own in a connecting city, airport transfers will NOT be included. You must also arrange your own accommodations for any additional nights. For your convenience, a preliminary list of your included hotels is available on your My Account at www.oattravel.com/myaccount under “My Reservations”.

Airport Transfers Can Be Purchased For eligible flights, airport transfers may be purchased separately as an optional add-on, subject to availability. To be eligible, your flight(s) must meet the following requirements:

• You must fly into or fly home from the same airport as O.A.T. travelers who purchased included airfare.

• Your flight(s) must arrive/depart on the same day that the group arrives or departs.

Airport transfers can be purchased up to 45 days prior to your departure; they are not available for purchase onsite. To learn more, or purchase airport transfers, please call our Traveler Support team at 1-800-221-0814.

If you don’t meet the requirements above, you’ll need to make your own transfer arrangements. We suggest the Rome to Rio website as a handy resource: www.rome2rio.com.

When booking your international flights, please be advised that where you should join and depart from the group will depend on your trip extensions, if any. Please refer to the list below for details.

To join the group:

• Pre-trip extension: Your flight should be booked to Casablanca.

• Main trip: Your first hotel is in Rabat. You have 2 options for booking your flights—you can meet the group in Casablanca and have the option of purchasing an airport transfer with O.A.T. (you’ll need to meet in Casablanca on the same day that the rest of the group arrives to be eligible for the transfer). OR, you can fly to Rabat and make your own way to the hotel.

65 Leaving the group:

• All travelers: Your flight should depart from Casablanca.

Optional Tours Optional tours are additional add-on tours that allow you to personalize your adventure by tailoring it to your tastes and needs. And if you decide not to join an optional tour? Then you’ll have free time to relax or explore on your own—it’s about options, not obligations.

What You Need to Know • All optional tours are subject to change and availability.

• Optional tours that are reserved with your Trip Experience Leader can be paid for using credit/debit cards only. We accept MasterCard, Visa, and Discover credit cards; we can also take MasterCard or Visa debit cards as long as the card allows you to sign for purchases. (You won’t be able to enter a PIN.)

• To ensure that you are charged in U.S. dollars, your payment will be processed by our U.S. headquarters in Boston. This process can take up to three months, so we ask that you only use a card that will still be valid three months after your trip is over. The charge may appear on your credit card statement as being from Boston, MA or may be labeled as “OPT Boston”.

• Your Trip Experience Leader will give you details on the optional tours while you’re on the trip. But if you’d like to look over descriptions of them earlier, you can do so at any time by referring to your Day-to-Day Itinerary (available online by signing into My Account at www.oattravel.com/myaccount).

Communicating with Home from Abroad

Cell Phones If you want to use your cell phone on the trip, check with your phone provider to see if your phone and service will work outside of the U.S. It may turn out to be cheaper to rent an international phone or buy a SIM card onsite. If you want to use a local SIM, just make certain your phone can accept one.

Calling Apps Another option is to use a smartphone app like Skype or FaceTime. These services are usually less expensive than making a traditional call, but you’ll need a Wi-Fi connection and the calls may count towards your phone plan’s data allowance. Many smartphones—and some tablets or laptops—come with one of these apps pre-installed or you can download them for free from the appropriate apps store.

66 Calling Cards and 1-800 Numbers When calling the U.S. from a foreign country, a prepaid calling card can be useful because it circumvents unexpected charges from the hotel. Calling cards purchased locally are typically the best (less expensive, more likely to work with the local phones, etc.).

One reminder: Do not call U.S. 1-800 numbers outside the continental United States. This can result in costly long distance fees, since 1-800 numbers do not work outside the country.

Internet Wi-Fi may not always be available throughout your trip or may have a weak signal at times. This may impact your ability to use calling apps (as noted above) in certain locations.

How to Call Overseas When calling overseas from the U.S., dial 011 for international exchange, then the country code (indicated by a plus sign: +), and then the number. Note that foreign phone numbers may not have the same number of digits as U.S. numbers; even within a country the number of digits can vary depending on the city and if the phone is a land line or cell phone.

Morocco: +212 Tunisia: +216

Spain: +34

67 PACKING: WHAT TO BRING & LUGGAGE LIMITS

Luggage Limits

MAIN TRIP LIMITS

Pieces per person One checked bag and one carry-on per person.

Weight restrictions Varies by airline. The current standard is up to 50 lbs for checked luggage and 15 lbs for carry- ons.

Size Restrictions Standard airline size: Checked luggage should not exceed 62 linear inches (length+width+depth) and carry-on should not exceed 45 linear inches.

Luggage Type Duffel bag or soft-sided suitcase. Please do not bring a hard-sided (clam shell) suitcase.

TRIP EXTENSION(S) LIMITS

Same as main trip.

REMARKS/SUGGESTIONS

Luggage rules: Luggage rules and limits are set by governmental and airline policy. Enforcement of the rules may include spot checks or may be inconsistent. However one thing is the same across the board: If you are found to have oversized or overweight luggage, you will be subject to additional fees, to be assessed by—and paid to—the airline in question.

Small additional bag: You may want to consider bringing a smaller bag to pack in your suitcase (or re-purpose your carry-on) for your stay at the tented camp because your main luggage will be stored on the bus for these nights.

Don’t Forget: • These luggage limits may change. If the airline(s) notify us of any changes, we will include an update in your Final Documents booklet.

• It’s a good idea to reconfirm baggage restrictions and fees directly with the airline a week or so prior to departure. For your convenience, we maintain a list of the toll-free numbers for the most common airlines on our website in the FAQ section.

• Baggage fees are not included in your trip price; they are payable directly to the airlines.

68 Your Luggage • Checked luggage: One duffel bag or suitcase. Look for one with heavy nylon fabric, wrap- around handles, built-in wheels, and a heavy-duty lockable zipper. Please do not bring a rigid (plastic shell) suitcase.

• TIP: When traveling with a companion we recommend “cross-packing,” i.e., pack 2 outfits of your clothing in your companion’s luggage and vice-versa, in case one bag is delayed.

• Carry-on bag: You are allowed one carry-on bag per person. We suggest a tote or small backpack that can be used as both a carry-on bag for your flight and to carry your daily necessities—water bottle, camera, etc—during driving excursions and walking trips. Consider a backpack or waistpack that keeps both hands free and distributes the pack’s weight onto your back or hips.

• Locks: For flights that originate in the U.S., you can either use a TSA-approved lock or leave your luggage unlocked. Outside of the U.S. we strongly recommend locking your luggage as a theft-prevention measure.

Clothing Suggestions: Functional Tips • Dress in layers: As you will experience a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions, our list suggests several layers of clothing. Plan to dress in layers to keep warm at night, and adjust to changing conditions during the day. A few of our hotels are not heated, so indoor temperatures are about the same.

• Quick-dry fabrics: If you like to hand-wash your clothes, look for fabrics that will dry out overnight. You can buy clothing designed especially for travel, with features like wrinkle- resistant fabric or built-in sun protection.

• Footwear: You’ll be on your feet and walking a lot, so choose your footwear carefully. You can find especially supportive shoes designed for walking.

Style Hints and Dress Codes Morocco is a majority Muslim nation, but isn’t as conservative as others in the region. Many of the locals—especially the young—look to Europe for fashion trends. As a result, you will see some people in shorts, sleeveless tops, etc. And it is O.K. for you to wear them too, as long as you don’t mind that you might get occasional stares. But you’ll get a better response if you dress modestly. This means:

• Covered shoulders and no low-cut necklines. Local men tend to wear collared shirts or polo shirts rather than T-shirts. For women consider a loose, billowy top that covers you from the sun. Or bring a large scarf or shawl that you can drape over your bare shoulders when needed.

69 • Shorts or skirts to the knee or below. Mid-calf or capri pants are a popular choice for women travelers. (It is perfectly acceptable for women to wear pants; you are not required to wear a skirt or a dress.) Just make sure to bring at least one pair of longer pants for hiking or camel riding.

• Context matters. Generally in places of worship or in someone’s home it is better to cover up your shoulders and legs. When touring in large cities or enjoying outdoors activities, you can relax the rules a bit.

• Women don’t need to cover their hair, except perhaps in a mosque, where it is considered a sign of respect. Each mosque has different rules, so if one requires it, your Trip Experience Leader will warn you beforehand. Mosques that require headscarves will have extras to lend or rent, so you don’t need to bring one with you.

And lastly, dress on our trip is functional and casual; there are no formal evenings.

Suggested Packing Lists We have included suggestions from Trip Experience Leaders and former travelers to help you pack. These lists are only jumping-off points—they offer recommendations based on experience, but not requirements. You may also want to consult the “Climate” chapter of this handbook.

And don’t forget a reusable water bottle—you’ll need it to take advantage of any refills we offer as we are working to eliminate single-use plastic bottles on all of our trips.

Year-Round Clothing Checklist ‰Shirts: A mixture of short and long-sleeved shirts in a breathable or wicking fabric. Polo or collared shirts are more versatile than T-shirts. Billowy or loose tops will help you deal with the heat while staying covered from the sun.

‰Trousers and/or jeans: Comfortable and loose fitting is best. We recommend that you bring at least one lighter pair for the day, and one a bit heavier for warmth at night in the desert. Mid-length or capri pants are a popular choice for women travelers, but you’ll need at least one long pair for hiking or camel riding.

‰Walking shorts: Cut long for modesty ‰Shoes and socks: Shoes should be comfortable walking or running shoes. ‰Wide-brim sun hat or visor for sun protection ‰Light cotton or wool sweater (motor coach air conditioning can be cold) ‰Underwear and sleepwear ‰Optional: Swimsuit, in case a hotel has a whirlpool or pool

70 ‰Optional: Travel skirt(s) ‰Optional: Large scarf. Can be used as a head covering, shawl, or fashion accessory

Seasonal Clothing Recommendations For fall and winter (October through March): ‰Medium- or expedition-weight long thermal underwear top. ‰Long thermal underwear bottoms ‰Light wool or fleece sweater ‰Polartec fleece jacket, or a medium-weight insulated parka. ‰Warm hat and light gloves

Essential Items ‰Daily essentials: toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, hairbrush or comb, shaving items, deodorant, etc. Our hotels will provide the basics like soap and shampoo, but most hotels do not provide a washcloth.

‰Spare eyeglasses/contact lens ‰Sunglasses ‰Sunscreen, SPF 15 or stronger ‰Insect repellent with DEET (30%-35% strength). Flies can be a serious nuisance in the Sahara.

‰Light folding umbrella ‰Moisturizer and sun-blocking chapstick ‰Pocket-size tissues ‰Hand sanitizer or anti-bacterial moist towelettes (not individual packets) ‰Flashlight, extra batteries/bulb ‰Electrical transformer & plug adapters ‰Camera gear with extra batteries or battery charger.

71 TIP: We suggest bringing more than one battery for your camera so you can use one battery while the other is charging.

Medicines & First Aid Gear ‰Your own prescription medicines ‰Travel first aid kit: Band-Aids, headache and pain relief, laxatives and anti-diarrhea tablets, something for upset stomach. Maybe a cold remedy, moleskin foot pads, antibiotic cream, or allergy medication.

‰An antibiotic medication for gastrointestinal illness ‰Something to combat dehydration or heat stroke, such as salt tablets or powered sports drink/electrolytes

‰Optional: A strong prescription pain medication for rare emergency purposes

Optional Gear ‰Travel alarm or travel watch with alarm ‰Hanging toiletry bag with hook to hang on doorknob, and pockets to organize items ‰Basic sewing kit ‰Hand-wash laundry soap such as Woolite and plastic hang-up clothespins ‰Hair dryer – Some hotels will provide one, and some won’t. Bringing your own is only recommended if you need one 100% of the time.

‰A bandanna. Useful for drying wet water bottles and utensils. ‰Reading materials ‰Travel journal/note pad and pens ‰Photos or post cards from home, small gift for Home-Hosted visit (No alcohol please, it is forbidden in the Muslim religion)

‰Phrase book ‰Folding walking staff, sold in most camping stores ‰Pocket-size calculator for exchange rates ‰Inflatable seat cushion for bumpy roads

72 Home-Hosted Visits Many of our adventures feature a visit with a local family, often as part of the A Day in the Life experience. It is customary, though not necessary, to return your hosts’ generosity with a small gift. If you do bring a gift, we recommend that you bring something the whole family can enjoy, or something that represents your region, state, or hometown. Get creative and keep it small—peach jelly from Georgia, maple sugar candy from New England, orange blossom soap from California; something that can be used or used up is best. When choosing a gift, be certain to consider the local culture as well. For example, we do not recommend alcohol in Muslim countries because it is forbidden in Islam, and your hosts may be religious. Not all O.A.T. adventures include a Home-Hosted Visit; please check your final itinerary before you depart.

Electricity Abroad When traveling overseas, the voltage is usually different and the plugs might not be the same shape.

Voltage Electricity in Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia is 220-240 volts. In the U.S. it is 110 volts. Most of the things a traveler will want to plug in—battery chargers, MP3 players, tablets or computers—can run off both 110 and 220-240. But you should check the item or the owner’s guide first to confirm this before you plug it in. If you have something that needs 110 volts—like a shaver or a hairdryer—you can bring a transformer to change the current. (But transformers tend to burn out, so it might be better to leave whatever it is at home.)

Plugs The shape of plugs will vary from country to country, and sometimes even within a country depending on when that building was built. To plug something from the U.S. into a local socket you’ll need an adapter that fits between the plug and the socket. Because there are multiple plug types in this region, it may be easier to purchase an all-in-one, universal adapter/converter combo. Versatile and lightweight, these can usually be found at your local electronics goods or hardware stores. Sometimes you can buy them at large retailers too, like Target or Walmart. If you forget to bring an adapter, you might also find them for sale at the airport when you arrive at your destination.

Different plug shapes are named by letters of the alphabet. Standard U.S. plugs are Type A and Type B. Here is the list of plugs for the countries on this trip:

Morocco: C or E

Spain: C and/or F

73 Tunisia: C and E

Type C Type E Type F

Availability You will have electricity in your tent at the Sahara Desert Camp. However—just like in many parts of Morocco—the electricity is supplied by a generator and/or solar panels. As a result, the lighting in the tents or in some of your hotels may not be as bright as you are used to. Also we do not recommend using items like electric shavers or hairdryers as these tend to overload the system. Charging camera batteries or phones is fine, but may take longer than back at home.

Lastly, Morocco is prone to occasional power outages. A constant electricity supply cannot be guaranteed during overnight stays. Travelers dependent on electricity supply for health reasons (as in the case of those with sleep apnea) may want to consider a different O.A.T. adventure.

74 CLIMATE & AVERAGE TEMPERATURES

Morocco: Morocco experiences a wide range of climates, from the arid climes of the Sahara, to the snow-capped Atlas Mountains. Inland, and especially in the Sahara, temperatures are frequently very hot during the day, depending on the season. Nights are cooler, and can even be cold from November through March. The coldest months are December-February when temperatures in the mountain areas can drop to near freezing, and snow is possible. There is little cloud cover and almost no rain in this desert region. In Marrakesh, the weather is pleasant year round, thanks to cool breezes blowing off the Atlas Mountains. Further north in Rabat, along Morocco’s Atlantic coast, the weather is very mild, with cool temperatures and moderate clouds.

Sandstorms: A sandstorm is when a strong wind picks up loose sand particles and carries them over a distance; typically this phenomenon occurs in desert regions like the Sahara. Sandstorms are usually expected in April-May and September-October, but can occur at any time of year, and if severe can affect our itinerary. Should a sandstorm occur please listen to and follow all instructions for your own safety.

Seville, Spain: Seville has a Mediterranean climate, with average temperatures of 79 degrees in the summer and 54 degrees in the winter, experiencing mild winds during spring and summer. Winters are also mild. It rains only slightly during the autumn (average annual rainfall: 514 inches). Highs in the summer can be in the 90s or higher.

Tunisia: Tunisia consists of two climatic belts, with Mediterranean influences in the north and Saharan in the south. Temperatures are moderate along the coast, with an average annual reading of 64°. In the Mediterranean north the summer season (from May through September) is hot and dry; the winter, (from October to April) is mild and characterized by frequent rains. In the Sahara and the south, the summer can get very hot and the winter surprisingly cold. Temperatures at Tunis range from an average minimum of 43° and maximum of 57° in January, to an average minimum of 70° and maximum of 91° in August. Precipitation in the northern region reaches a high of 59 inches annually, while rainfall in the extreme south averages less than 8 inches a year.

NOTE: If you are taking one of our optional stopovers before or after your OAT adventure, please be aware the climate and temperatures might be different from what you experienced during your tour. To prepare for weather differences and pack appropriate clothing, we recommend the following world weather sites:

• www.intellicast.com

• www.weather.com

• www.wunderground.com

75 Climate Averages & Online Forecast The following charts reflect the average climate as opposed to exact weather conditions. This means they serve only as general indicators of what can reasonably be expected. An extreme heat wave or cold snap could fall outside these ranges. As your departure approaches, we encourage you to go online to www.oattravel.com/myaccount for your 10-day forecast.

Average Daily High/Low Temperatures (°F), Humidity & Monthly Rainfall

MONTH RABAT, MOROCCO MARRAKESH, MOROCCO

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (am-pm) (inches) Humidity (am-pm) (inches) JAN 62 to 46 90 to 67 3.2 64 to 43 80 to 44 1.1 FEB 63 to 49 90 to 68 2.7 67 to 47 82 to 45 1.2 MAR 66 to 50 90 to 65 2.6 72 to 50 80 to 40 1.4 APR 67 to 52 91 to 65 2.2 74 to 53 80 to 40 1.3 MAY 71 to 56 90 to 65 1.0 80 to 57 79 to 38 0.7 JUN 74 to 61 90 to 65 0.3 87 to 62 78 to 35 0.3 JUL 80 to 65 90 to 65 -- 97 to 69 69 to 28 0.1 AUG 80 to 65 91 to 66 -- 97 to 69 69 to 28 0.1 SEP 79 to 64 92 to 65 0.3 90 to 66 71 to 32 0.3 OCT 74 to 58 90 to 64 1.8 80 to 59 76 to 39 0.8 NOV 69 to 53 88 to 66 3.3 72 to 52 77 to 42 1.5 DEC 64 to 49 90 to 69 4.0 66 to 45 79 to 45 1.1

76 MONTH TANGIER, MOROCCO ESSAOUIRA, MOROCCO

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (am-pm) (inches) Humidity (am-pm) (inches) JAN 61 to 47 87 to 70 4.1 63 to 54 83 to 77 2.0 FEB 62 to 49 87 to 70 3.9 64 to 56 84 to 79 1.2 MAR 64 to 50 86 to 68 2.8 64 to 57 84 to 80 1.2 APR 66 to 52 87 to 67 2.4 65 to 58 85 to 80 0.8 MAY 70 to 56 87 to 65 1.5 66 to 60 85 to 80 0.4 JUN 76 to 61 86 to 62 0.6 68 to 63 86 to 83 0.4 JUL 83 to 66 84 to 57 0.1 69 to 65 89 to 84 0.4 AUG 83 to 67 85 to 59 0.1 70 to 65 88 to 84 0.4 SEP 81 to 66 85 to 60 0.6 71 to 65 87 to 83 0.4 OCT 73 to 60 85 to 64 2.6 69 to 63 85 to 81 0.8 NOV 67 to 54 87 to 68 5.3 67 to 60 82 to 78 2.0 DEC 63 to 50 86 to 70 5.1 65 to 56 84 to 79 1.6

MONTH SEVILLE, SPAIN TUNIS, TUNISIA

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (am-pm) (inches) Humidity (am-pm) (inches) JAN 61 to 41 87 to 59 2.6 60 to 46 86 to 68 2.4 FEB 64 to 46 87 to 57 2.1 61 to 46 87 to 65 2.1 MAR 70 to 47 84 to 47 1.5 64 to 48 87 to 63 1.8 APR 73 to 50 86 to 48 2.2 68 to 51 84 to 59 1.5 MAY 80 to 56 85 to 42 1.3 76 to 57 82 to 55 0.9 JUN 88 to 62 83 to 37 0.5 84 to 64 76 to 48 0.4 JUL 96 to 67 77 to 31 0.1 90 to 69 75 to 45 0.1 AUG 95 to 67 77 to 32 0.2 90 to 71 79 to 49 0.3 SEP 89 to 64 80 to 35 0.9 85 to 67 85 to 56 1.3 OCT 78 to 56 83 to 46 2.4 78 to 61 87 to 62 2.2 NOV 68 to 49 87 to 56 3.3 68 to 53 86 to 67 2.1 DEC 62 to 44 87 to 61 3.7 62 to 48 86 to 68 2.5

77 ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE

O.A.T. Trip Experience Leaders: A World of Difference During your adventure you’ll be accompanied by one of our local, expert Trip Experience Leaders. All are fluent in English and possess the skills, certification, and experience necessary to ensure an enriching adventure. As locals of the regions you’ll explore with them, our Trip Experience Leaders provide the kind of firsthand knowledge and insight that make local history, culture, and wildlife come alive. Coupled with their unbridled enthusiasm, caring personalities, and ability to bring diverse groups of travelers together, our Trip Experience Leaders ensure that your experience with O.A.T. is one you’ll remember for a lifetime.

Moroccan Culture For the adventurous soul, the challenges of traveling in Morocco—in addition to the country’s beauty and history—make it a uniquely rewarding destination. You should be prepared for dust and large crowds in Fez’s medina and in Marrakesh. In addition, poverty and beggars can be distressing for some travelers. During the holiday of Ramadan, we may need to make adjustments to our itinerary due to holiday hours and some restaurants may be closed.

Religion & Ramadan Festival Islam is the predominant religion in Morocco, so an understanding of the religion will assist your discoveries. Practicing Muslims are expected to pray five times daily: dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening. The exact time is listed in the local newspaper each day. The call to prayer, called the ezan, is sung or broadcast from minaret towers to remind the faithful that it is time to pray. Friday is the Muslim Sabbath day, so some businesses will be closed or have limited hours.

When visiting a mosque, it is polite to be modestly dressed (no bare shoulders, no short skirts or shorts). You will be asked to remove your shoes before entering. In most mosques, women visitors are not required to cover their hair, but in others you may be asked to do so. Typically, a mosque that requires special dress for female visitors will have pieces to lend or rent.

The biggest religious holiday is Ramadan, a month-long celebration that is meant to teach the values of restraint and charity. To participate, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. The fast is strict and includes no eating, drinking alcohol, cigarette-smoking, or gum-chewing during daylight hours. But as the sun starts to set, everyone rushes home so they can celebrate iftar—the joyous breaking of the fast. Suddenly the evening comes alive with music, eating, and shopping. The festivities often continue well into the night. The mosques and some streets are decorated with lanterns, special meals are prepared, and nighttime social events and festivals are planned.

If you’ll be visiting Morocco during Ramadan, what does this mean for you? Visitors are not required to fast, but out of respect you shouldn’t eat, drink, or smoke openly. (It is OK to eat indoors, but you wouldn’t sit outside with food.) Expect that some restaurants will be closed

78 and others may not serve alcohol, but your Trip Experience Leader will be on hand to advise you of places to eat. Also, it is important to keep in mind that many of the people you meet will be participating in the fast, so they might not be their usual selves. It helps to have a bit of patience.

Ramadan follows a lunar calendar, so its dates change significantly from year to year.

Taking Photographs The etiquette of photographing most people in Morocco is about the same as it would be on the streets of your hometown. You need permission to take a close-up, but not for a crowd scene. Consent is especially important if you want to take a photo of a child or minor—ask their parent for permission first. To get a great portrait, show interest in your subject and try to have a bit of social interaction to put them at ease. Then use sign language to inquire if a picture is OK.

Safety & Security As you travel, exercise the same caution and awareness that you would in a large American city. Don’t be overly nervous or suspicious, but keep your eyes open. If you are venturing out after dark, go with one or two other people.

Carry a one-day supply of cash in your pocket. Carry most of your money, and your passport, in a travel pouch or money belt under your shirt. Replenish your pocket supply when you are in a safe and quiet place, or in our vehicle. Don’t leave valuables unattended in your hotel room. Most hotels will offer use of a hotel safe at the front desk or an electronic in-room safe (for which you can set your own personal number). Please utilize them.

Pickpockets may create a sudden distraction. In any sort of puzzling street situation, try to keep one hand on your wallet or money belt. If an encounter with a local turns out to be long and complicated and involves money or your valuables, be very careful. Con artists sometimes target travelers.

Hotel Courtesy in Spain Like in many other European nations, manners are more formal in Spain than the U.S. Hotel staff will likely address you as “señor” or “señora” and may be caught off guard if you ask a question without greeting them with a quick “hello” or “good day” first. Local staff (and other visiting Europeans) will generally make an effort to be quiet in hallways and common rooms, which are normally used for reading, relaxing, or quiet conversation. For this reason, eating and drinking in any common rooms other than the bar or restaurant is frowned on. If you have any laundry to dry, please keep it inside your room (and not on the balcony).

Bullfighting Season The season starts the end of March and lasts through October. Ticket prices vary according to the seat’s location: near or farther back from the ring, and in the shade or sun. Good seats in the shade run about $50. You do not need to make reservations in advance, unless the bullfighter of the day is famous.

79 Getting Around in Spain Taxi: Taxis are widely available in the area.

Bus: Generally less expensive than both taxi and train travel, bus travel in Spain has increased in recent years.

Trains: Spain has an extensive railway network linking all major towns and cities, and rail travel in Spain is generally comfortable, reliable and often cheaper than many other European countries. Trains are modern and many are high-speed.

Taking Photographs The etiquette of photographing most people in Europe is about the same as it would be on the streets of your hometown. You need permission to take a close-up, but not for a crowd scene. Consent is especially important if you want to take a photo of a child or minor—ask their parent for permission first. To get a great portrait, show interest in your subject and try to have a bit of social interaction to put them at ease. Then use sign language to inquire if a picture is OK.

Safety & Security As you travel, exercise the same caution and awareness that you would in a large American city. Don’t be overly nervous or suspicious, but keep your eyes open. If you are venturing out after dark, go with one or two other people.

Carry a one-day supply of cash in your pocket. Carry most of your money, and your passport, in a travel pouch or money belt under your shirt. Replenish your pocket supply when you are in a safe and quiet place, or in our vehicle. Don’t leave valuables unattended in your hotel room. Most hotels will offer use of a hotel safe at the front desk or an electronic in-room safe (for which you can set your own personal number). Please utilize them.

Pickpockets may create a sudden distraction. In any sort of puzzling street situation, try to keep one hand on your wallet or money belt. If an encounter with a local turns out to be long and complicated and involves money or your valuables, be very careful. Con artists sometimes target travelers.

Moroccan Cuisine Moroccan cooking blends Berber, Arabic, African, Spanish, and French traditions to create a culinary canon that is at once complex and delicate. Sweet and sour dishes were introduced by the Arabs, who borrowed them from Persia. Many breads were introduced by sub-Saharan African cultures. And there is a strong tradition of preserving and pickling fruits and vegetables, a contribution of Morocco’s Jewish communities.

Among the staples of the Moroccan pantry you’ll find olives, dates, lemons, lamb, seafood, and poultry, often inventively combined and seasoned with coriander, turmeric, allspice, saffron, or cinnamon. In general, the food is more aromatic than hot or spicy. Most meals are enjoyed with bread (such as kobhz) which is used in place of utensils to scoop up the food.

80 If you want to start your day as the Berbers do, enjoy a breakfast of b’ssara, a rich soup of dried broad beans swirled with olive oil, sprinkled with cumin, and enjoyed with warm bread.

If you are a vegetarian, you’ll be pleased that moots meals start with a selection of salads, some of which are more like dips such as zaalouk (grilled and pureed eggplant with tomatoes and spices.) As an appetizer, you can try briouats: crunchy, triangular pockets of warqa (phyllo dough) filled with meat, cheese, or vegetables. (There are also sweet varieties.)

The national dish is couscous: tiny granules or pearls of semolina pasta. Traditionally it was prepared on the holy day, Friday, and mounded in a bowl with salads, grilled meat, or vegetables for all to enjoy. Also iconic are Morocco’s tagines. These are delicious meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetable stews that take their name from the conical clay pots in which they are cooked. Try chicken and preserved lemon tagine simmered with herbs, olives, and dried fruit.

Another must is bstilla, a flaky casserole of phyllo pastry layered with pigeon or chicken; and flavored with almonds scented with orange flower water, saffron, and cinnamon and dusted with confectioners’ sugar. It is a beloved Fez specialty but you can also find seafood versions along the coast. For something really savory try kefta, spiced beef or lamb meatballs simmered with tomatoes and poached eggs.

If shopping in all those exotic souks makes you hungry, follow your nose to the outdoor dining section where street food vendors prepare grilled kebabs, crispy rings of deep-fried calamari, and grilled sardines stuffed with an herb and spice mix called chermoula. This is also where you can order a steaming bowl of babbouche, snails in the shell swimming in a garlicky broth.

The sweets here are amazing. Start simply with dates stuffed with almond paste and sprinkled with cinnamon. Shebakia are rose-shaped sesame cookies that are dipped or soaked in honey. Move up to kaab el ghazal (Gazelle’s ankles), thin, sugary crescents filled with almonds and orange blossom water. You could call roz bil heleeb “rice pudding,” but it is unlike any you’ve ever had before: a standout dessert of creamy rice custard topped with shredded coconut and almonds or pistachios, flavored with cinnamon and orange blossom.

You might be invited to wash down your meal with a Moroccan or Berber “whiskey,” but don’t expect to get a buzz: observant Muslims do not drink alcohol, so you will be toasting with a mint tea, sometimes spiked with lemon verbena, wormwood, saffron, or star anise.

Spanish Cuisine The 21st century’s culinary firmament is lit by a galaxy of superstar chefs from Spain. Among them are the legendary Ferran Adría (whose former restaurant, El Bulli, launched the “molecular gastronomy” trend), Carme Ruscalleda (the only female chef to be awarded five Michelin stars), octogenarian Juan Mari Arzak (the father of the “New Basque” cuisine), and Jose Andrés, (credited with bringing small plate dining to America). Even if you do not dine in one of their restaurants, they have influenced Spanish chefs in even the humblest establishments, where you might find traditional classics like these:

81 All over Spain, people head to local bars after work for drinks and bite-sized appetizers called tapas, or sometimes, pinchos, a reference to the toothpick that you use to spear it. These bar snacks come in endless varieties, such as patatas bravas (deep-fried potatoes), jeta (roasted, bite-sized pork cheeks served with red peppers and potatoes), gambas al ajillo (shrimp with garlic and chilies), and savory albondigas, meatballs of pork and beef. They could also be as simple as a plate of olives and some cubes of manchego cheese. Follow with a sip of wine or fino or manzanilla sherry.

Many of Spain’s most popular dishes originated in a specific region, but are widely available. One such is paella, originally from Valencia. Cooked in a wide pan, it is based on saffron-scented rice layered with vegetables and protein: The original used chicken and rabbit, but today you’re more likely to find seafood paella, with plenty of shrimp, langoustines, and mussels. Another popular seafood dish is pulpo a la Gallega. It is traditional to Galicia, and features boiled octopus with sea salt, paprika, and olive oil.

Gazpacho is a chilled soup that hails from Andalusia. There are many versions of it, but the traditional recipe calls for cucumber, onion, garlic, pepper, and tomato with salt, olive oil, wine vinegar, and water. A tortilla Espanola is nothing like its Mexican counterpart. It is an omelet starring pre-fried potatoes and eggs, onions, and seasonings

Many bars and restaurants will have hams hanging from the rafters. The best Spanish ham is dry-cured jamón Iberico, made from Iberian black-hoofed pigs raised entirely on acorns. A close second is jamón Serrano, made from white-hoofed pigs. They’ll be presented on a special stand (so you can see the telltale hoof), then deftly carved into wafer-thin slices. The carving is an art, and apprentices may take five years to learn it. Needless to say, the Spanish take their ham seriously.

The Basque region is a standout in a country of culinary superlatives. The city of San Sebastian is one of the world’s great food meccas, and even outside its Michelin star heavy hitters, the average restaurant will blow you away. Basque country is famous for pintxos, which are their version of tapas (but should never called as such!). One specialty is bacalao pil-pil: cod fried with garlic, olive oil, and chili. Txangurro is a baked spider crab stuffed with onions, tomatoes, leeks, brandy, and parsley, topped with bread crumbs. For dessert, try pastel Vasco, a slice of vanilla custard cream heaven with a crunchy crust.

Remember that mealtimes in Spain are later than what you may used to. Breakfast (desayuno) is a light affair of coffee, pastry, and maybe a piece of fruit. Around 10 or 11 am, you can have almuerzo, a mid-morning snack. Places may close after this until lunch (la comida), which is the main meal of the day, a three-course affair eaten between 2 pm and 4 pm. If you’re feeling peckish around 4 pm, the merienda is a traditional time for coffee and cake. But save room for tapas, which usually start around 8 pm. With all that food, no wonder dinner (la cena) is rarely eaten before 9 or 10 pm.

82 Tunisian Cuisine Tunisian cuisine is within the Northern African tradition: couscous and marqa stews forming the backbone of most meals. Local cuisine is distinguished by the fiery harissa chili sauce, and the heavy use of the locally abundant tiny olives. Lamb forms the basis of most meat dishes, as does fish—particularly along the coast where local seafood is plentiful. Popular dishes include:

• Chakchouka: Assorted veggies (usually peppers and chickpeas, sometimes onions) are pan fried in a tomato sauce and served with a poached egg on top.

• Tajine: Unlike the Moroccan-style tajine, the Tunisian variety is a dish of beaten eggs, grated cheese, meat and various vegetable fillings—like a quiche, but without the crust.

• Tunisian Salad: A mixture of diced cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, and onions seasoned with olive oil. Sometimes this comes with a protein too, like tuna or hard boiled eggs.

• Merguez: Small sausages made with lamb, beef, or a mixture of both. Redolent of cumin, harissa, sumac, fennel, and garlic they smell divine and have a spicy heat.

• Guenaoia: A slow-cooked lamb or beef stew with okra, chillies, and spices.

• Possion Complete: A whole fish, grilled or fried to perfection and served with potato chips and a spicy pepper-based sauce.

• Bread: In Tunisia, it’s not a meal if you don’t have bread—French-style baguettes are served with everything.

• Makroudh: They may look like Fig Newtons, but they taste so much better. These small cakes are made with semolina flour wrapped around a filling of dates or almonds flavored with cinnamon and orange peel.

Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, Shipping & More There may be scheduled visits to local shops during your adventure. There is no requirement to make a purchase during these stops, and any purchase made is a direct transaction with the shop in question, subject to the vendor’s terms of purchase. O.A.T. is not responsible for purchases you make on your trip or for the shipment of your purchases.

Returns If you discover an issue with an item, you should contact the vendor directly and expect that any resolution will take longer than it would in the U.S. We recommend that you keep a copy of all your receipts, invoices, or contracts, along with the shop’s contact information. Keep in mind, local practice may vary from U.S. standards, so don’t assume that you have a certain number of days after the purchase to speak up or that you are guaranteed a refund.

83 Crafts & Souvenirs

Morocco Morocco offers many fine craft items at good prices. Traditional souvenirs include gold and silver jewelry, wood carvings, cotton goods, tapestries, carpets, leather goods, pottery, copperware, brassware, basketry, fine inlaid woodwork, and spices.

Bargaining: Some shops have fixed prices. In the open-air markets prices are usually flexible and negotiating is normal. The only rule is that if you make an offer, you should be prepared to buy at that price. Bring a mix of small bills so that you can pay in exact change. Moroccans enjoy negotiating over prices, and they expect it of their customers.

Spain Leather goods, from supple suede gloves and elegant calf handbags to wineskins that require careful curing (botas), are excellent purchases. Other good buys are shoes, from classical calf pumps to provincial cloth espadrilles; porcelain by Lladro and pottery by regional craftsmen; and wool rugs made by tapestry makers or simple cotton-rag throws.

Siesta: Throughout Spain, most stores and offices close between 1:30 pm and 5 pm. Then they reopen until 7:30 pm (many close even later). Restaurants generally remain open during siesta. In the larger cities you may find that big department stores will stay open from 10am – 10pm.

Value Added Tax: Known in Spain as the IVA, Value Added Tax is levied on most articles, services, and meals. The IVA ranges from 7% to 21% (luxury items, cars). Depending on how much you spend on certain goods, you may be eligible for a partial refund of this tax. Ask the shopkeeper or salesperson about the VAT at time of purchase. Be sure to save all receipts and forms for Customs.

Tunisia Many travelers are surprised by the variety of goods for which Tunisia is known. Copper ware is formed into trays and engraved and olive wood is sculpted into carvings. You’ll find leather wallets and handbags, clothing (kaftans, jelabas, burnuses) that varies from the colorful to the simple, intricate ceramics, cherubic dolls in local dress, decorative embroidery, and finely polished silverware and jewelry. But the most valuable commodity you’ll find here are Tunisian carpets, either woven (non-pile) or knotted (pile). The National Handicrafts Office oversees the quality of Tunisia’s carpets, so imitations are rare.

If you plan a major purchase, we strongly recommend that you research the prices and quality available at home before your trip. Just one visit to an import shop or gold dealer will put you way ahead when you go shopping. This is the only way to know if you are getting a good price. You must use your best judgment when deciding whether an item is worth the price being asked.

Bargaining

Tunisians enjoy negotiating over prices, and they expect it of their customers. When looking at large items, you’ll often be invited to sit down and drink a cup of tea with the merchants. If this is your first experience at bargaining, don’t worry—you’ll quickly find your own style. Your opening

84 offer should be well under the asking price. The only rule is that, if you make an offer, you should be prepared to buy at that price. And remember, whatever price you pay is okay, as long as the item is worth that price to you.

U.S. Customs Regulations & Shipping Charges For all things related to U.S. Customs, the ultimate authority is the U.S. Bureau of Customs & Border Protection. Their website, www.cbp.gov has the answers to the most frequently asked questions. Or you can call them at 1-877-227-5511.

The top three points to know are:

• At time of writing, your personal duty-free allowance is $800 for items brought with you. Items totaling more than $800 are subject to duty fees.

• Items shipped home are always subject to duty when received in the U.S. Even when the shop has offered to include shipping and duties in the price, this typically means shipping to the nearest customs facility and payment of the export duties—not door-to-door shipping or payment of the import duties. All additional duties or shipping charges would be your responsibility. Unless an item is small enough to send by parcel service (like FedEx), chances are you will need to arrange shipping or pick-up once the item is in the U.S. and will need to pay customs duties.

• It is illegal to import products made from endangered animal species. U.S. Customs & Border Protection will seize these items, as well as most furs, coral, tortoise shell, reptile skins, feathers, plants, and items made from animal skins.

85 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY

Morocco

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 172,414 square miles

• Capital: Rabat

• Languages: Arabic and Berber are the official languages; French and Spanish are also spoken.

• Location: Morocco is bordered by Algeria in the east, Mauritania in the south, the Atlantic Ocean in the west, and Spain in the north.

• Geography: Morocco’s landscape varies from coastal lands near the Atlantic Ocean to mountainous regions to the Sahara Desert.

• Population: 33,322,699 (Estimate)

• Religions: Muslim 99%, Other 1%

• Time zone: Morocco is on Central European Time, six hours ahead of U.S. EST. When it is 5am in Washington D.C., it is 11am in Rabat. Morocco does not observe Daylight Savings, therefore Morocco is only 5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time when Daylight Savings is in effect.

National Holidays: Morocco

In addition to the holidays listed below, 07/30 Feast of the Throne Morocco celebrates a number of national 08/14 Anniversary of the Recovery holidays that follow a lunar calendar, such as Oued Ed-Dahab Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. To find out if you will be traveling during these holidays, please 08/20 Anniversary of the Revolution of the visit www.timeanddate.com/holidays. King and the People

01/01 New Year’s Day 08/21 Youth Day

01/11 Anniversary of the Independence 11/06 Anniversary of the Green March Manifesto 11/18 Independence Day 05/01 Labour Day/May Day

Morocco: A Brief History Morocco is unique for having been occupied by one group of people for all of its recorded history—people who have rarely been subjugated by outside forces. The Berbers or Imazighen (men of the land) have endured for millennia. They are not a homogenous group, but comprise

86 various tribes who share some ethnic lineage. Nor were all Berbers nomads despite the stereotype. Most Berbers were farmers, but connected to fellow Berber traders and horsemen who developed semi-permanent encampments as they forged trade routes.

The Berbers often frustrated Roman attempts to govern them, though their rebellion was not always violent but often based on shrewd alliances and gamesmanship. Most Berbers continued to practice their traditional, animist religions. They also borrowed from other African and Egyptian religions, and as the millennium turned, many Berbers were Christian or Jewish.

In the 7th century AD, the Ummayad Arabs conquered the Middle East in less than a decade, but needed 70 years to subdue Morocco’s Berbers. They brought the Arab language, architecture, civil codes, and mostly, the new religion of Islam. Its ideals resonated with traditional Berber values and its adoption was widespread, rapid, and willing. But the Arabs were never able to unify the region politically. Though they enlisted Berber vassals to lead their conquest of Iberia, the sprawling caliphate proved difficult to manage, paving the way for Arab-Berber dynasties such as the Almoravids, Almohads, and Nasrids, who presided over Moorish Iberia, called al-Andalus. These dynasties have ruled Morocco continuously from the 8th century to the present.

When the Moors were expelled from al-Andalus in 1492, Muslim and Jewish refugees brought their cultures back to Morocco, enriching the Imperial Cities of Fez, Marrakesh, Rabat, and Meknes. Rulers rose and fell for 140 years and in the 1630s, the Alaouite family overthrew the Saadis, establishing a line that rules to this day. In the late 1800s, Morocco’s strategic location and natural resources attracted France, which took control by 1912. Spain hung onto a small protectorate on the coast, Tangier was made an international zone, and Rabat became the capital. When Berbers rebelled in 1926, it took 25,000 Spanish-French troops to subdue them.

During WWII, Morocco was ruled by Vichy France, which was a Nazi puppet. But independent- minded Casablanca provided crucial support for the Allied North African campaign. After the war in 1944, Morocco demanded freedom, and France was eventually pressured to grant it. Mohammed V returned from exile in 1955; Morocco won its independence in 1956; Mohammed V crowned himself king in 1957; and handed power to his son, Hassan II, in 1961. Hassan II earned the people’s affection in 1975 when he led the Green March into the Western Sahara to force Spain to hand over the province. More than 350,000 volunteers marched that day, but the dispute between Morocco and the western separatist Polisario Front still simmers.

Mohammed VI took the throne in 1999, and advanced many liberal policies including women’s rights. In 2002, he married Salma Bennani, a computer science engineer, and many believed it symbolized the acceptance of modern roles. In 2004, the government imposed changes to family law geared toward lifting the gender inequality and protecting children. During the Arab Spring of 2011, Mohammed VI reacted with a deftness that eluded other leaders, announcing constitutional reforms, ceding more power to parliament, and making Berber an official state language. But Mohammed VI has increasingly been criticized for repressing freedom of speech, and the nation still struggles with poverty, unemployment, and corruption in the justice system.

87 Spain

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: The mainland occupies approximately 195,364.5 square miles. Off Spain’s east coast in the Mediterranean are the Balearic Islands (1,936 square miles), the largest of which is Majorca. Sixty miles west of Africa are the Canary Islands (2,808 square miles).

• Capital: Madrid

• Languages: Spanish, Basque, Catalan, and Galician. In resort areas, many people also speak English, French, and German.

• Geography: Spain’s topography consists of a broad central plateau that slopes to the south and east, crossed by a series of mountain ranges and river valleys. It is a land of both towering peaks and endless beaches, as well as fertile landscapes and high, dry plains. Principal rivers are the Ebro in the northeast, the Tajo in the central region, and the Guadalquivir in the south.

• Population: 48,958,159 (estimate)

• Religions: Roman Catholic 67.8%, atheist 9.1%, other 2.2%, non-believer 18.4%, unspecified 2.5%

• Time Zone: Spain is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.

National Holidays: Spain

In addition to the holidays listed below, Spain 05/01 Labor Day celebrates a number of national holidays that 08/15 Assumption of Mary follow a lunar calendar, such as Easter. To find out if you will be traveling during these 10/12 Hispanic Day holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.com/ holidays. 11/01 All Saints Day

01/01 New Year’s Day 12/06 Constitution Day

01/06 Epiphany 12/08 Immaculate Conception

12/25 Christmas

Spain: A Brief History Spain has been continuously inhabited for 1.2 million years, but the bulk of our knowledge about Spain’s earliest people begins around 1100 BC, when Phoenicians established trading colonies along the southern coast. These attracted the Greeks; and around the same time, Celts descended in the north, establishing hill villages known as castros, many of which still stand in Galicia and northern Portugal.

88 The Romans arrived in Spain around 206 BC, but had to defeat the Carthaginians for it. Afterwards, the Romans still had a fight on their hands: The Iberian tribes resisted for 200 years. Today, in places like Mérida, Córdoba, Segovia, and Tarragona, you can see remnants of Roman roads, bridges, aqueducts, temples, and amphitheaters. Towards the end of their dominion, the Romans also brought Christianity. But Pax Romana crumbled as Visigoths and Franks swept over the Pyrenees.

The civilized heights of Rome were not equaled until the Moors arrived from North Africa around 711 AD. The enlightened Islamic civilization they established was called Al-Andalus, and it lasted for nearly 800 years. Islamic cities such as Córdoba, Seville, and Granada flourished. Throughout Al-Andalus, Christians, and Jews lived under some restrictions, but were free to worship, work, own property, and trade. When the rest of Europe was struggling through the Dark Ages, the city of Córdoba became a beacon of enlightenment with a celebrated university, palaces, gardens, observatories, libraries, street lamps, and running water. Mathematics, astronomy, literature, music, and architecture flourished.

Córdoba’s star began to dim in the 11th century as the caliphate broke into dozens of small kingdoms. Infighting opened a crack for northern Christians to pry open, and the Christian Reconquest pushed south. The last stronghold of the Moors, Granada, fell to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1491. They instituted a 300-year campaign of terror, the Spanish Inquisition, which sought to root out heretics through the confiscation of property, imprisonment, torture, and execution. It required Muslims and Jews to convert to Christianity or leave Spain, thereby ending a source of valuable cultural contributions.

But Spain’s fortunes continued to rise. In 1492, Christopher Columbus opened up the New World to Spain’s imperial ambitions. Spain amassed tremendous wealth and a vast empire through Columbus’ conquest of the Caribbean, as well as the conquest of Mexico by Cortes (1519-21) and Peru by Pizarro (1532-33). In 1588, Philip II sent his Armada to invade England, but its defeat cost Spain its supremacy. After centuries of dwindling losses, Spain’s overseas empire ended with Cuban independence in 1898.

Spain remained neutral during In World War I, but was unable to avoid the upheavals that arose in its aftermath. Civil war erupted in 1936, pitting right-wing Nationalists under Francisco Franco against socialist, communist, and centrist Republicans. Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy supported Franco with planes, weapons, and 92,000 troops, making Spain a testing ground for WWII. Franco declared the war over in 1939, but there was no peace. In the ensuing years, his regime killed 100,000 intellectuals, teachers, and dissenters. After World War II (which Spain sat out), a UN- sponsored boycott plunged the nation into “years of hunger.” They didn’t wane until the 1950s, when U.S. aid and tourism infused the economy. When Franco died in 1975, Juan Carlos I took the throne and Spain transitioned to democracy.

When the 2008 global economic crisis plunged Spain’s economy, the conservative government enacted harsh austerity measures. Youth unemployment reached 60%, and by 2017 over 87,000 workers left Spain, creating a brain drain. Recently, the government rolled out a “Return Plan”

89 to lure them back. Also in 2017, a referendum in Catalonia backed separation from Spain. Madrid imposed direct rule, though polls show that 68% of Spaniards prefer dialogue with Catalonia. This issue, along with economic recovery, will dominate Spain for the near future.

Tunisia

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 63,170 square miles

• Capital: Tunis

• Languages: Arabic (official); French and Berber are also spoken.

• Location: Tunisia is located in northern Africa, bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and northeast.

• Geography: The Tunisian coast is rather jagged and irregular, which makes for many fine bays, coves, and harbors. It’s most notable ports are Bizerte, Qabis, Safaqis, and Susah. The Atlas Mountains run through the north, though the Tunisian peaks are mostly below 4,000 feet tall. To the south, the Chott Djerid, a massive salt lake, acts as an eerie prelude to the Sahara Desert, which stretches to the Algerian and Libyan borders.

• Population: 11,516,189 (Estimate)

• Religions: Muslim 99%, Other 1%

• Time zone: Tunisia is on Central European Time, six hours ahead of U.S. EST. When it is 5am in Washington D.C., it is 11am in Rabat. Morocco does not observe Daylight Savings, therefore Morocco is only 5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time when Daylight Savings is in effect.

National Holidays: Tunisia

In addition to the holidays listed below, 01/14 Revolution and Youth Day Tunisia celebrates a number of national 03/20 Independence Day holidays that follow a lunar calendar, such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. To find out if you 04/09 Martyrs’ Day will be traveling during these holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.com/holidays. 05/01 Labour Day

01/01 New Year’s Day 07/25 Republic Day

10/15 Evacuation Day

Tunisia: A Brief History Tunisia’s history is long and complex, which makes it one of the most fascinating countries in the world to visit. Over three millennia, it has been coveted, conquered, and re-conquered by tribes and countries seeking its fertile northern lands, a rare commodity in the Sahara region. Others

90 sought its valuable position as a strategic power center. With Sicily so close to its north, the maritime passage and trade between the two countries and into the eastern Mediterranean could be controlled.

Phoenicians from today’s Lebanon were the first on record to settle on the coast—3,000 years ago in the tenth century, B.C. Four hundred years later, their city of Carthage grew into a major metropolis, second in size only to Alexandria, Egypt, and dominated the western Mediterranean. As Rome looked to expand their empire, Carthage became an obstacle. And over a period of 120 years (264 to 146 B.C.), the three Punic Wars, during which Hannibal’s army made its now famous Alps crossing on elephants, revealed Rome as the victor. Carthage was relegated as a granary for the empire.

In the fifth century, the East Germanic Vandal tribe took over Tunisia from the west. Byzantine rule followed in the sixth century, and Arab in the seventh. During Arab rule, many Berbers were converted to Islam. Those who resisted conversion grew into a frequent source of rebellion against subsequent dynasties. Other takeovers followed: the Aghlabids and Zurids in the ninth and tenth centuries; Fatmid caliphs in the tenth and eleventh centuries, who went on to found the city of Cairo; and Sicilian Normans and Moroccan Almohad caliphs in the twelfth century. This was followed by a long rule (1230–1574) by the Berber Hafsids, during which Tunisia prospered. As the Hafsids’ power weakened, Spain exerted control over some of Tunisia’s coastal cities, until the Ottoman Turks claimed the region for Islam in 1574. The Turkish beys, or governors, declared independence for Tunisia. This was around the time that pirates roamed the north African coast, pillaging unfortunate ships and earning these waters the name of “Barbary Coast,” a reference that some attribute to the barbarism of their actions and others to Berber tribes. Turkish rule lasted until 1957.

But Turkish Tunisia was not financially stable, and the bey turned to France for support. By the mid 1800s, the French had cause for concern as debts increased with no sign of repayment. They wrested control of the African nation’s finances, with support from the British and Italians, in 1869. France eventually called Tunisia their own with the treaties of Bardo and Mrsa in the 1880s, which put France in charge under a protectorate arrangement with a French general. Tunisian nationalists emerged and in 1920 the Destour, or Constitutional, party was formed with an eye toward liberation from France. Meanwhile, Habib Bourguiba formed the Neo-Destour party, a more extreme group that claimed to be more in touch with the desires of the majority.

France fell to the Germans in June 1940, and Tunisia fell under Vichy rule. Tunisians couldn’t know that their country would become a stage for the most dramatic conflict of the North Africa campaign against the Nazis. This was the site of the Allies’ first major operation in the war.

Post-war nationalist fervor grew, with Bourguiba driving for independence at the helm. But the still-ruling French resisted major reforms and talks of independence fizzled. In 1952, Bourguiba was imprisoned, leading to a wave of unrest. But three years later, Tunisia was granted complete self-government, followed by full independence in 1956. Habib Bourguiba was made Prime Minister. The newly placed assembly deposed the bey, Sidi Lamine, and a republic was declared in 1957. Bourguiba focus was on modernization and economic growth for his largely agricultural country.

91 In 1987, General Zine El Abidine Ben Ali became president. Ben Ali’s regime repaired Libyan relations and opened trade with Algeria, Mauritania, and Morocco. Socially, Ben Ali at first took a liberal stance, but reneged after Islamic activists dominated the 1989 elections—and in fact he took strong measures against their rise. In the 1994 elections, Ben Ali forbade the Islamic party Al Nahda from taking part, even arresting some of its dissidents. The result was 100% support by all legal opposition parties—and 100% of the vote.

Over the next decade, Ben Ali continued to maintain his position as president. And while his economic reforms strengthened Tunisia’s economy, the ever-increasing discontent over high unemployment, police and political corruption, and a lack of freedom of speech outweighed the economic gains. In December 2010 a widespread series of protests and strikes inspired by these issues and other political concerns forced Ben Ali to resign and his party (the RCD) to dissolve.

With Ben Ali’s departure to Saudi Arabia, a state of emergency was declared and a caretaker government put into place to give the country enough time to organize elections. But as many of the ministers had strong ties to the now-defunct RCD, there continued to be a reshuffling in top positions. Eventually Beji Caid Essebsi took over as Prime Minister and announced that elections to a Constitutional Assembly would be held on June 24, 2011; it is expected that once a new constitution is in place general elections will follow.

92 RESOURCES

Suggested Reading

General North Africa Sahara Unveiled: A Journey Across the Desert by William Langewiesche (Travel Narrative). An unusually rich and insightful travel memoir about across the Sahara.

The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: Muslim Traveler of the Fourteenth Century by Ross Dunn (Memoir). Born in Tangier, Ibn Battuta was known as the “Traveler of Islam.” In thirty years of travel, Battuta visited the lands of every Muslim ruler, covering 750,000 miles and traveling to the Maghreb, Arabia, India, China, Indonesia, and even Russia.

The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles (Literature). Bowles’ most famous work, the tale of three American travelers whose lives unravel in the desert of North Africa. Another interesting work by the same author is Their Heads Are Green and Their Hands Are Blue, a collection of eight travel essays, mostly on North Africa, but also India, Sri Lanka, and South America.

Morocco Dreams of Trespass, Tales of a Harem Girlhood by Fatima Mernissi (Memoir). This memoir captures the true story of Mernissi’s life growing up in a Fez harem during World War II. The harem was not an exotic seraglio of concubines but rather a part of the house where all the women of a family are secluded.) A coming of age story with vivid and often hilarious detail.

The Sand Child by Tahar Ben Jelloun (Fiction) To sidestep inheritance laws, a father raises his eighth daughter as a boy. Growing up as “Ahmed,” the family’s sole male child, Zahra enjoys the rights, privileges, and arrogance that society affords to men. But as she approaches womanhood, her desires and sexual identity begin to change. This award-winning novel offers a pointed critique of Arabic social norms, Islamic law, and colonialism.

Lords of the Atlas by Gavin Maxwell (History) An eventful history that reads more like an adventure story. It follows the ruthless Glaoui clan, who ruled Morocco from 1893 to 1956 with the brutality of gangland mobsters and the extravagance of medieval princes. Recommended by our staff in Morocco.

The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert (Cookbook) Let this reknowned James Beard Award- winning chef introduce you to the food and culture of Morocco, with dozens of recipes, culinary essays, and lavish photographs.

The Last Storytellers by Richard Hamilton (Anthology) Wander through Marrakech’s legendary Jmaa el Fna square, and among the snake charmers, musicians, jugglers and hawkers, you may occasionally notice a storyteller holding court. As the tradition of publicly recounting folktales or fables slowly dies, Hamilton has here collected the best of these engaging stories.

93 The Caliph’s House, A Year in Casablanca by Tahir Shah (Memoir). An entertaining account of the transformation of a ruined palace in Casablanca. Shah is a marvelous storyteller, interweaving Moroccan customs, history, black humor, and portraits of neighbors into one work.

The Spider’s House by Paul Bowles (Fiction). American writer Paul Bowles lived in Morocco for 52 years. This story is set in Fez and deals with the conflicts and transformations of the last stages of French occupation in Morocco.

Spain A Million Steps by Kurt Koontz (Travel Narrative) Follow the author as he walks the Camino de Santiago—a pilgrimage route in Spain that stretches more than 400 miles—a journey that is both physical and spiritual.

Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile by Julia Fox (2011, biography). The daughters of Ferdinand and Isabella each lost positions of power—one to the whims of England’s Henry VIII, and the other to madness.

The Last Jew by Noah Gordon (2000, Historical Fiction) A sweeping tale of survival during the Spanish in Inquisition.

Iberia by James A. Michener (1968, History) The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer offers a panoramic view of his second home, Spain, celebrating its art, customs, landscapes, peasant life, and history up to the early post-Franco era.

For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway (1940, Fiction). Hemingway wrote this iconic novel about an American volunteer fighting Franco’’s fascists right after his own stint as a correspondent during the Spanish Civil War.

Traveler’s Tales: Spain edited by Lucy McCauley (1995, Anthology) Incisive, lyrical musings on all aspects of Spain, written by luminaries such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Calvin Trillin, and Barbara Kingsolver.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (2005, Fiction) A mix of mystery, romance, and hauntings abound in this international bestseller, set in 1950s Barcelona.

Tunisia A History of Modern Tunisia by Kenneth Perkins (History) A more in-depth look at Tunisian history than the Traveller’s History listed above. Perkins explores the history of Tunisia from the mid-19th century to the present, with an examination of French colonial rule from 1881 to 1956, when the Tunisians achieved independence, and the subsequent process of state-building.

Hannibal and Scipio by Ross Leckie (Historical Fiction) The first two books of the Punic War Trilogy by a classicist who draws on historical sources and presents the stories as personal memoirs, first of Hannibal and then of his rival Scipio Africanus. A third book entitled Carthage was also released in 2010.

94 Tunisian Mosaics, Treasures from Roman Africa by Aicha Ben Abed (Art) Aicha Ben Abed introduces the history of Roman Africa and the rise of Mediterranean mosaics, the art of private citizens rather than the imperial Roman court. Lots of glorious illustrations, plus updates on current methods of preservation.

The Pillar of Salt by Albert Memmi (History, Autobiography) This semi-autobiographical novel follows a young boy growing up in French-colonized Tunisia. In order to gain access to the privileges of French society, he must assimilate and reject many aspects of his identity—his religion, culture, and family. On the brink of World War II, he confronts anti-Semitism in Tunis and the Nazi occupation of Tunisia.

Behind Closed Doors: Women’s Oral Narratives in Tunis by Monia Hejaiej (Fiction) This book presents 47 tales told by three Beldi women—members of a historic society—in Tunis. The Arabic language and customs of Islam are firmly rooted in this community. Tale-telling is important to all Beldi women, and these three women tell stories which echo their life experience and have deep meanings for them. Their tales reflect accepted moral codes, and yet many depict attitudes, relationships, and practices that contradict established norms. These contradictory visions offer a kaleidoscopic view of the position of women in the rich life of a historic North African city.

Suggested Film & Video

Morocco Casablanca (1942, Romance). “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.” Although the plot has little to do with Morocco itself, any excuse is good enough to see this classic which deftly combines elements of romance, intrigue, political commentary, and sharp comedy. Consistently places on “Top 10” lists by critics, the public, and the American Film Institute.

Hideous Kinky (1999, Drama) Kate Winslet plays a free-spirited, single British mother who decamps with her daughters to Morocco to find herself. Optimistic despite financial and personal setbacks, she remains dangerously oblivious to the needs of her children. A thoughtful look at Morocco’s 1970s hippie mystique, and its reality.

The Sheltering Sky (1990, Adventure/Drama) An unhappy American couple ventures deep into the North African desert in the hopes of rekindling their relationship. The farther they go, the more the chasm between them widens. Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Debra Winger and John Malkovich, and featuring Paul Bowles, who wrote the book.

Changing Times (2004, Comedy/Drama) A French engineer (Gérard Depardieu) contrives a job in Tangier in order to reconnect with a lost lover of thirty years (Catherine Deneuve.) Various other characters and subplots cast an interesting light on modern urban Moroccan life.

Le Grand Voyage (2004, Drama). Driving his dad to Mecca for the Islamic pilgrimage is not what Reda, a French-Moroccan teenager, had planned. But plans change in this emotional road trip that explores the generational and cultural divide experienced by the many Moroccan immigrants. In French and Arabic with subtitles.

95 The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956, Thriller). This Hitchcock classic stars James Stewart and Doris Day as Americans traveling in Morocco, who get caught up in an international assassination plot. Filmed in and around Marrakech.

Spain Pain and Glory (2019, Drama) Antonio Banderas earned a Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of a legendary director flashing back through his past, and facing a present filled with loss, memory, physical ailments, and imagination. This thinly-veiled autobiographical sketch from director Pedro Almodovar is a rueful reflection on creativity, wrapped up with warmth, humor, and vivid glimpses of life in late 20th-century Spain.

The Way (2010, Drama) A grieving father (Martin Sheen) honors his lost son’s desire to finish the journey of a lifetime by competing the historical pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. Along the way, he meets other trekkers with their own stories to tell.

Ocho Apellidos Vascos (released in the U.S. as Spanish Affair, 2014, Comedy) Two of Spain’s most disparate cultures collide as a jilted bride from the Basque Country goes to Seville, where a skillful Andalusian ladies man is frustrated by his inability to woo her. A fun and warm-hearted look at the differences between northern and southern Spain.

Belle Epoque (1992, Comedy/Drama) On the eve of the Spanish Civil War, Fernando, a young soldier, deserts and ends up at the country home of Manolo, a man with four strong-willed but very different daughters. Fernando seduces them all, but then is perplexed when they each reject him. All the characters represent different sides of the coming conflict, but for a moment, enjoy the “beautiful epoch” of joyful sensuality and warmth.

All About My Mother (1999, Comedy) When her 17-year-old son is tragically killed in a car accident, Manuela sets out to reconnect with her son’s father and ends up forging new connections with an outrageous transvestite, a pregnant nun, and her son’s favorite actress. This 1999 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film is another from director Pedro Almodovar, whose other acclaimed works include Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and Volver.

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006, Fantasy) From director Guillermo del Toro. Following Spain’s bloody civil war, young Ofelia enters a world of unimaginable cruelty when she moves in with her new stepfather, a brutal military officer. Armed only with her imagination, Ofelia discovers a labyrinth and a faun who offers her a path to saving herself and her mother. The lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur, and before Ofelia can turn back, she’s at the center of a ferocious battle between good and evil.

Tunisia Star Wars (1977-2019, Science Fiction) This popular science fiction saga entered the cinematic stage in 1977 to tell the story of a rebel alliance fighting against the tyranny of an evil empire. Four movies in the saga (Episodes I-IV) feature scenes filmed in Tunisia, including that of the desert planet Tatooine. Episode IV: A New Hope introduces the hero of the original trilogy on his home planet with stunning views of the sandy vistas.

96 Gladiator (2000, Action) Although this historical drama of a Roman general forced to become a gladiator to survive is largely centered around Rome, the scenes set in Roman North Africa could easily be in Classical-era Tunisia.

Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951, Drama) Desert Fox portrays the life of German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel at the end of WWII. It tracks Rommel’s career beginning with a failed campaign in North Africa and ending with his eventual decision to join in a conspiracy against Hitler.

Useful Websites

Overseas Adventure Travel World Weather www.oattravel.com www.intellicast.com www.weather.com Overseas Adventure Travel Store www.wunderground.com www.oatshop.com Basic Travel Phrases (80 languages) Overseas Adventure Travel Frequently www.travlang.com/languages Asked Questions www.oattravel.com/faq Packing Tips www.travelite.org International Health Information/CDC (Centers for Disease Control) U.S. Customs & Border Protection http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel www.cbp.gov/travel

Electricity & Plugs Transportation Security www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/ Administration (TSA) plugs-and-sockets www.tsa.gov

Foreign Exchange Rates National Passport Information Center www.xe.com/currencyconverter www.travel.state.gov www.oanda.com/converter/classic Holidays Worldwide ATM Locators www.timeanddate.com/holidays www.mastercard.com/atm www.visa.com/atmlocator

97 VACCINATIONS NOW REQUIRED FOR ALL TRAVELERS, SHIP CREW, TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS, AND COACH DRIVERS Plus, updated Health & Safety Protocols for our Land Tours

The health and safety of our travelers is always our #1 priority, and we understand travelers are concerned about exploring the world in light of the unprecedented crisis we are currently facing. To ensure your safety and give you peace of mind, we have worked with our regional team and listened to government guidance and feedback from our travelers to create these health and safety protocols for our trips. As we continue to make changes, we will keep our website updated with the latest information.

VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS • All travelers, ship crew, and Trip Experience AND UPDATED HEALTH & SAFETY Leaders will have their temperature checked PROTOCOLS FOR SMALL SHIP every time they return to the ship using a non- ADVENTURES contact infrared temperature scanner. • All travelers must be fully vaccinated against • All meals are served by the dining staff— COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to departure buffets are no longer available. and provide proof of vaccination upon VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS AND boarding the ship. If you are unable to UPDATED HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS provide proof of vaccination upon arrival at FOR SMALL GROUP ADVENTURES ON LAND your destination, you will have to return • All travelers must be fully vaccinated against home at your own expense. COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to departure. If To meet this requirement, please bring your you are unable to provide proof of vaccination original COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card upon arrival at your destination, you will with you on your trip. The white card must have to return home at your own expense. display your name, type of vaccine, and the To meet this requirement, please bring your date(s) the vaccine was administered. We also original COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card with suggest taking a picture of this card to keep for you on your trip. The white card must display your records as a backup. your name, type of vaccine, and the date(s) • All local Trip Experience Leaders, the vaccine was administered. We also suggest fully ship staff, and crew will be taking a picture of this card to keep for your vaccinated against COVID-19. records as a backup. fully • All coach drivers will be • All local Trip Experience Leaders will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. vaccinated against COVID-19. • All public areas will be sanitized nightly and • All coach drivers will be fully vaccinated all ships are equipped with High Efficiency against COVID-19. Particulate Air (HEPA) filters.

Help us ensure travelers’ safety and health while on our trips. Please follow best health and hygiene practices to prevent the spread of illness—wash your hands regularly and cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. Together, we can create a safer travel experience for everyone.

Learn more at www.oattravel.com/covid-update

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103 YOUR TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADER

Your O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader is an insider who lives in the destinations you are exploring. They are not just knowledgeable, but personable and personal—eager to understand your own interests, and happy to share their own. This makes all the diff erence between just visiting a place, and experiencing its true spirit.

For your Morocco Sahara Odyssey adventure, your Trip Experience Leaders have earned an overall “Excellence” rating of 87% in post-trip surveys completed by our travelers.

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