MOROCCO THE GRAND TOUR APRIL 3-21, 2019 TOUR LEADER: SUE ROLLIN MOROCCO Overview THE GRAND TOUR Discover the best of Morocco on this 19-day tour, from its rich and diverse Tour dates: April 3-21, 2019 architectural heritage to its vibrant cultural traditions, stunning landscapes and unique gastronomy. Tour leader: Sue Rollin From Roman times we see the splendid ruins of Volubilis and the port of Lixus on the Atlantic coast, once famous for its salt and fish paste. After Tour Price: $9,820 per person, twin share the Romans came the Vandals and the Byzantines who ruled the region Single Supplement: $2,295 for sole use of until the Arab conquest brought Islam in the eighth century. The local double room Berber tribes converted to the new religion and a blend of Berber and Arab culture produced the characteristic art and architecture of Islamic Booking deposit: $500 per person Morocco, with its intricate stucco and wood carving and colourful zellij mosaic tilework. Recommended airline: Emirates We visit the old medina of Rabat and drive along the coast to Tangier, Maximum places: 20 overlooking the straits of Gibraltar, before going into the Rif Mountains and the charming medieval town of Chefchaouen. We explore Fes, renowned Itinerary: Rabat (2 nights), Tangier (2 nights), for its warren of market streets and exquisitely decorated medersas and Chefchaouen (1 night), Fes (3 nights), Ifrane (1 enjoy the scenery of the Middle Atlas, home to forests of Atlas cedar and night), Marrakesh (3 nights), Ouarzazate (2 Barbary apes. Marrakesh is famous for its palaces, gardens and fine nights), Taroudant (1 night), Essaouira (2 mausolea and there is plenty of time to lose ourselves in the labyrinthine nights), Casablanca (1 night) souks which run off the Jemaa el Fna, the city’s bustling main square. Date published: August 14, 2018 Crossing the spectacular High Atlas Mountains we reach Ouarzazate on the edge of the Sahara Desert, from where we take an excursion along the Drâa valley, dotted with ksour, kasbahs and beautiful palmeries. From Taroudant, a relaxed Berber market town surrounded by a fine circuit of walls, we drive to the Atlantic coast and the delightful fishing port of Essaouira. Further north is El Jadida, where we visit the fine old Portuguese medina before continuing to Casablanca and our flight home. Your tour leader Sue Rollin holds degrees in Near Eastern history and archaeology, South Asian studies and interpreting. Sue is an archaeologist, historian and linguist with 30 years’ experience in leading tours to Central Asia, India, the Middle East and countries around the Mediterranean. Her personal interests include art and architecture, comparative religion, gastronomy and walking. Sue has a BA and MA from the University of London, a Diploma in Conference Interpreting from the University of Westminster and held a 2-year research scholarship Enquiries and at Heidelberg University. She has worked as a tutor and lecturer in Ancient Near Eastern history at both Cambridge and London Universities bookings and continues to lecture on a variety of topics for the Art Fund, Arts Society and the Victoria and Albert Museum’s adult learning program. For further information and to secure a place on this tour “A journey through Morocco is exciting, different and delights the senses. please contact Jamal Delicate Roman mosaics and masterpieces in bronze, intricate Islamic Fairbrother at Academy carving, colourful patterned tiles and luxuriant gardens are a feast for the Travel on eyes and in the bustling markets the call to prayer resonates over the cries 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 of the traders. Delicious food and good wine combined with spectacular (outside Sydney) or email sea, mountain and desert landscapes and the friendliness and hospitality [email protected] of the people make for an unforgettable experience.” Tour Highlights TANGIER Tangier has always been a place apart looking back to Africa and forward to Europe. Stand at the walls of the kasbah and you are at the north-west tip of Africa, overlooking the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and only 20 miles from Spain. Walk through the medina and the Ville Nouvelle for reminders of the city’s past, the heady days of the International Zone, when almost half the population was foreign. FES Fes el Bali, Morocco’s oldest imperial capita is a fascinating walled medina is a city suspended in time. Explore the narrow streets, alleys and colourful souks where traders ply their wares and donkeys deliver their loads to shops and fondouks as they have done for centuries. Marvel at the exquisite craftsmanship of medieval medersas and visit the extraordinary tanneries where hundreds of hides are dyed and treated. VOLUBILIS Wander through the impressive ruins of Volubilis, capital of the Province of Mauretania Tingitana, on the westernmost fringes of the Roman Empire. Located on a ridge overlooking some of the most fertile land in the region, Volubilis grew rich on the production and export of olive oil. Monumental buildings, a triumphal arch and grand private residences, floored with superb mosaics, bear witness to the city’s affluence. MARRAKESH No visitor to Marrakesh can miss the elegant Koutoubia minaret, which towers over the medina and its vibrant central square, Jemaa el Fna, crowded with stalls and performers. Venture into the bustling souks and enjoy the sights, smells and sounds. Visit the luxuriant gardens of the Badia Palace and Yves Saint Laurent’s exquisite Jardin Majorelle, and admire the fine architecture of the Ben Youssef Medersa. AMAZING LANDSCAPES Enjoy a variety of landscapes from the Atlantic Ocean to the Sahara. Behind the sand dunes of the Atlantic coast are fertile plains where we see olive and citrus groves, vineyards and fields of wheat and barley. The Rif and Atlas mountain ranges are covered in forests of Atlas cedar, oak and juniper. On the desert fringes impressive wastelands of rock and scrub are scored by dramatic valleys dotted with kasbahs and palmeries. Detailed itinerary Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D. Tour start & finish time The tour starts on Wednesday 3 April with a 3.00pm transfer to Rabat, from Casablanca Airport. The tour ends on Sunday 21 April at the Sofitel Tour Blanche, Casablanca, after breakfast. Wednesday 3 APRIL ARRIVE CASABLANCA & DRIVE TO RABAT For passengers who have booked their flights through Academy Travel to commence the tour today your tour leaders will be waiting at Casablanca airport outside the terminal near the arrivals exit before we depart by coach for the 90-minute drive to Rabat. For other clients there will be different meeting arrangements. On arrival in Rabat we settle into our riad and there is time for an orientation walk in the medina before welcome drinks and dinner in the hotel. Overnight Rabat (D) Thursday 4 APRIL RABAT Above: The grand mausoleum of Mohammed V in Rabat This morning we visit the archaeological site of Chellah, once the Roman trading post of Sala Colonia, which was later used as a royal burial ground by the 13th and 14th century rulers of the Almohad and Merenid dynasties. Alongside the Roman ruins are the remains of a mosque and zaouia (religious seminary) with bright zellij tilework on the minaret and several tombs, including that of the great Merenid sultan, Abou el Hassan. We continue to the Archaeological Museum, which houses a magnificent collection of Roman bronzes, found mainly at Volubilis. After lunch we visit the imposing tower of the ruined 12th century Hassan mosque, in its time the second largest in the Islamic world, which dominates the city. Alongside is the grand modern mausoleum of Mohammad V, who died in 1961, which was designed by a Vietnamese architect. We stop at the Kasbah des Oudaïas which features 12th century fortifications, an Andalusian garden, narrow streets, charming whitewashed houses and a view across the Bou Regreg estuary to the old walled town of Salé on the other side. Overnight Rabat (B, L) Friday 5 APRIL LIXUS & TANGIER This morning we leave Rabat to drive along the coast to Tangier. We stop to visit the picturesque although rather overgrown ruins of ancient Lixus, founded by the Phoenicians and in Roman times a wealthy port famous for the production of salt and garum, a pungent fish sauce which featured in many a Roman recipe. The garum factories are in the lower town and on the way to the acropolis are the public baths and the amphitheatre where wild beast shows and gladiatorial contests Above: The ruins at Chellah, once a Roman trading post were once staged. After lunch at a restaurant by the sea we continue to Tangier. There is time for a short orientation walk before checking into our hotel. Overnight Tangier (B, L) Saturday 6 APRIL TANGIER We spend today exploring Tangier beginning with the American Legation Museum, the United States’ first overseas consulate, an historic building with an interesting art collection and a section dedicated to American composer and writer Paul Bowles who spent most his life in the city. We wander through the winding streets of the medina passing by the Hotel Continental, which opened in 1872, with the future Edward VII among the Above: The American Legation Museum in Tangier first guests and the house which belonged to Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton. The kasbah, at the top of the hill, houses a splendid museum in the Dar el Makhzen, the former residence of the sultan. In the Ville Nouvelle we see the churchyard of St. Andrews Anglican Church, where several well-known expatriate Tangerinos are buried and the Café de Paris, famous rendezvous during the International Zone era. There is time to relax before enjoying dinner.