Marrakech Iconic scenes of Morocco Tour 13 Days

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BERBER TRIBES CULTURE & HERITAGE ADVENTURE TRAVEL

Marrakech Iconic scenes of Morocco Tour 13 Days

Morocco is a land of contrasts – where Africa meets Europe and the Middle East adds its own flavor. Considered a moderate Islamic state, Morocco opens its doors to everyone regardless of ethnicity, religion or political status. From ancient philosophers and scholars to Bob Marley and Jimmy Hendrix, Morocco has hosted many! If you´re looking for a colorful and diverse experience, this is the place. From the wild markets of Marrakech to the snowy peaks of the Atlas, the silence of the Sahara and pristine beaches of the Atlantic, Morocco is simply amazing. Our journey combines the best of everything – cities, villages, mountain, desert, music, food, shops and the coast, plus opportunities to do community services and some fun adventure activities along the way! Expect plenty of interaction with the friendly Berber tribes’ people of North Africa. Learn their unique drumming, practice the language and taste the delicious food. We´ll fill your week with a lifetime of memories and educational experiences that are second to none.

DAY 1: – WELCOME TO MOROCCO – TRANSFER TO MARRAKECH

Welcome to Morocco! On arrival at Marrakech Airport, you will be met by Best Morocco Guide and transferred to your hotel. While this is an arrival day and you may arrive at any time, please note that hotel rooms are generally only available after midday, and that there will a Welcome Meeting with your leader tonight. Transfer to a Hotel to spend the night.

Notes: Please be aware that some of our travellers in Marrakech are being approached by locals offering excursions before their Best of Morocco Tours trip commences. This has been particularly prevalent in and around the hotels used by Best of Morocco Tours. These guides are in no way connected to Best of Morocco Morocco Tours and we cannot guarantee the safety or quality standards of their tours. We strongly advise customers not to join any tour offered by unauthorised guides. Best of Morocco Tours assesses the safety of all optional excursions offered by our tour leaders. If you would like more information on the excursions available, please contact us before you travel or see the Best of Morocco Tours.
Accommodation : http://www.riadnesma.com/ ( 2 NIGHTS )
Activities :
Airport Transfer to Marrakech
Meals Included : Welcome Dinner

DAY 2: MARRAKECH EXPLORATION

Enjoy a guided city tour of Marrakech “Paris of the Sahara” as Winston Churchill once described it. Stop first at the Koutoubia Mosque, which is an old monument built under the reign of the Almohad Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur (1184 to 1199). This monument inspired other buildings such as the Giralda in Seville in Spain and the Hassan Tower in Rabat. Stop next at the Bahia Palace. This Palace was built in the late 19th century and was intended to capture the essence of the Islamic, Jewish and Moroccan style, next you will visit the Jewish quarter Mellah, Stop next at the Saadian tombs, which is a site that dates back to the time of the sultan Ahmad al-Mansur (1578-1603). The tombs were discovered in 1917 and were restored by the Beaux-arts service. Optional lunch at a local restaurant, Continue the tour with the world famous Jema El Fna Square where you will enjoy amazing performance of traditional activities by storytellers, snake charmers, peddlers of traditional medicines. Your last stop is the bustling souks in the Medina, end of tour and walk back to hotel, free afternoon to explore the square.
Activities :
Majorel Gardens
Guided walking tour Marrakech
Bahia Palace
Souks
Jamaa lfna & Koutoubia
Coranic medrassa ben youssef
Jewish Monuments and Heritage Tour
Meals Included : Breakfast /

DAY 3: HIGH ATLAS MOUNTAINS – TELOUET – AITBENHADOU – OUARZAZATE

We start our Desert journey through the Saharan landscapes of both the Hamada (stone desert) and Erg (dune desert). Our first visits include : High Atlas mountains, discover traditional Berber villages and Terraces, drive up the spectacular Tichka Pass 2260m high, we drive down the valleys to Ait Benhadou via the amazing valley of ounila, discover the pacha glaoui kasbah and the authentic villages of Ounila, ex-caravan route with 100 of kasbah, we arrive to the most spectacular Unesco Site in the southern Morocco, a walk to discover the Kasbah where Gladiator, Game of thrones, Lawrence of Arabia and many other moveies were shot, discover the beautiful berber Archeticture, Lunch in a local restaurant and set off for Ouarzazate Largest saharan center, Moroccan Hollywood, Visit the Cinema Museum, opportunity to shop in a super Market…
Getting to Ouarzazate (Hollywood of Africa, Noiselessly town, The door of the desert), is a city situated in the middle of a bare plateau, south of the High Atlas Mountains. It is mainly inhabited by Berbers, who constructed many of the prominent kasbahs and building for which the area is known. One of those building is Taourirt Kasbah diverted in 17th century.
Why this town is nicknamed as Hollywood of Africa? Simply because it has been noted as a film-making location, with Morocco’s biggest studios inviting many international film companies to shoot their movies like: Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Living Daylights (1987), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), The Mummy (1999), Gladiator (2000), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Martin Scorsese’s Kundun (1997) and Babel (2005).

Accommodation : http://www.darchamaa.com/fr/fr_index.html
Activities :
Visit Ouarzazate
Visit Cinema Museum or Visit Studios
Ait benhaddou Kasbah
Meals Included : Breakfast / Dinner

DAY 04: OUARZAZATE – DADES VALLEY – BOUTAGHRARE – 90 KM

From ouarzazate, we go along the road of 1000 kasbahs, since there are enormous Kasbahs on both sides of the road. Some of those old fortified houses are restored but unfortunately a lot of them are ruins, we will visit skoura kasbah. We drive up to visit the Mgoun valley, and we head to the Berber village of Boutaghrare, where we spend our next 2 nights with local berbers,, a walk o discover the valley and the fertile valley, here people make living from fields, growing wheat, barley and corns, figs, olives, almonds… this valley is also called the roses valley, the local tribe grow the roses they collect every year and sell to cooperatives to make rose water and oil, the festival of roses is held once a year at the end of May, local tribes gather to celebrate, . Overnight in Roses valley Famous village of Boutaghrare. a charming berber village and valley in the southern Morocco Near the Central Atlas Mountains.
Accommodation : http://www.kasbah-chems.fr/
Tour Highlights:
Guided walking tour of the valley of roses
Guided walking tour
Visit Skoura
Meals Included : Breakfast / Dinner

DAY 5: TREKKING IN THE VALLEY OF ROSES

After breakfast you will meet your mountain guide for a memorable day in the Central Atlas Mountains drive across some of the most beautiful valleys to the village of Dades dominated by MOUNT Mgoun the 2nd highest peak in north Africa 4067m… Start a soft hike or ride a mule, to one of the highest and most picturesque berber villages. meet the local berber people who are the earliest inhabitants of Morocco and discover their way of life and culture. during this hike you will admire breath-taking mountain sceneries.
Enjoy a traditonal typical lunch in a berber home or picknick. Reture to our Guest house after lunch, free afternoon to discover the village on your own.
The High Atlas Mountains, which often dominate the skyline between Sahara and North, have always played an important role for the city not least with regard to commerce. Whilst Marrakech is in itself a fascinating city, a whole new experience awaits those who venture south into the mountains.
With several peaks above 4000 metres, the Central High Atlas is part of a larger chain of mountains that spreads from the Atlantic Coast in the west to the Algerian border in the east. The mountains are home to the indigenous Berber (or Amazigh) people who have inhabited Morocco for at least 5000 years. The Berbers live in small clusters of earthen adobe houses which cling precipitously to mountainsides and are often only accessible by mule or foot. A trek in the High Atlas will offer more than a glimpse into a way of life that has barely changed for centuries and where traditional values and hospitality have been mostly unaffected by the outside world
Tour Highlights:
Walking & Trekking / Mule Ride if necessary
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 6: DADES VALLEY – TODGHA GORGE – TINGHIR

From here, we go along the road of 1000 kasbahs of Dades, since there are enormous Kasbahs on both sides of the road. Some of those old fortified houses are restored but unfortunately a lot of them are ruins. We drive up to visit the Dades gorge & valley, and we head to the Berber family for Lunch, cooking course, a walk to discover the valley and spend some time wit the Berbers. We pass a town called Boumalen situated on the edge of Dades valley which rises in the High Atlas Mountains, giving life to a huge Berber community by its rich agriculture. Along this valley another valley called valley of roses appearing with the green colors of its Alfalfa plants, olive trees, fig trees and grapes. from here we make our way to Todra gorge, a 300 m high canion, a 2 hour walk to discover the valley and gardens, enjoy the afternoon at the gorge, we drive to our hotel in tinghit, optional Hammam experience tonight.
Accommodation : https://hotel-bab-todra.com/
Activities :
Cooking course / Lunch BERBER women / Henna – Can Be arranged and paid locally
Optional Traditional Hammam
Meals Included : Breakfast / Dinner

DAY 7: TODRA – ERFOUD – ERRISSANI – SAHARA DESERT

Today we drive to Touroug via the valley of Tinjdad, where we visit the oasis museum and continue to Touroug after lunch we will visit an old under ground irrigation channels dating app to 12 to 17 Century, discover this magical irrigation system, get you some scarves for the Sahara & we then cross Sijilmassa, morocco’s king ancestors town, famous for being the most imporatnt Caravans carrefour along the history, and then we continue our Saharan exploration as we make our way through the far reaches of Morocco’s eastern perimeter to within 20km of Algeria’s border where we encounter the magnificent Erg Chebbi dune landscape. Morocco’s most famous Saharan dunes is just breathtaking and transforming to the soul. On foot or camel back you have the option to travel into the remote dunes until our Nomadic style camp hidden in the dunes. An evening sunset climb to one of the higher dunes is customary followed by dinner and a campfire experience and Berber songs and storytelling can be arranged. Breakfast and dinner included. Accommodation in a desert camp.

Accommodation : Desert Camp ( + Private Tents with shower and Bathroom)
Activities :
Visit Todra & Dades gorge
Visit Underground Channels
Fossils
Camel Trekking
Overnight Desert Camp
Meals Included : Breakfast / Dinner

DAY 8: MERZOUGA – TAZARINE – TAMGROUTE – ZAGORA

We wake up early morning to enjoy the sunrise over the dunes of Erg Chebbi, one of the best moment of Merzouga desert, after you will be followed by a delicious breakfast in the Auberge afer you ride camels back, opportunity to take shower and start your journey back from Merzouga dunes to ZAGORA via Tazarine and the Draa valley, Agdez the longest valley in Morocco famous for Being Moroccan Dates Basket, Locals grow more than 11 type of dates, enjoy this mystical landscapes along the Caravan formal route, After zagora we will visit Tamegroute (Tamgrout) is a village in the south of Morocco, in the valley of the Draa River. It has a history as an important center of learning and religion through its famous Sufi zawiya, historical center of the Nasiriyya Sufi order, one of the most influential – and at one time one of the largest – Sufi orders in the Islamic world. Tamegroute’s green pottery is also very well known.The founders of the religious brotherhood Nasiriyya wanted to raise the status of the village of Tamegroute to that of a ‘Medina’, that is to say to make it a city. They assembled the merchants and craftsmen that they had brought from Fes, a city that enjoyed good relations with Tamegroute at the time. However, today Tamegroute is a little village again, but the pottery has become its main characteristic. Except for a few ochre shades, a green glaze is the dominant colour in pottery from Tamegroute. As with Fes Zelliges, and even more so, the ancient techniques give the glaze infinite variations. We will overnight in Zagora.
Accommodation : https://www.riadlamane.com/index.php/fr/
Activities
Visit Draa valley, visit tamegroute, Visit pottery artisans
Meals Included: Breakfast
In older sources mostly Darha or Dara), is Morocco’s longest river, 1,100 kilometres (680 mi). It is formed by the confluence of the Dadès River and Imini River. It flows from the High Atlas mountains south-(east)ward to Tagounit and from Tagounit mostly westwards to the Atlantic Ocean somewhat north of Tan-Tan. Most of the year the part of the Draa after Tagounit falls dry.Zagora is a town in the valley of the Draa River in Souss-Massa-Drâa, southeastern Morocco. It is flanked by the mountain Zagora from which the town got its name. Originally it was called ‘Tazagourt’ the singular of plural ‘Tizigirt’, Berber for ‘twinpeaks’, referring to the fortress of the Murabitun, or Almoravid, people. In old European maps the mountain Zagora is already indicated but the town itself was only built in the 20th century. On the top of the Zagora mountain the remains of an Almoravid fortress can still be seen. The exact location of the former Almoravid mosque is still a matter of dispute. Each year the moussem (festival) of the Sufi saint moulay Abdelkader Jilali is celebrated at Zagora. Languages spoken in the city include Moroccan Arabic, Tachelhit and Tamazight. A well known sign at the town border states ‘Tombouctou 52 days’, the supposed time it takes to get to Timbuktu, Mali on foot or camel. we cross the anti atlas and to arrive to Ouarzazate

DAY 9: ZAGORA – TAROUDANT

After breakfast in your hotel, you will start travelling to Taroudant. Your first stop will be in Taznakht an area that is known for carpets makers, you will have the option to visit the local markets and learn about this art which disappearing over the years. This area is also known for the quality of its Safran and Olive oil. We should arrive at Taroudant in the afternoon, here you will see the ramparts and walk within the small alleys in the Medina. Taroudant is always referred to as “The little Marrakech” because it was the built by the Saadian dynasty that used it as their capital before they moved to Marrakech on 16th century. Overnight at Riad Les Bains Berberes or similar. BB
Accommodation : Riad Hotel
Activities : Visit Berber Carpet family, Visit Taroudant, Safran fields.
Meals Included : Breakfast,

DAY 10: TAROUDANT- AGADIR – ESSAOUIRA

Breakfast in the riad, and then head for Essaouira, travelling via Agadir and the coastal road. Our first stop will be at Agadir, a resort city which used to be a very big tourist destination for many years. After lunch and small walk at the Promenade, you will continue to Essaouira. The coastal road offers beautiful scenery, an area famous for the Argan trees; here you will see herds of goats climbing the Argan trees looking for better food they can’t find on the ground. After several stops along the coast we get to Essaouira on the afternoon. Overnight accommodation at a riad in the Medina. Riad. BB.
Accommodation : Riad La masion du Sud
Activities :
Visit Essaouira
Meals Included : Breakfast,

DAY 11: EXPLORING ESSAOUIRA

Breakfast at the hotel in Essaouira, then start our explorative journey of the city. You’ll visit the Skala Fortress; see Thuya wood carved by artisans; walk through the alleys of the medina and view hundreds of handicrafts. Today you will have lunch in a Moroccan way, bought fishes ‘cooked to order’. On the afternoon, you will have some free time to wonder around, go to the beach and enjoy your space. Essaouira is also referred to as The “City of the wind” and it attracts surfers from all over the world. Essaouira knew many civilisations – including the Portuguese occupation, which affects much of its architecture – however, it remains a small village with much history. Because of its size and its characteristic blue doors and washed walls, it is also regarded as Morocco’s “Jewel of the Atlantics”. There is an annual festival of “Gnawa music”, where many musical groups come from different parts of Africa and the world. Usually it starts in the second week of June. Overnight accommodation riad BB
Accommodation : Raid Maison du sud
Activities :
Airport Transfer to Marrakech
Meals Included : Breakfast,

DAY 12: ESSAOUIRA – MARRAKECH

After breakfast in your riad, you will have some free time before leaving to Marrakech. On our way – since this is the land of Argan culture – this is an opportunity to visit the women’s co-operative of Argan oil where they extract the oil that is famous for its culinary, cosmetic and medical properties. After several stops to take photographs, you will continue your travel to Marrakech and drop you at your accommodation, where the tour ends.

DAY 13: – AIRPORT TRANSFER

According to your flight details, we will assist and transfer your to the aiprot, and thank you for visiting Morocco and for choosing Best of Morocco Tours as your trusted travel company for your Morocco Holidays.