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Itinerary for MOROCCO  TOUR  Page #3

For more information please read the tour hand book

Day 07  Sunday ,overnght @ Sahara Desert

Our second day at the Sahara was strongly suggested by our previous tour members. This will be an excellent relaxing day and it will be great for those who are looking for more free time on their own. We will start the day at 09:00 for a visit  at a Touarag family’s excellent collection of desert hand craft, we will see the demonstration of hand woven carpets of Morocco, wood carvings, jewelry and hard to name many objects which made life in the desert easy and aesthetic. . On the streets of Morocco every where you can find excellent examples of tapestry, carpets and kilims. But it seems like, this family and their shop looks like the first one I have found where we can get good ethnographic description on the hand crafts we see in Morocco. I will recommend you not to get too excited about shopping here. The souks has a lot of similar items but the advantage here they accept credit card and we want to hear some information. Please check the comments on this place from the tour members on the previous tours.
Our next stop will be a visit the Local Souque (Market)of Er Rissani .
The  Local people come with their donkeys, from all around Sahara. At the donkey parking lot there are hundreds of donkeys happily  parked, making new friends while  waiting for their owners.  After 1 hour on your own for the pleasure of your eyes and for the utmost cultural experience, we will return to our Hotel in the desert. Lunch at the hotel. A nice bath at the Turkish Bath or a refreshing swim at the beautiful pool might be a good way of spending the afternoon. If any body wants to get on a camel and go back to the sand dunes the camel drivers will be more than happy to assist you in this adventure. Dinner will be at the  Hotel Timbacktou.

Day 08 Monday Merzouga, Er Risanni, Erfoud, Tinghir , overnight @ Ouarzazate

After breakfast we will leave the fascinating Sahara sand dunes behind. We will drive towards Ouarzazate passing by beautiful Tuareg and Barber  villages, Gorges Tudra and old Kasbahs De
Glowi which can not be lived in anymore, rose gardens and  panoramic views of the villages and
smaller kasbahs. We will arrive at Quarzazete at around 07:00 PM Overnight  and dinner at Hotel Kenzi Azghor. The most difficult thing to do in
 

Morocco is to take pictures of the women.  Here on this page you can see the pictures of very few women who had allowed  MELITOUR to take their pictures 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 09  Tuesday Overnght @ Touredent
We will leave at 09:30 this morning. In Quarzazette, our local guide will take us for a  visit an 18th Century , air condition and telephone systemic, 110 room kasbah (the administrative center) which once belonged to a pasha (high officer in the army). This Kasbah will be a great way to understand how rich man "used" to live in Morocco. We will continue to Ait Benhaddou, it is one of the oldest and well preserved Kasbahs in the whole Atlas region. It hosted seen in  more than 20 Movies such as  Indiana Jones, Asterix & Oburix, Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth and The Gladiator. All the local people played a role  in the Movie "The Gladiator" , the big arena which the fights took place in the movie was set right in the middle of this Kasbah and all the shop owners proudly uses the pictures from the  gladiator to attract customers in their shops. It takes bout 25 minutes hike to reach top of the Kasbah for a  magnificent view of the stone desert and panoramic view. If you choose not to walk up - easy walk, there is a quiet little coffee house and few shops to entertain you. We will take our lunch at this village. After lunch we will pass, many small villages, primary school and Natural saffron shops, during our  5 hour bus ride to Touredent. Dinner and Overnight at Hotel Palais Salam.  www.groupesalam.com


Washing day for the carpets


The Air conditioning system of the Caspa

Day 10 Wednesday Touredent, Agadir, Essaouira
We do not need to rush out of the hotel this morning. The garden is so beautiful. You might want to swim in the pool which is surrounded with wonderful vegetation. You can sip your coffee by the waterfall fountain leaning its back to the ancient city wall. We will leave at 10:30 AM, for Agadir. After the earthquake in 1960 where thousands of people had died, the city was flattened completely and was re built leaving no remnant of the old city. The tourist industry from Europe had used up almost all of the shore line, making the miles of great sea shore look like "Costa del Sole" of Spain. So we will quickly get out of this city and immerse  our selves once again to the real face of Morocco. The lunch will be at a wonderful fish restaurant in town.. The afternoon ride will be on a narrow, winding road which is surrounded with trees where goats climb to the top ,to eat the last fruit on the farthest branch.
We will arrive at Essaouira in the Late afternoon.

After we check in our wonderful hotel, we will have a walk in the Medina of the city to orient you to what is where so the next day you can be on your own to explore this wonderful town on the Atlantic ocean. Dinner will be on your own
 Overnight at Hotel Des IlLLES.

Day 11 Thursday Overnight @ Essaouira

We found Essaouira so beautiful that we wanted to spend 2 days at this wonderful sea port town. Essaouira was established by the Portuguese as a harbor for slave trade in the 16th century, The fortified city  is the only reminder of the grim past of the city.  Of all the Moroccan sites, this is the most cheerful one. The wonderful beach that stretches  along the city  is a haven for the sea gulls and camels, not to mention the para-gliders, and the fishermen chasing crab. The fisherman's marina is lined with blue painted boats . One wonder why they might have chosen the color of the ocean to paint these boats. Could they be hiding in the ocean once they rowed their boats out of the harbor?? The square of the city is lined with many little fish restaurants. We will have the tour members be on their own for their lunch to day so they can choose what delicious food they might want. Your choices can be shrimp, crab, various unusual fish just caught in the ocean. The market has some very interesting shops.
For those who have had of shopping, a walk  on the beach, walking through the narrow streets , or having a quiet time at one of the lovely side walk cafés can be a wonderful place to catch up with your journals or post cards. Lunch and dinner on your own. Overnight at Hotel Des Illes.

 

Day 12 Friday ssaouira, overnight @ Marakesh
We will leave the town in the afternoon for a 3 hour bus ride to Marakesh. On the way to Marrakesh, a few piece of land which can be cultivated is being plowed by camels and donkeys as they must  have done for thousands of years.Along the way, there is a cooperative  established by women and supported by UN Women programmes. We will see how Argan oil is being processed and every thing that can be produced with argan oil - creams, soaps etc.
At Marakesh  we  will stay at Hotel  El Andalous. Dinner is not included to night. You will have free time at the legendary Marakesh  Town Circle. Hundreds of food stands to choose from if you can find time from taking pictures of the  night life going around you. Snakes, monkeys, color and sound every where. You can even get hand or face tattoo, sneak into the souk or watch the crowd while sipping your coffee or mint tea.

Day 13 Saturday overnight @ Marakesh 
We will start the day at 09:00 with site seeing of the palaces of Marrakesh. The city looks like it has been painted with the color of the sun that was diluted with the color of the rose water .The palaces were built to secure the tons of gold that was brought to Marrakesh on the caravan roads .While the rulers enjoyed the wealth, the common man could only enjoy the activity in the town square brought by the men and woman on the caravans. Today at the town center, we can still see the remnants of the medieval entertainment: The musicians, the snake dancers, the monkeys, fortune tellers, the tight rope walkers  congregate in the middle of the town and perform their best for a pennies of bahshish in a hat. Before we go to the souk which is a world of its own, we will visit 2 small museums. Then you will be on your own.  Lunch will be on your own. You can spend the all afternoon wondering in the streets of Marrakesh souk. You will probably want to do this on your own. But if you need the assistance of the guide, he will be there for you.    Tonight, we will have dinner at  Ca local restaurant with nice authentic music.
 Overnight at Hotel  El Andalous.

Day 14 Sunday Marrakesh
After breakfast, transfer to the air port. Tour is over.
You can take our 3 day cooking class : info below
You can fly out of Marakesh Casablanca ( not included in the tour) Melitour can arrange your train transportaton and necessary transfers /hotel stay in Casablanca ( not included in the tour)

AFTER THE TOUR OPTION
MANY PEOPLE ENJOYED MOROCCAN  FOOD SO MUCH
THAT THEY HAVE REQUESTED TO HAVE MOROCCAN COOKING CLASSES.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED PLEASE
CHECk
THE TOUR HAND BOOOK

 The price of the tour
Minimum people in the group will be 10 - Maximum number of people will be 14
  US$ 3,680.- Per person in a double room  min. 14 people in the group
  US$ 3,900.- Per person in a double room   min 10 people in the group
   US$   670.-    Single room supplement

The price includes

  • 4-5 star Hotels for 13 Nights ( Choice of tent for one-two night in Sahara)

  • 34 meals (11 Lunchs, 10 Dinners,13 breakfasts )      

  • One big bottle of water a day on the bus

  • Transfers   on arrival and on departure even if you arrive early or depart late

  • Moroccan Guide through out the tour  

  • Local guides where necessary

  • Land Rovers to go to the desert

  • Camel ride

  • Tips to the local  guides

  •   Tip at the restaurants

  •  Tips at the hotels

  • Tip to the camel- men

  • All the entrance fees to the sites mentioned in the itinerary

  • All land transportation by bus

The price does not include

  • International Flight

  • Transfer on arrival incase there is an un announced flight change
    ( please check the FAQ)

  • Drinks ( Melitour will get you one big bottle of water every day but the drinks at the meals will not be included)* suggested by tour members.

  • 2 dinners and 1 Lunch in Essaouira

  • 1 dinner and 1 lunch  in Marrakesh

  • Tips for the driver and the guide ( please check FAQ)

For more information please read the tour hand book

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