RIADS & HAMMAMS OF MOROCCO
Casablanca . Rabat . Fes . Merzouga . Ouarzazate . Marrakech
Designed for travelers seeking an immersive cultural journey, Riads and Hammams of Morocco offers a combination of Morocco’s must-see locations with local accommodation, traditions and meals. Day and night, you'll enjoy all things Moroccan.
Accommodation is in riads, elegant tiled heritage homes with tranquil inner courtyard gardens. You'll also spend one unforgettable night in an elaborate Berber tent in the Sahara Desert.
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Your visit to a hammam - a public bathhouse and simple spa - will open your eyes to Morocco's essential community activity. Particularly for women, a hammam is a place of connection; where women who usually stay at home have the opportunity to chat with friends. Which is fitting as your giveback on this journey is The Morocco Women's Center.
Explore high-walled kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou and wander the labyrinthine alleys and souks of Fès and Marrakech, enjoying ample time to get to know these wonderful cities. Discover the history and rugged natural beauty of mysterious Morocco on a walk in Todra Gorge.
An optional extension to the 'Blue City' of Chefchouen is possible.
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Duration:
9 days / 8 nights
Price:
From $2399 per person sharing
Includes:
Airport transfers
Transportation by minivan and 4WD
Bilingual driver/guide throughout
1 night Berber desert tent accommodation
7 nights Riad accommodation
Moroccan cooking class with professional chef
Hammam spa treatment including 60 minute massage and 45 minute skin treatment
Desert sunrise camel ride
Entrance fees to monuments in itinerary
Full day guided tours in Fes and Marrakech
Guided tour of Volubilis
8 breakfasts, 2 dinners
Departures:
On request
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Day 1 Casablanca - Rabat
On arrival in Casablanca, you will be met and join your group for a brief sightseeing drive by Casablanca's Old Quarter, Grand Mosque and beaches. Continue on to Rabat, the capital of Morocco.
Stay: Riad Kalaa 2 (or similar)
Day 2 Rabat - Meknes - Volubilis - Fes
After breakfast, take a short walk at Mohammed V Mausoleum. Exquisite mosaics cover the marble floor and the ceiling is made of gold leaf and hand-carved cedar. Next, visit the ndalusian gardens full of fountains, orange trees, flowers, and palms of the Kasbah in Rabat’s Old Town. A. Enroute to Fez, explore the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the sacred town of Meknes. Enjoy time at leisure in this Imperial city and continue to Fes.
Stay: Riad Dar Anebar(or similar) (B)
Day 3 Fes
Enjoy a guided city tour of the spiritual capital of Morocco, Fez. The first stop is the entrance of the biggest royal palace of Morocco with its bronze doors and elaborately decorated walls. Venturing into the heart of the largest souk in the world. The medieval old town of Fes has not changed for centuries. Its narrow alleys house hundreds of merchants and craftsmen selling a range of products such as dates, fish, spices, copper urns, carpets, and musical instruments.
Stay: Riad Dar Anebar (or similar) (B)
Day 4 Fes - Erfoud - Merzouga
Drive through the Middle Atlas Mountains enjoying views of verdant cedar forests, volcanic mountains, wind-swept plains, spectacular gorges, and stony desert. We travel along the marvelous oasis of the Ziz Valley before arriving in Erfoud, port of entry to the Saharan dunes. This frontier town on the Algerian border has a definite Wild West feel. Surf the sandy sea to Merzouga, the heart of the desert, in a powerful 4WD Land Rover. Try Berber cuisine at dinner before heading off to your elaborate tent for the night.
Stay: Madu Camp (or similar) (B,D)
Day 5 Merzouga - Dades - Ouarzazate
Enjoy an early morning sunrise camel ride along the golden sand dunes in Merzouga. Drive to Tinghir, a stunning 25 mile oasis which boasts one of the largest palm groves in the country. Take a walk at the famous Todra Gorge, a 1000' wall carved deep into the High Atlas Mountains. Head to the valley of Dades and continue along to Kelaat M’Gouna, a large village famous for cultivating roses. Expect to find many fine, rose-infused products there. Dinner and overnight are in Ouarzazate, where many famous movies have been made.
Stay: Riad Ouarzazate (or similar) (B,D)
Day 6 Ouarzazate - Ait Ben Haddou - Marrakech
Tour Ouarzazate, beginning with the Taourirt Kasbah that is considered one of the most beautiful Kasbahs in the country. Continue to the spectacular fortress of Ait Ben Haddou, the iconic landscape immortalized in films such as Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator. Leaveing Ait Ben Haddou, cross the High Atlas Mountains via the magnificent TizInTichka pass to Marrakech.
Stay: Riad Slitine (or similar) (B)
Day 7 Marrakech
Join a guided tour of Marrakesh, starting at the square and market place Djemaa el Fna, Marrakesh’s heartbeat surrounded by bazaars, food-stalls, mosques, terraced cafes, snake charmers, fire-eaters, and fortune-tellers. Stop at the Koutoubia Minaret and the Bahia Palace, a marvelous display of painted wood, ceramics, and symmetrical gardens. Lastly, enjoy a walk tour through the old medina and the labyrinths of the souks.
Stay: Riad Slitine (or similar)(B)
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Day 8 Marrakech
Today includes two quintessentially Moroccan experiences. First, a farm to table cooking lesson by a professional chef who owned Moroccan restaurants in New York for many years. We will learn to cook a 3 course Moroccan meal.
Next, a visit to a Hamman, a traditional Moroccan spa. Hammams are part of many Moroccans' daily life - especially women's. Similar to a Turkish bath, a Hammam is a spa where local people go to purify themselves, commune with friends and treat themselves to personal care. Our treatment will include 45 minutes of deep cleansing and exfoliation followed by a 60 minute massage.
Stay: Riad Slitine (or similar)(B)
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Day 9 Depart Marrakech or Casablanca
Transfer to either Marrakech airport or Casablanca airport for departure.
(B)
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