A Moroccan Experience

Day One

Rendezvous for your journey to Tarifa in time to catch the 0900 hrs hydrofoil for the 40 minute crossing of the Straits of Gibraltar to Tangier. During the crossing a Visa must be obtained from the Moroccan police situated on board, and your last time to buy a ham sandwich….. Our guide for the eleven days, will be waiting for us with the mini-bus to whisk us South along the Atlantic coast to the city of Fez.

After we leave Tangier we drive 45 mins to the coastal town of Asilah for a coffee and comfort stop. Asilah was founded over 2,800 years ago by the Phoenicians, and today is known by tourists for its fine sandy beaches and fishing industry. We will take a stroll around the battlements, built by the Portuguese over 600 years ago. Please take your cameras/iPads etc as around every corner there will be a photo opportunity waiting for you.

It has been the backdrop for many movies over the last few years. As look out over the Ocean the next landfall is America (land of the brave and the free) Before the days of satellites, Asilah was the home for a radio relay station for ‘The voice of America ‘, which then sent on to the Middle East the programs from America.

We then continue on the motorway for the journey to Fez, stopping for lunch on the way, arriving at our Hotel in Fez at around 1600 hrs.

The Tower of the Moon in Asilah

Day Two

Experience your first Moroccan breakfast before we drive to Meknes, which Is one of Morocco’s imperial cities. Meknes is at the center of the rich agricultural region, where olives, grain  and grapes are grown by the predominantly Berber farmers. It was once the capital city of 16th century Morocco, ruled over by the despotic Sultan Moulay Ismail. The Medina surrounded by over 25 kms of massive Pise (turreted) walls contains the Royal Palace, the Royal Stables, the underground slave pens and the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail.

There will be time to wander round the Souk and drink a cup of coffee or mint tea overlooking the bustling main square (Place el Hadime) and the Bab Mansour ( a monumental gate which separates the Medina from the Imperial City) before we head to the Roman City of Volubilis.

Volubilis was the Roman capital of Mauretania (the Roman word for Morocco) over 2000 years ago, built on the site of a Phoenician Town. It is the finest architectural Roman site in all of Morocco and equals any of the more famous Roman North African ruins that can be seen in Tunisia, Algeria or Libya. It has a well preserved basilica, columns of a Captoline temple and a series of mosaic floored villas. After the day of Culture we return to the serenity of our Ryad in Fez in time for a well deserved sundowner and dinner and overnight.

The Royal Stables in Meknes

Day Three

Today after a leisurely breakfast we tour the city of Fez, which is the most complete Islamic medieval city in the world. It was founded in the 9th Century as the capital of the first Muslim Kingdom of Morocco. Fez grew in wealth and remained the religious and cultural centre of Morocco. It’s golden period of fame and prosperity was in the 13th and 14th Centuries. The university is the oldest in the world, dating from AD 850. It’s origins lie in the teaching of the Koran just as Christian universities coalesced out of Monastery and Cathedral schools in Western Europe. We visit a Medersas (an Islamic school) which is open to non-Muslims, but the rest of their religious buildings remain inaccessible to us non-believers…………

After lunch the serious business starts when we visit the Souk (for Shopping ) leather, ceramics, Kaftans, silver and artifacts are a plenty. There are over 1000 little streets ( not that I have counted them, but I’m assured by Abdul, our local guide it is true) in the Medina of Fez, so please keep together as I don’t want to loose anyone in the Souk, but now with the advent of mobile phones it makes life a little easier. We visit the Tanneries that are worked by master specialists and apprentices in Co-operative guilds. The smell is overpowering, but a sprig of fresh mint is offered to you on entry so take it.

A glass of wine or a gin and tonic will be most welcoming on your return to the Hotel, before changing into your Kaftans for dinner and overnight.

Day Four

We leave Fez after breakfast for the journey south towards the Sahara. En-route we travel through the forest of mature Cedar trees, which is the home of the Barbary Apes ( famous as the ancestors of the apes in Gibraltar) Comfort stop in the pretty skiing resort of Ifrane, which was founded by the French colonial officials in 1929 for their own pleasures. The architecture is like no other in the whole of Morocco, stone houses with high pitched roofs set in their own gardens, the ambiance is like a small Swiss Town.

We continue on the old caravan trail up the mountains to the bleak Middle Atlas Plateau and on to M’delt, where we stop for lunch at the only hotel in the the town. After lunch onwards to the Ziz Gorge and the largest Oasis in Africa, lots of photo opportunities en-route, then passing through Er Rashidia, which it’s only claim to fame is that it is a garrison town close to the border with Algeria.

We arrive in Erfoud, the small desert town which is famous for two things, one it’s dates (which there are over 40 varieties) and fossils which were formed over 180 million years ago when the Sahara was under water. It is also a base for exploring the sand dunes of Merzouga. The local people are mostly Berbers and it is where our guide, Hamid, is originally from.

Day Five

After breakfast, enjoy the tranquility of the hotel before packing an overnight bag for your night in the Sahara, as we will transfer to 4x4s for the next lap of the Journey. There will be time to visit a private Kasbah, where the original family are still living as they have done for centuries, and then on to a fossil emporium.

We will arrive at the Camp by late afternoon where the dromedaries (0ne hump) will be waiting for us to carry you off into the sand dunes in time for the sunset. The Camel boys that escort and lead you are not paid and rely on you purchasing small artifacts that their tribe have made (€5 to €10 will give you a souvenir of your night in the Sahara.

On returning to the Camp, depending on the wind, a fire will be prepared and after dinner you will be entertained by the Berbers, sitting cross legged around the fire playing their drums and other instruments.

Day Six

After breakfast we leave Erfoud and drive through the Todra and Dades Gorges. The road we travel on was an ancient trade route which was a vital link in world commerce, trading in gold, ivory, precious woods and of course slaves, but by the late 19th Century the trade route was in irreversible decline and only the ruins of the  once bustling Kasbahs are a testimony to the history of the once commercial golden days.

Continuing on, passing through the valley of the roses we reach our hotel in Ouarzazate by late afternoon. Our hotel is aptly named The Oscar as it is situated in one of the film studios that Ouarzazate is famed for.

Ouarzazate is the centre of the Moroccan film industry which has steadily grown over the last 50 years. Brad Pitt, Nichole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Sean Connery, just to name a few have passed under the portals of the studio. The film industry was attracted by the consistently dry, hot climate and the easy access to the stunning Saharan landscapes that surround the town.

As it is the crossroads from Marrakech in the west to the trading routes of the Sahara, the French foreign legion allied with the local Glaoui family built a large fort here to protect from local robbers. You will be pleased to know that there is a full bar in the hotel and we stay here for the next 2 nights.

Day Seven

The morning is spent after breakfast visiting the film studios with a local guide. On the tour you will leave Raiders of the lost Ark, stroll into Cleopatra’s Palace, walk through a medieval bazaar and perhaps bump into Hercule Poirot. After lunch we drive half an hour (28km) to the village of Ait-Benahadou which is one of the most memorable sites in the arid south. It’s architectural celebrity has also made it the most visited village in Morocco. It is used as a dramatic backdrop for fashion shoots and films from Cleopatra in the 60’s to Game of Thrones recently.

The earth built Kasbahs which belong to different families cling to the side of the hill which is dominated by a communal storehouse perched on the summit above the original village, and for those of you that feel energetic a 15 minute hike to the top will be rewarded by fantastic panoramic views over the valley.

Mint tea will be waiting for you on your return or even something a little stronger in the hotel.

Relax by the pool before dinner or take a ride into The souk or even ride off into the tundra on an Arab stallion for those who wish to.

Day Eight

We leave after breakfast to start the 200 km journey over the High Atlas Mountains. We climb to 2,260 metres above sea level and then start our descent to the Rose pink city of Marrakech.

Marrakech was founded in 1062 when the Almoravid tribe built a fortress to protect his tented army camped by the river. Today Marrakech has a population of around 2 million, and is the most important administrative centre for southern Morocco earning valuable foreign currency as the number one destination for the country.

After checking in to our accommodation for the next three nights  and before dinner we take a stroll to the main square ( Jemaa al Fna ) where food stalls surround dancing monkeys, snake charmers, fruit and spice stalls, it is a rich exhausting carnival encapsulating much of the fascination that is Morocco.

Day Nine

Today we have an opportunity to drive to Essaouira. I heartily recommend a visit to this hedonistic coastal resort, made famous in the sixties by the likes of Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithful, Orson Welles, Jimi Hendrix and Cat Stevens. Since then an assorted group of artists, windsurfers and hippies have fallen in love with the Town.

The old town and the port are encircled by 18th Century battlements, overlooking a scattering of barren, wave worn islands. In the 19th Century the port of Essaouira handled nearly half of Morocco’s trade : importing cottons from Manchester and exporting almonds, ebony, ivory and leather back to England.

The commercial connection with Britain was strong, tea was first imported to Morocco through this port, a drink which with the addition of mint will be offered to you at the drop of a hat….. Lunch will be taken at a beachfront restaurant where alcohol is freely available. A walking tour of the fishing port and the Médina before returning to the hustle and bustle of Marrakech

Day Ten

After breakfast is dedicated to a tour of this amazing city with a local guide. In the afternoon  you have free time to explore the Souk for those last minute souvenirs and perhaps the Majorelle Gardens, once the home of Yves Saint-Laurent situated in the new town of Gueliz, or just relax in a Hammam pampering your body with oils and spices before the last supper in Morocco.

Day Eleven

Sadly we say an early goodbye to Marrakech for the journey back to the northern seaport of Tangier.   Although it is 580 kms, the journey is via the motorway (toll road) passing Casablanca and Rabat, we obviously stop en route for comfort stops and lunch.

We will reach the port in time for the 1800hrs fast ferry after immigration formalities.

The Moroccan Experience tour includes:

• The fast ferry (Club Class) from Tarifa to Tangier (return)
• Services of an experienced Moroccan guide and local guides where necessary.
• A.C. mini bus and 4 x 4s in the Sahara.
• Full time driver/bus boy.
• All accommodation in Ryads/Hotels and tents in the desert.
• Bed and Breakfast and all evening meals.
• Entrance fees to all monuments and local taxes.
• Beverages are not included.
• Travel insurance not included.
• Lunches not included.
• Tips not included.

€1,900  (single supplement €50 per night)

Please wear sensible shoes for traveling and walking in the Souks

To book or get advise call or WhatsApp Lynda Woodin at 617647302 or email at lyndawoodin.1@gmail.com