Exotic Morocco Imperial Cities
ItineraryDay 1: Arrival at Casablanca Airport and Transfer to Rabat. Afternoon City Tour of Rabat, the Capital of Morocco.Stop At: Rabat Old Town, Rabat, Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaer RegionStart your Morocco tour by meeting your guide upon arrival at the Mohamed V Airport in Casablanca, your guide will take you immediately to check-in to your hotel in Rabat. This is a wonderful short drive of about 45 miles.You will reach Rabat, a city styled in a spaciously elegant European style, yet slightly aware of its modernity. Rabat and its twin city Sale Colonia are separated by only a river but are historically different. Each civilization that has inhabited each of the cities has left its mark, resulting in a wide variety of architectural styles, including those from the ancient Phoenician and Roman eras.You will spend your day discovering the delights that Rabat has to offer. Your guide will take on a historical and lively tour of the Jewish quarter, the Mellah in the Heart of the city starting at Place Sidi Makhlouf. The 12-century ramparts are best seen from this landmark. Walk up to Bab Chellah in the medina and cross Sidi Fateh St. This will lead you to the traditional Souk Laghzel (Yarn market). Your guide will introduce you to the importance of this guild on a textile role in the Moroccan society.Later, you will cross to the citadel of the Oudaya Kasbah entering from its 12th-century main gate to explore an extraordinary Medieval Moorish marvel overlooking the delta of Bourgreg River. You will have the opportunity to visit the old-fashioned Moorish gardens, stop in a traditional coffee house for mint tea, and in between explore the Oudaya museum of tribal arts and crafts. A docent will introduce you to traditional Berber Textiles.You will continue your quest exiting the Oudaya Kasbah and up the hill to visit the Hassan Tower and Mohamed the V Mausoleum, an emblem of the real Moroccan architecture at its finest. You will reach the Royal Palace and the Necropolis of Chellah at the end of your tour. Finally, you will return to the hotel for dinner and other accommodations.Duration: 4 hoursMeals included: • Dinner: Dinner Buffet will be at the main restaurant of your hotelAccommodation included: Overnight at Hotel Chellah or Similar 4 star HotelDay 2: Travel from Rabat to Fez visiting Meknes, Volubilis and Moulay Idriss Zerhoune on the wayStop At: Volubilis, Meknes-Tafilalet RegionToday is the day of time travel! This trip will take you from imperial Rome to the ninth century A.D. Unlike fiction, this temporal voyage will take almost the full day. we will have some tops along the way.The first visit will be the ancient Roman city of Volubilis. Volubilis was a critical city in the imperial Roman department of Mauritania during the reign of Caracalla. Volubilis is impressively well preserved and the genius of Roman metropolis model. The two central integral streets in every Roman castrum, the Cardo, and Decumanus, are prominent. The cardo is the main street which runs north-south and the Decumanus, east-west. The intersection of the two is the heart of every Roman city. There you will find the ruins of the ancient forum.Jumping forward in time and just over next hill is the venerated citadel of Moulay Idris, founded in the 8th century by Moulay Idris Al Akbar who fleed persecution of the Calif of Damascus. This town is considered to be holy as it is both the cradle of Sufism to Moroccan society as well as the first Islamic capital of the first Arab dynasty. The city was created primarily for the indigenous population that migrated with Moulay Idris from the Middle East.You will drive around 15 miles to the next stop, the imperial city of Meknes. Meknes is a 17th Century city built by Moulay Ismail to rival Fez. It is also considered to be the Versailles of Morocco. Finally, you have reached your destination, the ninth century city of Fez. In the evening, you will get a taste of the greatest of the Imperial Cities. You will visit the sights on the outside of the ancient walled city, including the ramparts, the gates, and the Borjs (Moorish Forts). After this introductory aperitif to Fez, you will dine in your hotel and prepare for day three: Fez!Duration: 8 hoursMeals included: • DinnerAccommodation included: Overnight at Hotel L'Escale or similar 4 star hotelDay 3: Fez Guided City Tour Stop At: Fez Mellah, Fes, Fes-Boulemane Regionabsolutely fascinating, Fez stimulates the senses with its haunting sounds, visual splendor, and evocative smells. This world Heritage is featured in most of Morocco Tours. The most ancient of the imperial capitals and the complete medieval city of the Islamic world, Fez is reminiscent of a city suspended in time, unfazed by the constantly evolving world outsides of its walls. Fez owes nothing to the modern world, but electricity.Time spent in Fez will reveal much about the sophistication of the Moroccan artisan, providing an unparalleled learning experience to those who cross its path. Your morning will be spent visiting the Medina. Our unmatched guide will take you on a historic discovery of the city of Fez starting at the King s Palace and its Meshwar with ramparts and majestic gates.Next, you will walk through the Jewish quarter, a 15th-century town with all its Moorish maze architecture and medieval glory. Visits to Sephardic synagogues and mausoleums of holy Rabbis will be the highlights of this part of town. Then, we will drive to the Merinides hill to visit their necropolis. Enjoy the best panoramic view of the old walled Medina, brimful with its countless minarets to call for the prayers in a city that has responded to these calls for 12 centuries. Drive down the hills to the gate of Bab Guissa to leave your vehicle and enter an ancient world. Fez has preserved its walled Medina as it was centuries ago. Not even a bicycle is able to be used as a tool for transportation. Only donkeys, mules and horses are able to help to move all that the city produces and needs as supplies.You will end your walk in the afternoon at foundouk Lihoudi where a local Fez family will host you for traditional mint tea in their home. Finally, you will return to your hotel for dinner and other accommodations.Duration: 6 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • DinnerAccommodation included: Overnight at Hotel L'Escale or similarDay 4: Travel from Fez to Marrakech visiting the Atlas Mountains and Berber Villages on the wayStop At: Marrakech Souk, Marrakech, Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz RegionYou will spend your day discovering the rural vistas of the Atlas Mountains Berber villages, wards, and nomadic encampments. Covered with evergreen pines, tall cedar trees, and poplars, and laced with flowing streams, your first view of the Middle Atlas will appear oddly un-Moroccan. Passing by Imouzzer, with a quick stop at the Swiss-like town of Ifrane, you will soon come across the first real town of the Middle Atlas, Azrou.Azrou is an important market center for the region Berber tribes, located at a major junction of mountain routes. Your driver will take a little detour in a cedar forest of Ain Leuh to introduce you to one of the oldest inhabitants of this region, the Barbary apes. This may also coincide with the encounter of a nomadic family at its temporary encampment. Berber Nomads are very hospitable people, whenever we encounter them we are all invited at least for a mint tea under their tents.At Khenifra, the Middle Atlas give way to the High Atlas Mountains, whose peaks are visible through the haze, soaring to over 12,000 feet. After lunch, you will leave the Mountains finally arriving in the foothills which overlook the magnificent oasis city of Marrakech Alhamra. Some of the aforementioned stops will include visits to Berber villages, scenic views, and traditional markets. You will conclude your day with dinner at your hotel.Duration: 8 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • Dinner: A Buffet Dinner at main restaurant of your hotel in MarrakechAccommodation included: Overnight at Hotel El Andalous or similar 4 star in central MarrakechDay 5: Enjoy a walking historic tour of Marrakech with your local guide specialized in Marrakech History and cultureStop At: Marrakech Souk, Marrakech, Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz RegionYou will devote your morning to the exploration of Marrakech s many historical sites, starting at the Menara, a magnificent pool surrounded by flowerbeds, reflecting the image of an exquisite Moorish edifice. It was constructed in 1866 for dignitaries, who enjoyed glorious sunsets with the ethereal Atlas Mountains as a backdrop. The pool also functions as an innovative irrigation system that is serving dry life in the desert.Your tour will cover many impressive sites, including the Koutoubia Minaret (which is identical to la Giralda, a tower found in Sevilla, Spain), and the Saadien tombs, which demonstrate Moorish architecture at its best. The tombs consist of sixteenth-century mausoleums, which had lain walled-in and undiscovered until 1917. Next, you will explore the gardens of the Agdal then the Marjorelle. Finally, you will return to your hotel for dinner and other accommodations.Duration: 6 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • DinnerAccommodation included: overnight at Hotel El Andalous or similarDay 6: Enjoy a day at your leisure in Marrakech to do what you wish or join us on an excursion to Ourika Valley rural life.Stop At: Ourika Valley, Ourika, Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz RegionIt is your day with free time to do what ever you wish and explore Marrakech your way. However an optional excursion to the Ourika Valley is offered for those who like to discover the beauty of the Atlas Mountains nearby.Duration: 4 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • DinnerAccommodation included: Overnight at your hotelDay 7: Travel to Casablanca in the Morning and visit its highlights with a local guide in the afternoonStop At: Old Medina of Casablanca, Casablanca, Grand Casablanca RegionIn afternoon, your guide will take you on a monumental tour exploring Casablanca, the largest port of the Maghreb, and “capital in all but administration.” Next, you will visit the Habous quarter to be introduced to your first Spanish Moorish ambiance of a lively market in old Casablanca, then of course the Art Deco colonial downtown with the real flavor of the Mystic French connection.Your guide will introduce you to La Corniche and Ain Diab shoreline. This will give you an idea of the creative architecture in neighborhoods of the well off Moroccans of Anfa quarter, and also the inclusive resort of La Corniche. And of course, you will not miss the great mosque of Hassan II, the second largest mosque in the world. Finally, you will return to your hotel for dinner.Duration: 4 hoursMeals included: • Breakfast • DinnerAccommodation included: Overnight at Hotel Oum Palace or similar 4 star Day 8: Morning transfer to the Casablanca Airport Stop At: New Medina of Casablanca, Casablanca, Grand Casablanca RegionYou will take you to Casablanca airport to connect for your flight back home. Assist you with checking and bid you goodbye. Thank you for visiting Morocco with us. Come back again on another Morocco tour.Duration: 45 minutesMeals included: • BreakfastNo accommodation included on this day.
