..Our feet churn the first sands of the Sahara as we climbtoward a view worthy of the New Year, and long lives that await us. This once-in-a-lifetime private journey can be customized for you
"2 people with a private car and English speaking guide" "3 people or more wih a private luxury van and English speaking guide"
This tour is to be cusomized for 7 days specially for you according to your interest and travel date.... and Live 1001 night in the Moroccan Sahara.
Discover the mystical Saharan landscape as you ride by camel over the stunning sugar-fine sands of Merzouga as the red sun sinks.
As night falls, watch traditional folkloric dance and listen to the heady intoxicating beat of Berber drum music and song during the traditional pouring of mint tea. Watch bread being baked in the sand, and delight in a Moroccan feast of harira soup, a savory tagine (stew with meat and vegetables), couscous, fresh fruit and exquisite Moroccan pastries.
At the crest of the gathering, the sun sets on an old year, outlining the dunes in a complexity worthy of the future: vast and unpredictable as the tales of Sheherazad, and the 1001 nights to be lived before the sun rises.
Sample Itinerary
After your arrival to Marrakech, you will be escorted to start your Moroccan adventure to Ouarzazate.
Day 1 – Marrakech – Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou - Ouarzazate We continue our adventure along the majestic beauty of the High Atlas Mountains, through the scenic route of Tizi n’Tichka’s lush oasis valleys …..mountainous areas highly popular with trekkers…….Berber villages….. and Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou on your way to Ouarzazate........ was built by the French in the 1920s, and has since been a frequent location for Hollywood film shoots. You’ll visit one another famous kasbahs of Morocco, Tifoultoute, used as a hotel for the cast of Lawrence of Arabia in the 1960s. Although it was once protected by a powerful dynasty, now its only guards are a sentry of large storks nesting atop its towers.......... You will visit the Moroccan MGM Film Studio. Dinner at restaurant Kasbah. B&B at your luxury hotel in Ouarzazate.
Day 2 - Boumalne du Dades - Tinghir - Camel ride & overnight in Merzouga New Years Eve After a special Berber breakfast, You’ll depart for Tinghir, traveling the rugged Road of a Thousand Kasbahs that rise up like turreted sand castles along this ancient caravan trading route. This area has long been a popular location for Hollywood films such as The Last Temptation of Christ, Jewel of the Nile, and most recently Hideous Kinky. The central region is one of the most exciting and romantic destinations of Morocco nestled along rich river valleys, palmeries and burnished mud-brick homes ablaze in vibrant color under the shelter of the blue desert sky.
You'lltravel through the Dadès Valley past dramatic escarpments and plunging gorges via Tinghir through the gorges..........then a shot drive by 4x4 to Merzouga for a Camel ride and dinner and overnight at a bedwin / Nomad tent to have a taste of the Nomad life style.
Day 3 - Merzouga -Boumalne du Dades – Todra Gorges - Tinghir After a special Berber breakfast, we’ll depart for Todra Gorges , traveling the rugged Road of a Thousand Kasbahs that rise up like turreted sand castles along this ancient caravan trading route. This area has long been a popular location for Hollywood films such as The Last Temptation of Christ, Jewel of the Nile, and most recently Hideous Kinky. The central region is one of the most exciting and romantic destinations of Morocco nestled along rich river valleys, palmeries and burnished mud-brick homes ablaze in vibrant color under the shelter of the blue desert sky. We’ll travel through the Dadès Valley past dramatic escarpments and plunging gorges via Tinghir. Dinner and overnight at your luxury Kasbah in Tinghir.
Day 4 – Kalat Megouna – Skoura – Ouarzazate – Ourika Valley (High Atlas Mountains) A stop at Kalat Megouna… follwed by a short drive to Ouarzazate for lunch….. Then you continue your adventure along the majestic beauty of the High Atlas Mountains, through the scenic route of Tizi n’Tichka’s lush oasis valleys and mountainous areas highly popular with trekkers. You’ll stop for lunch at one of the Berber villages on your way to Ourika / High Atlas Montains past a pageantry of fragrant, dense pine and cedar forests, terraced farms and sienna mud-brick Berber villagesto visit the Berber village of Anrar and to have a taste of the Berber life style by having a cup of tea within a Berber family. Afternoon, Hammam (Moroccan Bath) and massage…. (optional) Dinner and overnight at your luxury Kasbah Omar at the village of Anrar.
Day 5 - Marrakech An enchanting palm oasis set against the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas Mountains, Marrakesh is Morocco's second oldest majestic imperial city and retains the splendor of its ancient past. Buildings are blushed in hues of rosy earth, and horse-drawn carriages clip along broad avenues lined with palm, lime and orange trees. Donkeys carrying carts trawl past fragrant gardens of roses, honeysuckle and jasmine.
Explore with your certified guide the ancient Bahia Palace from the days of the harem, now populated by a sentry of nesting storks, enter the ancient royal Saadian Tombs, explore the vibrant and historic Jewish mellah where some of the best jewelry is found in Morocco, and view the majestic Koutoubia Mosque before entry into the 9th century walled medina.
You’ll cap off our journey at the dinner event of Fantasia as we bear witness to a splendid dramatic display of Arabian Nights filled with belly dancing, folkloric troupes, and stately Arabian steeds charging in dynastic battles as of yore. Accommodation at your luxury hotel or riad in Marrakech.
Day 6 - Marrakech Explore the rest of Marrakech for the second day by visiting the Eve Saint Laurent garden, the ancient Menara pool, the palmerai ride followed by a tour around the ancient Medina wall.
The night beats in the heart of the old city's famed square, Djemaa el-Fna, where delectable fare is grilled over coals in the bustling torch-lit open-air markets. Mystical snake charmers, hustlers and mischievous monkeys are part of the nightly drama unfolding as Berber acrobats, fortune tellers, musicians and engaging storytellers seduce rapt crowds. Wind your way through the serpentine labyrinth of the spice-filled air of the bustling souk, unchanged for over 1000 years, where you'll discover the best of traditional Moroccan craftsmanship. Traditional dinner at the famous restaurant Stylia from the 15th century. B&B at your luxury hotel or riad in Marrakech.
Day 7 - Marrakesh Transfer to Marrakech airport for your return home with plenty of tales of Arabian days and nights. Note: If you wish to modify or change the entire itinerary according to your interest and desire, please let us know!
Cost: $2000 per person based on double occupancy $2400 for a single occupancy
2 years and under are free of charge 2 – 6 years old 75% off 7-11 years old 50% off 12 years old & up full cost
What's Included: Breakfast and dinner daily Four-star hotel and riad lodging and all transportation Transfers to and from airport Knowledgeable certified guides Camel ride in the Sahara Nomad tent in the Sahara New Year's Eve dinner in the Sahara Private car, gas & driver for the entire trip Museums fee All taxes
Not included in package price: International Airfare Lunch Drinks Travel Insurance
Note Private guided tour---Not a group tour. If it is over your budget-----Hotels can be changed for lower budgets. Upgrade to 5* or 5* deluxe accommodation is available. Group Discounts Available.
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We are now back home after a lovely holiday in Morocco. Morocco is beautiful and the people are very warm and friendly.
With one or two exceptions, we have no major complaints with the tour. Our driver Mohamed was excellent; he was helpful and sorted out our problems in no time at all. He drove at a good pace and was also informative. He also ensured that we were comfortable and were enjoying the trip.
The Riads are beautiful but I think that for the first two at least, they were not quite suitable for the winter. They were too cold and would have been quite lovely if we were there in the summer. All the other riads were not only excellent but their staff and hospitality were impeccable.
The tour itself was just nice, not too long and not too short (I sound like Goldilocks) Hisham, our guide in Fez was good. He was very knowledgeable and very informative.
Other than the cold riads, (and the fact that my son had food poisoning on the second day in Fez) we were very happy with the tour and would recommend this tour and the tour operator highly
Morocco is a beautiful country and I thought the most ‘undersold’ parts were the best – Fes & surrounds, Ourika Valley. I found Marrakech a bit disappointing and Casablanca a big bore (but perhaps both were because I ended up travelling alone – not intended – and hence could not enjoy the night life). The amount of construction on the seafront areas of the Atlantic coast was quite a surprise and limits what one can actually see. Next time I would add the Med coast; the Sahara and the Southern part of the country to my itinerary.
Services provided by the operator were generally good, although the itinerary provided was a bit different to the actual one (it almost seemed as though the person writing the itinerary had not been to many of the places as some suggestions were impractical – e.g. a routing from Ourika Valley to Fes via Meknes and Rabat in a single day!).
The driver and guides provided were all well informed and well spoken but somewhat inclined to ‘guide’ me to places where the intent was largely to get me to shop (which, after a credit card challenge in Marrakech, I was disinclined towards). The mountain guide in the Ourika Valley was magnificent, very patient and helpful on the rather strenuous hike.
My planned travel companion had visa problems (she is South African but lives in Nigeria and couldn’t get a visa – which as South Africans is a requirement – due to problems with her Nigerian work permit) and had to cancel at the last minute (after her planned arrival). Obviously, expecting a refund on the travel or accommodation was unrealistic given the late cancellation and the operator offered to give her a 20% discount if she books through them again.
The ‘personalised’ tour (i.e. own car and driver, rather than sharing with a bus load of others) was fantastic and the accommodation was superb throughout. If I return to Morocco, I would plan for something similar.
Visiting Morocco was an exciting and unforgettable experience: the people, the landscapes, the cities, the food, everything was just wonderful. We absolutely enjoyed it.
As mentioned by the operators advertisements, we are back home “with plenty of tales of Arabian days and nights”; I can still smell the spices, the flowers, the fresh of the Ourika valley. By the way, Mr Karim kindness and hospitality at the Kasbah Omar has to be highlighted. He also helped us in exploring the beautiful valley leading us in two wonderful walks.
The trip went on as planned. Riads and hotels were great, as well as restaurants and foods in our dinners. Guides and visits were very well coordinated. Everything on time and the trip fulfilled every word committed by the tour operator in the package we bought.
Said, the driver that spent with us the whole visit, was perfect; always on time, ready to help us in every question we asked, excellent driver, at all times taking care of our safety and comfort. Meeting Said is part of the nice memories we have from our trip.
Summing up and for the requested feedback, I would qualified my holiday with a 100. Hope to visit Morocco again!!!!
Thank you for your assistance in passing on our enquiry to such an efficient company. We think the trip was one of the best we have taken.
We had a wonderful time with our driver Mohamed who took very good care of us throughout. It was great that he was always there to pick us up from outings which made for a very stress free trip. His driving, in sometimes very difficult conditions such as heavy snow in the High Atlas was to be commended. We feel we saw much more than was in the itinerary and people we have since spoken to have been amazed at what we actually fitted into the twelve days.
Regarding the dinners, all included, we could not fault them from the Styze club in Marrakech to the homecooked meals in the Riads.
By chance we were invited to a Berber wedding which was being held next to our Riad out of Marrakech which was a real bonus. Stayed with it till midnight. A lot of fun.
Even though we were guided everywhere, we felt we got to experience the local flavour and so believe our trip was wonderful value. Because of the spread of accomodation the operator supplied from very good small riads to the opulent riad in Fez we feel we have certainly seen a wide cross section of Moroccan life.
Finally, thanks to them for organising all this at what was very short notice. It all went very smoothly thanks to Mohamed.
I'd like to inform you that we had the most amazing and out-of-this-world experience while vacationing in Morocco.
Our driver Abdel was not only very careful and cordial but also extremely hospitable and eager to share with us the Moroccan lifestyle. We are most appreciative of him opening up his home for a home-made chicken cous-cous meal with his lovely family. It truly made our trip more than personal now that we have a 'new family' in Morocco!
We will highly recommend this trip with this company to our friends who have seen, from our pictures, the many splendors of Moroc!
We hope to travel back very soon as we know there are many other treasures yet to be seen!
Again, we give our highest marks to your agency and it's tour guides/driver.
We returned last Tuesday from Spain and Morocco. I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful time we all had.
Our driver Abdul was waiting for us when we got off the boat in Tangier with a very nice and comfortable van. Abdul did a wonderful job. He was a great driver and was always punctual and very helpful.
Our stay at the Riad in Fez was wonderful. The staff was so attentive. Our rooms and the courtyard and garden areas were just beautiful. We had a very enjoyable day in Fez with our guide Abdul (another Abdul) and a delicious dinner with entertainment at Maison Blue.
The following day we really enjoyed Meknes, Volubilis, lunch at Moulay Idriss and finally Chefchaoen. What a beautiful town. Our Riad here, although not as luxurious as the one in Fez, was so conveniently located near the main square.
The people of Morocco were very friendly and welcoming to us.
We were all very impressed with the beautiful mosaics in all the buildings we visited but the most pleasant surprise of all was the delicious food. We absolutely loved the Moroccan salads, pastilla, and the tajines, and fresh fruits and most of all the mint tea. When I got home, I bought a Moroccan cookbook immediately.
If there was one complaint, it was that all the interesting presentations in Fez (ceramics, carpet, tannery, cloth ) also included a bit of high pressure sales after the presentation. All three couples bought mosaic tables which we are looking forward to enjoying in our yards here in California.
Thank you to the operator for organizing a trip to Morocco that we will never forget.
