Spectacularly diverse, Morocco combines sand and sea, forests and fields of cherry trees, almond trees and olive trees, imperial cities with their palaces, and Berber villages with their simple adobe houses.
You will stay in Fes (sometimes written as Fez), the oldest of Morocco's four imperial cities which was originally building the Ninth Century. You will stay in the Palais Jamai Hotel, a five star luxury hotel in this magnificent, and historic city. From your base, you will be able to take guided walks through Berber villages, the village of Bhalil, the Zalagh Mountains, and Ifrane. Ifrane is a fairy tale town unlike any other in Morocco. It is a conglomeration of white-walled villas with steep red roofs and gables. Built in 1929 by the French as a place to escape the humidity of the coast. The climate is cool and the town is truly lively. No expense was spared during the recent renovations to the city.
You will also visit the little town of Sefrou. This town, of great antiquity, is said to date back to the end of the Seventh Century (before the arrival of the Arabs) when an agricultural society built it as protection against nomadic tribes. It was once a great stopping place for gold laden caravans on their way from the desert to the city of Fes.
Most walks are five to six hours in length.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1: Casablanca/Meknes/Volubilis/Fes. Pick up at Casablanca Airport. You will be driven from Casablanca to Fes Via Meknes, the versailles of Morocco, with a visit of Mellah, Bab Mansour, Place El Hdim and The Royal Stables of Moulay Ismail. Lunch will be in Meknes and then you will be driven to Moulay Idriss Zerhoune, the holy city, where the founder of Islam in Morocco is buried. Continue on to the archaeological site of the Roman ruins at Volubilis for a one hour walk. End your day in Fez, the first Imperial city. Dinner at the international Restaurant of the Palais Jamai Hotel.
Day 2: Fes/Immouzer/Fes. After breakfast, transfer to the Middle Atlas to a berber village called Immouzer du Kandar. The drive takes about 45 minutes. You will start your walk from a place called Le Sentier Rouge, meaning the Red Treck, for about a 3 hour walk. You will pass by private properties of lentils, carrots, and different vegetables. This area is very famous for its apple trees and cherries. You may also meet some nomadic people living in a tent, who might invite you in for mint tea. You will have a picnic lunch in the terrace of a Berber family house or in a private property, where you can hear the sound of water running in a nearby aqueduct used for irrigation. After lunch, continue walking through beautiful landscapes. Upon meeting the van, you will be transferred to Ain Vitell, the source of vitell, for an easy walk, flat and very green where you will find many springs. Return back to Fes. Dinner at the Tislit Restaurant (Moroccan cuisine). Overnight at the Palais Jamai Hotel.
Day 3: Fes. After breakfast you will have a full day to explore Morocco's most fascinating city. The group starts by visiting Fes El Balli, the old town, where you can visit the Karaouine University - the oldest in the world, the medersa Attarine, a religious coranic school, the nejjarine square, and then visit the Mausoleum Moulay Idriss II, the founder of Fes. Visit the famous tannery where skins are cured and dyed in enormous vats. There will also be time to stop for some of Fes's famous handicrafts. Lunch in a typical Moroccan Fassia house. You could taste a good Tagine of Kefta with eggs, a delicious pastilla or couscous with vegetables. After lunch you will be driven to do the tour of the ramparts: walls that surrounded the old town with the Jewish section, Royal Palace, the pottery section and finish by the panoramic view from the Merinides Place. Dinner at Zagora Restaurant in the new part of the town where you can choose between delicious Moroccan and French food. Overnight at the Palais Jamai Hotel.
Day 4: Fes/Ifrane/Fes. After breakfast drive to Ifrane (the drive takes 1 hour). Ifrane is 5,000 ft above sea level. Walk through Ain Leuh and through a forest of cedar wood and cork trees. The area is very quiet, flat, and you hear only birds songs. You will then reach the water fall of Zaouiat Ifrane and its gorges. Zaouiat Ifrane is a mosque situated in the heart of the berber village. There you will have your picnic lunch. From above you can see the berber village, then you descend to where you can enjoy mint tea with the berbers. The life there is very simple but enjoyable. Today's walk is easy to moderate and takes around 6 hours. Dinner at the Skali private house. Overnight at the Palais Jamai Hotel.
Day 5: Fes/Sefrou/Bhalil/Fes. After breakfast transfer to Sefrou (the drive takes a half an hour), the ancient Jewish city. Walk in the Sefrou country side and continue to the Berber village of Bhalil where you can find berbers living in caves. The walk takes around 5 hours and is easy to moderate. You pass by apple trees and cherry trees. Sefrou is famous for its annual festival of cherries that takes place during the month of May. Dinner at Vittorio Restaurant (Italian cuisine). Overnight at the Palais Jamai Hotel.
Day 6: Fes/Zalagh Mountains/Moulay Yacoub/Fes. After breakfast transfer to Zalagh mountains. Walk and enjoy the landscapes with numerous olive trees, and as you are walking down you will find barley and wheat fields, fabulous during spring covered with poppy flowers. The walk takes about 4 hours and you finish in a place called sidi Ahmed El Barnoussi, a marabout (where a religious person is buried) of the 17th century. He was a sophist frequently visited by the Arab inhabitants of the village. This region is also famous by the riding horses of Fantasia. You will have your picnic lunch in a place overlooking Fes. After lunch transfer to Moulay Yacoub for health and rest (spa fees not included). Moulay Yacoub is situated in a landscape which ideally dominates Pre-Rifian hills, green and colorful blossoms in spring and autumn, grey and ochre in winter and summer. Moulay Yacoub combines the benefits of hydrotherapy to those of modern medicine for aesthetic cures and a well being from relaxation. Return to the hotel for dinner at the Moroccan Restaurant at the Palais Jamai Hotel (Al Fassia).
Day 7: Fes/Casablanca. After breakfast transfer to Fes Saiss Airport in Casablanca.
2008 Dates: April 11-17, May 16-22, September 12-18, October 17-23, October 31-November 6.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
$3,495 per person, shared; $850 single supplement.
Price Includes:
- 6 nights hotel accommodation
- 5 days guided walking
- All meals (beverages not included)
- Fruit and pastries during walks
- Entrance fees in itinerary
- Guide
- Transfers to/from airport at pre-set time
- Tax.
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
Morocco
Walking Tours
Archeology/History
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