Something for Ladies Morocco

This evening, we depart Adelaide (or your nearest capital city) with Qatar Airways bound for Doha.  

If Adelaide is not your departure city you will join the group in Doha.

Welcome to Morocco! On arrival at Casablanca Airport, we will be met by a representative and transferred to our hotel. This evening, enjoy Moroccan cuisine at a local restaurant La Scala.

This morning we will visit one of the most impressive sites in Casablanca – the massive edifice of the Mosque of Hassan II. Opened in 1993, and second only in size to the great mosque at Mecca, the huge building is part on land and part on sea, and in one area water can be seen through a glass floor. It can accommodate 25,000 worshipers and the main roof is retractable to create an open courtyard. It is one of the only religious sites open to non-Muslims.

Later, we will leave Casablanca and drive north along the coast to Rabat (approximately 1.5 hours), the elegant capital of Morocco and its first Imperial city. It contains numerous fine Arab monuments, some dating from the 10th to 15th century Almohad and Merenid dynasties, and others that are far older. The earliest known settlement is Sala, occupying an area now known as the Chellah, where we will visit the remains of the citadel.  We will also see the vast minaret of the Hassan Mosque and explore the lovely walled quarter known as the Kasbah des Oudaias.

In the late afternoon, we continue on to Meknes, the sixth largest city in the kingdom, and former capital of Morocco.

We will explore Chefchaouen and take a morning guided tour of the sights, sounds, and smells of the Medina.

Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.  This evening, we will enjoy a home-cooked dinner with a local family.

Volubilis was once a provincial Roman capital, a distant outpost of the empire, and the remains make an undeniably impressive sight. Volubilis is the foremost Roman site in Morocco and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1997. Upon arrival we will take a tour around the ruins with a local guide. Plenty of water, a hat, sunglasses and sun cream are a good idea for this walking tour.

In the afternoon we will continue on to the living museum of Fes where we will spend the next three nights.

We will check in to our hotel in the late afternoon where we  will have time to rest and freshen up.  In the evening  we will enjoy a memorable dinner of one of the city’s signature dishes, the salty and sweet pastille.

Fes is the spiritual and cultural heart of Morocco; vibrant, noisy, fascinating and overwhelming – a visual and pungent feast for the senses. It is made up of three distinct ‘cities’, or quarters, and we are staying in elegant, riad-style accommodation on the edge of the huge, well-preserved medieval old city – the mother of all medinas.

Today we head into the old city, known locally as Fes el Bali, arguably the world's most fascinating and confounding old city. Medieval Fes was one of the world's great centres of education and culture, both Islamic and Jewish. Its religious institutions and libraries are legendary as are its mosques.  We will walk with our guide through the twisting streets and alleyways, passing donkeys piled high with goods, and explore the specialty sections that divide the souk. Filled with historic khans, medresses and dye-pits, stalls loaded with fruits, herbs and soups, and where the squawk of chickens, smell of spice and sound of hammering copper fills the air, it’s not hard to imagine yourself back in the Middle Ages.

We will spend the day exploring the old city, visiting, Mederasa attarine, the tanneries and the splendid Funduk Nejjarine, a beautifully restored 18th century inn.

Today is yours to spend at leisure.  Relax and enjoy the stunning hotel and it's facilities.  Swim in the pool or enjoy a massage at the spa.

For those of us who are looking for something more to fill your day why not take part is one of the workshops on offer (additional cost).

COOKING WORKSHOP:  The  workshops are organized, in one of the oldest houses of Marrakech, for those who have desire to learn the secret of the true Moroccan Cuisine, one of the best in the world and are lead by a traditional and professional Moroccan Cook. 

POTTERY WORKSHOP:  Experience a moment of pure bliss and bond with the earth by taking part in a pottery workshop.  An initiation to the traditional Moroccan Pottery will take place in the elegant patio of Dar Cherifa, a building of the Saadian era (16th century).  After a glass of traditional mint tea, the master potter, with the help of a translator, will conduct you on a journey through the history of Moroccan Pottery.  Once you are familiar with the local techniques, materials and tools, the instructor will guide you through a variety of methods to build and decorate your object. 

ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY WORKSHOP: Calligraphy is the art of drawing words. Since the representation of God’s creatures was forbidden in the Islamic world, Muslims created the artistic discipline of Arabic handwriting and Calligraphy hundreds of centuries ago. Calligraphy was practical instrument used to record literature at first, and it soon established itself as a venerated visual art form that Arabic artists used as a means to express themselves and the environment around them in numerous styles: Diwani, Koufi, Thuluth….

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We leave the intensity of the city behind for the simplicity of the High Atlas Mountains. Heading south, inland through a variety of spectacular scenery – fertile valleys, cedar and pine forests and barren, rocky landscapes – to the small town of Midelt. Midelt is a market town, originally built as a base for mining in the area, and is nestled in the high plains surrounding the Moulouya River, between the Middle and High Atlas mountain ranges at an elevation of just over 1,500 meters. It's a perfect spot to break up the journey to the Sahara.

After an included lunch in Midelt, we embark on a 4WD journey through changing scenery, from barren mountainsides to fertile valleys, on the journey to Merzouga. With a backdrop of the orange-colored Erg Chebbi sand dunes, the charming Saharan village of Merzouga feels wonderfully isolated, like the modern world has left it behind.

The Erg Chebbi dunes are the most stunning in the country and an essential part of any visit to Morocco. An erg is a vast sea of shifting wind-swept sand that's formed into picturesque, undulating crests and valleys. The Erg Chebbi is one of the world's iconic landscapes, with towering dunes up to 150 meters in height. Located at the end of a sealed road and just 20 kilometers from the Algerian border this really feels like frontier country.  We will ride camels into the edge of the Sahara Desert, enjoying a spectacular sunset along the way. The dunes are stunning, especially as the evening light plays across them and sets off the colors.

Tonight we will enjoy dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast, we travel to a nearby village by 4WD to enjoy the local Gnaoua music and lunch at the traditional artists’ town of Tissardmine.

Enjoy dinner at the hotel tonight.

Today travel to Ait Benhaddou. On route visit Skoura, home to several privately owned kasbahs.  A kasbah is a fortress building or a fortified part of a city, historically the home of regional rulers providing security from attack. Built with high walls and few exterior windows and often on hilltops to provide greater security.

The remainder of the day is at leisure to enjoy the beautiful hotel located in an oasis of Ounila valley.  Known especially for its architectural monuments of Amazigh Culture (Berber) and landscapes narcotics contrasts, it is the starting point for a road of 1000 kasbahs .  Enjoy the wellness area, or sit on the panoramic terrace offering breathtaking views of the gardens and the Atlas Mountains. 

Dinner is at the hotel tonight.

We will visit the Kasbah Ait Benhaddou. Perched on a hilltop and almost unchanged since the 11th century, Ait Benhaddou is one of Morocco's most iconic sites. Its grant kasbah is one of the most beautiful in Morocco and the fortified village is a fine example of clay architecture. If you think you recognise the place, you probably do, as the town has a long list of film and TV credits, including Lawrence of Arabia, Game of Thrones and Gladiator. Enjoy a walk through the winding streets of old town, making our way to the top of the hill, from where we can enjoy the views across the surrounding plains.

In the afternoon we will take tea with a local family.

Enjoy dinner at the hotel tonight.

We continue our journey to Ouarzazate, where productions such as Lawrence of Arabia, The Sheltering Sky and Black Hawk Down were filmed, and visit Kasbat Taourirt.

We'll drive for several hours through the winding roads of the Atlas Mountains, bound for Marrakech, an ancient, exotic city wrapped in European modernity. There’s no rush as the scenery through the High Atlas Mountain passes is magnificent, and there will surely be calls for several photo stops along the way.

After breakfast we'll meet our local guide and set off on a morning tour of the old medina, through the bustling souks that are the lifeblood flowing through the city. Explore tranquil courtyards filled with the scent of orange blossom, and the many salons and chambers that make up Bahia Palace. This splendid mansion was built in 1866 for a former slave who rose to power within the government. Continue to the Saadien tombs.  Stop by the Koutoubia Mosque; its famous minaret is the prototype for others of its kind around the world, including La Giralda in Seville. Then walk back through the streets of the old medina to the Djemaa el-Fna.  After lunch visit the tropical gardens of the French painter Jacques Majorelle.

The balance of the day is at leisure.

This morning, join your local expert for a cooking class at La Maison Arabe. Since opening in 1946, La Maison Arabe has achieved a legendary status in Marrakech. Ideally situated in the medina, La Maison Arabe today offers cooking workshops by a dada (traditional Moroccan cook) or a chef of their Moroccan restaurant.

Enjoy the efforts of the morning for lunch, before heading back to the hotel or exploring on your own.

After breakfast leave for Essaouira, a city where the medina brushes up against the Atlantic Ocean and where we will spend the next two nights.

On route stop at an Argan oil cooperative and a family-owned vineyard. Argan oil is highly-prized for its culinary and cosmetic uses and is only produced in Morocco. Discover the strenuous process behind its production (one litre can take 20 hours to produce).

On arrival to Essaouira, join a local guide for a walking tour through the old medina, Jewish mellah, port and skala (sea wall).

The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Today is at leisure.  Relax by the pool or swim in the rejuvenating thermal pool or head to the beach.

Travelling via Oualidia and el Jadida, we head back to Casablanca today for our final night in Morocco

This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner at Ricks Café.

Enjoy a leisurely morning  before we check out and head to the airport for our flight home.