Morocco’s Artisans & Gardens Design Tour
February 4 – 10, 2024
Grand Tour of Morocco’s Best
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS:
- 5-Star Accommodations: We’ll have the run of several marvelous riads and check into stylish boutique hotels
- Tour Fes’s medieval architecture, vibrant souks, and world-famous tanneries
- Wind your way through Marrakesh’s bustling medina, then enjoy the tranquility of Yve Saint Laurent’s inspiring Majorelle Gardens
- Journey into the magnificent Atlas Mountains to tour tiny villages and explore a by-gone way of life
- Discover striking desert oasis cities that shimmer like a mirage
- Optional Add-On: Trek through the Sahara Desert via camelback for a night spent among the sand dunes, beneath a dense blanket of stars
Day 1: Welcome to Morocco
Arrive at Casablanca Airport and be greeted with a warm welcome by your guide who is ready to escort you through customs to your waiting car for your journey to Fes. Your transportation throughout the trip will be in a minibus with a professional private driver, so you’ll enjoy a smooth, safe ride across Morocco. Your van comes equipped with WIFI which will offer you connectivity throughout your trip.
Your journey begins with a refreshing lunch and wine tasting in a local vineyard in Meknes, on the road to Fes. Morocco is well known for its mint tea, but you may not know that the country is also an established exporter of fine wines. We will visit one of the leading vineyards in the region, where you can explore the vineyard, olive grove, cellars, and local products, followed by a tasting and a gourmet lunch with an expansive view of the property.
On arrival in Fes, enjoy an afternoon at your leisure before a welcome dinner at our beautiful riad. An oasis of luxury in the middle of Fes’s busy medina, Riad Fes (or equivalent) is a stylishly decorated riad where the staff pride themselves on making you feel at home. The panoramic views and flower-filled gardens are the perfect accompaniment to your drinks or breakfast on the rooftop terrace.
Day 2: Exploring Intoxicating Fes
Get ready for a day of exploring the buzzing streets and labyrinthine medina with a guided tour of the city’s most impressive monuments. Marvel at the intricately tiled Madrassa, a triumph of traditional Moroccan design and craftsmanship; explore Fes’s walled Jewish Quarter, established in the 15th century; and see the Royal Palace with its ornate golden gates.
Enjoy lunch on your own in the medina before our tour continues, with visits to some of the city’s most famed artisans and workshops. Prepare for a sensory experience unlike any other when we tour the leather tanneries where vats of dye are used in techniques unchanged for centuries.
Want to keep exploring? Join an optional Fes Tasting Tour, as the streets come alive in the early evening. On this walking tour you can try all manner of Moroccan street food, including dried meats, mlawi, briwates, spicy sardines, potato cakes, snail soup, cured olives, an array of delicious honey, and more.
Enjoy dinner on your own before retiring to Riad Fes (or equivalent).
Day 3: On to Marrakech
Say goodbye to Fes as we venture onto the iconic Red City. Our driver will take us to Fes Airport for a domestic flight to Marrakech.
Enjoy lunch on your own upon arrival, before our guided tour of Marrakech’s key monuments. We’ll visit Palais Bahia and Palais Badii, both imposing palaces and relics of different architectural and historical eras from Morocco’s imperial past.
We’ll check into Villa des Orangers (or equivalent) for our Marrakech stay, the most prestigious riad in the city and our favorite place to stay in the medina. The attentive and friendly staff seem to know what you want before you do, and you’ll quickly find yourself feeling right at home. Villa des Orangers is famous for its world-class cuisine, with a mil pastilla dessert that’s to die for. At dinner time, local musicians alternate between soft traditional Moroccan music and luth solos, providing a lovely accompaniment for the meals. Rooms are carefully appointed with high-end amenities and stunning Moroccan design details.
Day 4: Red City Treasures
We’ll begin our day with a visit to two of the city’s chicest sights: the YSL Museum and Majorelle Gardens. Take a stroll through the gardens that inspired Yves Saint Laurent for over three decades. Covering two and a half acres and featuring cacti, exotic plants, and trees from all over the world, the Majorelle Gardens are a sure highlight of your time in Marrakech.
Then we’ll visit the adjacent Yves Saint Laurent Museum, which honors the fashion icon’s love of Marrakech. The building itself is a work of art and houses a permanent collection of some of YSL’s best known designs along with rotating thematic installations.
Enjoy lunch with the group at Le Kilim, a loft-like space featuring classic Moroccan dishes with an international twist, before we continue our guided tour. We’ll explore the souk where you can shop for everything from leather goods to Moroccan lamps and traditional crafts made from metal and wood.
Enjoy dinner on your own—and don’t miss the opportunity to explore Djema El Fna, arguably the single most mythical location in Morocco, as it comes to life at night. In this chaotic and intoxicating square you’ll encounter fortune tellers, snake charmers, and acrobats, as well food and juice stands tempting you with delicious aromas.
Day 5: Atlas Mountain Adventure
Leave the city behind as we spend today on an excursion into the Atlas Mountains. Just an hour outside of Marrakech lies a myriad of hiking paths and trails winding up through the mountains, leading to small berber villages where the way of life has remained intact for hundreds of years. We’ll hike together through the villages and enjoy a reviving spot of tea at a local family’s home.
Enjoy lunch in a berber restaurant overlooking Mount Toubkal, before we end our mountain adventure with a visit to a weaving workshop at a rug cooperative.
Enjoy a final Farewell Dinner with the group before retiring for your last night at Villa des Orangers.
Day 6: Departure—or Optional Desert Add On
A private transfer will take you to Casablanca Airport for your departure flight—or continue on with our optional add-on experience into the Sahara Desert.
OPTIONAL ADD-ON:
To start our desert adventure, we’ll drive to the impressive Dades Gorge through the Tizi N’Tichka Peak, with a stop to visit Ait Ben Haddou, a beautiful desert Kasbah that’s an especially well preserved example of traditional Moroccan architecture.
We’ll have lunch together en route before checking into Auberge Chez Pierre, a boutique property nestled into the hillside replete with terraced gardens.
Relax at the hotel and enjoy an included dinner in the well-regarded hotel restaurant, featuring Moroccan-European fusion cuisine.
OPTIONAL Day 7: Desert Camel Trekking
Our goal today is to reach Merzouga, gateway to the Erg Chebbi sand dunes, with a breathtaking drive through the Dades & Todgha Gorges and lunch en route.
Once we reach Merzouga it’s time for the ultimate desert-trekking experience. No trip to Morocco would be complete without a proper camel ride through the dunes! We’ll make sure you get your picture-perfect Sahara moment as you saddle up and ride through the undulating desert to your luxury Sahara camp.
A satisfying meal of flavorful Moroccan tagines awaits you at the camp. After dinner, settle in for a night to remember, starting off with the beats of tribal songs resonating around the campfire and culminating in an astounding pitch-black view of the stars illuminating the desert sky.
OPTIONAL Day 8: Sand & Studios
When you wake up in your Sharan desert camp, take advantage of the endless dunes with a sunrise sandboarding session that gets your heart pumping.
Afterwards, we’ll start our drive back to Marrakech, with a stop along the way at Atlas Studios for a tour of purportedly the largest movie studio in the world. You’ll get to explore sets and stages from some of the most beloved films of all time, including The Mummy, Gladiator, and Star Wars.
We’ll end our day in Ouarzazate, an impressive desert city considered the Gateway to the Sahara. Check in to the luxury riad hotel Ksar Ighnda, located on the edge of the desert where the stunning light shines on a setting of natural beauty.
OPTIONAL Day 9: Kasbah Visit
We’ll depart the hotel this morning for our final leg of the journey back to Marrakech, with a stop at Kasbah Telouet. This striking mud-brick kasbah sits high on a hill and boasts a fascinating history of political intrigue and the struggle for Moroccan independence. Once home to a lavish palace, the kasbah is now abandoned—though you can still find traces of its opulent past today.
Enjoy lunch en route before we arrive back in Marrakech, returning to Villa des Orangers for our final night. Our Farewell Dinner will take place at the riad, where we’ll swap stories of our most exciting desert adventures.
OPTIONAL Day 10: Departure
On your final morning, you’ll depart for either the Marrakech or Casablanca Airport for your flight home.
- 5 nights of luxury accommodation
- Daily breakfast and other meals as shown above (alcohol may be purchased separately)
- Activities and excursions as listed
- National Guide and trip manager throughout the trip
- Private transportation & dedicated driver throughout the entire trip via luxury minibus
- VIP Fast track at customs (on arrival)
- Personalized welcome tote bag for each traveler
$4,341 per person for non-IDS members
(based on double occupancy)
There is an additional charge for single occupancy.
What’s Included—Optional Add-On Itinerary:
- 4 nights of luxury accommodation
- Daily breakfast and other meals as shown above (alcohol may be purchased separately)
- Activities and excursions as listed
- National Guide and trip manager throughout the trip
- Private transportation & dedicated driver throughout the entire trip via luxury minibus
Please inquire about Optional Add-On pricing and availability.
Shayla Copas Travel is an independent affiliate of Gifted Travel Network – a Virtuoso Member. Gifted Travel Network, Inc. is registered with the following licenses: California – Seller of Travel Registration no. 2113317-40, Washington – Seller of Travel Unified Business ID (UBI) # 603 308 394, Florida – Seller of Travel Registration No. ST39093.
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