Culture
Adventure
Fun
Culture
Adventure
Fun
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"The rafting was the highlight for me. I never knew it would be that much fun"Marg, NZ 
"Life is uncertain
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Women only holidays, Morocco
Choose between three tours:
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| Date & Duration: | 2nd-19th April 2010 - 18 days |
| Cost: | £2,500 / NZ$5,800 / US$3,900 / AUS$5,000 - What's included? |
| Arrival & Departure points: | Casablanca/Marrakech |
| Group size: | min 5, max 12 |
| Accommodation: | hotels, camping Sahara desert, Berber family's house, camping on raft trip |
| Meals not included: | 3 lunches, 2 dinners |
| Adventures: | riding camels in the Sahara, sleeping in the Sahara desert, hiking in the Atlas mountains, gentle raft trip |
This is arrival day – you will be picked up from the airport and taken to the hotel to recover from your long flight. You have a free afternoon to go for a stroll along the Casablanca waterfront, drink coffee on the esplanade or relax by the pool at the hotel.
Dinner together and trip briefing.
Meals - D
Today we go on a 4 hour city tour of Casablanca. Our local guide will give you a fascinating insight into Moroccan/Muslim life – everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask!
We eat lunch at a seaside restaurant and then there is a couple of free hours to relax at our lovely hotel, before we go out for a traditional Moroccan meal in a beautiful tiled restaurant.
Meals - B, L, D
This morning we visit the Hassan II mosque, the third largest mosque in the world, built to commemorate the former Kings 60th birthday. It is an impressive sight, with beautiful turquoise tile work and a retractable roof - it can hold 25,000 worshippers. We take a guided tour to learn more about Islam, which is a good introduction to the start of your trip.
We then set off for Fès. Casablanca might be your first impression of Morocco, but don’t be fooled, it is a stark contrast to what you are about to experience in the medieval city of Fès, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
We try to get to Fès in time to watch the sun set from a fantastic vantage point over this amazing old city.
Meals -
B, L, D
Today we take a fascinating guided tour of the Fès medina, visiting the tanneries, Fès potters, and other artisans. We then take a walk through the souq (market), a maze of narrow alleyways crammed with shops selling all sorts of treasures.
Fès is a fascinating and exciting place, and the souq bulges with beautiful handmade crafts (copper and brass stained glass lamps, carpets, colourful spices, leather bags….). Make sure you have room in your bag for some of the great stuff you can buy here!
Haggling is all part of the fun and games to get the price down too. There is time to shop along the way, because let’s face it, you won’t be able to resist it!
Meals - B, L, D
After breakfast we set off for the Sahara desert, stopping along the way in Ifrane, a “Swiss-style” town built by the French in the 30s.
We pass through the dramatic Ziz Valley, and the landscape changes several times till we finally reach the edge of the Sahara. Here we stay the night in a beautiful Kasbah-style hotel made of mud, with a backdrop of huge golden dunes.
All around us is desert, and tonight you will experience a Saharan sunset and a starry African sky.
Meals - B, L, D
This morning we have a leisurely breakfast on the edge of the Sahara desert. The pace of life is slower out here under the hot sun, and somehow the nothingness is mesmerizing. Out in the desert you feel a million miles from anywhere.
After breakfast we go to a desert village and hear some traditional music by the group Pigeons Du Sable.
We then go to Maison Tuareg to learn about carpets and Tuareg/Berber artifacts, and to get turbans for our night out in the desert. In the late afternoon, with the sun setting in the distance, we mount our camels and ride for a couple of hours out into a desert camp amongst the dunes.
Our guide will prepare us a tasty tajine, and then we sleep on mattresses under a million stars. Exotic dreams are sure to be had!
Meals -
B, L, D
The sunrise will gently wake you – those that are keen can climb the high dune next to our camp to watch the sun rise over the endless sands. Local Berber children of the desert will come by with handmade trinkets for sale. We then get on the camels for the ride back to our mud hotel, where a hearty breakfast and showers wait for us. Next stop is the spectacular sandstone Todra Gorge. Take a walk through the gorge and marvel at the size and colour of the steep walls.
Meals - B, L, D
As the sun rises, the steep walls of the gorge gradually turn a shade of pink. After breakfast we go for a scenic walk to stretch our legs and take in the sights through the lush date palmeries.
Our journey takes us through Ouarzazate, (Morocco’s answer to Hollywood) with its several film studios, where Gladiator and the Mummy, amongst others, were filmed.
We then drive on to Ait Benhaddou, one of the oldest and best preserved Kasbahs in Morocco. A Kasbah is an old mud-walled fortified Berber town, with castle-like mud turrets, decorated inside with paintings etc. This particular one is a UNESCO World Heritage site – our hotel tonight has a fine view of the old Kasbah.
Spend a leisurely afternoon by the pool, sipping on a cold drink, visiting the Kasbah, reading or catching up on postcards.
Meals -
B, L, D
It is a longish but very scenic mountainous drive to Marrakech, with photo and sightseeing stops along the way. Once in Marrakech we visit the souq to buy scrubbing gloves and Moroccan soap “savon noir” for our hammam after the hike.
This evening we eat together at Jamaa El Fna, otherwise known as the Big Square, amongst all the buskers and overwhelming atmosphere. Marrakech is a vibrant city where east meets west – from the traditional old souq in the medina (old town) to the modern shops and French patisseries, you will find this place fascinating.
Jamaa El Fna is a hive of live street entertainment every evening – there are belly dancers, acrobats, story tellers, musicians and more to keep you amused for hours.
Meals -
B, L, D
We leave Marrakech bright and early and head up to Ourika gorge, stopping for breakfast along the way. It is a stunning drive, leaving the flat, red desert behind and entering the lush, green Atlas Mountains. Our guides load donkeys with our overnight bags and off we go on our hike. We take our time on the hike, stopping along the way for photos and a lunch break. Tonight is a real cultural experience as we stay with a Berber family in their home up in the mountains. This is guaranteed to be one of the many highlights of this trip as you get to see how a Berber family survives up in the mountains using age-old traditions. Conditions are rustic as we live like the locals for a night.
Meals - B, L, D
The next day we hike back down the valley to Setti Fatma, have lunch and head back to Marrakech. In the afternoon we head into town for a "hammam" - this is a traditional communal bath house, where using natural locally made products (olive oil soap etc) we are scrubbed till we are squeaky clean by one of the bathhouse attendants - guaranteed to come out feeling like a new born baby!
Meals - B, L, D
Today is your free day to do as you please...and get some rest! – trawl the souq for exotic goodies, spend a few hours watching the buskers, take a horse and carriage ride, get a henna tattoo ...whatever you feel like!
Meals - B
We get picked up at 9am and then drive to the beautiful Cascades d’Ouzoud for a delicious lunch and a stroll around these spectacular water falls.
We then continue on to the river, getting our rafting gear along the way and storing our bags and valuables. Tonight we camp in a large Berber tent next to the river in a beautiful setting.
Our raft guides show us that they can not only safely steer a raft down a river, but they can also cook a great camp meal!
Meals -
B, L, D
After a hearty breakfast we go through the important safety and paddle instructions, before heading downstream for fantastic scenery and fun rapids.
There is nothing to fear as you are in the hands of world-class raft guides. This is not a demanding raft trip, but more an opportunity to try something new and get in amongst some stunning nature. Most people want to try rafting again after this trip.
We take in a riverside lunch, then continue on our river journey, before arriving at Mill Camp. You can relax around camp, or go for a walk or swim while dinner is prepared.
Nothing beats a delicious riverside meal at the end of a great day, whilst recounting stories around the camp fire over a few wines. How very civilized.
Meals - B, L, D
Today is an absolute stunner. After breakfast we take on a few fun rapids, before heading through two incredibly beautiful gorges. You will be amazed at how easy the rafting is, and just how much fun you have had.
We are then collected by motor boat, and enjoy a floating lunch whilst we get towed across the lake of Bin El Ouidane. Transfer back to Marrakech by minibus.
Tonight you have a free evening to enjoy dinner wherever you like – at the market at the Big Square, a rooftop restaurant with views over all the action on the Square, or perhaps you feel like a pizza in a quiet café.
Meals - B, L
Today we drive out to the coast, to spend some time in the white-washed town of Essaouira. Essaouira has a special, laid-back feeling. You will enjoy some time out here to rest on the beach and stroll around the markets.
Meals - B, D
Today is your last chance to shop or take in any of the sights of Marrakech, or do some last-minute shopping.
We meet in the evening for a special dinner in the home of our Moroccan guide.
Meals - B, D
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