Morocco

• Departure from Montreal Airport (P.E. Trudeau) on a flight to Casablanca.

Note: Arrival at the airport at least 3 hours before departure.

❖ Meals included : Supper / Lodging : 4* Hotel / Transport : Air-conditioned vehicle

Arrival in Casablanca.Welcome and quick tour of Casablanca:

• View of the Hassan II Mosque, built right on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. A monumental feat of engineering and architecture!
• Drive to Rabat.
• Arrival in Rabat and a visit to the Kasbah Oudaya, a formerfortified military camp dating from the 12th century and overlooking the Bouregreg River.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast and dinner / Accommodation: 4* hotel / Transport: air-conditioned vehicle.

Departure for a day of discovery:

• Tour of Chefchaouen, the central city of the Western Rif region. Stroll through its charming medina with its narrow streets lined with blue-hued buildings housing various artisan shops. Explore its major mosques and Outa El Hamman Square, which offers a breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains and, closer by, the red walls of the city’s kasbah, another historic site well worth visiting.
• Continuation to Fez.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast and dinner / Accommodation: 4* hotel / Transport: air-conditioned vehicle.

Depart in an air-conditioned vehicle to explore Fez, the “city-museum” and spiritual capital of the country:

• A stroll through its medina, with its medieval architecture, which is home to important religious schools, the Bou-Inania and Al Attarine madrasas—buildings magnificently decorated with mosaics and carved cedar panels and constructed in the purest Islamic style during the reign of the Ottoman Empire. Visit the Karaouine Mosque, one of the most important spiritual and cultural centers in the Islamic world at the time of its construction (^9th century), which made a significant contribution to the intellectual golden age of this civilization. Explore the tanners’ quarter, a section of the city where workshops for processing animal hides are concentrated, complete with their tanning and dyeing vats. Nearby leather shops (slippers, bags, etc.) and other artisanal stalls. Experience the Moroccan tea ceremony.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast and dinner / Accommodation: Tented camp / Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle.

Departure for a day of discovery:

• Stop in Ifrane, a charming mountain town nicknamed “Little Switzerland.“
• Drive to the edge of the magnificent Gouraud cedar forest, home to macaque monkeys.
• Continue on to Midelt, Errachidia, and Erfoud, traveling along the Ziz Valley (with magnificent views of the gorges and palm groves).Continue on to Merzouga: a unique opportunity to take a 4×4 Jeep excursion, go on a camel ride, witness a magnificent and unforgettable sunset, and spend the night in a luxury camp in the Moroccan Sahara. Here, you’ll experience the freedom of the desert people, discover the vastness of the night sky, and enjoy the tranquility offered by this landscape of dunes and sandy plains stretching to infinity.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast and dinner / Lodging: 4* / Transportation: air-conditioned vehicle.

Wake up to watch the sunrise in the desert and set off for a day of discovery:

• Drive toward the magnificent Todra Gorges, renowned as a climber’s paradise. Via Tinejdad and Tineghir, with a planned stop for a short walk to admire up close these imposing limestone cliffs, which reach heights of up to 300 meters in some places and stretch for 25 km.
• Continue on to Ouarzazate, through the Valley of Roses and via El Kelaa M’gouna and Skoura (with views of numerous kasbahs, fortified Berber houses, and palm groves).

❖ Meals included: Breakfast and dinner / Lodging: 4* Hotel /Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle.

Departure for a day of discovering Marrakech, one of the country’s major commercial centers:

• AM: drive to Marrakech.
• PM: Exploring the city of Marrakech:
• The medina, with its countless souks, is the true commercial heart of the city, whose first ramparts were built in the 12th century. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and this designation applies to several of the monuments it houses:
• The Koutoubia Minaret, standing 77 meters tall, is the symbol and visual landmark of Marrakech. It is attached to the city’s largest mosque and dates back to^{the 12th century}. Its architecture, which incorporates numerous geometric shapes, perfectly embodies the austere and minimalist style of Almohad architecture—a Berber religious group that ruled the region at the time.
• The Bahia Palace is a masterpiece of^19th-century Moroccan architecture, built for the grand vizier of Sultan Hassan^I, who ruled the country at the time.
• Jemaa el-Fna Square is a bustling commercial hub and entertainment district popular with the residents of Marrakech; for centuries, it served as a public court where defendants were tried and their sentences announced.
• Near the medina: the Majorelle Garden comprisesa complex of buildings and gardens created by the French painter Jacques Majorelle, an artist influenced by the Art Deco movement of the 1920s who fell deeply in love with Morocco, its climate, its vegetation, and its oriental architectural style. Today, the Majorelle Garden is a museum-garden open to visitors and belongs to the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast and dinner / Lodging: 4* Hotel /Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle.

Drive to Essaouira.

• Arrival and check-in at hotel.
• Free time to enjoy the hotel’s facilities and this marvellous site on the Atlantic coast. Swimming, sunbathing and relaxing activities await you.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast / Transportation: Air-conditioned vehicle and international flight.

Transfer to Casablanca Airport and departure for Montreal.

• Rabat: Hotel BELERE 4*( or equivalent)
• Fès : Hotel FÈS INN 4* (or equivalent)
• Merzouga: BIVOUAC NOMADE PALACE (or equivalent)
• Ouarzazate: Hotel 4* KARAM PALACE (or equivalent)
• Marrakech: Hotel 4* IMPERIAL PLAZA & SPA (or equivalent)
• Essaouira: Hotel 3* RIAD ZAHRA (or equivalent)

• International flights (including baggage allowance of 23 kg per person, maximum)
• Shuttles to and from airports
• Transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver
• All 3 and 4 star accommodation
• 2 meals a day
• All activities and site admissions listed in bold on the itinerary and conducted in the company of a local guide
• Certified French-speaking local guide
• Overnight stay in a luxury bivouac in the Moroccan Sahara
• Jeep 4X4 excursion
• Dromedary trekking
• All taxes
• 24/7 Support
• Organization and research from A to Z

• Visa (if required)
• Some meals
• Beverages
• Tips
• Personal Expenses
• Optional activities

Please note that the itinerary may change at any time for logistical reasons, but that the list of activities and visits on the program is always respected. Please also note that the version of the program appearing on our website takes precedence over any printed version.