Egypt-Morocco

Departure from Montreal airport (P.E. Trudeau) on a flight to Cairo.

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

❖ Accommodation: 5* Hotel / Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle.

Arrival in Cairo. Meet and greet, followed by transfer to the hotel to check in.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast / Accommodation: 5* Hotel / Transport: air-conditioned vehicle.

Departure for a day of discovering the famous monuments of the capital region:

• Pyramids of Giza: a vast funerary complex housing the tombs of the pharaohs and comprising three great pyramids. The Pyramid of Khufu, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World to have survived to the present day, is among these imposing remnants of ancient Egypt. It appears that the pyramids were built approximately 4,500 years ago and that their construction was facilitated by the existence of a branch of the Nile River—now dried up—which would have allowed for the transport of stones from nearby quarries. However, the engineering challenges involved in their construction still leave many unanswered questions in the scientific community today.
• The Sphinx, a monument carved from a single block of limestone, stands before the three famous pyramids. It is the largest monolithic sculpture in the world.
• The Mosque of Muhammad Ali : an important Islamic sanctuary in Cairo, erected in the heart of the citadel in the 19th ^-century Ottoman architectural style for Viceroy Muhammad Ali Pasha, considered the father of modern Egypt. He is credited with ushering Egypt into the industrial age, making the country one of the world’s leading cotton producers. He initiated the first railway construction projects and the digging of canals for transporting export goods. Egypt owes him significant social reforms, including the country’s first military, medical, and pharmaceutical schools.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast / Accommodation: 5* Hotel / Transport: air-conditioned vehicle.

Tour of the capital:

• Visit the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), an ultra-modern museum that opened in October 2024. It is said that the overall design of its architecture is based on the triangle, a shape found in the pyramids. The museum traces Egyptian history from the Stone Age to Cleopatra. Among the museum’s highlights are the colossus of Ramses II and an impressive collection of artifacts discovered in the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
• Khan el Khelili Bazaar, the most famous market in the Middle East, is a bustling place renowned for its many shops selling local products and souvenirs (colorful lamps, fabrics, copperware, jewelry, spices, perfumes, musical instruments, etc.).
• Al Mo’ez Street , an open-air museum, is an unmissable opportunity to immerse yourself in the Islamic world! It is one of the oldest streets in the city and is home to some of the most remarkable Islamic monuments and buildings in the country.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner / Accommodation: 5* cruise / Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle, plane and boat.

Transfer to the airport and internal flight to Aswan.

• Embark on a Nile cruise and discover the majestic monuments along the banks of this mythical river.
• Visit to the Temple of Philae, dedicated to the worship of Isis, the goddess who protects the home; this site was the last place where this cult was practiced. It was, in fact, the last bastion of the religion of ancient Egypt, which saw sporadic resurgences of worship until the early^5th century CE.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner / Accommodation and transport: 5* cruise.

Continuation of navigation on the Nile :

• Visitto the Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the gods Sobek (god of fertility) and Haroëris (benefactor and protector of Upper Egypt in the^2nd century B.C.). Arrival by boat, offering a breathtaking view of the site.
• Tour of the Temple of Edfu, dedicated to Horus, the god of kingship and great protector of the pharaohs. Built during the reign of King Ptolemy in^{the 3rd} century B.C. in the Pharaonic style. This temple is the^{second-largest} sanctuaryin Egypt after Karnak.

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

• Continuation on the Nile to Luxor.
• Tour of the Karnak Temple, the largest religious complex in the city of Thebes during ancient times, when Thebes was the name given to Luxor. The complex, which consists of temples, chapels, colonnades, and corridors that are magnificently decorated and carved, is undoubtedly the longest-running construction project in history, as its construction spanned more than 2,000 years.

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

• AM: Visit to the Valley of the Kings, which stretches along the west bank of the Nile and is renowned for housing the tombs of the pharaohs of the New Kingdom (16th to 11th centuries BC) and those of their families. Visit to 3 temples with richly decorated tombs .
• Bus journey to Hurghada, the country’s premier seaside resort. World-renowned for its clear waters and coral reefs, Hurghada welcomes visitors from all over for diving and windsurfing.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner / Accommodation: 4* hotel.

• Free time to enjoy this little paradise on the Red Sea and discover the hotel’s facilities.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner / Accommodation: 5* hotel / Transport: air-conditioned vehicle and plane.

• Free time to enjoy this little paradise on the Red Sea and discover the hotel’s facilities.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast / Accommodation: 5* hotel / Transport: air-conditioned vehicle and plane.

• AM : Last relaxing moments at the Red Sea.
• PM: Transfer to Hurghada airport and internal flight to Cairo.
• Arrival in Cairo, transfer to hotel.

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

• International flight to Casablanca.
• Arrival in Casablanca. Meet and greet.
• A Quick Tour of Casablanca: A view of the Hassan II Mosque, built right on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. A monumental feat of engineering and architecture!
• Transfer to hotel for check-in.

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

Departure for a day of discovery in the direction of Fez:

• Tour of Meknes, a city with an imperial past and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Explore the monumental Bab el Mansour gate, with its arches and mosaic tiles, the Mausoleum of Sultan Moulay Ismail with its fountains, mosaics, and cedar ceilings; explore the medina with its massive ramparts, its souks, and Lahdim Square, a public square always bustling with various performances by artists (storytellers, jugglers, etc.).
• 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 (selling 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.
• Continuation to Midelt, Errachidia and Erfoud, along the Ziz valley (magnificent view of gorges and palm groves).
• Onward to Merzouga: a unique opportunity to take a 4×4 jeep tour, 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 get a taste of the freedom enjoyed by the people of the desert and discover the vastness of the night sky, as well as 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 viaTinejdad and Tineghir toward the magnificent Todra Gorge, renowned as a climber’s paradise. We’ll 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: Arrival in Marrakech and a tour of the medina, which , with its countless souks, is the city’s true commercial heart. The medina, whose first ramparts were built in the 12th century, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to several important monuments:
• 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 , a true masterpiece of 19th ^-century Moroccan architecture, was built for the Grand Vizier of Sultan Hassan ^I , who then ruled the country.
• Jemaa el-Fna Square, a bustling marketplace and hub of activity popular with the residents of Marrakech, served for centuries as the public court of justice where defendants were tried and their sentences announced.
• Nearby: The Majorelle Garden, which 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: 3* Hotel /Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle.

Route to Essaouira :

Arrival in Essaouira and free time to enjoy this magnificent seaside resort on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. A unique opportunity to relax and enjoy the sea, the beach and the sun.

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

Transfer to Casablanca Airport and departure for Montreal.

• Cairo : Hotel CONCORDE EL SALAM 5* or equivalent
• Nile: 5* cruise (cruise ship to be determined, as cruise departure times vary according to the day of the week)
• Hurghada: 4-star FORT ARABESQUE Hotel or equivalent
• Casablanca: Hotel SUISSE 4* (or equivalent)
• Fès : Hotel FÈS INN 4* (or equivalent)
• Merzouga: BIVOUAC NOMADE PALACE (or equivalent)
• Ouarzazate: Hotel KARAM PALACE 4*(or equivalent)
• Marrakech: Hotel IMPERIAL PLAZA & SPA 4*(or equivalent)
• Essaouira: Hotel OCEAN MOGADOR 3* (or equivalent)

• International flights: Montreal-Cairo, Cairo-Casablanca and Casablanca-Montreal
• Internal flights: Cairo-Aswan and Hurghada-Cairo
• Shuttles to and from airports
• Transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle with a professional driver
• All 3, 4 and 5-star accommodation
• 2 meals a day on average
• All activities and admissions to sites shown in red on the program and accompanied by a local guide
• Certified French-speaking local guides present with the group at all times, except during the Luxor-Hurghada trip and beach stay
• Overnight in a luxury bivouac in the Moroccan Sahara
• 4X4 jeep tour of the desert
• Dromedary trekking in the desert
• 4 days in a seaside resort
• 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.