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 transfer to hotel for installation and quick tour of Casablanca :

• Hassan II Mosque Hassan II Mosque: View of this major mosque, built on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and the result of a monumental engineering and architectural challenge!

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

Departure for Rabatthe country’s administrative capital, and a tour of its monuments:

• The Royal Palace (seen from the outside)the former residence of the royal family, now the seat of the Moroccan government.
• The Hassan TowerThe Hassan Tower, a true symbol of the city and a vestige of a grand mosque project, did not survive the death of its instigator. The tower was to be the minaret.
• The Mohamed V mausoleumbuilt in the 1960s and located on the esplanade of the Hassan Tower.
• La Kasbah Oudayaa 12th-century fortified military camp overlooking the Bouregreg river.
• Continue along the Atlantic coast to Assilah, a charming coastal village renowned for its pretty white houses, tranquility, fishing and artistic life.
• Stop at Cape Spartel where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic.
• Visit the city of Tangier with its international past and its European and Oriental character. Located on the Strait of Gibraltar, Tangier is the African continent’s closest city to Europe (33 km as the crow flies from Tarifa in Spain). Its geographical position, long considered strategic for trade, has meant that it has been highly exposed to foreign influences throughout its history.

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

Departure for the Rif mountains.

• Discover Tetouan Tetouan which boasts one of the medinas medinas of Morocco. Its brightly-lit houses, richly decorated with wrought-iron railings, are a fine example of Andalusian medieval architecture with a Moorish influence.
• Continuation to Chefchaouenthe center of the Western Rif region. Stroll through its charming medina with narrow streets lined with blue-tinted buildings housing a variety of craft shops. Discover its important mosques and its Outa El Hamman square square, with its breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and, at close quarters, the red walls of the town’s kasbah, another historic building worthy of note.

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

Departure for Moulay-Idriss :

• Visit this important pilgrimage site, then stroll through the Roman ruins of Volubilis (near Moulay-Idriss) and discover its famous mosaics.
  Continuation to Meknesa city with an imperial past, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Discover the monumental Bab el Mansourwith its vaulted ceilings and mosaic tiling, the Mausoleum of Sultan Moulay Ismail with its fountains, mosaics and cedar ceilings, discover the medina with its gigantic ramparts, its souks and the Place LahdimPlace Lahdim, a public square that’s always bustling with artists (storytellers, jugglers, etc.).
• Continuation to Fez.

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

Departure in air-conditioned vehicle for the discovery of Fezthe city-museum and spiritual capital of the country:

Stroll through its medina medieval architecture, home to important religious schools, the Bou-Inania Medersas and the Al Attarine MedersasThese buildings, magnificently decorated with mosaics and carved cedar panels, were erected in the purest Islamic style during the reign of the Ottoman Empire. Visit to the Karaouiyine MosqueMosque, one of the most important spiritual and cultural centers of the Islamic world at the time of its construction (9th c.) and a major contributor to the intellectual golden age of this civilization. Discover the tanners’ quarterThis area of the city is home to a concentration of animal hide processing workshops, with their tanning and dyeing basins. Nearby leather stores (babouches, bags, etc.) and other traditional craft shops. Discover the tea ceremony Moroccan style.

❖ 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, through the Ziz valley (magnificent views of gorges and palm groves).
• Continuation to Merzouga: a unique opportunity to enjoy a camel trekkinga memorable sunset, an excursion in a jeep 4X4 jeep excursion excursion and an an overnight stay in a luxury Moroccan Sahara bivouac.. A promise to taste the freedom of the desert people, to discover the immensity of the sky and the tranquility of the dunes and sand plains of the Erg Chebbi.

❖ 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:

• Journey via Tinejdad and Tinghir to the magnificent Todra Gorgeknown as a climber’s delight. Stop for a short stroll to admire these imposing limestone cliffs up to 300 meters high in some places, stretching for 25 km.
• Continuation to Ouarzazatethrough the Valley of the Roses, passing through El Kelaa M’gouna and Skoura (view of numerous kasbahs, fortified Berber houses and palm groves).

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

Departure for a day of discovery:

• Visit the fortified town of Ksar of Aït Ben Haddouan imposing group of walled earthen buildings listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Continuation to Taroudantfor a small tour of called the little Marrakech, where the same architectural and commercial ensemble as in Marrakech (souks, medina and kasbah) can be found on a smaller scale.
• Arrive in Agadir for a quick tour of this seaside town.

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

• Free day in the seaside resort d’Agadir to relax by the pool, take advantage of the hotel’s amenities and unwind by the Atlantic Ocean.

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

• AM: Free morning in the seaside resort of Agadir to relax at the pool, take advantage of hotel amenities and unwind by the Atlantic sea.
• PM: Drive to Essaouira.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast and dinner / Lodging: 3* Hotel /Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle.

Departure for a day of discovery:

• Visitancient Mogador of the Portuguese of Essaouira (fortified town), which bears witness to the passage of this seafaring people along the Atlantic coast of Africa at the time of the great explorations. A place that has retained all its charm, with its harbor, ramparts, Sqala kasbah (former arsenal) and cedar-scented alleyways.
• Drive to Marrakech.

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

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

• Discover the medinaThe medina, with its countless souks, is the commercial heart of the city, whose first ramparts were built in the ^12th century. The medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and many of its monuments are listed as such:

-The minaret of the KoutoubiaThe 77-metre-high Koutoubia minaret 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 represents the austere, uncluttered style of Almohad buildings, a Berber religious group that ruled the region at the time.

– The Bahia Bahia Palaceis a masterpiece of ^19th-century Moroccan architecture, built for the grand vizier of Sultan Hassan^I, who ruled the country at the time.

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

Continuation of the tour of Marrakech :

• La place Jemaa-el-Fnais a commercial and entertainment area much frequented by Marrakesh’s inhabitants. For centuries, it was the public court of justice where defendants were tried and their sentences announced.
• The Majorelle Gardenis a collection of buildings and gardens created by French painter Jacques Majorelle, an artist influenced by the Art Deco movement of the 1920s who fell in love with Morocco, its climate, vegetation and oriental architectural style. Today, the Jardin Majorelle is a museum-garden open to visitors and belongs to the Pierre Bergé-Yves St-Laurent Foundation.

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

• Transfer to Casablanca airport and departure for Montreal.

• Casablanca: Hotel SUISSE 4* (or equivalent)
• Tangier: Hotel BOUTIQUE FREDJ 4* (or equivalent)
• Chefchaouen: Hotel GHARNATA 4* (or equivalent)
• Fès : Hotel FÈS INN 4* (or equivalent)
• Merzouga: XALUCA BIVOUAC LA BELLE ÉTOILE (or equivalent)
• Ouarzazate: Hotel KARAM PALACE 4* (or equivalent)
• Agadir: Hotel AGADIR BEACH CLUB 4* (or equivalent)
• Essaouira: Hotel RIAD ZAHRA 3* (or equivalent)
• Marrakech: Hotel IMPERIAL PLAZA 4* (or equivalent)

• International flights
• Shuttles to and from airports
• Transportation in air-conditioned vehicle with professional driver
• All 3 and 4 star accommodation
• 2 meals a day
• All activities and admissions to sites shown in red on the program and accompanied by a local guide
• Certified French-speaking local guide present with the group at all times, except during the beach stay
• 4X4 jeep tour in the Moroccan Sahara
• Overnight in a luxury bivouac
• Dromedary trekking
• A seaside holiday in Agadir
• 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.