Morocco-Tunisia

• Departure from Montreal airport (P.E. Trudeau) on an international flight to Tunis.
• Note: Arrival at the airport at least 3 hours before departure.

❖ Meals included : Supper / Lodging : 5* Hotel / Transport : Air-conditioned vehicle.

• Arrival in Tunis. Welcome and transfer to the hotel for installation.
• Rest of the day free to enjoy the pool and other hotel facilities.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast and dinner / Accommodation: 5* Hotel /Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle.

Departure for a day of discovery:

• Explore the Medina of Tunis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its rich architectural heritage, which reflects the architectural and artistic influences that have shaped its history. Stroll through the souks and meet the merchants.
• Tour of the archaeological site of Carthage, a city that reached its golden age in^{the 4th} century B.C., when it boasted the finest naval fleet and dominated all trade in the western Mediterranean. Tour of the harbor, the Tophet (a sacred area dedicated to the worship of deities), and the Roman public baths of Antoninus Pius.
• We’ll continue on to Sidi Bou Saïd, one of the most charming villages on the Mediterranean coast, featuring a cluster of pretty blue and white houses. You’ll have free time to stroll around.
• Return to Hammamet seaside hotel.

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

Departure for the holy city of Kairouan:

• Tour of the Aghlabid reservoirs, major hydraulic structures that supplied the city with water as early as the^9th century
• Tour of the Grand Mosque, the city’s iconic landmark and the oldest and most prestigious Muslim place of worship in the West.
• Visit to the Barbier Mausoleum, which houses the tomb of a devoted companion of the Prophet of Islam who died in battle in the^7th
• Tour of the medina of Kairouan, the oldest city in the Maghreb, which was converted to Islam by the Arabs in^{the 7th century} and is home to a large number of religious buildings (mausoleums, mosques, schools, etc.)
• Visit the Tapis Craft Center, aplace that showcases an art form deeply rooted in Kairouan for centuries. Kairouan carpets feature geometric shapes typical of Islamic art, as well as floral motifs more commonly found in traditional Tunisian folk art.
• Journey across the high steppes and the Tunisian mining basin to Tozeur.

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

Departure for another day of discovery:

• A tour of the city of Tozeur, a magnificent oasis located at the edge of the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert. Explore its traditional market and historic neighborhoods.
• Visit to Eden Palm Park, a veritable open-air museum set in a palm grove, where you’ll learn everything there is to know about this fruit and its byproducts. On-site tasting of date-based products.
• In the afternoon, we’ll continue on to the Atlas Mountains and take a 4×4 Jeep tour through the Tunisian Sahara.
• Continue on to Chebika, a Berber village nestled amid ochre-colored sand and orange-hued mountains from which abundant springs flow. Discover a magnificent waterfall with turquoise-blue waters.
• A photo stop at one of the filming locations for the movie “Star Wars” tocapture a sunset over the sand dunes.
• Return journey to Tozeur.

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

• Crossing the great salt lake Chott El Jérid with a photo stop to capture this beautiful, somewhat surreal landscape. It is a plain stretching nearly 100 km from east to west, which is flooded seasonally with saline water that limits vegetation growth.
• Arrival in Douz, a town in southern Tunisia located at the foot of vast dunes, earning it the nickname “Gateway to the Desert.” A camel trek through an extraordinary natural landscape.
• A 4×4 Jeep tour through the Tunisian Sahara, to see these endless expanses of sand stretch out as far as the eye can see.
• Journey to the Ksar Ghilane camp to spend the night in a tent. Here, you’ll experience the freedom of the desert people 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 / Accommodation: 5* Hotel /Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle.

Departure for another day of discovery to the Matmata region:

• Escape through the Dahar mountain range and its beautiful lunar landscapes.
• Tour of the village of Matmata and exploration of the traditional cave dwellings of the Berber people. These dwellings are carved horizontally, floor by floor, into the mountainside, with a well as the central feature of the house’s courtyard. These houses were designed to let in just the right amount of light while keeping the interior cool, ensuring comfort in every season.
• We continue on to El Jem to visitthe country’s best-preservedRoman amphitheater. It is an entertainment venue built in^{the 3rd century} to host gladiatorial combats, chariot races, and circus games. The stadium, built entirely of cut stone, is a testament to the extraordinary ingenuity of Roman engineers. At the time, it could accommodate up to 35,000 spectators.
• Continuation to the seaside resort of Sousse.

❖ Meals included: Breakfast and dinner / Accommodation: 5* Hotel /Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle.

• A relaxing day inthe beautiful seaside resort of Sousse, on the Mediterranean coast. Enjoy the sea, the sun, and the beach.

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

Transfer to Tunis-Carthage airport and flight to Casablanca.

• Arrival in Casablanca. Welcome and transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to Rabat.
• Arrival and check-in at hotel.

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

Explore Rabat, the country’s administrative capital, and take a tour of its landmarks:

• The Royal Palace (viewed from the outside), the former residence of the royal family, which now serves as the seat of the Moroccan government.
• The Hassan Tower, a true symbol of the city and a remnant of a project for a grand mosque that did not survive the death of its initiator. The tower was intended to serve as its minaret.
• The Mohamed V Mausoleum, a royal tomb built in the 1960s and located on the Hassan Tower esplanade.
• The Kasbah Oudaya, a former fortified military camp dating from the^{12th century} and overlooking the Bouregreg River.
• Continue along the Atlantic coast towardAssilah, a charminglittle coastal village known for its pretty white houses, its tranquility, its fishing industry, and its vibrant arts scene. In the old part of town (the medina), which is surrounded by ramparts built by the Portuguese and dating back to^{the 15th century}, you can see a large number of magnificent murals. Assilah occasionally hosts numerous artistic events (exhibitions, festivals, etc.).
• We continue our journey toward Tangier and stop at Cape Spartel, wherethe waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet.

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

• Tour of the city of Tangier, with its storied international past and a character that is both European and Eastern. Explore its kasbah and medina. Located on the Strait of Gibraltar, Tangier is the city on the African continent closest to Europe. (33 km as the crow flies from Tarifa, Spain). Its geographic location, long considered strategic for trade, has meant that it has been heavily exposed to foreign influences throughout its history.
• A drive through the Western Rif Mountains to Chefchaouen, the region’s main city.
• A stroll through its charming medina, with its narrow streets lined with blue-hued buildings that house 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 worth visiting.
• Continuation to Fez.

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

Let’s set out to explore the museum city of Fez, the country’s spiritual capital:

• 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 Karaouiyine Mosque and University, one of the most important spiritual and cultural centers in the Islamic world at the time of its construction (^{9th century}) and which made a significant contribution to the intellectual golden age of this civilization. Karaouiyine has been designated by UNESCO as the oldest university in the world still in operation. View of Bab Boujloud, a magnificently carved monumental gate located at the entrance to the city’s medina.
• Explore the tanners’ quarter, a part 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 / Lodging: 4* Hotel /Transport: Air-conditioned vehicle.

• Trip to Béni Mellal.
• Visit Ain Asserdoun, a natural site located on the outskirts of Béni Mellal, home to a clear spring and lush gardens landscaped in the Andalusian style. Far from the noise of the city, the site is overlooked by a 17th-century kasbah and serves as a true oasis of coolness during hot weather.
• Arrival and check-in at hotel.

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

Drive to Marrakech, the country’s major commercial city.

• Stop at the Ouzoud Waterfalls, a spectacular geological site in the High Atlas. These are three tiers of waterfalls with a total height of 110 meters, located in a lush valley of red sandstone, dotted with olive, almond, and carob trees, and home to a dozen traditional oil mills that are still in operation.
• Continuation of the journey.
• Arrival in Marrakech and a tour of Jemaa el-Fna Square. This public square is a bustling marketplace and entertainment hub frequented by residents of Marrakech and the surrounding area; for centuries, it served as the public court where defendants were tried and their sentences announced.

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

Discover 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.
• 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 /Accomodation : 3* Hotel /Transport : Air-conditioned vehicle.

Route to Essaouira:

• Arrival and check-in at the magnificent seaside resort of Essaouira for a relaxing stay on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Get ready for the sea, the sun, and the beach!

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

Journey to Casablanca.

• A quick tour of Casablanca and its famous Corniche, a lively neighborhood known for its beaches, outdoor cafes, and nightclubs.
• View of the Hassan II Mosque, builtright on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. A monumental feat of engineering and architecture, and a place of worship that can accommodate up to 25,000 worshippers under its roof.

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

• Transfer to Casablanca airport and departure for Montreal.

• Tunis (Hammamet) : Hotel EL HAMBRA 5* (or equivalent)
• Tozeur: Hotel KSAR ROUGE 4* (or equivalent)
• Ksar Ghilane: PANSY camp (or equivalent)
• Sousse: Hotel JAZZ TOUR EL KHALEF 5* (or equivalent)
• Rabat: Hotel BELERE 4* (or equivalent)
• Tangier: Hotel BOUTIQUE FREDJ 4* (or equivalent)
• Fez : Hotel ATLAS SAISS 4* (or equivalent)
• Béni Mellal (Afourer): Hotel CHEMS TAZERKOUNT 4* (or equivalent)
• Marrakech: Hotel IMPERIAL PLAZA 4* (or equivalent)
• Essaouira: Hotel OCEAN MOGADOR 3*(or equivalent)
• Casablanca: Hotel ODYSSEE CENTER 4* (or equivalent)

• International flights: Montreal-Tunis, Tunis-Casablanca and Casablanca-Montreal.
• 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
• All activities and site admissions listed in bold on the itinerary and conducted in the company of a local guide
• Certified French-speaking local guides with the group at all times
• 1 overnight stay in a tent in the Tunisian Sahara
• Dromedary ride in the Tunisian desert
• 4X4 jeep tour of the Tunisian desert
• Tasting of local products
• 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.