Adventures Abroad / Yeung Stuff / Adventures of Morocco / Travel by car
Agadir Casablanca 511 Casablanca Erfoud 727 651 Erfoud Essaouira 173 351 718 Essaouira Fes 756 289 435 640 Fes Marrakech 273 236 553 176 483 Marrakech Ouarzazate 375 442 338 380 687 204 Ouarzazate Rabat 602 91 575 442 198 321 528 Rabat Taroudant 85 467 692 258 727 225 290 546 Taroudant Zagora 543 611 350 555 849 379 168 700 257
Tangier - Fes 303 Km 5:00 hrs Tangier - Rabat 278 Km 3:30 hrs Rabat - Essaouira 442 Km 6:30 hrs Essaouira - Marrakech 176 Km 3:00 hrs Marrakech - Merzouga 715 Km 11:00 hrs Marrakech - Ouarzazate 204 Km Ouarzazate - Erfoud 338 Km Merzouga - Fes 569 Km 9:00 hrs Fes - Tangier 303 Km 5:00 hrs
Today you will depart Rabat for Fez and enjoy a full day of sightseeing en route at Meknes and Volubilis with your private vehicle and English-speaking guide. Meknes, the holy village of Moulay Idriss, was founded by the Arabs who brought Islam and the first Arab dynasty to Morocco. The Roman ruins here include an impressive triumphal Arch. You will also visit Volubilis, site of the Imperial Palace built by Moulay Ismail who wanted his new capital, Meknes, to be as beautiful and immense as Versailles. Arrive in the late afternoon at Fez, one of Morocco's finest Imperial Cities, and check into your hotel
Today you will enjoy a full day sightseeing tour in Fez with your private vehicle and English-speaking guide. Fez is the oldest of Morocco's four Imperial Cities. The medieval city of Fez El Bali, or Fez remains complete and is unspoiled. During your tour of the old city you will visit the exotic Bou Inania Medersa, the Medina and the Kairaouine Mosque. In the afternoon you will visit Fez El Jdid, or New Fez, where the Museum of Moroccan Arts can be found. You may also like to visit the Mellah.
Explore Meknes and well-preserved Roman site of Volubulis
Optional day walk and cultural tour around gorge.
Driving along the 'route of the thousand kasbahs' to Telouet, via the famous kasbah of Ait Benhaddou.
Full day's walking in High Atlas.
Only 15 km (9 miles) from Tinerhir at the end of a valley thick with palmeraies and Berber villages, is the magnificent Todra Gorge. A massive fault in the plateau dividing the High Atlas from the Jebel Sahro, with a crystal-clear river running through it, the gorge rises to 300 m (990 feet) at its narrowest point. In the morning, the sun penetrates to the bottom of the gorge turning the rock from rose pink to deep ochre. Today provides us with an opportunity to practice for our longer hikes, with a walk right into the gorge for some splendid views of the entire area. Overnight in Tinerhir.
A charming 16th century port city of white-washed houses on the coast. This laid back town by the sea is a great place to spend a few days or a week. There's not a lot to do nor places to visit so just unwind and absorb the mellow scene.
Essaouira has never really become a tourist trap. The narrow streets discourage cars, making Essaouira look much as it did in the days of sea pirates. [Miftah Shamali]
The magic of Essaouira comes from its artistic influence. The tranquillity and the splendid light have always attracted and inspired artists. [Moroccoweb]
The town where Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley liked to hang out is a perfect spot to unwind, eat great seafood and absorb the mellow scene. [Hip Guide]
Accommodation: There are just a few hotels in Essaouira and the range is not extensive as in other places. The Hotel Tafoukt where we stayed has a great view of the beach, but is right on the busy street so it's noisy day and night. It was also a bit stuffy and smelly. If your budget can handle it, I recommend Jimi Hendrix's old place, the Hotel Riad al Madina. The place is beautifully restored, and the staff is very friendly. It's also the only place to cash a traveler's check or change money when the banks are closed. If you really dig Essaouira, ask around for some inexpensive apartments to rent.
From the oasis of Erfoud on the edge of the Sahara, we head out with our camels to explore, hike, and encounter the mysteries of the desert. Our camps offer the serenity and extraordinary play of light and shadow that only the desert can provide, with dinners under a canopy of stars. Our last camp is at the foot of Erg Chebbi, one of Morocco's highest dunes.
We spend the day exploring the dune mountains (some of them up to 240 m / 800 ft tall). From the top we have a spectacular view, and can often see the snow-capped mountains of the High Atlas. We hike down to a small oasis where we meet our camels and guides, and continue through the dunes. After lunch, we stop for a drink at a desert cafe and finish up our trek at the northern end of the Erg in the mid-afternoon (five to six hours of hiking). In the late afternoon we drive back to Erfoud for dinner and overnight.
Meski - Erg Chebbi (near Merzouga) We leave the Sources Bleues in Meski and go to Erg Chebbi, near Merzouga.
We'll start the day with camel riding lessons (including the very challenging mounting and dismounting techniques!). Our camels are all trustworthy, friendly, and handpicked for their ground-covering stride. Their saddles are cushioned with traditional blankets to make our safari a comfortable experience over the magical seas of orange dunes and contrasting spaces of black shiny volcanic rock. We'll rotate hikers and camel riders hourly, and hike and ride about 3-4 hours over this incredibly variable desert terrain. We'll cross alluvial fans, ridges, dry river basins, and sandy areas en route to our camp in the sand dunes of Ouzina. Along the way we may find some Orthoceras, trilobite, and ammonite fossils from the Devonian geological era.
When in Erfoud, for a breath-taking taste of the desert, one should make a trip to Merzouga, an oasis near the Algerian border surrounded by sand dunes - some more than 50 m 164 ft) high. The oasis's lake is a favorite spot for migrating birds, especially in February and March, when the Dayet Srji flamingos appear. On the other hand, if traveling the desert is on one's mind, trips to the desert can be arranged by tour companies in Erfoud.
Overnight in a tented camp.
Overnight in Erfoud.
Accomodation :
Two good places to stay in Erfoud: Hotel Salem - a 4 star abode - from $56. To $80. A room; Hotel Ziz, an excellent 3 star abode located in the heart of town - $34. a room.
Kasbah Tizimi Hotel 64 USD Kenzi Belere Hotel 70 USD El Ati Hotel 81 USD
We and our camels head west over the desert, whose spectacular range of dunes runs north to south. Occasionally we will pass nomads tending to their herds of camels. The terrain is mostly sandy, but sometimes interspersed with shiny fields of volcanic rock. Our camp is at the base of one of the largest dunes, set amid the great sand sea. No wonder the Arabs called the Sahara Bbahr bila maa, an Bocean without water.
Overnight in a tented camp. All meals.
We rise early this morning for our excursion to Dunes du Tinfou, where we witness the sun rise over the sand dunes. We also have the chance to climb the dunes where there are excellent photo opportunities. We return for breakfast at our hotel.
This afternoon you may want to explore this small town or you may want to relax by our hotel's swimming pool. In the late afternoon, we include an organised camel trek through the palmerie, the best way to see sub-Saharan Morocco. Our camel ride takes us under the shady palm trees along the Draa River. The one hour journey, where there is one person per camel, is lead by our local "camel boys".
Overnight in Zagora.
In the mighty High Atlas Mountains, we hike in the awesome, sheer-walled canyons of the Todra and Dades gorges, then visit the ancient desert citadel of Ait Ben Haddou en route to Marrakesh on Day 11.
Today you will enjoy a full day sightseeing tour in Marrakech with your private vehicle and English-speaking guide. Your tour today will include a walk through the fabled Djemaa el Fna Square, which is crowded with acrobats, jugglers and snake charmers. You will also visit the 16th century Saadian Tombs and have an opportunity to bargain in the souks. Visit El Bahia Palace and the Majorelle Gardens, a lush secluded place, which is now owned by Yves St Laurent.
Option #1: This morning, your private, hiking guide, Land rover & driver will meet you at the hotel for a beautiful 2 hour drive into the Atlas Mountains to the village of Tassa Ouirgane, situated near the Toubkal national park at an altitude of 1200m. Here begin your hike through forests of oaks and juniper trees to the Azadden valley. You pass through the remote Berbere villages of Azerfzane and Irkoubline before stopping for a picnic lunch near the river. Continue the hike to Tahliouine village (1850 m) where the driver meets you for the drive back to Marrakech. Total hike 6 hours.
Option #2: Enjoy a morning Gardens Tour using a calèche, the traditional horse-drawn carts that are an integral part of the city$(B!G(Bs charm. In the afternoon, have a lesson in Moroccan cuisine and lecture on a chosen topic on Moroccan education, religion, architecture, etc..
Excursions through the souks and astonishing Djemaa el Fna with its acrobats and snake charmers.