Excursion highlights
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Itinerary
Excursion Map

MARRAKESH Founded in 1062, Marrakesh was the capital of Morocco several times throughout the country’s changing history and became an important artistic and cultural centre in the Islamic world. Once drawing camel caravans from the south, the oasis was the finest city many traders had ever seen. Nowadays, Marrakesh still attracts travellers, lured by its medieval myths and mystery. The 12 km-long, time-worn ramparts seem barely to contain the teeming life of the city. At the core of the city’s red coloured old Medina lies Djemaa el-Fna, a vast, lively square and to its north the warren of lanes that constitute the souqs (bazaars). Observe the daily life of the locals and vendors from a roof café and dive in the crowd at dusk as the curtain goes up on rows of smoking, open-air food stalls, sample traditional Maroccan cuisine and wander around the square, watching jugglers, storytellers snake charmers and musicians sourrounded by jostling spectators. Look at traditional crafts such as pottery, leather work, Berber silver and carpets in the souqs and try for a bargain. Visit the most famous monuments such as the Koutoubia Mosque with its impressive minaret, a classic representation of Moroccan-Andalusian architecture, the Ali ben Youssef Medersa (theological college, built in 1565) as well as the Marrakesh Museum with their amazing stucco and tile decorations. Wander through the Mellah (Jewish Quarter) and visit the ancient palace Palais el-Badi (built between 1578 and 1602), watch the sunset from a roof, enjoy the view on the Atlas mountains as they get tinted in purple and listen to hundreds of muezzins calling for prayer. We overnight in a beautifully restored riad, a Moroccan town house tucked away in the narrow streets of the Medina and worlds away from the noise of the city. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the riad’s illuminated courtyard, surrounded by traditional stucco, tile and woodwork art, before starting the explorations of the day.

OUARZAZATE

On the way from Marrakesh over the High Atlas mountains to Ouarzazate, we visit Aït Benhaddou, one of the most exotic and best-preserved ksars (fortified villages) and admire the square towers, used as granaries, and the warren-like courtyard houses and alleys, made of adobe. In Ouarzazate, we visit another UNESCO heritage site and fine piece of adobe architecture, the Taourirt Kasbah. Being used as the Glaoui dynasty’s official palace, it consists of courtyards, living quarters and reception rooms, some of them decorated with tiles and featuring beautiful views on the Drâa River valley. 

DRAA VALLEY

Our journey leads us along the magical Drâa River, one of the longest rivers in Morocco. We see beautiful adobe kasbahs and Berber villages as well as palmeraies, agricultural villages shaded by tall palm trees, where greens and dates are grown.

We stay overnight in a beautiful hotel in a palmeraie near Zagora, consisting of adobe rooms and Berber tents. Enjoy the fabulous buffet breakfast under a tent roof or by the palm-fringed pool as well as the delicious Berber cuisine and Moroccan wine an the hotel restaurant. 

POTTERY VILLAGES

We will visit a variety of traditional family and community potteries in the Drâa Valley and in the Erfoud region. Participants will be able to observe the  forming ,decorating and firing processes and engage in some hands-on  experience. These potteries are often intergrated into the traditional community grouping of dwellings called Kasbahs. The structure of the dwellings and pottery building in themselves are a feast for the eyes as they are made from the local clay and incorporate architectual details unique to this North African region. The pots are generally for use in the daily life of the people and many are also exported to the cities and overseas, for example tajine cooking pots, vessels for water storage and  date storage. The pots are firing using a variety of combustable fuels including  palm fronts, brush, wood and sawdust. The kilns are largely wonderful updraft free-form structures built from local clay and they are often integrated into the walls of compounds and buildings. Often large water pots are incorporated into the studio walls, creating a lovely textural oddity. The pots are formed using a variety of types of simple human powered wheels, large adobe hump moulds, and combinations of a variety of forming methods.There is very little glaze used in this region of Morocco, however, in the villages that we will visit some pots are decorated using slips, applied elements and incised lines.The exception is the village of Tamegroute which produces a line of green and brown lead glazed earthenware.

ERG CHEBBI

On our way to the desert, we will stop in the traditional village of N’Koob, boasting the largest number of kasbahs in Morocco. We dine and overnight in a sensitively restored adobe kasbah. After a visit to this exotic town, we continue our journey to the amazing region of Merzouga and Erfoud. Here, we will explore the outskirts of the Sahara desert, the Erg Chebbi.

CASABLANCA The city features a blend of French colonial and traditional Moroccan styles – known as Mauresque architecture. Join us on a walking tour to the best examples of this architecture and admire the carved friezes, the beautiful tile work and ornate wrought-iron balconies. Visit the Hassan II Mosque, the world’s third-largest mosque, a blend of up-to-date French design and the work of thousands traditional Moroccan artisans. Stroll in the old Medina and sip a mint tea at the Café Sqala on Casablanca’s 18thcentury fortifications. Have an apéritif at the famous Rick’s Café and enjoy delicious seafood at a harbour restaurant.

Optional add-ons:

1. ESSAOUIRA With its stone ramparts and turrets and its almost perfectly preserved maze-like medina, Essaouira is a very charming Atlantic coastal town. Most of its architecture was built in 1765, when Sultan Sidi Mohammed ben Abedallah hired a French architect, Théodore Cornut, to create a city suitable for foreign trade, such as the commercial link between Timbuktu and Europe. Stroll in a labyrinth of narrow lanes inside the town walls, look at the whitewashed houses with their blue doors and beautiful doorways, adorned with tile and stucco, enjoy the tranquil squares and visit the artisans in their tiny workshops. Walk around the snug, fortified harbour,watch the fishermen unloading their catch and hike along the long windswept beach backed by large sand dunes. Overnight in a beautiful riad in the Medina or in a hotel with view on the water.

2. A few hours south of Essaouira lies the sheltered Atlantic beach of AGADIR. Chill out in a beach resort, enjoy walking by the water, swimming in large pools and savour the incredible fresh seafood in the local restaurants.

3. FES Being the oldest of the imperial cities, Fès became the country’s religious and cultural centre, shaped by each of the great dynasties and by its populations’s roots in Muslim Spain. The Medina of Fès el-Bali (Old Fès) is one of the largest living medieval cities in the world with a maze of narrow winding alleys and covered bazaars as well as mosques and medersas, featuring tile art, stucco and woodwork. Visit the Dar Batha Museum housed in a Hispano-Moorish palace, with ist superb ceramic collection dating from the 14th century to the present, end the day enjoying the special Fès cuisine and overnight in a centuries old riad, looking from your room into a courtyard with orange trees.

See Participants' Photos NEW! or Denys's Photos from past excursions to Morocco.

Timetable
October 28, dinner: Casablanca. (October 27, departure from Vancouver)

November 15, departure from Marrakesh. (November 16 arrival in Vancouver, overnight in London)

Please note that the package does not include airfare (see options below).

Package Includes:
• Accommodation in Casablanca (Double occupancy): 2 nights,
breakfast/1 dinner
• Accommodation in Marrakesh (Double occupancy): 5 nights,
breakfast/3 dinners
• Accommodation in Aït Benhaddou (Double occupancy): 1 night/breakfast/dinner
• Accommodation in Agdz (Double occupancy): 1 night/breakfast/dinner
• Accommodation in the palmeraie of Zagora (Double occupancy): 2 nights/breakfast/dinners
• Accommodation in N’Koob: 1 night/breakfast/dinner
• Accommodation in Merzouga and Erfoud (Double occupancy): 4 nights/breakfast/dinners
• Accommodation in the Gorges du Dadès (Double occupancy): 1 night/breakfast
• Accommodation in Ouarzazate (Double occupancy): 1 night/breakfast/dinner
• Transfers from airport to hotel in Casablanca .
• Transport in first-class minivan
• Translation by local guide throughout the entire excursion
• On-board professional ceramic artist and tour leader
• Special guided tours to sights in Casablanca and Marrakesh.
• Visits to potteries in the Drâa Valley and around Erfoud.
• Optional camel trek in the desert and dinner/breakfast/overnight in a Berber tent

Options

►Special fare flights from Vancouver to Casablanca / return from Marrakesh to Vancouver can be arranged on request.
►Variable return dates. Extend your vacation and travel to other places in Morocco, such as Essaouira, Agadir, Fès.

Cancellation Policy:

If you must cancel ,the following cancellation fees will apply:

There is no refund for arriving late or leaving the trip early.

Discovery Art Travel reserves the right to cancel the trip due to low enrolment, or if we feel that the quality of the trip or the safety of travelers would be compromised. In such a case ,we will refund all payments received to date, which constitutes full settlement.

View riads and adobe accomodation in Morocco.

Excursion Map
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