The Moroccan Facets Tour

Once you land at the airport in Marrakech in the morning local time, we will drive directly to your hotel and check if the rooms are ready. After lunch (optional), enjoy spending the rest of the day relaxing in this ancient royal town, founded in 1062 by the Sahara Almoravid dynasty. Even today, the name of Marrakech is associated with events of "One Thousand- and One-Night’s Adventures": narrow alleys, souks, sales stalls, and markets. For curiosity, take a stroll through the Medina of Marrakech. You will get a good impression of the city here on your first day in Marrakech as you take a horse-drawn carriage ride inside and outside of the city walls. On your journey, you will capture the beautiful Majorelle Garden, which until 2008, until his death, was maintained by the internationally renowned stylist and fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. His urn has been buried in the garden, and you can visit the grave. After a long day with an early morning start, you will embark back to your hotel, have a sound
sleep.

After breakfast,To start your day, there is a visit to the famous Koutoubia Mosque. Its majestic silhouette can be seen from miles around. The minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque was completed in 1147 after the city was taken over by the rival Almohad dynasty. It is considered to be a true masterpiece of Islamic architecture and an example of which other mosques have been inspired. For example, the great mosque in Seville (called La Giralda) and the Hassan Tower in Rabat are almost identical. From there you will be driven to the Saadian tombs. Once sealed off and hidden after the fall of the Saadi Dynasty, which ruled from 1549-1659, the tombs were only rediscovered in 1917. This was built in the 1700s on top of the remains of the former dynasties' burial sites. Here you will visit the three separate mausoleums with gold-plated columns and marble arches, as well as the garden symbolizing eternal paradise. You will then go on to Bahia Palace, which is considered one of the grand palaces of the Moroccan city. You will be mesmerized by the 150-room palace which was home to the slave- turned-vizier Abu 'Bou' Ahmed. After lunch (optional), you will continue on to explore the unique Jemaa el Fna Square with its live folklore. The place is a true showcase for Moroccan traditions and is on UNESCO's list of world heritage sites. Every day there is a large market where you can buy herbal medicine, freshly squeezed orange juice and a sea of nuts, dates and traditional cakes. From Jemaa el Fna you will venture to the traditional markets to a colorful array of items from for leatherware to spices before returning to the hotel.

breakfast and dinner,
After breakfast, your day will start with a visit to the small town of Zagora, also called the "Gate of the Desert". You will cross the magnificent Atlas Mountains, across Tiz'n'Tichka, which with its 2,606 meters is the highest mountain chain. The road over the Pass was built in the 1920s by the French colonial empire. It offers a landscape that alternates between dry and mineral-rich mountainsides over snowy peaks to lush valleys with red clay houses. Late in the morning, you will reach the other side of the Atlas Mountains, to an area also known as the "Gateway to the so-called Great South, Oases, Sahara, and mountain cliffs". This part of Morocco is the birthplace of many royal dynasties. A drive through the Draa Valley, where you will experience fortified villages, where the people live as if time stood still, a hundred years ago. It's a pearl of beautiful oases. The road south of Ouarzazate leads us across the desert plateau at Jbel Tifernine, which then changes to black rock formations and cliffs as the drive climbs the Tiz'n'Tinififft Pass. After a short break at the small Berber town of Agdez, located at the edge of an idyllic palm land, you will continue south towards Zagora.
Along the way, the drive will past a row of oasis and impressive kasbahs, such as the elegant and well-preserved Timed Kasbah. In the afternoon you will arrive in a small town in Zagora. From the outskirts of civilization as we know it, and just a few kilometers from here, begins
the mighty Sahara Desert. Upon arriving at Zagora you will stay and gather for a hearty dinner.

breakfast and dinner,
After breakfast, you will enjoy today's adventure in the desert. Here you head south along the road past the fortified little village of Tamegroute, where a group of Islamic scholars founded a school back in the 1800s. This school and its library are still in use, although it's in no way comparable to the greatness of the past, where it was the source of inspiration for much of southern Morocco. Later, there is a special visit to a local family in their home, in another small village called Tagounite. This would be a highlight for anyone visiting, as you will have an opportunity to see and experience the life of Moroccans in the countryside. Enjoy a tour of their home, sit back to enjoy some tea and coffee, and learn more about their life. After the family visitation, you will travel onto Sahara, where you will experience the amazing Sand Dunes at M'Hamid. This is the absolute last village that can be reached along the asphalt road, giving you the feeling that you have reached the end of the world! After lunch (optional) you will be taken by jeep to travel further into the desert, where there is now the possibility to go for a dromedary ride. (The cost is not included in the tour. If you want to experience the dromedary ride, tickets can be bought on site. Price approx. 150 dirham per person.) Late afternoon you will reach your accommodation in the desert and spend the night in a real Bedouin tent camp. Here you will experience dinner under the open and star-red sky, surrounded by candle lights where you can sit back, relax and be entertained by local desert musicians.

breakfast and dinner,
An early morning rise to soak in the awesome sunrise before breakfast. Afterward, you will continue to Ouarzazate, originally founded by the French Foreign Ministry in 1928, because of the strategic location at the intersection of the Draa and the Dades Valley. On the way, you will visit Morocco's most impressive Kasbah complex at Aït Benhaddou, which scenes for numerous Hollywood productions from Laurence of Arabia, to Nilens Jewel and Gladiator were filmed. The Aït Benhaddou Kasbah, which is on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites, is set in a bright reddish sandstone hill overlooking the Mellah River. After lunch (optional) at a local restaurant with panoramic views of the Aït Benhaddou Kasbah, you will continue to Ouarzazate, where you will stay the night. The rest of the day is for you to enjoy, to relax by the swimming pool, or for you can wander nearby. Your tour guide will offer you good advice and ideas.

After breakfast, After some enriching days in Morocco's "Great South" you will return to Marrakech over the beautiful Tiz'n'Tichka Pass, which would be covered in white due to the snow during this time of the year. Upon your return to Marrakech, you can rest at your hotel, or explore some sights or markets. Your tour guide can give you some suggestions on how you can spend your evening.

After breakfast, Free day for you to discover again the colorful market and to do any last-minute souvenir shopping. In the evening a farewell dinner has been arranged. You will have an optional dinner and will be picked up and taken to an old 19th-century palace which has been transformed into a traditional Moroccan restaurant. Here you will enjoy a sumptuous meal and lively entertainment of traditional dance and music. A great way to end your Morrocan trip!

After breakfast at the hotel, your transfer to the airport is awaiting.