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Morocco Tours
Sacred and traditional Moroccan Music Tour
Culture and Music Morocco Tour
Morocco
is known for its rituals and beliefs that have survived over the
centuries,
remnants of the ancient Mediterranean cultures that once inhabited the
region. These customs remain a large
part of Morocco’s
modern culture, expressed poetically in the daily lives of Moroccan
people. One of the most important aspects
of Moroccan
culture is music, emphasized on every occasion in order to display
thoughts and
feelings that are impossible to put into words. This
otherworldly journey will introduce you to a world
filled with
spirituality and beauty that transcends religion, as you absorb an
atmosphere
replete with authentic Moroccan music and culture.
Day 1:
Casablanca – Volubilis
You will arrive
the following morning at the Casablanca
airport, where Sarah discoveries staff will greet you
and escort you to the city of Volubilis. Visible for miles, Volubilis is a remarkable
site, once the central location for the introduction of Judaism,
Christianity,
and Islam to the natives of Morocco.
You will spend your day relaxing at the
peaceful Volubilis hotel, which overlooks a valley of the city’s
ancient
ruins. In the afternoon, you will walk
through the first Islamic city in Morocco, Moulay Idriss,
home to
many Sufi Orders founded throughout the centuries.
This tour will be your initial introduction
to Moroccan society with regard to spirituality, as you explore the
city’s
labyrinth-like streets. After dinner,
you will attend a brief introductory session about Sufi music, followed
by a
rhythmic celebration, after which you will return to your hotel early
for a
good night’s sleep.
Day 2:
Volubilis – Moulay Idriss
You will spend
your morning exploring Volubilis, the Roman
capital of Northwestern Africa, to complete it with a meditation
session amidst
the city’s ruins. You will walk back to
your hotel through an ancient olive tree grove, which Martin Scorcese
used as a
filming location for the Last Temptation of Christ. You will eat lunch in the hotel gardens,
overlooking the legendary Roman ruins, followed by an hour-long
drumming
workshop including an introduction to the local trance dancers and
drummers of
the Hmadcha, who are well respected
throughout the Islamic world.
Day 3:
Volubilis – Fez
In the morning,
you will depart for Fez,
where you will check into your hotel, a Moorish Riad in the Medina, and eat
lunch upon arrival. You will devote your
afternoon to the
exploration of Fez,
with a historic tour including visits to the Mellah (the Jewish
quarter), the
King’s palace, and the Bat’ha Museum of Moroccan Arts.
Afterward, you will participate in a walking
tour of the Medina,
a walled city with a maze of twisting alleys and blind turns with
numerous
mosques, shrines, fountains, workshops, and markets.
You will stop at El Hajj Lebbar House for
mint tea and an introduction to Issawa spiritual music, followed by
dinner at a
typical Moroccan restaurant in the Medina. Afterward,
ou will return to the El Hajj
Lebbar House for a night of Issawa
spiritual chanting and drumming.
Day 4: Fez
– Zallagh
You will have the
morning at your leisure, free to do what you please.
In the afternoon, you will attend an introduction to
Jajouka rhythm and other traditions, followed by an excursion to Mount Zallagh
in the Riff
Mountains. You will meet a mule caravan, which will
accompany as you explore the mountains, escorted by the Jajouka
musicians and
dancers. Afterward, you will enjoy a
mint-tea party at the shrine of Sidi Ahmed Al Barnoussi, a sanctuary
for Sufis
from all over Morocco,
as
you watch the sun set over Fez. You will complete your day with dinner and
dancing in a Moroccan restaurant with entertainment by Chaabi musicians.
Day 5: Fez
– Azrou – Midelt
– Erfoud
In the morning,
you will leave Fez
and venture into the Atlas Mountains. Your first experience with the Atlases will
probably surprise you, since the hills of the Middle Atlases seem oddly
un-Moroccan: they are covered with evergreen pines, tall cedar trees,
and
poplars, laced with flowing streams. Azrou,
the first real town of the Middle Atlas Mountains,
stands at a
major junction, functioning as an important center of business and
trading for
the Berbers who inhabit the region. At
Midelt, the Middle Atlases suddenly give way to the soaring peaks of
the High
Atlas Mountains, rising behind the town to a distance of over 12,000
feet. In order to do justice to this
tremendous
view, you will stop in Midelt for lunch. Afterward,
you will travel to Erfoud via one of the most
beautiful of
the Southern routes, crossing a dry, red belt of desert, which drops
unexpectedly into a valley filled with date palm groves.
Enjoy a sun set over the dunes of
Merzouga. Dinner and accommodations
will be provided at the Kasbah el Cojo. Afterward,
you will attend a trance music ceremony in the
Home of Gnawa
masters.
Day 6:
Merzouga Dunes –
Erfoud – Tinghir
You will have the
morning at your leisure, then travel to Tinghir. Only
fifteen kilometers from Tinghir, you will find the highest, narrowest
gorges in the region: the Todras. You will
then travel through the Dades valley, where you will find thousands of
rose bushes acting as hedgerows to divide plots of land used for local
produce. Along the Dades River,
thousands of
majestic Kasbahs appear, timeless in their beauty.
You will visit a Berber home where you will
experience Ahwash music and
Megouna dance, followed by dinner and
accommodations at Kasbah Lamrani.
Day 7: Tinghir – Ouarzazate – Marrakech
You
will
depart Tinghir and journey through El Kelaa De Mgouna and Boumalne,
exploring the Dades Valley as you continue onward to Ouarzazate. Ouarzazate is defined by one large Oasis that
intercepts the flow of water between the Dades, the Draa valleys, and
the majestic High Atlases. Continue on to
Marrakech, traveling via Taddart and the Tizin’Tishka Pass. The Pass, at an elevation of 11,000 feet,
divides the mountains into two totally different aspects.
The first side acts as a shield, protecting the hinterland
from the Sahara’s
harsh, dry
climate. The second side is soft and
evergreen, collecting moisture brought by the Gherbi winds from the Atlantic Ocean. You
will arrive in Marrakech, a pleasure city where
Southern tribesmen
and Berber villagers bring their goods, spend their money, and find
entertainment. For tourists, Marrakech
is perpetually fascinating, sitting majestically before the soaring Atlas Mountains. You
will have lunch at your hotel, followed by a visit to
the bustling Jemaa El Fna
Square. Afterward,
you will visit a local home, where
you will enjoy dinner, the local Dekka
music, and the famous Gnawa
music and
dancing.
Day
8: Marrakech
You
will
devote your morning to discovering the many historical sites that
Marrakech has to offer, followed by lunch at La Paix Restaurant, a
French restaurant with an art deco theme. You
will have a farewell dinner at a Jewish restaurant in the Mellah,
followed by festivities complete with Andalusian and Sepherdic music. Accommodations will be provided at the Atlas
Hotel.
Day
9: Marrakech – Casablanca – Home
In
the
morning, you will leave your hotel for Marrakech
Airport,
where you will catch a transfer flight to Casablanca. There,
you will board your plane for the
transatlantic flight back home.
What
is included:
-
8 nights’
accommodations in hotels as indicated or similar
-
Half board (breakfast
and dinner daily)
-
Land transportation in
an air-conditioned four wheel drive vehicle
-
Services of
English-speaking guides and tour leaders
-
Entrance fees to
monuments and museums
-
Hotel taxes and
service charges
Hotels
used:
-
Volubilis:
Hotel Volubilis, 2 nights
-
Fez: Hotel Sidi
Harazem, 2 nights
-
Erfoud: Kasbah
El Cojo, 1 nights
-
Tinghir: Hotel
Kasbah Lamrani, 1 night
-
Marrakech: El
Andalous, 2 nights
Cost
per person based
on double occupancy:
1495
Euro
Single
supplement:
410 Euro
Sarah
Discoveries
cultural tours in Morocco are the best to
explore the beauty of Morocco most stunning sights in its best Cities,
villages and natural vistas. The most visited cities of Morocco are
Casablanca, Tangier, Chefchaouen, Asilah, Rabat, Meknes, Fez,
Essaouira, Agadir, Taroudant, Erfoud, Rissani, Tinghir, Ouarzazate,
skoura and
Marrakesh. Enjoy all kind of tours in Morocco and best Moroccan music
from Traditional to spiritual, trance and sufi music.
Feel free to ask for more literature about
this escorted guided group tour marvelous
program!
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