Morocco
Desert and Kasbahs Singles Vacation
November 25 - December 6, 2011
$2425

Morocco has been staunchly independent throughout its history creating a heady mix of cultures, religions and languages with ancient roots and a strikingly modern outlook. For centuries travellers have crossed shifting sands and braved mountain passes in search of mythic Morocco. On this amazing singles vacation you will be dazzled by Morocco's royal palaces, extraordinary oasis and spectacular feats of hospitality.

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Morocco Desert and Kasbahs Singles Vacation Itinerary

Day 1 - Depart Your Hometown

Your singles vacation begins when get onboard your overnight flight to Casablanca, Morocco. Plan your flight to arrive the following morning. Remember you are flying home from Marrakech!

DAY 2 - Arrive Casablanca
 
Arrive at Casablanca airport in the morning and transfer to our hotel. Shuttles will be available every 2 hours in the morning. Check-in and meet all your new single travel friends as we are greeted in the lobby by our tour guide at 3:00pm.

Casablanca, Morocco’s economic capital and the second largest city in Africa, retains its charm thanks to its Art Deco architecture. There are many wonderful discoveries to be made on our afternoon tour of Casablanca including: the Central Market, United Nations & Mohammed V Squares, the Habous Quarter, view The Royal palace, visit Hassan II Mosque, the second largest mosque in the world, tour by the cornice Aïn Diab.

Welcome Dinner at Rick’s Cafe Restaurant, the mythical saloon from the 1942 film "Casablanca". Set in an old courtyard-style mansion built against the Old Medina, the restaurant piano bar is filled with architectural and decorative details reminiscent of the film. 

Day 3 – Casablanca - Rabat - Meknes - Volubilis - Fez

After breakfast we depart for Rabat the capital of the kingdom and headquarters of the government, parliament, ministries and administrations. View the Royal Palace, Hassan Tower, the famous tomb of the late king Mohammed V who fulfilled Morocco's independence, and the Oudaya Kasbah.

Next it is onto Meknes with its 25 miles of walls surrounding the city, it is rich in history. See the Gate of Bab Mansour, the ancient Jewish quarter, and the Moulay Ismail Granaries.

Before we continue to Fez we stop to explore the relics of the Roman city Volubilis, North Africa's best preserved and most significant archaeological site. Occupied by the Romans in around 40BC, it developed into a thriving city of 20,000. To walk around the site today brings the grand achievements and daily routines of an ancient civilization vividly to life. Especially notable are a series of mosaic floors depicting scenes from classical mythology and everyday life.

Day 4 – Fez

Today we explore Fez, the cultural and spiritual center of Morocco, founded in 790 AD and the oldest of the three imperial cities.  Our guided tour includes the medieval Medina, the old part of the city, which has been continuously inhabited since the 10th century and still bustles with a throng of colorfully costumed tribal people, from olive-dealers and veiled women, to merchants and traditional bell-ringing water-sellers.

We will then continue to the Mellah, the Jewish quarter with a walled boundary and a fortified gateway. These Jewish quarters were located near the royal residencies so that the inhabitants would be protected.

After time for lunch, wander the winding cobblestone streets in search of bargains. We’ll visit the famous leather tanneries, a honeycomb of vats erupting in an explosion of brilliant color. 

Day 5 – Fez - Ifran - Midelt - Erfoud - Merzouga

After breakfast we travel past a pageantry of fragrant, dense pine and cedar forests, terraced farms and the mud–brick Berber villages in Azrou known for its wood-carved handicrafts and expert carpet weaving.  We stop in Midelt, a sleepy village flanked by the verdant beauty of both the Middle and the snow-covered High Atlas Mountains, bursting with colorful minerals that mottle the mountainside in a blaze of ruby, emerald and topaz.

On arrival to Erfoud we will be transported by 4WD vehicles across the High Atlas, along oasis valley gorges and past one thousand Kasbahs for a sunset camel trek across the sandy dunes of the Erg Chebbi. The Moroccan desert is beautiful and Camel trekking, in such a destination is a once in a lifetime experience. These dunes are unique due to its gorgeous orange color during sun set.

We spend the night in Merzouga, a small village in southeastern Morocco.  Dinner at hotel tonight.

Day 6 – Merzouga - Erfoud - Tinghir - Ouarzazate

After breakfast we drive back to Erfoud by 4WD vehicles where we reboard our bus and drive to Tinghir and onto Todra Gorge. The scenery is spectacular. The gorge is just wide enough for a crystal-clear river and some trekkers to squeeze through. Local people live in the area and can be seen with their small donkeys, or herding camels.

This afternoon, we continue along the “Route of a Thousand Kasbahs” and the Dades River Valley where everything is calm, beautiful and fresh, the perfect image of an area where time has stood still for centuries.  Our day ends at Ouarzazate where we check-in to our hotel and have dinner.

Day 7 – Ourazatate - Taroudant

Our day starts with a brief sightseeing tour of Ourazazate city.  Originally built by the French in the 1920’s, Ouarzazate has become a center of the Moroccan film industry because of its proximity to desert and snow covered mountains.  We will visit the Kasbah Taourirt, used as a hotel for the cast of “Laurence of Arabia” while the movie was being shot. 

Our next stop is the Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou village to visit the ruins of this ancient Kasbah. The Ait-Ben-Haddou, a UNESCO site, houses an entire city within its walls with the houses densely packed together amidst crowded streets.   The Kasbah sits on a hill and is made completely of mud bricks.

Drive to Taroudant via Taznakht, with the possibility to visit a carpet cooperative. We continue on via the route of saffron to Taliouine and then to evening's destination Taroudant. Where we check-in to our hotel and have dinner.

Day 8 –  Taroudant / Agadir - Essaouira

With its majestic gold, pink and orange tinted ramparts, Taroudant is half citadel, half oasis. It is a town of great charm, sometimes called “the little Marrakech”. The clay houses, the minarets & the groves of oranges and pomegranates seem to drowse beneath the gaze of the frosted High Atlas. The walls, the souks, and the stark backdrop of the High Atlas are the town's main attractions. The souks are not large but they are varied; there is a strong radiation of local craft and much of the works here is of upstanding quality.  After breakfast, discover this charming city with a brief tour.

Next we drive to Agadir, a seaside city, built next to a tragedy – the earthquake of 1961 that killed 15,000. Enjoy a short tour and a bit of time before continuing to Essaouira. The coast route we take offers wonderful scenery of the Atlantic Ocean.

Day 9 - Essaouira  - Marrakech

This morning we visit the city of Essaouira. Protected by the tradewinds and surrounded by flowers, Essaouira "la Blanche" is the centre of the cabinet makers craft. Master craftsmen produce delicate pieces in lemon, cedar and sandalwood, preserving the character and aroma of these fine woods. Our visit includes la Skala, la porte Marina & Medina. 

This afternoon we depart for Marrakech, also known as the "Red City", the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history

Day 10 - Marrakech

We spend the day in Marrakech, an enchanting palm oasis set against the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas Mountains. Marrakech is Morocco’s second oldest majestic imperial city and retains the splendor of its ancient past.  Buildings are blushed in hues of the red earth and the horse-drawn carriages clip along broad avenues lined with palm, lime and orange trees.  In the morning we visit the ancient Bahia Palace from the days of the harem, the royal Saadian Tombs and the Koutoubia Mosque and Minaret, Menara Garden and the Medina.

This afternoon enjoy free time for shopping at one of the greatest bazaars in the world.

Day 11 –  Marrakech & Excursion by 4x4 to the Atlas Mountains 

Today we drive our own 4 passenger 4WD vehicles on an overland safari. Find yourselves in the heart of the Berber countryside where paths lead to picturesque villages and hamlets, through forests and hunting reserves filled with wild-life. The extraordinarily colorful rose gardens bloom from April to December.

Our convoy will cross the 1300 hectare Palmeraie, a genuine oasis which spreads its coolness out over the Haouz plain to the North-West of the town. Before reaching the first foothills, the Jbilets to the North and the beginnings of the High Atlas chain to the South can be seen on the horizons.

The High Atlas chain, the highest mountain range in North Africa, provides an inexhaustible supply of water. It is a spine made up of a series of forbidding mountains, making access difficult, although there are passes along three axes.
Behind each pass, we find many villages, generally built by stones or by earth mixed with water. In the high Atlas we meet only Berbers, the first people living in North Africa. Berbers still keep their traditions and wear traditional dress. 

After a barbecue lunch at the Ouirgane village, we arrive back at the hotel around 3:30pm.

And later this evening -- Promenade by horse-drawn carriages to our Farewell Dinner at Gharnata Palace, a beautiful private palace or “riad” situated in the “médina”. Walk through a torched lit Narrow Street to arrive at the Palace. Our entertainment will be an Andalusian orchestra and a belly dancer.

DAY 12 - Depart Marrakech

After a final breakfast we have to say goodbye to all our new single travel friends as we are transferred to the airport and our flights home. 

Morocco Desert and Kasbahs Singles Vacation November 25 - December 6 '11 Price $2,425* Includes * 10 Nights Accommodations * Breakfast Daily - 1 Lunch - 7 Dinners * Guided Tours per itinerary * Best Single Travel Representative * Airport/Hotel Transfers on Tour Dates * Train Transfers * All Taxes and Surcharges *The price per person is for a double room. Best Single Travel provides roommate matching so there is never a need to pay a "single supplement". If you wish to room alone it is an additional $750 Not Included * International Airfare * Tips $10 a day collected on day 2

Deposit - $400 Balance Due October 10, 2011