MOROCCO:
Culture • Art • Yoga

Day 1 : March 29: Depart USA to Casablanca, Morocco

Begin travels today with a flight across the Atlantic to arrive in Casablanca, Morocco no later than 10:30am on the following day (March 30). Participants book their own flights. Suggested nonstop flights from the US to Casablanca, Morocco on Royal Air Maroc depart: from New York (JFK), from Washington DC Dulles (IAD), from Miami (MIA), from Montreal (YUL).  This is an overnight flight.

 

Day 2: March 30: Casablanca - Rabat

Arrive at Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca, meet your tour guides, and transfer to our luxury van to travel to the nearby capital, Rabat. Spend time grounding into your new surroundings with a special afternoon yoga session, and art journaling to set the stage for our journey ahead.  We’ll close the day with an optional excursion out on the town.  (L,D)

 

Day 3: March 31: Rabat - Volubilis - Fes

Depart Rabat and drive into the mainland through beautiful, vast, and diverse landscapes.  We will stop at   Volubilis, an ancient Roman site that still preserves its original mosaics, then enjoy lunch at a nearby holy town before continuing to Fes, where we will explore the next few days. (B,L,D)

 

Day 4: April 1: Explore Fes 

After a morning yoga session and breakfast, we’ll explore one of Morocco’s most historic and important cities - Fes.  We’ll spend the day in the medina (“old city”), touring its many sections, including varied handmade arts & crafts, where you’ll see artisans making exquisite items using centuries-old traditional techniques.  Of special interest are the ancient leather dyeing vats in the heart of the city.  Throughout the day, we will note repetitive or unique patterns, textures, and designs that play a part in Fes identity.

Tonight, we have a special group dinner at a local restaurant with authentic Moroccan cuisine and a show featuring a variety of musicians and dancers representing different areas and ethnic groups. As a special treat, we will enjoy a presentation of a Moroccan wedding ceremony with our group members participating to get very close to the culture, including dancing for all. (B,L,D)

 

Day 5: April 2: Further explore Fes

Today, we’ll explore various sites outside of the old walled city, including a visit to a pottery factory that hand makes very intricate art pieces, mosaics, and more.  As a special treat, we’ll get to experience a Sufi ceremony at a private home.  This unique ritual is full of mysticism, transcendence, and spirituality.   Our day will close with an art session by the pool to record our experiences in Fes. (B,L,D)

 

Day 6: April 3: Fes - Tafilalt Oasis

After an early yoga session and breakfast, we’ll drive south through the Middle Atlas Mountains, taking in the beautiful scenery of the cedar forest and the Ziz Valley, to the Tafilalt Oasis/ Palm grove. This ride is beautiful and we will be making stops to explore, stretch, and journal. We will stop to see fossils that this region is known for before reaching our guest house in the Tafilalet Oasis.  Tonight, participants make an overnight bag for tomorrow’s camel ride and night in the Sahara camp. (B,L,D)

 

Day 7: April 4: Explore Tafilalt Oasis - Sahara Camp

We start our day with a walking tour of the Village of Mezguida, a seventeenth century adobe village.  After sketching and art journaling, we will enjoy lunch and have a presentation on different types of Amazigh (Berber) textiles, jewelry and more.  Our day will be topped with a camel ride experience and overnight at a nomadic camp in the middle of the golden sand dunes of the Sahara Desert. Dinner with local music - join with clapping, dancing, and drumming under the desert stars! (B,L,D) 

 

Day 8: April 5: Return from Camp - Desert Villages - Tafilalt Oasis

Wake up in the Sahara Desert with a special morning yoga session before packing up camp.  After returning from our camel excursion, enjoy downtime by the gardens and the pool.  For lunch, we will learn how to make a local specialty - stuffed bread baked in the sand.  This will be our lunch accompanied with a tasty mint tea, just like the nomads have done it for centuries.  In the afternoon, we go explore other parts of this desert region including a Saharan oasis gardens and villages, witnessing how locals extract water from the dunes for drinking and irrigation using an ancient underground system called khuttaras.  We’ll wrap up the day with a visit to a local community with Sub-Saharan origins to experience their unique spiritual music and chanting. Overnight at our guest house in the Tafilalt Oasis. (B,L,D)

 

Day 9: April 6: Rissani and local market

After breakfast, we will visit Rissani market.  Here, you will have the opportunity to purchase authentic spices to take home, and learn how they are used in Moroccan cuisine.  Back at our guest house, learn to make a traditional Moroccan dish cooked in a tajine over wooden charcoal.  While our food cooks, work on your travel journal and relax on the rooftop with desert views. (B,L,D)

 

Day 10: April 7: Stay within Tafilalt Oasis

Today, we spend the full day at our guesthouse for a mini art and yoga retreat!  Re-set with restorative yoga practices, guided art projects including geometric drawing and indigo dying, and plenty of time to rest and experience the joy of ‘Moroccan time’. (B,L,D)

 

Day 11: April 8: Todra Gorge - Dades & Rose Valley / Ouarzazate

After yoga and breakfast, we’ll set out on a ride full of unique scenes. We will wander through the Todra Gorge (canyon) after passing through a lush valley surrounded by many villages and filled with date palm trees. We continue our spectacular ride to go through the Dades valley.  A special and amazing cultural experience will be awaiting us: a totally different style of native music and dance unique to this region, with a chance to join the dance.  In the afternoon, we continue west to Ouarzazate.  Overnight in Ouarzazate. (B,L,D)

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Day 12: April 9: Ouarzazate - Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou - Marrakech

Ouarzazate is a town known for film production. Today we will cross the amazing High Atlas Mountains. The scenery in the mountains is striking and unique, as dozens of Amazigh (Berber) villages accented with terrace gardens can be seen. One of the highlights for today is the world heritage site Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou. We will visit a women’s cooperative that specializes in making famous Argan Oil. Overnight in Marrakech. (B,L,D)

 

Day 13: April 10: Explore Marrakech

After morning yoga at our beautiful riad, we will explore Marrakech.  We’ll visit a lush hidden garden (“Le Jardins Secret”), created on the grounds of a historical site, the 19th century Bahia Palace, and the 11th century Koutoubia Mosque and gardens. We will then experience the colors and smells of the lively souks (markets). Overnight in Marrakech. (B,L,D)

 

Day 14: April 11: Further explore Marrakech area

Today, we’ll take a short drive outside of Marrakech to visit the stunning Anima Garden with endless colorful floral and sculpture displays - a great opportunity for sketching!  Lunch on your own at the Garden Cafe.  In the afternoon, we return to Marrakech for early evening cocktails on the roof top and dinner at our guest house. Overnight in Marrakech. (B,D)

 

Day 15: April 12: Marrakech - Casablanca Airport - Depart

This morning we depart back to Casablanca to the Mohammed V Airport to fly home. (B)

Bon Voyage!!