From the Ocean, to the Sahara… This fascinating adventure takes you on a journey back into time. Cover Morocco’s natural, historic and Jewish highlights by a private, air-conditioned motor coach. You’ll get a taste of the exotic charms of the wild Atlas Mountains with its snowcapped peaks, lush oasis, intrigues of the marketplace, camel caravans, great Imperial cities with their Kasbahs and Mullahs – the old Jewish Quarters.

Day 1: Sunday
Leave New York by a night flight for Morocco, the Kingdom where the Mountain is Queen.

Day 2: Monday Casablanca, Rabat
Arrival in Casablanca, Morocco’s White City, a chief seaport and leading business center in whole of Africa. Your Tour Escort welcomes you at the airport and takes you on a short drive north, along the coast, to nearby Rabat, 20th century Capital of the Kingdom. . Rabat is located on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, a city of trees and flowers and combines peace, beauty and serenity. Rabat's history began with a settlement, known as Chellah; Rome held it as a colony until 250 AD when they abandoned. In 1170, due to its military importance, Rabat acquired the title Ribatu l-Fath, meaning "Stronghold of Victory," from which it derives its current name.
Overnight Rabat.

Day 3: Tuesday Rabat, Meknes, Fez
This morning we have a sightseeing tour of fascinating Rabat. We visit the Mausoleum of King Mohammed V (1971), containing the tombs of the King and his two sons, late King Hassan II and Prince Abdullah. Nearby we can admire Hassan tower – the unachieved Minaret of a Mosque of the 12th century. It is the sister tower of the Giralda tower in Seville. The next stop will be at the Kasbah des Oudaias - the historic center of town, which dates back to the 11th century. In 1146, the Almohad Ruler Abd al-Mu'min turned Rabat's Kasbah (ribat) into a full scale fortress to use as a launching point for attacks on Spain. The tour is also featuring the Royal Palace, the Bab Chellah, the most typical and elegant gate to the “Médina” of Rabat. After completing the sightseeing of Rabat, we proceed to Meknes, the second Imperial City and called the “Versailles of Morocco”, a city resplendent in its wealth of Mosques, Minarets and Palaces. The city dates from the 17th century during the reign of Sultan Moulay Ismail. Have an architectural feast visiting the enormous Imperial Palace. We also will pay a short visit at the Old and New Mellah (Jewish quarter). It was walled and locked at night. Not far from Meknes, a winding road leads to one of the great attractions in Morocco travel - the archaeological spectacular Roman ruins of Volubilis spread over 100 acres. Evening arrival to the Imperial City of Fez, one of the oldest and more beautiful cities in North Africa founded in the 8th century.
Overnight Fez

Day 4: Wednesday Fez
In Fez, Ramban (Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon), at the time only a young scholar began his acclaimed commentaries on the Mishna (1166-1168). Rabbi Amran ben Diouane was chosen by the Rabbis of Hebron to be an envoy in Morocco with the mission to raise money for Yeshivas of the Holy Land in 5523 (1743). He settled in Fez and founded a Talmud-Torah and Yeshiva where many disciples came to quench their thirst and study the source of his words. Our sightseeing in Fez , shows us the fascinating labyrinthine Medina, the Mellah (Jewish Quarters), the old Jewish Cemetery and the Royal Palace. Later, enjoy the atmosphere of this exotic city as you have time to haggle over beautiful Moroccan carpet in one of the local bazaars or bargain in the famous Souk. In the evening enjoy a traditional folklore show (optional).
Overnight Fez

Day 5: Thursday Ifrane, Beni Mellal, Marrakech
Today an exciting drive takes us through the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. We stop in Ifrane, a town and ski resort in the Middle Atlas region at 1665 metres (5,460 ft) in altitude. Ifrane was established by the French administration in 1929 and planned according to the “Garden City” model of urban design fashionable in Western Europe between the two World Wars. Here we have the opportunity to see the famous Hotel where the King entertains his guests. On our way to Marrakech we visit Beni Mellal at the foot of Mount Tassemit (2247m), and next to the plains of Beni Amir. The walls of the city go back to Mawlay Ismail (1688), as well as the Kasbah Bel-Kush but most of the city is quite modern. In the Late afternoon we will arrive to Marrakech, known as the "Red City", Africa’s most popular year-round sun resort. It was once the favorite holiday spot of Sir Winston Churchill.
Overnight Marrakech

Day 6: Friday Marrakech
In the morning we leave Marrakech for a half day trip to the Ourika Valley, an attractive string of villages along the dangerous river carrying the same name. The landscape is fresh and green, and in summer a popular destination when Marrakech is boiling. Returning to Marrakesh we set out for a sightseeing tour both in the old fortified city (the Médina) and in the adjacent modern city (called Gueliz). The tour includes the Koutoubia Mosque, the most famous building in North Africa whose, Minaret was used as the model for the Giralda of Seville and for the Hassan Tower of Rabat, and the famous Dejmaa el Fna Square, one of the liveliest places on earth. The Square bustles with acrobats, story-tellers, water sellers, dancers, and musicians. By night, the Square turns into food stalls, becoming a huge open-air restaurant with busy life. We end the tour at the old Jewish quarter in which three Synagogues survived.
Evening services followed by Shabbat dinner.
Overnight Marrakech

Day 7: Shabbat Marrakech
After morning service and Shabbat lunch enjoy a walking tour in the city.
Overnight Marrakech

Day 8: Sunday Taroudant, Agadir
Drive south-west to the ocean. We’ll stop for a short visit of Asni, a cluster of small Berber villages and farms in a fertile valley at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains. After crossing the Tizi-n Test pass, we arrive at Taroudant - half citadel and half oasis. With its majestic gold, pink and orange tinted circuit of high walls, Taroudant – “the Pearl of Souss”, is a town of great charm and grace. The ruddy, clay houses, Minarets and groves of oranges and pomegranates seem to drowse beneath the gaze of the frosted High Atlas to the north and the Anti-Atlas to the south. Late in the afternoon arrival to Agadir, the most renowned year round beach resort in the south of Morocco.
Overnight Agadir

Day 9: Monday Agadir
The city of Agadir was rebuilt after a major earthquake that happened in 1960, which makes it mostly more modern than cities like Fez and Marrakech. This morning sightseeing of Agadir will bring us to a brand new old style Medina built out of traditional materials, very faithful to old gorgeous constructions. Next, Agadir’s Museum of Berber Art, a small folk art museum showing carpets, costumes, and other traditional 19th Century Moroccan objects, is another significant cultural spot we visit. Afternoon is at leisure. It is an additional occasion to stroll through souvenirs, which is a short distance from the city center, not to be confused with the city’s central market.
Overnight Agadir

Day 10: Tuesday Essaouira, Safi
This morning we drive along the Atlantic seaboard to Essaouira - Mogador for the Portuguese colonists who settled this city, fortified it with sea walls and built the post, a busy fishing harbor today. Our visit of the site will take us behind its purple ramparts and inside its whitewashed Medina with blue shutters and doors. We discover a city that has been influenced by various cultures (Berber, Carthaginian, Portuguese, English, Bambara and others). It was the Jewish traders that once formed the majority of the population and it was they who transformed Essaouira into what became Morocco's most prosperous city in the 17th and 18th Centuries. The ateliers of its artisan workers located in recesses under the Skala fortress (where Orson Wells filmed most of Othello in 1949) is what still remains. The most celebrated of its craftsmen create marquetry and sculptured wood from the roots of the Thuya tree. Continue on the hilly coast road, north, to our next stop – Safi. A late afternoon sightseeing unveils us the fascinating old Medina of the city, full of color with its great Mosque. The Moroccan fortress – Kechla, is also worth a visit as is the potters’ quarter.
Overnight Sefi

Day 11: Wednesday Casablanca
Early departure to Casablanca, on the westernmost tip of North Africa. Casablanca is a lively commercial center, the second largest in Africa – a modern metropolis, bursting with the future, as if a thousand years of history had been brushed aside to let through a modern city. Only the small, walled Medina still hints at the legend. Without doubt, the hallmark of the city is today the Great Hassan II Mosque, the tallest in the world which sits right on the ocean waters. There was a Sephardic Jewish community in Anfa up to its destruction by the Portuguese in 1468. Casablanca has been associated with Judaism more than any other city in North Africa. The Jewish population snowballed in the mid 20th century. Between the 1940s and 1960s, the Jewish population of Casablanca was around 70,000. Fewer than 5,000 Jews remain in the city today. Have an afternoon orientation drive to see the flowered boulevards, the old Medina and artificial harbor, the central market, the Hibbous sector, the Royal Palace, and one of the existing Synagogues.
Overnight Casablanca

Day 12: Thursday New York
Transfer to the airport for your flight to New York.

INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:

• Round trip air fare from New York
• 5 and 4 star Hotels.
• Kosher Meals daily. (For details see General Conditions).
• Transportation by air conditioned coaches.
• Sightseeing, transfers and entrance fees as per Itinerary.
• Experienced English speaking Tour Escort.

NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:

• Airport and security tax.
• Travel Insurance (For details see General Conditions).
• Gratuities to local service providers and Tour Escort.
• Optional tours as per Itinerary.
• Individual transfers.
• Any item not mentioned under “included in price” .