Morocco Magic and Mystery Gay Travel Cultural Tour

Day 1: Arrival in Casablanca

Our tour starts in a fantastic port city hugging the Atlantic Ocean, Casablanca. Morocco’s largest city is the country’s modern economic and cultural capital. Upon arrival at the airport, we will be welcomed by our private driver and transferred to our beautiful city center hotel. Next, we will check-in, freshen up and prepare for an amazing welcome dinner.

Travelers arriving in the morning or early afternoon may like to tour the historic port of Casablanca. Or perhaps visit the world’s tallest minaret at Morocco’s largest mosque, King Hassan II Mosque.

Day 2: Casablanca to Fes

After breakfast at our Casablanca hotel, we will drive to Fes. Our journey passes through an agricultural and forested part of this country. It is quite a contrast to the arid mountain passes and deserts that we will see later in our journey.

Later today we will see three of the four Imperial Cities of Morocco. En-route to Fes, we will pass Rabat, home of today’s king, and the ancient city of Meknes. The latter is often used by film producers from all over the world for movie backdrops. The city’s most glorious days were under Sultan Moulay Ismail (1672-1727), a contemporary of Louis XIV of France, whom he tried to emulate. During his reign, the Sultan attempted to construct the “Versailles of Africa!”

Next, we will make a stop at the holy city of Moulay Idriss. This is a picturesque little town that is a national pilgrimage site (it holds the tomb of the holy saint Moulay Idriss). Next, we will visit Volubilis or “Oualilli” as it is known by the Berber. Volubilis ranks among the best-preserved Roman towns in North Africa. It was once the home of Cleopatra’s daughter.

Lastly, we will arrive in Fez in the early evening and check into our atmospheric lodging near the ancient medina.

Day 3: The Original Imperial City of Fes

Fes (also spelled Fez) is the oldest of the imperial cities and arguably the symbolic heart of Morocco. We have a lot to see, so we’ll get an early start!

On today’s excursion we will visit:

• The Medina of Fez el-Bali (Old Fes). The largest living medieval city in the world comes to life as we make our way through winding alleys crammed with hundreds of craft booths, restaurants, and markets. All of our senses will be awakened in this jostling city.
• Qarawiyin Mosque / Medersa, the oldest university in the world, founded in 859 by Fatima Fihriya, a noble lady from an intellectual family of Fes.
• Borj Nord Fortress Museum. The second of the Saadian fortresses constructed in 1588 contains a fascinating display of historic weapons.
• The Mellah, a traditional Jewish quarter.
• Dar Betha Museum and the tomb of Moulay Idriss II.

After a long day exploring this marvelous city, we will return to the hotel for relaxation and prepare for our next day’s adventure.

Day 4: Goodbye Fes and Hello Oasis Town of Erfoud!

Departing from Fes we’ll journey by plane to our next destination of Erfund. Our destination today is the picturesque oasis of Erfoud, situated among the impressive sand dunes of the Sahara Desert.

Day 5: Merzouga Dunes and Camping Under the Stars

We’ll depart Erfoud in rugged 4×4 Land Cruisers, the only vehicles that can safely traverse the sand drifts and pebbles of the desert. Our first stop is at the nearby village of Rissani, once home to the African/Berber trading market. We’ll visit the village of Merzouga, at the base of two prominent Sahara sand dunes reaching over 450 feet high and stretching 15 miles.

The dunes are fascinating, changing color from pink to gold to red at different times of the day. It is a great place to appreciate the immense, clear desert sky. For bird-watchers, this is the best area in Morocco for spotting many desert species.

From Merzouga, we will mount camels for a ride along the dunes. Tonight we stay in a permanent Bedouin encampment of comfortable camel-skin tents. Marvel at the sunset before an amazing show of stars under the desert sky.

Days 6-7: Full Days in the Gorgeous Gorges

Start your day with the spectacular sunrise at dawn. After breakfast, we retrace our steps by camel to Merzouga and by Land Cruiser to Erfoud.

We soon head west from Erfoud and the relatively flat desert landscape gradually changes. We soon will approach the foothills of the southern slopes of the High Atlas Mountains. They call this the Route of 1000 Kasbah’s because the inhabitants of the small villages along the route have historically lived together in a large earthen building complex called a Kasbah.

Over the next two days, we will immerse ourselves in the majesty and raw beauty of the Todra and Dades Gorges that nature has carved from these slopes over the millennia. We will spend two nights in a Kasbah-style hotel overlooking the mile-high main town of the gorges, Boumalne-Dades. This will give us a chance to slow down for a leisurely exploration of the area, and perhaps a visit to the hotel’s hammam or outdoor pool.

Day 8: Ouarzazate and Ait Ben Haddou

From Boumalne we continue west along the Dades River. We will pass through the Skoura Oasis, and pause to explore Kasbah Amridil. This is a traditional Kasbah which has been well-preserved (and used as a movie set), and it’s open for visitors to get a better idea of the intricacies of Kasbah living.

Our next destination is the largest city in the region, Ouarzazate. This fortified town was created by the French Foreign Legion in 1928 as a military outpost and features curious lofty adobe dwellings.

Ouarzazate stands in the middle of an arid plateau that contrasts sharply with the rich vegetation of the nearby slopes of the High Atlas Mountains. The market is renowned for its fine pottery and magnificent carpets woven by local tribes. So this will be a good opportunity to make purchases of typically Moroccan products.

The city’s two most famous man-made locations are the outdoor movie studio where movies such as Cleopatra were filmed, and one of Morocco’s most famous Kasbahs, the 11^th Century Ait Ben Haddou – location for some of the scenes of Lawrence of Arabia! Our Moroccan riad-style hotel for the night is an oasis of green close by the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait Ben Haddou. This will allow us to feel the ambiance and tradition of hospitality that has greeted passing desert travelers over the centuries.

Day 9: Arrival in Marrakech

From Ait Ben Haddou we drive north over the Tizi-n-Tichka Pass (6666 feet) in the direction of Marrakech, with views of adobe homes and Kasbahs. As we descend to the fertile Haouz Plain we will see red clay villages and greenery. This is in contrast to the infinite shades of brown on the desert side of the High Atlas Mountains.

Rising up from the plain is Marrakech – Morocco’s fourth imperial city. Marrakech is known as The Pearl of the South, and it is a truly magical place, magnificently situated in an oasis, with the High Atlas Mountains as a backdrop.

Upon arrival in Marrakech, we drive to the heart of the old city to our elegant boutique lodging, our home for the next two nights. Within our hotel and nearby are many fine restaurants and cafés. Also, the main market selling fruit, vegetables and local handicrafts. The rest of the afternoon is free to rest or get a taste of Marrakech.

Day 10: Imperial Glories of Marrekech

During today’s tour of Marrakech, we’ll inspect the most beautiful of the city’s gates, the ancient Bab Aguenau. The fabulous 19th Century Bahia Palace, with its Moorish gardens and Andalucian decorations; and the picturesque Koutoubia mosque.

One of the greatest delights of being in Marrakech is to stroll through its souks. There we can see leather workers, shoemakers, dyers, brass-smiths, spice merchants and antique dealers in their working quarters and shops. We’ll wander around the legendary Djemaa al F’na Square which is always filled with entertainers, medicine-men, musicians, acrobats, storytellers, soothsayers, and snake charmers.

Marrakech features a wide variety of restaurants, ranging from sidewalk cafés ideal for people-watching to restaurants housed in traditional Marrakech mansions. Tonight, we will have our farewell dinner together, and perhaps savor typical Moroccan cuisines such as couscous, harira, tagine, and pastilla.

Day 11: Farewell to our Gay Morocco Tour Group

Some of us will take a morning 45-minute flight from Marrakech to Casablanca. Then connect to the Royal Air Maroc non-stop flight to New York or to a European hub to connect with flights home. Others may fly directly from Marrakech to Madrid, Paris or London then fly home from there.

Whatever route we take home, we will be already thinking back on the magic and mystery of our nights in Morocco!